So, you've started your fashion based brand. It could be an apparel brand, accessories, a blog or modelling agency; pretty much anything fashion-based. What next?
There are a lot of ways this could go. You could chill and smile because all your friends and family are crazy about your new venture or you could continue pushing it to get to the point you have always been dreaming of getting to. Among the myriad of ways to do that is by marketing and mad promotion. You could do it alone or go commercial by hiring an agency. To me, I would go the 'Do it yourself' route. Why? Because of the freedom of doing what you want. It does have it's downfalls in that you may not be able to reach the audience a huge marketing firm may get to. But if you prefer going the entrepreneurial route, it will take long to be honest. I did a little digging in order to impart some knowledge for all of you who want to start promoting your fashion brands. Let's do this:
1. Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!
First of all, it is the age of the internet; pictures are
more than an amazing way to promote your content.
The visual element comes naturally in the fashion world --
after all, image is what they're selling. But
visual social networks like Pinterest, Instagram and Vine are growing in
popularity, and there's no reason for your company to stick with 140
characters.
As Piqora CEO Sharad Verma explained to Inc., the visual
networks tend to be the most powerful social media platforms, in large part
because "the product-related conversations on Pinterest, Instagram, and
Tumblr are mostly organic -- not driven by brands but emerging from
people." That makes these a "great way to generate free earned media
and traffic."
This is particularly important if your business sells
products; Pinterest alone is already responsible for 23% of social media
purchases.
The takeaway: Make sure you're aware of where people could
be showing off your business or products, and consider whether you should be
actively using these networks. Just monitoring mentions may be too passive.
2. Produce
content-tailored messages
To deploy each social media platform to best effect, you
have to understand the different audience on each. As Libby Myers, a fashion
account director at Room 214, explains, "The demographic that tends to appear
on Twitter -- tech users -- is different from that on Facebook, which is sort
of the every man. Instagram is more of a niche market." Fashion brands are
successful because they know how "to segment their messaging, so they're
able to talk to different key interests."
A glance at various brand pages underscores this.....
message. For example, Michael Kors, which Pivot Conference called "the fashion brand to follow," presents a combination of luxe product and lifestyle shots on its Instagram page, while its Pinterest albums include topics like "style icons," "Michael's style tips," and "history of American style." Kate Spade New York offers Facebook exclusives on their wall, while tweeting day-in-the-life adventures with a special hashtag, #ohnewyork.
message. For example, Michael Kors, which Pivot Conference called "the fashion brand to follow," presents a combination of luxe product and lifestyle shots on its Instagram page, while its Pinterest albums include topics like "style icons," "Michael's style tips," and "history of American style." Kate Spade New York offers Facebook exclusives on their wall, while tweeting day-in-the-life adventures with a special hashtag, #ohnewyork.
The takeaway: Social media isn't one-size-fits-all. Spend
time looking at what your customers do on each network, and then nip and tuck
your message as needed.
3. Make your brand a lifestyle not a basic corporation
A good social media strategy doesn't just display products
or push services. It targets a clear customer and tells a story that appeals to
that person. Kate Spade's #ohnewyork tweets seem to be from a trendy, New
York-obsessed fashionista who's gallery-hopping her way around the city (in
Kate Spade clothing, naturally). Meanwhile, earlier this year, Christian Dior created
a "Secret Garden - Versailles" storyline, painting a luxurious
picture of its new collection. The story, which included a video component and
behind the scenes photos--was promoted across YouTube and other visual social
media. (See #1, above.)
As an example of how that might translate to a non-fashion
brand, Myers gives the example of Crock-Pot. "We try to understand the
lifestyle of a person who would use their product," she says. With
Crock-Pot, that means "homey messaging, making home-cooked meals, helping
moms out with recipes and inspiration. You want to understand the consumer and
provide content that is helpful or instructive."
The takeaway: Think about who's using your product or brand.
In a visual or real-time way, let your social media show how you're going to
improve a specific area of their life.
4. Partaaay!!! No
seriously, PARTY!
According to Myers, fashion brands are "great at
corralling the fan base. A lot of other types of brands aren't." These
companies respond to fans on social media, host contests, start hashtags and
generally ask users to engage.
Some even go a step farther, incorporating user-generated
content into their strategy. This is "something that started in the
fashion industry and I’ve seen a ton of brands widely adopting this, putting
their fans out there as the advertisement," explains Myers. The excitement
for fans is the hope of being featured by a beloved company.
"It's not just to get free content, but also to elevate
that fan and make them feel special. And it carries over to other fans,"
she says. "It's mutually beneficial. Everybody wins. The brand doesn't
have to hand out some high reward, but nevertheless the fan feels very, very
special."
The takeaway: If a fan takes the time to post about your
company or ask you a question, take the time to answer, retweet or thank them
publicly.
5. Be You
Two of the best-known fashion personalities on Twitter are
Aliza Licht (@DKNY) and Erika Bearman (@OscarPRGirl). With 470,000 and 236,000
followers respectively, the two self-styled "PR Girls" offer a unique
mix of brand representation, personal opinions and insider insights.
Bearman told the Wall Street Journal that, in her experience,
"connecting with your followers on that personal level is part of what
gives you their attention when you have something to say about your
brand." And speaking at a TedX event this spring, Licht explained why her
followers -- or friends, as she prefers to think of them -- respond so strongly
to honest, personal tweets: "These friends love to be a fly on the wall.
Because they see the good, they see the bad, they see the ugly, and they see
the stressful."
The takeaway: Don't be afraid to show a little personality.
Let your followers become friends, and they'll supportive of your successes and
forgiving of your failures.
6. Online Is The New Offline
Fashion Week is a prime example of the industry's ability to
bring the offline world of the tents to the entire Internet. In addition to
last week's Pinterest push, every show is getting streamed live on a number of
websites, including Facebook, YouTube, The New York Times, NY Daily News,
Huffington Post Style, and Who What Wear.
But live video isn't the only way that fashion brands are
breaking out of the physical space. Last month, J. Crew used Pinterest to debut
its fall catalog, writing, "Just for our friends on Pinterest, an
exclusive first look at our September Style Guide." After all, what's a
static catalog in the mail when you have a way to offer fans an interactive
one?
The takeaway: Consider whether you have offline messages
that you could put online more efficiently and then promote through social
media.
Thanks to the guys at Inc. for giving me these tools to bring to your attention. Also, you can work on getting reps and promoters through blogs, YouTube and other such platforms.
Next week Check out episode 5 for more on this topic. I really don't want to overwhelm you guys with all this and that's why :)
You can check out my other channels for fashion and lifestyle updates and inspiration below:
Instagram: @reymungai
LookBook: @ReyMungai
Twitter: @dailyreymag
Stay fashionable peeps!!!
Cheers,
Rey
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