Social Media Marketing Strategies for Fashion Brands (with Real-world Examples)
Online shopping has fully replaced our traditional methods of shopping, especially through social media marketing for fashion brands. Although we stopped wasting hours in shopping malls, the situation has made us way lazier; as it is incredibly simple to shop and stay up-to-date on fashion trends thanks to social media marketing.
Additionally, a brand new strategy was determined for the fashion industry. Along with the accustomed brands such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Prada, many newly established brands agreed on the same issue: to be present on social media accurately, and be accustomed to the target audience (and their desires & pain points), and build engagement.
What’s more, there’s no doubt that if you want to create a successful social media presence for your clothing line, you need a killer marketing strategy. The strategy with a rigid focus on clothing trends depends on the brand and its target audience; it can be showcasing new season products online, live broadcasts of the fashion weeks and so much more.
It is a known fact that fashion brands need to slay the social media game to gain attention in the never-ending medium of social platforms.
So, how to promote a fashion brand on social media (no matter if it’s a luxury brand or not.) What are the key tactics of digital marketing strategies for fashion brands?
It can be overwhelming to dive deep into the world of digital marketing as well as social media since there are so many strategies available for fashion brands. A lot of platforms include tools and suggestions just for clothing brands meaning that you can use a different strategy on each platform to connect with your target audience.
On which social media platform you want to be active is up to you; however, you can find the general tips and tricks on what type of content you would want to create on which platform would work for your fashion brand.
Keep on reading to find a detailed explanation on what is the social media strategy for fashion brands.
Why Do Fashion Brands Need a Social Media Strategy?
A fashion brand must now excel at social media marketing more than ever with new brands appearing daily. Many brands and companies, regardless of the industry, create social media narratives and engage with people on these networks.
Businesses (related to the clothing industry) have the following objectives:
- Reach the target audience,
- Competitor analysis,
- Brand awareness,
- Customer satisfaction,
- Increase sales,
- Build a community.
In other words, a fashion brand that has been absent from social media in recent years could legitimately be said to “not exist.” Anyone who pays attention to fashion has now adopted the practice of window-shopping on social media instead of going to malls to shop.
According to a recent report by Influencer Marketing Hub, the influencer marketing industry is set to grow to approximately $21.1 billion in 2023. This represents a significant increase from the $16.4 billion that the industry was valued at in 2022.
That means in the next years, social media influencers will remain be powerful force in fashion marketing; consumers will follow their favorite influencers for outfit ideas and inspiration, and they are increasingly making purchases through partnerships.
And yes, Instagram Stories and TikTok trend videos will keep being popular platforms for discovering new fashion trends and saving outfit ideas. Therefore, a solid social media strategy for fashion brands is crucial in our times.
How to Promote a Clothing Brand on Social Media
Social media has become the first place that comes to mind when a newly established or already existing brand decides to promote its products and services. As we mentioned above, especially with the rising industry of influencer marketing, fashion brands have developed a strong strategy of promoting clothing on social media as well as social media campaigns for fashion brands.
It is one of the greatest ways to reach out to your actual audience is by raising awareness (not a surprise.)
To promote a fashion brand on social media;
First and foremost, it is essential to create a strong brand identity with your clothing line. Choose a logo and a set of colors that will be used consistently across all platforms. You should also create a unique hashtag that is associated with your brand so that customers can easily find your content.
Developing creative posts that speak to your target such as images of your clothing items, fashion tips, and reels or TikToks that your audience will find compelling. Additionally, it’s critical to update frequently and reply to queries and comments from users.
The next stage is evident because influencer marketing is essential to social media and cannot exist without it. So, be sure to use influencers to market your clothing line on social media, especially on their personal social media accounts. You might be surprised by who can truly be interested in your clothing brand as they do tend to reach out to more people from different age groups. Ask well-known influencers to promote your clothing line by getting in touch with them.
What’s more, make sure you use all the available tools and features on each platform to promote your clothing brand such as hashtags, polls, and stories on Instagram to increase engagement and build brand loyalty. On X, you can use promoted tweets and trends to reach more people.
If you want your brand to spark conversations online, you need a content strategy that seamlessly blends powerful brand storytelling, eye-catching visuals, and data-driven decisions. And that’s Spark Social Agency’s specialization.
Their award-winning social media campaigns let you engage with your target audience where they’re already spending time online, so you can develop trust and reinforce your brand’s position as a market leader. Spark’s in-house studio gives them a serious edge, allowing the agency to quickly iterate on campaign strategy and take advantage of fast-moving trends. Spark produces personalized and targeted content development that’s created precisely to connect with their customers’ social media community.
Top Social Media Strategies for Fashion Brands
Nowadays, many brands are closing physical stores, or new brands are not even attempting to open at all. On the other hand, many fashion brands and clothing manufacturers have grasped the importance of social media and are therefore trying to find a way to take part in the online world.
Being in the right place at the right time has become quite challenging when a new one is added to these limitless channels every day, and all the data, systems, and most importantly algorithms change often.
The right social media strategy is needed to stand out from the crowd, especially in industries like fashion where there is a lot of competition. It is of great importance for the brand to make its voice heard, reach the right audience, and thus increase its sales – at that point, we need to accept the well-known ready-made clothing brands slay the social media game with their well-built strategies. Take Louis Vuitton’s marketing strategy as an example.
Let’s back to the topic: Brands need a social media strategy for the fashion industry for exactly these reasons: competition and rapidly evolving and changing digital marketing methods. For instance, choosing which channel to use is still crucial for a brand, however, it is no longer the most crucial or sufficient choice. The “in what way” will be accomplished in the chosen medium also calls for careful consideration, planning, and strategy.
It would be unreasonable to expect a clothing brand not to have a visual presence in the online world. But now there are many different options: TikTok and Instagram are examples of these social media channels, however, should you share photos on Instagram or take interactive reels with models?
#1 Choose Platforms That Suit Your Brand the Most
There are numerous social media platforms currently in use, and each one has a unique audience and set of algorithms; some even function entirely differently. For instance, although video material is required in a platform like TikTok, Instagram allows users to choose whether or not to post videos. So a fashion brand must decide on which or how many platforms to be active as well as whether you want to partner with a fashion marketing agency to save you from all that trouble. It is one of the first steps to taking action.
One of the best examples of a company using the right platform to display its brand is Fjallraven. Specializing in outdoor equipment, Fjallraven is doing an excellent job showcasing its products with adventurous images on its Instagram page.
Global fashion retailer known for its trendy and affordable clothing, H&M also knows how to reach out to its target market; the brand uses TikTok to create short, engaging videos that show off its latest trends and styles. That’s why TikTok has 1 billion active users worldwide, and over 60% of those users are under the age of 25. This is a key demographic for H&M, as young people are often more fashion-forward and more likely to spend money on clothing.
Another example we’d like to mention is by the successful full-service digital agency, The Charles. The Charles NYC’s social media strategy for Sam Edelman’s SS18 was all about engaging Instagram content. They grew the brand’s followers by over 80k and used paid media to boost newsletter reach. With smart partnerships and a focus on digital, they racked up over 188 million impressions and a 471% increase in e-commerce conversions in just four months.
#2 Determine Your Target Audience
To implement the best social media strategy for your fashion brand, it is important to analyze the audience that your products primarily appeal to.
For instance, if your clothing line targets Gen Z, you may communicate with them on practically all social media channels. You can also analyze which kinds of content they link to more frequently. Generation Z, for instance, has a perspective that is significantly more visual than earlier generations.
They enjoy participating in platforms like TikTok and excel at creating video content. Because of this, you can decide on an effective plan for your product and audience once you’ve identified your brand’s target market.
One of the companies that excel at using TikTok as a clothing brand is ASOS. TikTok might be the ideal platform for ASOS to reach out to its target audience and establish a strong brand presence since its key demographic is primarily millennials and Gen Z.
Take the video featuring content creator and model Josh Ryan; the following video hit almost 2M views:
Another brand is Zara – of course. When considering that Zara’s digital marketing strategy surpasses the game, its TikTok success is not surprising at all.
#3 Embrace the Power of Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is probably one of the first strategies that come to mind when it comes to social media strategy. With the development and growth of social media, a completely new profession has been formed and the concept of “social media influencer” has settled in the middle of our lives.
The right influencer? You may ask. Finding the right person for your brand is an important step for your target audience to get to know you and become familiar with your brand. Building a strategy with people who don’t align with your brand can get you, followers, yes, but it may not have an impact on your sales.
Perhaps one of the sickest influencer marketing campaigns is where the greatest luxury brand in the world, Prada, partnered with influencer Lil Miquela, who is an American robot character. The It-Girl was created by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou in 2016 and has 2.5 million followers as of 2023. In 2018, she took over Prada’s Instagram account as part of Milan Fashion Week and shared her “experience” during the event.
Although it is not as “cool” as Prada’s marketing move, many fashion brands employ influencers as their partners. SKIMS, the shapewear and clothing label, raised awareness mostly through social media plus its co-founder Kim Kardashian.
The brand is still soaring up via Kardashian’s social media launches and making huge waves by taking advantage of the popular name.
In addition to the celebs, the brand is also featured by well-known influencers like Emme Strickland:
Another fashion brand taking advantage of influencer marketing is Micheal Kors.
Besides the young fashion guru Suede Brooks, the well-known brand of years also collaborated with legendary cinema stars Halle Berry and Kate Hudson.
Mid-sized fashion & clothing brands like White Fox Boutique, seem that they only focus on influencer marketing. So much so that, the brand’s overall feed is full of videos like the following:
#4 Ensure Your Deliver System Is Seamless
Shipping, pricing, and speed are the three aspects of customer service that the majority of online shoppers focus on the most – especially if you are trying to build a bold fashion strategy for marketing.
Orders that are sent fast and thoroughly are desired by consumers. In case of a mishap, a brand needs to deliver successful customer service.
The prompt resolution of this issue and purchase refund are adequate grounds for gaining a permanent client. For this reason, you should always return to the fundamentals and make sure that your brand delivers successful customer service.
#5 Create User-Generated Content on Your Brand’s Profile
Sharing both original content and content where customers or influencers use the brand’s items on their posts are very successful strategy.
An estimated 90% of consumers claim that user-generated content influences their buying decisions. With a more organic approach, user-generated content is a powerful tool to increase interaction and expose your brand to potential buyers. Instead of creating content themselves, your fashion brand might urge current consumers to send in photos and videos of you wearing your clothes and then repost them to your page.
#6 Focus on Trends & Popular Culture
Investing in trends and popular culture brings so much to the table, especially in evolving industries like consumer goods, manufacturing, and apparel & clothing.
By focusing on trends and popular culture, fashion brands can ensure that their social media content is relevant to their target and that they are staying ahead of the curve.
Of course, we are not just talking about the newest trends in fashion; as widely known popular culture is mostly about shared experiences and emotions. By creating and sharing content tapping into popular culture fashion brands can connect with their audience on a deeper level.
For instance, H&M made a great wave by creating a campaign about drag culture and showing its support for the LGBTQ+ community. The video titled Drag Brunch showing Mo’Riah, Aquaria, Serena Tea, and more, raised awareness about self-expression and creativity.
Not in the same brave manner but Zara also takes its social media channels to remind its followers that “men can also be into fashion & makeup.”
#7 Keep Pace with Tech
When it comes to creating immersive shopping experiences, providing personalized recommendations, producing new designs and styles, and improving the manufacturing process, using tech & newest tools is a good call.
It’s true for creating social media strategy; clothing lines can optimize their digital marketing process. The technologies metaverse and AI are a great way to do this – remember Nike’s marketing in metaverse move.
And yes, fashion brands that successfully integrate these technologies into their social media marketing strategy, become well-positioned to succeed. Take Zara as an example:
Zara’s other work:
Final Thoughts
A strong social media marketing strategy is necessary for clothing brands because only a social presence isn’t enough. You can always choose to partner with a social media marketing agency that can help you build your intended online presence across all social platforms. As previously noted, instead of constructing physical locations and incurring high rent, brands are instead focusing their resources and effort on social media and digital marketing strategies.
There is no question that businesses will be unknown or nonexistent in the online world with a successful social media account, the right strategy, and a customer service system where customers are satisfied, at least significantly.
