Picking the right social platforms will be crucial the growth of your brand

If you’re not sure about which platforms to be on, then take a quick look at this Instagram video tutorial.

What you’ll see is that because your product is predominately visual, you need to be sharing visual content. This is where Instagram comes into its own. Facebook would also be a good place to invest time and effort.

You may be tempted to create a LinkedIn network, or start tweeting, but these platforms aren’t really the right place to be. Remember that you want followers from your target audience, not just followers for the sake of followers. Only then will you be able to create the connections that result in the sales that are going to grow your brand.

Create content ideas that will allow you to standout from your competitors by celebrating your individuality

If you want to standout, then you need to be original. But you must do it in a way that’s in alignment with the core ethos of your brand. Here are some common ways in which people try to be unique, but for the wrong reasons:

• Jumping on every hashtag just to try and get noticed
• Creating a campaign, a week, and never connecting them back to the core brand identity
• Posting content that’s designed to get a reaction and response, rather than creating a connection with the brand itself

You can easily see why none of these are desirable strategies. If you want to be unique, then it all comes back to celebrating the individuality of your brand. You’re a creative and you know what makes your brand standout, so take that same mindset with you into the world of social media.

“Staying true to your brand is the most important thing you can do. It’s what allows you to create meaningful connections that should someday result in those all-important sales”—says Lewis Duren, Brand Strategist at ResumesCentre.

Don’t just promote, think. Figure out what is that your audience cares most about

When you want to cause a storm on social media, you need to know how to position an offering to your target audience. No matter what you post, someone will always see it. But are they the people you’re trying to sell your clothes to?

The secret to connecting with your target audience, is to figure out what makes them tick. Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself so that you can understand what your ideal customer wants from you:

• Why do they shop our products?
• What types of content do they like to digest online?
• How often are they being online, and which times of the day are they most likely to be active?
• Do they tend to follow and watch, or do they prefer to actively participate with content?
• Are there any overarching themes or interests that most of our customer base can relate to that we can weave into our campaign strategy?

“The most important thing for me, is to understand who my customers actually are. It’s all well and good coming up with a great product that tries to do everything under the sun. But if you haven’t tailored it to the needs of any particular group, then it runs the risk of being beaten by specialists every single time” — says Chris Mercer, CEO at Citatior.

Offer stunning visuals that put the competition in the shade

When you want to harness the true power of social media, you need to create stunning visuals. Pictures are processed 60,000 times faster than text, and your products are highly visual which means they’re especially suited to Instagram.

You will need to start thinking about how you can create a certain style and format of image that projects your brand. Don’t make every image identical by using the same angles and filters, but at the same time there needs to be a theme.

Think of it in the same way as you would if you were creating a catalogue for your new collection. Just because you’re posting the images one by one, doesn’t mean that you need to completely change the identity of your brand in every shot.

Optimize your content by conducting topic and keyword research in a targeted manner

The art of using social media is all about keeping up to date with what people are talking about. Hashtags are the way you do it, and you can use them to appear in front of the eyes of millions more people if you deploy them correctly.

The most important thing is to ensure your messages don’t look like they’ve been overstuffed with keywords. Online tools such as OnlineWritersRating and FlashEssay enable you to have your content polished by a second pair of eyes. Ideal if you want to ensure that your brand voice remains consistent across the various different social networks.

Take the time to research your hashtags correctly, and avoid the urge to jump on every one that you go viral. You still need to add value with your posts if you’re going to project your brand to your target audience. If you’re popping up here, there, and everywhere, then it will become apparent that you’re posting content solely to get noticed — something no user has time for.  

Decide on which types of content do the most for your brand’s reach

You might think that the only real choices are video and stills, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Here’s a few ways you can use video to create different types of content that will keep your social media campaign fresh and engaging:

• Lifestyle pieces that show how you design your collections are a great way of giving your followers an insight into your creative process
• Fun, seasonal snippets are great at peak times like Christmas, or the start of the summer months
• 30 second pieces that show your clothes being worn in locations that reflect your brand’s roots are key if you want to establish heritage
• If you have an offer or a discount, then a quick video will have a much higher uptake rate than a text-based advert

“Video content is the future of the internet, and in lots of ways it’s already the present. As much as 80% of the traffic at any given time is video, which tells you everything you need to know about what people like to see” — says Pat Fredshaw, Copywriter at EssaySupply.

Combine videos with a good selection of stills and you’ll be able to create a steady stream of engaging content. Ideal if you want to gain genuine followers and grow your brand.

Create the content with the help of a professional if need be

There is nothing wrong with working with a professional to launch your social media campaign. Whilst anyone can post, not everyone can do it equally well. It’s not an admission of failure; just as hiring someone to make your clothes or to ship them on your behalf isn’t either.

Here’s a few ways that a professional can help you take things to new heights:

• They will know what works and what doesn’t, which will remove the need for a lot of trial and error on your part
• They will be able to advise you on seasonal campaigns, and the ideal times of day to post if you want to maximize engagement
• They will be able to assist with hashtag research so that your content stays current

If you decide to go down this route, take the time to find the right fit for your brand, and things will be all the better for it.

Final Thoughts

When you want to promote your brand on social media, you first need to decide which platforms you want to work on. With such a visual product, it’s clear that Instagram and Facebook are going to be more useful than Twitter and LinkedIn. Make these your focus, and then turn your attention to the content.

Your content needs to be a combination of unique, eye-catching, and powerful. The last one is all about creating something that can connect with people so they feel the need to share it with their friends and followers. Ideal if you want to turn your followers into your very own marketing team. Once you do that, you’ll be amazed at the places your brand will be able to penetrate, and the people you’ll be able to connect with.