6 tips to build your secondhand store’s brand
October 19, 2017
The Team Traxia brand
Beef up your secondhand store’s brand before next year
The terms “Brand” and “Branding” are widely used in marketing. To “brand” means to set your product apart by putting your identifying mark on it. According to Entrepreneur, your brand is derived from “who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.” Our goal at Traxia is to be a partner for those in the secondhand industries. We work hard at encouraging. Because the life of a secondhand shop owner is incredibly stressful, we also believe in spreading a little joy. Do our photos convey that image?
Here are 6 easy steps to build your secondhand store’s brand identity.
1.) Start by defining your store
To define your secondhand store’s special brand, ask yourself these important questions:
What makes my store unique? List specific benefits and features of your store.
What do my current and potential shoppers already think about my store? Is their perception positive?
How can I build upon my existing image or change it to create a better one?
2.) You are your secondhand store’s brand
Shoppers identify with people, not logos or buildings. When creating your secondhand store’s brand, you want to build an emotional bond, a relationship. The Traxia Team is extremely family oriented. Our offices include a separate playroom set aside for the many children who stop by to visit their daddies or grandpas. It’s not uncommon to have kids wandering (more like running) from office to office. Because we emphasize family within our organization, we want to create that same “brand” with our customers. We truly see them as family, as a part of our Team. Who are you? If you’re lighthearted and funny, make sure your store conveys that. If you’re sophisticated, your brand should be too. Remember, you are building an emotional bond.
3.) Your logo
Traxia’s logo
Your secondhand store’s brand foundation is your logo. You need a solid, easy-to-read image that can be instantly recognized as you. Whether it’s your name in a particular typeface and color, or an actual design image, make sure you use it consistently. This is the first impression a shopper may have of you. Splash it across everything. Over the years, Traxia has gone through a number of logos until we settled on our current one. I refer to them as “the happy people.” Once again, we’re conveying our image. One of our main goals is to be a support tool for the consignment, resale and antique mall industries. SimpleConsign, our web based software, is just one aspect. We’re constantly growing from the wisdom of these 3 types of secondhand businesses.
4.) Your profile image on social media
Although obvious, some shop’s forget that your profile photo is the picture that appears in a Facebook news feed comment, a reply or a retweet. Your profile picture should always be your logo. However, sizes vary for profile photos. What works for Facebook may not work for Pinterest, Instagram or other media sites. If your name and/or logo is a different shape or ratio than the standard size, consider recreating it into a square format. Never cut off any text or part of your logo design. Here are the latest social media image sizes according to Constant Contact.
5.) Your cover image on social media
Looking for a great way to communicate who you are and what you sell? Take advantage of the larger space on your Facebook and Twitter cover images. Don’t be afraid to change it up, and regularly. If you’re looking for customers to return time and time again, you have to give them something new and different. Use bold images and graphics. Facebook now allows you to use video as your cover image too. Check out SimpleConsign’s here. Make sure the typeface remains consistent through all of your headlines and subheads. As followers scroll through your Twitter and Facebook feeds, they should get a consistent feel for your business and your brand identity not only by what they read, but also by what they see.
6.) Talk the talk and walk the walk
Consistency is the key to a solid secondhand store’s brand identity. If you want to be known as the expert in consignment, resale or antiques then you need to communicate it. If you want to be viewed as a trend maker or the friendliest shop in town, then make that clear in every piece of advertising that goes out of your store. Choose your purpose. Then, come up with a slogan or tagline for your shop that matches. Reading our customer’s testimonials, you will quickly realize that the friendliness and helpfulness of our team is what most remember. That is what Traxia’s brand is and we’re working hard to maintain it.
This article has been updated from the original posted on 02/13/15
