The fashion industry changes very fast and depends on the seller’s ability to create a brand image in the minds of the customers. Due to the fast changing nature of the brand, there needs to be the fast distribution of the information about the presence of the fashion product, their price, and their availability (Thornley, 2014). Some of the common techniques that are specifically used by the fashion marketers include strategic pricing, creating brand image, unique product development as well as accurate product forecasting. The social media and more specifically blogging can greatly enhance these specific marketing strategies for the fashion industry. Social media creates a platform where people may meet and interact and give their opinions. For example, When John Marc showcased the items they had on Instagram, almost 70,000 fans posted themselves on Instagram followed by the hash tag ‘Marc (Storify, 2016).Some of the most common sites on social media where fashion marketing can be done include Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Blogs have some unique characteristics which make them an effective tool for fashion marketing. Some of these key characteristic include: exposure to large groups of people, comments, subscription through emails and trusted followings (Thornley, 2014). Due to their exposure to a large number of populations, when a marketing ad is placed on these blogging sites, it can obtain millions of views within just a few seconds. It increases the potential customer base.For example, Hashtags on Instagram can collect up to 500, 000,000 Likes. For instance, on the side of fashion adverts, #mensfashion had the highest popularity with 1,702,397 likes (Shopify.com, 2016). Additionally, through the email subscription, the blogging sites frequently send a lot of email messages to their followers informing them of any new items that might have been placed on these sites. With the comments section on the social media platform, the sellers can view the opinion of the different clientele regarding their product that they have added to the blogging sites. Through such feedback, the production development process can greatly be improved by incorporating the opinions of these clients into the future manufacturing of the specific fashion products.
The fashion blogs have constantly gained a lot of trust from the fashion consumers, and they are constantly viewing these blogs for fashion updates. The blogs can, therefore, be seen as an important medium through which trends can be created, news shared, and information spread significantly. According to hot fashion bloggers, the page views on items added averages 1.4 million (Strugatz). It is, therefore, worthwhile to note that the bloggers often post some new updates frequently and on regular basic, say once a day. The posting of new updates makes the blogging sites a favorite source where the fashion companies may enhance their public relation so as to create an outreach for their products, which in most instances, the brands move at a fast pace.
Consumers are constantly changing their behavior on how they consume the fashion products and what they consumer (Durmaz, 2014). The fashion products have to meet the expectations of their customers by incorporating the features that their customers want. To know the real preferences of the customers, the manufacturers and producers of these fashionable products must move very fast to view the comments and opinions of their customers. Such can only happen when there is a platform where such information can be shared freely and updated frequently. The fashion bloggers have become an ideal for this.
Although the bloggers cannot be considered as being professionally trained in the field of marketing as it might be the case on the traditional media personnel, the bloggers have caught the eye of the public on the issues of trend-setting and price awareness. For example, Steve Madden Shoes collaborated with a blogger, Chiara, who runs a blogging site referred to as The Blonde Salad in 2014 (Thornley, 2014). After the involvement of the blogger in the marketing of the shoes, there were over one million new visitors and more than 12 million impressions every month (Thornley, 2014). It is, therefore, worth saying that through the blogging site, the shoe company must have benefited greatly by increasing the products exposure and reaching a greater audience.
Instagram and Fashion Marketing
Instagram has become of the most effective tool in social media platform where fashion marketers can have their products marketed. For instance, 64% of all social shoppers are now turning to blogs and message boards for inspirations before they can make any purchase of the fashion items. Out of this number, Instagram inspires, at least, a category for 42% of women shoppers aged 18-29 years old (Langham, 2016). In the digitally enabled world, everyone is rushing to have their pictures on Instagram, viewing, and writing comments about these particular pictures. With Instagram, one can have millions of followers, who are open to view anything he or she puts on the social media platform. Any successful fashion blogger must ensure that he or she was ahead so as to be in a position to gain massive knowledge and contacts. The success of blogging business, especially in the industry of fashion blogging, can be measured by the extent to which the blogger can become more recognized. If a blogger can increase his or her following significantly, the more the fashion blogging will be in a position of benefiting. Fashion bloggers can even to an extent of calling up the fashion companies for exclusive interviews about some of the key fashion products they are currently making or even the ones they anticipate to make in a near future. Through such interviews, the bloggers can build their trust in the minds of the consumers. Such a great networking base can easily be created through the use of Instagram.
Today, Instagram boasts of having more 300 million users (Clasen, 2015). A marketer should not view this big number of people just as ‘Instagrammers. However, fashion marketers ought to understand that these ‘Instagrammers’ are shoppers. According to a study done in 2015, 70 percent of the Instagram users were reported to have looked at a given brand (Clasen, 2015). Additionally, 62 percent of the Instagram users who end up looking a particular brand just do so just because they have developed a liking for this product (Clasen, 2015). Having the right pictures on Instagram is the baseline. Fashion products usually have this unique feature, which mostly suits them to the use of the Instagram platform to market their products. Simply, the nice pictures on Instagram sell ‘for themselves’ without any substantial efforts by the fashion markets. 67% of the consumers usually consider a good image on Instagram as more valuable items (Kissmetrics.com, 2016)
One can easily boost the blog traffic of a given site through the inclusion of a given link which is available in the Instagram application. An Instagram account holder usually has an opportunity to lead this click directly into the website (Mohr, 2013). The common place where one can easily click the ink is in the place of the bio data on the Instagram account. Once this link is clicked, the blog traffic is boosted, and one can have his brands enjoying millions of views in just a matter of few seconds.
Celebrities and fashion bloggers have increased their presence in Instagram. A survey which was conducted in 2014 indicated that out of the 249 top ranked fashion brands, ninety-three of them owned Instagram accounts (Goldfarb, 2016). Through having these Instagram accounts, the public can easily follow them and; hence, ends up getting familiar with the products placed thereon. Consider a situation where one brand obtains 100,000 likes on Instagram. It would be sober for any user to think of it in this manner,’ if this brand obtained 100,000 likes in just a day, then I think I am the only one left out without it’. It will trigger such individual to lookout for the product and purchase it. Fashion marketing in Instagram can also incorporate the pictures of re-known celebrities, such as musician and footballers, where they link the products to these people. For instance, a jeans company can use popular musician’s picture outing on the jeans. It will trigger the fans of this musician to purchase the product.
Conclusion
There is an increasing relationship between social media, particularly blogging and the fashion industry. Fashion bloggers have gained acceptance and trust from the public as trendsetters. Through these fashion bloggers, fashion designers can now increase the exposure of their products to the public. Some of the key social media platforms where the fashion marketing can be done include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Reference
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Durmaz, L. (2014). The role of social media in the fashion industry: How fashion blogging encourages two-way symmetrical communication (Doctoral dissertation, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo).
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Langham, M. (2016). How to build a successful fashion blog with social media. Socialmarketingwriting.com. Retrieved at 29 Jan. 2016.Available at http://socialmarketingwriting.com/how-to-build-a-successful-fashion-blog-with-social-media/
Mohr, I. (2013). The impact of social media on the fashion industry. Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 15(2), 17-22.
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Storify (2016). Social media effect on the fashion industry. Retrieved on 29 Jan. 2016. Available at https://storify.com/0marcel0/social-media-effect-on-the-fashion-industry
Strugatz, R. (2016). Hot Fashion Bloggers. WWD. Retrieved on 29 Jan. 2016. Available at http://wwd.com/media-news/digital/the-bloggers-who-matter-5362245/?full=true
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