POST ONE – ASSIGNMENT #4

Coming into Assignment #4, I was eager to take Mark and others advice on how I can push my account further and experiment. Some of the ideas I brainstormed during this time and got inspiration from was:

• Creating video content
• Showcasing style tips
• Asking other thrifters for advice
• Using other platforms other than Instagram

Firstly, I never intended to make video content for this project as most thrift accounts opt for the simple image. However, after the consultations, I realised that video content could be heavily engaging and had the potential for more engagement. I recall Fan telling me after my presentation that TikTok was a powerful and growing platform that I could use to my own advantage. Therefore, this week I decided to incorporate venturing into video content with ‘showcasing style tips,’ and made my first TikTok! It has so far been viewed 70 times after being uploaded yesterday but only time can tell if it ranks up well compared to my photo artefacts.

Next, Mark encouraged me to interview other accounts in the thrift community in order to get any advice or knowledge. So that’s what I did! I interviewed an account who at the time had a lot more followers than me: @iTrive.au 

The sweet owner of this account is a fellow Australian who has supported my account since the beginning! I reached out to her as she had previously wished me luck with this social media experiment, and she was happy to help and gave me some good advice in terms of what platforms perform well with thrifting! The owner told me that she sells through 3 platforms, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram and eBay. She admits sales are low on Instagram with only an average of 1 per week, whereas she performs better on the others. She gave me both pros and cons for why she picked those platforms and claimed to consistently post on Instagram stories to keep up engagement, as well as have sales/special offers.

I sadly don’t intend to branch out my business to other platforms right now as eBay can charge fees and FB Marketplace seems like the easy route. With these platforms, you can’t exactly grow as a business, you’re more selling just as an individual. I enjoy how Instagram can be set out like a proper business page and you can experiment as you please – more free reign.

Lastly, I wanted to reflect on Trevor Young’s advice for reaching a niche audience and being passionate about your idea. In terms of my audience, I am quite happy with how I have achieved a following of people who meet my target demographic and show engagement on my posts. My audience was always niche to begin with too which was an advantage because I was able to target people efficiently. I am also proud to announce that I am now up to 48% Australian followers! Only 2% from my main goal.

Trevor also talked about being passionate, consistent and to make content that is in sync with one another. I feel like I have adhered to this as I have reached a good following (sitting on 550+ followers right now) and post at the same times every week (on either Sunday, Wednesday, Friday) and I get enjoyment out of what I make. I love the look of my account and although I haven’t made a sale, I am more enjoying engaging with followers and being a part of this community.