In this hyperactive age where almost everyone is on their mobile phones, laptops, and other gadgets, one can easily access and search for anything (or anyone). This is the beauty of social media that in the early days, didn't allow ease and convenience in connecting with people and accessing information.

People have also discovered e-commerce. Anyone can easily buy and sell things online, encouraging many businesses to shift online and use social platforms like social marketplace because these save them money, time, and resources.

There is also the rise of social commerce, which is actually a subset of e-commerce. Social media influences, social interactions, and other user contributions are important to buying and selling online. You interact with the social media world by following people and brands and creating an account on a mobile app, website, or blog related to your interests. By doing so, you are not limited within your sphere of influence but begin to discover other brands and make online friends in the process.

Being in social commerce is not just being there. So many sellers are already on social media, and as such, you must rise above the rest. There are 6 c’s of social commerce that you must keep in mind:

1. Content - for people to notice your website, blog, or marketplace account, everything you post must be relevant and relatable to your target audience. As long as the content you put out is useful to people and at the same time, interests you, then it is a breeze to manage your listings and interact with fellow users.
2. Commerce - having a transactional web presence on your site is also crucial to fulfilling your customers’ needs. On any e-commerce platform, make sure that you keep on interacting with both potential and actual clients, and promoting your listings. In this way, you will earn credibility as you have been proven to be a trusted seller.
3. Context - even if transactions are done online, tracking real-life events like payments and check-ins at a location is important. A social commerce report is usually needed to see if you are indeed making a profit and at the same time, managing your accounts well.
4. Conversation - suppliers want to tap on all conversations. Marketeers’ priority goal is to seek people who will be interested in their products. Other social media platforms such as Facebook and Pinterest would definitely help in doing a sense-check of what people are interested in, what they are buying, and what is no longer trending.
5. Community - it is essential to build relationships for without it, how will you be able to expand your business? Social media networks like Facebook are helpful as you can see who engages in your site or listings. Clients or potential ones keep asking questions about the product or item, giving feedback about how you market, etc. In this way, you can improve your site or listings based on their comments.
6. Connections - have a visible online presence. Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook can help in building social, casual, and professional relationships. Your accounts give people an idea of your personal branding (your background, interests, and style) that help promote yourself and earn credibility, especially when these people refer you or your account to their friends and other networks.

Using Instagram To Boost Sales

Traditional sellers usually allocate big budgets for their marketing strategies. Poshmark sellers, on the other hand, rely on the power of social media or Influence.

High engagement is essential if you want your listings to be noticed and allow buyers to gravitate to them. Factors such as the time you posted, the number of your followers, the value of your brands, and the rate of posts shared increase the exposure of your closet. This will eventually increase the possibilities of sales.

Other social media platforms will definitely help to increase your exposure: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These platforms have analytical tools that will allow you to see your site or listings' performance in terms of engagement rate, the best time to post, etc.

However, among the social media platforms, Instagram is the best channel to grow your Poshmark following. It will definitely double or maximize your sales. It has been noted that 57% of shoppers’ purchases are based on influencers that they see on other platforms as they typically post trends.

It is easy to create an Instagram account, however, many find it hard to use the platform to its fullest. Here are some helpful tips to create an effective and attractive Instagram account:

Create a Poshmark closet-dedicated Instagram

By now, you may have your personal Instagram account. However, it would benefit you if you separate your personal account from your business account (Poshmark Closet). One advantage of doing such is that new followers and prospective clients will only have to follow your “business account” or an account dedicated to posting photos of your inventory. Scrolling through your Instagram business account is similar to browsing a physical catalog.

This also helps you in filtering out messages coming from your family and friends from your clients or prospective buyers. When you receive a notification, you will immediately know whether to open it, especially if it is an urgent message from a client.

Separating your personal life from your work helps you better manage your time and energy to deal with these different aspects of your life.

Put your Poshmark link and code in your Instagram bio

Right under your name, where you usually write something to describe yourself, you can add an external link that leads to your Poshmark Closet. This helps people easily navigate to your listings and see what you have to offer, especially if your style matches theirs or you have what they are looking for.

Although Instagram profile allow only one link, you can still use your bio section for other texts. You can indicate your referral code so visitors can see. Poshmark provides $10 off to new customers using this code to encourage them to keep on using Poshmark.

Make sure you mention this in your bio. You have so much to gain to convince prospective buyers by taking advantage of this tool.

Be creative in photos

When posting your items, switch it up by having yourself or someone else model your items. Sometimes, simply posting the items (clothes, bags, accessories, shoes) against a plain background with some decorative elements is good. However, it can get boring as people would want to visualize how they can use your products.

Lifestyle photos, that is, featuring people in real-life situations or surroundings, can help potential clients relate better to you. Do this by wearing the clothes, jewelry, bags, or shoes, and pair them up with different outfits. People would want to see which style pieces best fit or complement your item.

For instance, if you are selling a crop top, it is best if you pair that with high-waisted flare jeans, your choice of shoes and bag, and then pose outside a cafe or restaurant, showing people that they can wear the top for a casual brunch or typical day out.

Make sure to take clear photos that show the item. Use natural lighting as much as possible, so the colors are bright and crisp, and people can see the details of the items as well.

Plan a content calendar

This is the most crucial part of creating and maintaining your Instagram account. You simply wouldn't want to post random lifestyle photos no matter how beautiful they are. People would still prefer looking at an Instagram feed when it is organized and have a natural flow to it. This means that all your postings at a glance are visually appealing.

How do you do a calendar? First, plan out what you want to post. Sort through the items that are for sale or resale, and place them under categories. These can be according to their colors or their type.

Second, once you have marked the items, come up with ideas on how you will post them. Think about the settings where you or a friend will model them. Take note of the general color palette of the place and the outfit. This gives you an idea of which items will be posted first, second, third, and so forth. Organizing them gives that pleasing, natural look when people scroll through your Instagram feed.

Third, plan out what day and what time you will post them. Keep in mind the usual peak times when social media users are most active. Note them down so you can tailor your posting time to these periods. Similar goes with the day. Weekends are usually the best to post your most attractive items as people have more leisure time to use social media.

When you have marked the dates and times, you can schedule your posts via tools like Linkin.bio. This platform helps you control your postings, drive traffic, track clicks to your Poshmark Closet, and see which of your posts garnered the highest engagement.

Having a content calendar make seem like work, but this is crucial for you to create an effective and attractive Instagram account.

Use your Instagram to post new arrivals

Most often than not, buyers will check your Instagram first before actually checking Poshmark. Posting on your Instagram is a great way to engage people so they will follow you on that platform.

In posting your items, make sure to indicate that such items are new in your Poshmark closet and you wanted your target audience to be the first to look at the new merchandise. In this way, they will feel important and eventually allow them to follow your account.

Use hashtags in your captions

When describing your photos or items, make sure to use hashtags. These can take the form of simple words such as #happy, #fashion, #outfits, #shoes, and so forth. But these can also be longer phrases such as #dateoutfit, #dinnerlook, #louisvuittonbag, #guccibelt, etc.

When you place hashtags, this helps people looking for similar styles, moods, brands, items, and products to come across your posts. This increases your chances of getting seen and interacted with by different people, and of course, potential buyers.

Keep in mind to be careful in placing hashtags. Don't bombard your captions with them as these can be overwhelming to Instagram users.

Be strategic in hashtags such that you never include ones that are not relevant or related to your photo. For instance, you posted a nude Prada shoulder bag, but among your hashtags include #Chanelbag #boots #blackbag. Having these unrelated hashtags turns away people from you as you aren't truthful about your post.

This can be frustrating to users especially those who are looking for specific items but then they land on yours that is completely the opposite of the hashtag you included.

All these tips for creating an effective and appealing Instagram account, can help you boost your Poshmark sales and of course, learn many things along the way.