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brand consultant, fashion, fashion brands, Fashion Business, fashion consultant, fashion designer, fashion entrepreneur, fashion labels, fashion marketing, Fuel4Fashion, instagram follower, social media for fashion brands, social media planning
Being in the fashion space is no small endeavor. Apart from the actual design and production, you also need to focus on building your brand, gaining visibility and reaching the right target consumer. It is not enough to simply be present on social media channels and post regularly- instead, you need to find a way to reach your consumer’s headspace and stay there.
We’ll address the whole gamut of content, email and digital marketing for fashion in a separate article. Today, let’s discuss the world’s most valuable rented property- social media.
Brands and consumers alike flock to social media because of its broad outreach. Brands feel that this platform takes them to many more people, much like being on a stage and announcing that you are there. Consumers too subconsciously resort to social media for information, awareness, choices, and relevance.
Social Media for Fashion
Before we delve into the five essential aspects of social media for fashion brands, let us do a quick recap of what a brand means. Why do you wear sneakers with a swoosh mark on them? How do you recognize a McDonald’s in a foreign country?
Now, that’s what a brand aims to be- the most popular personality on the planet, so much so that it is recognized everywhere. That’s the brand you are trying to build.
With this big goal in mind, here’s what to do with your social media.
- Have A Voice: Like a person, a brand believes in certain values, and communicates them in a certain way, either through language or through cues. For example, Victoria’s Secret embodies the idea of the ethereal woman, while Zara is for the generation that moves fast. Likewise, what does your brand stand for? It is worth speaking to a branding agency about this aspect before beginning your social media effort. All your communication should then speak to these values.
- Choose The Channels: Not all brands need to be present on all channels. Many businesses start off on multiple channels only to be swamped by endless content calendars. Choose two channels and choose them well. If you sell B2B, you probably don’t need Facebook as much as you need LinkedIn, even as a fashion brand.
- Attract The Right Users: How do you bring people to your pages? Step 1: Send invite links to all of your friends and family. Then, invite them again until they join. Step 2: Advertise. Spend some money and do your ad targeting right. Put out ads that the right people see. Talk to your primary customer personas. Step 3: Close the funnel. Once people see your ad, you want them to like your page. Include the relevant call-to-action within your ads. Step 4: Moderate your page for unwanted posts and comments.
- Follow A Calendar: Today, almost all social media channels give you access to analytics. You can see how well your posts perform and track when your users are more active. Do more of what the audience likes. You may be a great opera singer, but on-stage, if your current audience wants instrumental, that’s what you deliver. Experiment with various content forms and choose those that work for you. Most importantly, follow a routine and do them consistently.
- Convert The Customer: There is a good saying in the world of business- visibility does not dinner buy. You don’t want 10,000 followers on Instagram and zero sales on your site. Lead people to your web/ retail outlet and give them a reason to close the loop. For every post, consider what purpose you want it to serve, and check if that purpose has indeed been served. Email marketing is an excellent next step after social media to convert a slow-moving funnel.
What challenges are you facing with your social media?
Or, do you have a success story to share? Tell us in the comments below!
Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion. She is a Freelance Fashion Designer and Brand Consultant helping fashion brands to create great products from idea to launch. Fuel4Fashion social links: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
