Instagram, at least for now, might be a good showcase for selling your consignment, resale & thrift one-of-a-kinds. Here’s an article from The New York Times about it. Be sure to check out the site cited.
For me, Instagram resembles a modern-day bazaar — one I visit on my phone when I have a free moment.
Great way to capture those “just looking” customers who aren’t even in your shop at the moment!
Of course, like anything else on smart phones/ mobile apps, you run the risk of overlooking those who, like me, have only dumb phones… so I decided to take a look at how you might tell your fans without mobile devices, how they can see your Instagram feed.
After much fiddling, I figure out: Non-mobile users can see your Instagram feed on their desktops if they have your exact username. I had the pleasure of browsing through http://instagram.com/azaleasandpoint# and http://instagram.com/chictochicboutique# but without an account of my own I could not follow or comment.
So, if you’d like to try selling via Instagram photos, be sure to provide all your users with your exact Instagram address via a live link, include info so they can contact you, and let’s see how you might
sell more to more people more often!
Here’s the resources I found researching this post:
Question: Can I browse Instagram on my desktop computer if I don’t have an Instagram account? Here’s the answer.
Question: Can I search through Instagram for people I might want to follow on my desktop without knowing their username? Or use hashtags? Apparently not without an account of your own, but you can on your mobile device. Here’s how.
Question: Can I actually install Instagram on my PC, so I can sign up? Here’s the answer. It’s multi-stepped so put on your thinking cap.
Question: How about if you want to upload pictures from your desktop computer to your established Instagram account? Here’s the answer(s).
Note: Remember, I know zilch about smart phones and other mobile devices, and I can’t necessarily know if Instagram has changed things up recently, so if I’ve mis-stated anything, I would love it if you’d correct me in the comments, below. Just remember, keep it helpful and kind.
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
The other thing I wish Instagram could do is have an admin-like feature for those of us who manage multiple accounts. To my knowledge, one must log out of one account and back in for another. I’ve also noticed a bug that sometimes the active account retains the previous account’s Twitter link, so you’ll want to be careful when automatically tweeting posts if you use multiple accounts. So many details, I tell ya! 🙂
Hi Lisa,
You could use the multi-step process to sign up on a computer that Kate mentions above. Or, you could have your son or trusted friend sign you up on his/her mobile device. Once you sign up and select your “handle” (user name), then you can log into your account on your computer.
Use http://www.instagram.com/yournewaccountname to locate your account if you don’t want to log in. Instagram doesn’t allow pictures to be posted from computers…yet!
Hope that helps!
Anna
Thanks Anna, our friendly neighborhood (if you count opposite sides of the North American continent as our neighborhood!) social media expert! There is, according to the links in my post, a way to post pix to your Instagram account if you have a smartphone, but the picture/ graphic you want to post resides on your computer (for example, your logo, a carefully-designed institutional photo, or your seasonal sale graphic). Here’s what that source says: “Perhaps the lowest-tech solution is email–just email the photo you want to share on Instagram to yourself, then access that email on your mobile phone and fire up Instagram.” Maybe someone will try that and get back to us…
Yes – I’ve had to do that exact thing if I took photos with my “big girl” camera! And there are apps to help retain the original image integrity while keeping it within the proper Instagram dimensions. (Squareit being a free one). But there’s still no way to post from your computer, unfortunately.
so far I have had no luck starting Instagram on my Mac laptop, nor can I register for an Instagram account with just my laptop. I am an “older” employee who is trying to learn. My 28 yo son was trying to help. He would download the app, but on the laptop it wasn’t there, despite several efforts to locate it.
I really don’t want to call and try to talk with a human being at Instagram. What else can I do (besides whine about it)?
🙂 You’re asking ME? The one with the dumb phone? 🙂 I’ve spent 2 hours today trying to get the Instagram app on an Android tablet, and the only reason I didn’t throw the thing in the pool was because it wasn’t MY devise 🙂
Hi Kate –
Thanks for the great post. The problem I have, not being in the stores every day, is that the wonderful women that work in them are older, and not into the entire social media thing at all.IF they have a cell phone, they are usually basic ones and they add minutes as needed. If I hand any of them a regular, plain old digital camera, and ask them to take pictures? OMG. That’s AFTER even spending 45 minutes showing and instructing them on some photo composition basics.
Trying to show them how to simply turn on and access the stores email on the store tablet was enough to make me pull all of my hair out.
Now, as well, our current customer base tends to be, mostly middle-aged and older women. Many do have smart phones….because they want to be modern…but do most know how to do much more than answer a call, or look at pictures/emails/texts someone sends them? No. I gathered quite a crowd around me when I was showing the ladies how to take pictures and email them with a smartphone.
I could have filled a stadium when I was trying to show a lady/customer who had then asked me how to set up a Facebook account using her iPad (that she had had since 2009…which had an old operating version and carried around but didn’t use much she said)…..and take/upload pictures with it…Maybe I need a side business giving some classes….and I am no expert! But to people in that ‘place’….they think I’m a genius!
Modern technology takes a while and lots of practice to use…and to train employees that don’t use it/see need for it in THEIR lives is totally frustrating. Makes you want to fire everyone and hire teenagers…almost.
Well, it is tempting to hire teens to manage your social media… if that’s your targeted customers.
On the other hand, if you do NOT aim your business to teens… like the NFP I volunteer with doesn’t… then heck, Instagram would be a waste of time and attention for you. Every business has its own parameters.
Wouldn’t it be fun, to have a trainer from your local senior living center maybe, to have a “Let’s Get Wired” or “Up-to-date with MyShop” after-hours event, with the trainer showing just how your target group CAN stay in touch with the shop, without having to get in the car and drive to your shop(s) every time they wanted to see “what’s new at MyShop”?
It could educate your market, highlight your shop, and maybe even (if there was an admission charge for the class) benefit the senior center? Plus, if the senior center helped publicize the event, it could even turn on some folks to the existence of your shop!