Making a commercial that shows viewers the type of consignment, resale, or thrift shop you have is a challenge and an investment. Some results are better than others. Right now I
Love this 30-second consignment shop commercial.
Why do I love this?
- It’s tongue-in-cheek… turning well-known music and dance into tongue-in-CHIC.
- It shows the shop, and the shop shows well. (Notice the jewelry cases are covered with handbags?)
- It begins and closes with the caption visible for 8-10 seconds. Crucial on both ends.
- It’s seasonless so it can can be used any time of the year.
- It’s professionally acted, cut, and announced. Amateur commercials are a total waste of time and money.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
[…] this one… definitely word-of-mouth […]
Sure, Kate. A few tips to make any production look (and sound) more professional.
Production:
– Put your camera on a tripod.
– Do not zoom during a shot.
– If your cam has a manual iris (exposure), use it.
– Do not use the on-camera microphone. Clip a lavaliere mic to the person speaking.
B-roll (this is the footage that goes over your interview or voice-overs):
– get people in the shot… shopping, consigning, having fun
– So…. Don’t show an empty store!
– BUT watch out for recognizable faces, unless you have a release waiver
– on close-ups, show hands (going through racks, trying on jewelry, etc.)
– think wide-shot, medium, and close-ups for a nice mix of shots
– see the above “NO ZOOM” rule… cut between your framing changes
Post-production:
– Apple and Adobe sell nice consumer-level software for around $100.
– Unless you have a REALLY good reason, avoid speeding up or slowing-down footage… you’re not making an action thriller
– even if your software comes with 342 transitions, DON’T USE them
– the only transition to ever use is a dissolve/fade, and even then, just use it sparingly (if at all).
– Cable TV aggregators have very specific requirements on their file specs for broadcast. Some still need bars & tone, 2-pops, etc. Make sure your files meet these specs, or ask them how they can help you meet their specs.
– For YouTube, encode your files to their suggestions, so your videos look good.
Video marketing:
– Make a YouTube channel for your store. It’s FREE! Here’s (the beginning) of ours http://www.youtube.com/user/myorangedoor
– Embed YouTube videos on your website (it’s easy, and keeps all the video views in one place)
– send out the video links in your email blasts
– if you don’t have time to make a good video (with the above best-practices)… DON’T make a video. Do a “podcast” recording, shoot stills, etc. Bad video is worse than no video.
Video suggestions:
– make your store overview video first
– a dos & don’t of consigning/ buy outright would be really helpful
– hype your events and contests
– a quick “here’s what came in this week” video with just stills and voiceover
– get testimonials of your biggest fans (be sure get a waiver to use their “likeness”)
If all this sounds too intimidating… hire a professional. Check their other productions and see if they fit your “style”. Check with their other clients to see if they’re easy to work with, deliver on time & budget, etc.
Hope this helps,
Brian Brown
Since I’m a resale shop owner AND a video producer, I made a commercial for my store: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IQf9EnRBlo It’s not quite as creative as the one Kate showed us, but gets the message across to potential customers and consignors. Since starting the ad in June, we’ve gotten dozens of new consignors, and they’re bringing in more higher-end items than we’ve ever seen.
To those that are curious about costs, here in Comcast’s market of north metro Denver, commercials (spots) costs vary by network and time-slot. I’ve seen a range of $3 – $15 per spot. The $15 is a statewide spot here on a select few networks that don’t aggregate by city. If you pay around $35/spot, you can get a live sports event like professional baseball, football, hockey, etc., so Simone, if someone is quoting $50/spot, I think you’re getting played.
Costs for creating the spot vary, as well. I’ve been paid as much as $1,500 to produce complicated spots for Comcast, but I’ve done spots for as little as $500 for fellow local merchants.
Thanks Brian, for sharing your very helpful and specific knowledge. We’d love to have, if you can find the time, some operating guidelines for producing both 30-second (even 15-second) ad spots, as well as longer Youtube promotional and educational videos to enhance our image. How fast is too fast to pan? Is there a quick and easy way to stop camera shake? Some simple editing software? That kinda stuff…
I have a commercial on Fox right now that I paid no production costs. TV stations are hurting for money right now and you should be able to negotiate them down. Also, make sure the time slots are where your customers are watching. I used to advertise in the afternoon because it was cheaper but all I got in from it were little old ladies. Since I sitched to the local Fox news @ 9 pm, I am getting more families from it, who are my target market.
That was a great commercial.
I’m wondering – do many resale shops use TV ads?
I’ve had a salesman try to pitch TV to me a few times – wondering if it’s worth the money ($750 to shoot the ad, $50 every time they play it).
I’d investigate your options re producing it with a production company vs. the TV station (production companies can be more imaginative), who the finished product belongs to (whether you can post it on YouTube and embed it in your site, which I think is an absolute MUST), and of course, the tv station’s target market, when it airs, and so on. Remember, it’s not all about the money
I change the displays often! I accessorize like crazy. I look for seaonally appropriate funky stuff – like a bright flag theme hat or bunny ears. I’ve used a lampshade on the head at New Yrs and filled martini glasses with jewelry. I have found the cutest decor and silly signs at Hobby Lobby. We have a Dresden Junk-Shun nearby and I’ve bought all sorts of riser’s from a little metal doll chair for $2 (I plop a purse on it) to a little vanity stool ($5) that I spray painted for a stack of sweaters or shoes and purse that match an outfit.
PPL comment all the time on the displays and often want to buy them. 🙂
DO resellers have a passion for fashion? I do! I’d love to hear from others who do, and how you keep displays fresh!