16 Dec Social Media for Independent Fashion Stores

A good friend of mine commented the other day about when she was doing her Christmas shopping online and a family member hinted they thought it was less personal with no time given to choosing and buying the presents. It’s certainly not a question of no effort being applied because even if we shop online we still think about what to get, search for what we want and 9 times out of 10 probably pay more because there is a delivery cost involved.

Shopping online simply offers the consumer another method to go about their daily business and, certainly relevant in the case of Christmas shopping, offers massive time management benefits. But it got me thinking…

Websites can be expensive, particularly if it’s an ecommerce site, so how does the small independent fashion store for example, that may not have a high street presence or the budget for glossy lifestyle magazine photoshoots, get their name out there?

What about Facebook?

Create a Facebook Page, a professional image and add as much relevant information for your customers.

Find a model, take some professional photo’s, clean up backgrounds, use sharp colours, happy, positive models and create an exciting mood. Post shots on Facebook of new collections, best selling pieces, contemporary colour schemes and ask for feedback along with what people would want to accessorize the clothing with. Inform your existing customers what you are doing to quickly gather momentum and support. Ask people to vote for a signature piece and choose where they would wear it i.e. work, evening, casual – this alone could provide valuable feedback for market research purposes.
When you have a sufficient number of people ‘liking‘ your Page, say 80+, local to your store, organise a mini catwalk show or collection launch and invite your fans. You could even have the choice piece available to win as a competition open to all that attend.

Align yourself with a credible make up artist, hair stylist, colour stylist and run a competition to win a make over worth £X on the night. If your show offers added value and relevance to your fans you could even charge for attendance in exchange for a money off voucher on the night to guarantee numbers and revenue. Include a free glass of champers to get everyone in the mood or even some chocolate strawberries!

Remember to gather everyone’s email and mobile number for future ‘value communication’ and ask for feedback; always monitor your ROI and successes.

Let us know what has worked for you in 2010.