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Hello virtual traders!
Welcome to Soul Love Virtual Vintage Fair, and welcome BACK to those who joined us last time! I had such amazing feedback from the last one, and both follower and sign-up numbers have grown – that must mean we’re all doing something right, right?!
A lot of the below information will be repeated from last time but even if you read it before, give it another browse. Also please do message me if you have any questions or if you want any advice. It’s just lil’ old me but I’ll do my best to help everyone as much as I can.
INTRO POSTS
Thanks so far to everyone who has sent info over for your introductory post. As I type, I’m still waiting on info from a fair few people. Without an intro post you won’t be included on fair day, so please do get this over to me by Monday 15th June. This gives me plenty of time to promote you in the proper way and prepare for the 20th. If you’re not sure what to write or which three photos to send, have a look at the other posts on the feed to get a good idea.
If you can no longer take part in the fair, whatever the reason, please do tell me! This’ll save me chasing you for information.
A REMINDER
Just a little reminder that we’ve asked for all stock included under the Soul Love Vintage Fair name to be genuine, untouched vintage (i.e. not remade, reworked, upcycled or vintage inspired), and dating pre-1989. Any type of item is fine, so clothing, homeware, accessories etc are all welcome!
MY VINTAGE STORY
We’ve found that followers engage really well when they get to know the traders. For this reason, we’ve launched the ‘My Vintage Story’ video series. This is not mandatory but for anyone who fancies filming one, you’ll get a bit of extra exposure on the account. Your video can be on any topic you’d like relating to vintage (how you started, your favourite piece, a funny anecdote, your inspirations, anything!), but please make it one minute or less so I can share it easily on the account. Thanks to everyone who has sent one over already, you’re all fab!
All text, photos and videos can be sent to me via Instagram messaging.
TRADING IMAGE
Below is a graphic I’ve designed to help promote the fair – please do share it on your feeds! Hopefully you can all save it from here but if not, let me know and I’ll send it across to you. I’ve mentioned there that you can set a reminder for the fair from the Soul Love story highlights. Maybe test it out yourself so that you can advise your followers how to do it if they ask! You may also notice that the fair is an hour longer than last time – the hours really do whoosh by.
THE BIG DEBATE: @ vs #
I know there can often be confusion between @soullovevintagefair and #soullovevintagefair – I thought I’d try it explain it here as best I can!
@soullovevintagefair should be used when wanting to send your viewers in the direction of the fair’s page. It would be a good idea to use this in the build up to the fair
#soullovevintagefair should be primarily used on fair day, for all your posts of items that are on sale. This way customers looking for a quick browse can scroll through the hashtag to see everyone’s stock. If you haven’t hashtagged your image, you might miss out on customers! The images will also stay there permanently, so if customers come back a day or so later, they will still see everything hashtagged – it’s extra effort but really worth doing.
To create more impact, please don’t post up stock photos (with prices and measurements) before 11am on Saturday 20th June. Sneak peeks and promos are of course fine.
FAIR DAY
I thought I’d share a few ideas on how to set up on fair day. If you have your own plan please stick to it, especially if it has worked well for you before – This is all just my own opinion and you’re very welcome to ignore it!
SOUL LOVE FEED: I have designed posts for each of you for fair day, which I will post up on the Soul Love feed on the morning of the fair (from 11am). This will act as the fair’s directory so customers know who is involved, and so that they can easily navigate through all of your accounts (Please note: I won’t be sending these posts out to you individually but feel free to share them from the feed on fair day). From then on, all interactions from customers should be happening on your account – I won’t be answering any customer questions that come my way.
PREPARE! I’d say that preparation is key to these kinds of fairs. There’s nothing wrong with prepping everything the day(s) before at your leisure and then posting it up when the fair goes live at 11am on Saturday. Anything that makes the experience less of a stress for you is a good idea, in my mind!
LIVE STORIES: Alternatively you might like to film the whole thing live! You can do so through your Instagram stories and will be able to see who is watching and interact with customers if they leave comments. I’ve never done this before but it has worked well for others.
NO LIMITS: We’re not setting any limits in terms of how many items of stock you can have on sale on fair day. This is completely up to you and how many you think you can handle! A good place to start would be to think of how many you’d typically take to a fair.
SET UP SHOP: If you’re not sure how to display your stock on fair day, how about setting up your own mini stall, just like you would at a fair? Some stall holders have taken their stalls outside to their garden – weather-permitting – and the natural light certainly make for a nice setting. Below is an example from Hannah George Vintage:
FACE-TO-FACE: Customers might like to see you as well as your stock, just like they would at an actual fair. If you’re camera shy, a voiceover works really well too. Film little videos talking through your stock, particularly if you use these to point out details that might be lost in still photographs.
STYLE SOME MANNEQUINS: If you don’t have a lot of space, don’t fret. Dust off your mannequins and get dressing! Customers like to be shown how items might be worn, so try dolling up some mannequins to show how to style your vintage pieces. Have fun with it, the possibilities are surely endless.
TAKE CENTRE STAGE: If you’re feeling confident and fancy it, you could dress up yourself! Bring your items to life by showing how they fit and flow on a person. Flatmates and family members can also be roped in..! Here’s Banana Orange Vintage showing off her stock:
MUSIC AND GIFS: Some like to include music and gifs on their stories. Feel free, but remember that customers might be flicking through hundreds of trader stories in one go and we don’t want to give them a migraine!
POSTS: If you’re a shopper like me, you’d much rather look at stock quietly and calmly through an account’s feed posts than through their stories. I’d post to both – it’s more work for you of course but it does make sure that you’re reaching a broader range of customers.
PRICES AND MEASUREMENTS: We all have our own way of selling our stock but in my experience being open about sizing and pricing from the get-go is helpful. This means you won’t be inundated with questions on fair day, hopefully just orders!! Below is an example of what I post to Viva Soul London:
CHANGE IT UP: There’s no perfect formula for these kind of events, especially as we’re all relatively new to the virtual experience. However, it might be an idea to find a method that changes up the way you usually market your stock. I was amazed to sell items that I’ve had for years, simply by showing them off in a different way.
ALL ABOUT THE SELL: I’ve had some traders ask if they need to hold back items to preview on fair day. This is entirely up to you! We don’t require you to by any means. At the end of the day, this is all about promoting your business and selling your stock, no matter if it’s new-in or been in your stockroom for a while. Fingers crossed this fair will draw new customers to you and whether they are looking at stock on the day or scrolling through your previous items, it all leads to sales.
I really hope this has given you some ideas as to how to run your virtual stall on fair day. If you have any other ideas, particularly ones that have been tried and tested, I’d love to hear them! Always looking for ways that we can all share and learn from each other.
If you have any more questions do send them my way but for now, stay safe and thank you again!
Lydia x