Last Updated on 6th January 2024
It can be tough for aspiring fashion brands to cut through the noise on social media and reach new fans. With millions of hashtags and viral videos being flung across the internet each day, it’s a challenge to be seen. But for your fashion brand to succeed, that’s exactly what you’ve got to do. Whether you’re selling vintage garments, haute couture, or bold streetwear, check out these tips for promoting your clothing brand on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media channels.
Define Your Brand
Are your clothes for teenagers or twenty-somethings? Do you design athleisure wear, or dresses for going out-out? It’s important to decide what you do, and who your ideal customers are. That way, you can run in their circles rather than spending time promoting your brand to people who aren’t likely to buy.
Make Your Brand Easy To Find
Make sure you use a social media handle that matches your brand name. If your brand name is already taken, try adding a word like “UK” or “fashion” or “couture” to the end of it, depending on your brand’s vibe. Definitely don’t use your personal account to promote your brand (or at least, not exclusively). Not only will people find it tricky to find your company, but it might lose you followers.
Take Great Photos
You don’t need a fancy camera to take great photos – but you do need good lighting, a fun backdrop, and people willing to model your clothes. Streetwear looks great in urban areas, while high fashion brands can give their clothes that couture feel by styling them in a luxury hotel or grand hall. Whatever you do, don’t resort to retro Ebay-style photos of clothes spread out on your bed.
Be Active
Unless you’re already a big brand – think ASOS or JD Sports – your social media won’t run itself. In fact, even big brands have worked hard on their campaigns to maintain and maximise their social media momentum. You need to engage with your potential customers as a matter of routine – which means likes, comments, and regular posts and killer videos.
Optimise Your Best Channels
While it’s great to have a presence on all social media platforms, you shouldn’t spend an equal amount of time maintaining each of them. After all, most clothing brands will find way more customers on Instagram than on LinkedIn. Run your social media channels alongside each other for a few months to see which generates most engagement and sales. Then switch your focus to your best performing platforms so you can make the most of your time. Consider direct to consumer marketplaces like eBay or Depop.
Reward Your Customers
If one of your customers has taken the time to tag you in their #OOTD, show them some love! The reward doesn’t have to be huge – you could send them a cheeky 5% discount code for their next order, or just shout them out in your next Instagram story. People love a bit of back-and-forth with great social media brands, so make sure to highlight your best customers.
Run Competitions
To run a successful competition, you’ll need a bit of a following already – but it’s a great way to spread the word about your brand. Most clothing competitions offer vouchers or sought-after products with broad appeal, to maximise the number of entrants. Ask people to follow and tag you in their stories and posts, along with 5 of their besties. Giveaways like this are sure to enhance your social media presence.
Use Hashtags Effectively
Don’t rely on hashtags to do all the work for you. While they’re a valuable way of becoming part of a conversation, the most popular hashtags are so saturated that it’s unlikely many people will see your posts within them. Use more niche hashtags to improve the chances of your post being viewed by your ideal customers. And make sure to create your own brand hashtag that you use in all your posts.
Make It Easy To Buy Online
Your social campaigns may be killer, but to maximise sales, you’ve got to make it simple for people to buy your products. The more hoops you make your customers jump through, the more people will drop off before they check out. Make use of Instagram Shopping and Facebook for Business so people can buy swiftly and simply.
Work With Micro-Influencers
We’re not necessarily talking about Kim Kardashian here. Many micro-influencers (people with more than 5,000 followers, for example) love working with upcoming brands to promote their products in exchange for payment and/or freebies. Find micro-influencers with followers who match your ideal customers, then reach out to them to see if they’d be willing to partner up. Be prepared to negotiate, and make them aware of what you expect to achieve from the partnership – whether it’s an uptick in sales, followers, or both.
Crowdfund Your Next Product Line
If you have a band of loyal brand ambassadors, crowdfunding is a great way to raise money for your next product line launch. Use your social media platforms to raise awareness of your crowdfunding campaign. Offer great rewards to people who donate the big bucks to your brand. It’s a great way to solidify your existing customer relationships and to build new ones.
Hire A Social Media Executive
When your brand takes off, a social media exec can be an invaluable member of your team. When they’re savvy with your brand voice and posting schedule, they can take care of the posts, and stay engaged with your customers all day long – leaving you free to get back to designing incredible new clothes for your followers.
Looking for more ways to promote your clothing brand in 2021? Check out our retailer secrets and get more insider info on creating, marketing, and shopping with incredible independent fashion brands.
