While the marketplaces provide you with a built-in audience of buyers, there is so much more you can do to scale and grow your business.
In this article, we’ll discuss ways to differentiate your reselling business and effortlessly attract customers with brand-building tactics.
It starts with a brand. Who are you? Do you have a memorable and catchy business name? If not, you need one!
Branding includes a name, graphics, and informational “about us” sections.
I started selling twelve years ago with a username that was my name followed by some random numbers. That was my first mistake. Over the years, I evolved into a few other variations of names.
It is important to select a business name that is memorable and catchy. This can be tough, as so many names are taken. But, brainstorm something unique and creative.
Branding Tip: After rebranding in 2020, I knew I needed something unique and catchy. I couldn’t think of anything fashion-related that wasn’t taken, or anything sentimental with a heart-warming story. In college, local bartenders called me “Miss Four Limes” as I always drank my cocktails with four limes. So, I decided to use that for my business! It is unique and lends itself well to a logo!
You want a name that is unique and that people remember. While buyers likely didn’t remember buying from Erynn12345, they are more likely to remember their order from Four Limes, especially since my packaging is covered in my branding, too!
Branding Tip: On Godaddy.com, you can create a domain for under $10 a year. You can also re-route the domain. So, if you don’t have a website just yet, you can route the domain to link to your LinkTree, Milkshake, Poshmark Closet, eBay store, or whatever you want!
A logo is an important part of branding. You will want something memorable that compliments your name.
You can create a basic logo on Canva. For most sellers, that will work as a profile picture on your accounts. However, you won’t be able to trademark a logo from Canva, so keep that in mind.
If you’re looking for something more original or a logo that you might be able to register, consider hiring a graphic designer. You might be able to find a great one on Fiverr.
Once you create a logo, I recommend that you use the same logo for every account you have, across reselling marketplaces and social networks. In many instances, you can also have a banner, where you’ll want to put a graphic or logo, as well!
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The third component of branding is your “about the seller” sections across marketplaces and socials. Often, you are given an “about” section or a bio where you can provide a little information about yourself and your business!
This is valuable real estate! Use this section to talk about yourself and your business, show off your stats or accomplishments, and connect with buyers by sharing a bit about yourself!
Here is an example of the Meet the Posher post! You see I show myself, my family, and some pictures of me at various reseller events. I also share a little about myself and my business, encouraging buyers to shop and connect.
Almost every marketplace has a place for this type of promotion! Utilize all opportunities for self-promotion and branding!
Once you have the branding covered, you want to establish a marketing strategy that will get your brand and items in front of the eyes of more buyers!
You do not need a sophisticated marketing strategy to start, in fact, I don’t recommend that you spend too much time or money on marketing right away.
Here are some tips to get started with marketing to differentiate yourself and your shops:
1. Start with the tools provided to you where you sell. eBay has promotion campaigns, Etsy has onsite and off-site ads, Depop has boosting, Poshmark has Promoted Closet; all of these are paid opportunities to put your listings in front of more buyers.
These strategies can be very effective: do not be afraid to pay for extra exposure: marketing is part of the budget for all large businesses. That said, do test the results of various campaigns to be sure the spending makes sense with a decent ROI (return on investment).
2. Be sure to market yourself to your own buyers. Slipping a business card in each purchase with an invitation or discount to shop with you again is a highly effective way to create return buyers and brand loyalty.
3. Use social media. Social media is perhaps the most valuable tool for branding and marketing. It is very important to have a social media presence for your business.
If you’re new to social media and have no idea where to start, the best place is to connect with other resellers. This will allow you to expand your network and also to see what they’re doing for inspiration.
The reselling community has a strong social media presence on:
You don’t need to be everywhere all the time; although posting identical content across various marketplaces is an effective way to do so. But, selecting one or two social platforms to post regularly is a great way to drive traffic to your brand and pages.
If showing your face and doing silly dances is not for you- no problem! You can simply show what you’re working on, share tip, ask a question, and most importantly: show what you’re selling. Everyone is a buyer.
My reseller Instagram is more devoted to reselling tips and tricks than acquiring sales… but I almost accidentally make sales all the time just by showing my fun sourcing finds that people see and want to buy! The reseller Facebook Groups are a great place for this type of subtle marketing as they have a built-in audience and do not require that you build your own.
Marketing Tip:
I highly recommend that you create a LinkTree or a MilkShake. These are tools that allow you to feature multiple links or marketing materials. You can use this link as your “website” in your bios.
I use and love LinkTree. Over the years, I have learned how to strategically use it to make money. I must share this link ten times a day with people who ask various questions. Rather than send them the direct link to what they’re looking for, I send them this:
Start with a photo or your logo (in my case, I use both together). Put the most important links on top.
In my case, I have a tip jar, my website for consultation services, and a link to my Amazon storefront with all my favorite reseller supplies.
Creating an Amazon storefront has been an amazing idea. When people ask about my favorite products, I have them in a link for them to browse, plus you earn commissions on purchases!
Next, I recommend that you put ways buyers can pay you. The amazing part of making sales on socials is that you can avoid marketplace fees! However, you still need a method(s) of payment processing. Putting them in your LinkTree will make them easily accessible.
Also, feel free to put direct product links in your LinkTree so buyers can easily purchase your items!
Of course, you’ll want to include links to everywhere you sell as well!
Finally, I have quite a few affiliate links to various products that I use and love.
Affiliate marketing is a simple and effective way to make money on social media as a reseller.
For example, if you use and love Vendoo (who doesn’t), you can join their Refer-A-Friend Program.
When you post anywhere about how much you love Vendoo, you receive a special link that offers your audience a discount when they sign up! If they sign up, you get a 20% commission of their subscription- forever, as long as they stay with Vendoo!
You’ll see that I’m a member of referral programs for all of the products and services that I use and love. It’s a win-win-win; a win for the company as they get more users, a win for the person I refer as they get a discount on a great product, and a double-win for me, as I get engaging content and cash earnings!
Look into affiliate programs for the products that you use and love. This is an almost effortless way to earn money in your marketing strategy!
You might consider a Shopify account. With Shopify, you can create your own eCommerce website that comes with infinite marketing and branding opportunities including Google Ads.
Speaking of paid ads, you can run them across search engines and socials. I recommend that you do your research when it comes to these more pricey and sophisticated forms of paid advertisement.
The sky is really the limit when it comes to branding and marketing. The most important thing, however, is consistency.
Do you have any tips or tricks for branding and marketing? Share them below! 👇🏼