#Brand personality vital for #success in #socialmedia
By Kayla Hutzler for Luxury Daily
NEW YORK – Creating and nurturing a brand personality should be the focus for luxury brands involved in social media, according to a speaker at the Luxury Interactive conference.
A successful social media marketing strategy should host a brand personality that is relatable to its target customer. This personality needs to be consistent across all lifestyle content and available on multiple, relevant platforms.
“Social media is about more than a brand, it is about lifestyle content,” said Elizabeth Schofield, founder and curator of Fashion’s Collective, New York.
“A living, breathing personality is created on social media and brands must have a content strategy in place to control how people receive the brand personality,” she said.
Fashion’s Collective is part publication and part agency that focuses on the unique opportunities and challenges faced by the fashion and luxury industries online.
Tweet-somethings
Within the past year, there has been an 82 percent increase in time spent on social media, according to a Nielsen study.
Added to the emergence of social commerce, the opportunities are endless, per Ms. Schofield.
“Unfortunately, many brands do not understand the inherent reasons [why] individuals participate in social media, and this is causing a lot of missed opportunities,” Ms. Schofield said.
People use social media to connect with people they know or want to know, to share photos and feelings with friends and to stay informed.
Hence, brands should view social media as an opportunity to create more meaningful relationships with a larger amount of people on a social scale, according to Ms. Schofield.
To maximize the benefits of social media, brands need to develop a layered communication plan that serves both the individual and the brand.
Brands can then determine the right platforms based on both the audience and the brand.
Luxury fashion brands should focus on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram and video, according to Ms. Schofield.
Some brands have already begun to adapt.
For instance, Oscar de la Renta used Facebook to push its new fragrance this past spring (see story).
Also, brands such as Marc Jacobs and Gucci use Twitter and Instagram to better connect with consumers and show products and behind-the-scenes images (see story).
- Gucci uses Instagram
Speaking out
After mapping out a communication plan, brands must develop a content strategy based around the brand’s history and tradition.
It is important for brands to know their brand voice and how it can differ across platforms.
Ms. Schofield suggests trying to answer the question, “If my brand were a restaurant, what type of restaurant would it be?”
This can help marketers define what the brand encompasses across lifestyle content and build the brand personality from this.
“Your brand is not one-dimensional, so your digital position shouldn’t be either,” Ms. Schofield said.
To flesh-out the brand personality across the digital sphere, brands should focus on three main content buckets: educational, experiential and promotional, per Ms. Schofield.
Educational posts involve brand history, heritage and inspiration.
Saks Fifth Avenue often posts educational content in the form of old advertising campaign images on its Facebook page.
Experiential posts include behind the scenes, photo-shoots, in office events and lifestyle content that help create an experience within the brand for the consumers.
For example, Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy tweet about their favorite things, vacations and day-to-day happenings in the life of a fashion designer.
Promotional posts are aimed to directly drive sales, such as new product debuts, collection inspiration, contests, campaigns, discounting or gifting.
The Bloomingdale’s Facebook page often has promotional posts from the retailer about sales or new arrivals.
Bloomingdale’s posts sales on Facebook
“Social media has the ability to increase sales, build brand relevancy, nurture a loyal consumer base and evolve the brand,” Ms. Schofield said.
“A successful strategy relies on building a savvy presence on the right platforms,” she said.
Kayla Hutzler, editorial on Luxury Daily, New York
