Social media for bin stores, what to actually post
A posting routine that takes an hour a week, brings in new customers, and does not require anyone to become an influencer.
Most liquidation store owners know they should be posting and do not have time to figure out what. So the store's page has a logo, a phone number, and one photo from opening day. Meanwhile a competitor two towns over has 12,000 followers because they film the pallet every Thursday.
You do not need to be good at social media. You need a short list of things to post and a habit of posting them.
The four posts that work
Everything a bin store posts falls into four types. Rotate them.
The pallet reveal. A video of the new pallet, boxes opening, product visible. This is the post that brings people in. Film it on your phone, no editing, under 30 seconds. Post it the night before restock.
The haul. A customer's cart at the register, or a shot of what someone found for $2. Ask before you film. People love showing off a deal, and other people love being jealous of it. This is the post that gets shared.
The reminder. Plain text or one photo: "Bins are $4 today, $2 tomorrow." Price-drop posts pull in customers who were waiting for a lower price. Post one every day the price changes.
The store. Once in a while, a photo of the team, the line, a new sign, a bad joke on the whiteboard. This is the post that makes people feel like regulars.
That is it. Nobody needs a content strategy. They need a pallet video, a haul, a price update, and a picture of the team.
Where to post it
Start with a Facebook group, not a page. Groups notify members. Pages do not. A group of 500 locals who get a notification every restock is worth more than a page with 5,000 likes.
Cross-post the pallet video to TikTok and Instagram Reels. Liquidation and "bin store haul" content does well on both because the format is naturally interesting. You will pick up customers from surrounding towns who did not know you existed.
Skip everything else until those two are a habit.
Do not post the best item
This is the rule people break most. You unbox a pallet and there is a name-brand air fryer on top. It goes in the video, it gets 200 comments, and then 190 of those people stay home because they assume the air fryer is gone by 9:02.
Show the mid-range items. Show brands. Show variety. Let the best item be a surprise for the person who finds it, and let them post the haul.
Answer the comments
Every "do you have any left?" and "what time do you open?" is a customer about to get in the car. Answer within the hour on restock day and within the day otherwise. If that is too much for you, give one employee the login and make it part of their shift.
Keep it honest
If a pallet is weak, do not hype it. Post the video, keep the caption plain, and let people decide. Customers who show up for an oversold pallet do not come back. Customers who show up for a fairly described one trust the next post.
The weekly hour
Here is the whole routine:
- Thursday night, film the pallet. Post it to the group and cross-post the video. Ten minutes.
- Friday morning, post the line if there is one. One minute.
- Every price-change morning, post the new price. One minute each.
- Once during the week, film a haul at the register. Five minutes.
- Answer comments during slow hours.
An hour a week, most of it standing next to something you were already doing. That is all the marketing most bin stores will ever need.