I am a fan of social media. I love following my favorite brands. But do I buy more from them because of that? Actually, I really think so. People easily forget things, we need repetition, I need repetition to remember. To be a follower of something you like means that you constantly are being updated on what they are up to and what they stand for. You feel close to each other, you develop a relationship. And when you go shopping, your favorite brands you follow on social medias continue to be top-of-mind and you make sure to give those stores a visit. Also, nowadays it is standard to be on the social medias, so if you are not, your customers are much more likely to forget about you. Because, seriously, there are a lot of nice brands out there. Another thing is, I like my best friends, and if they like something on Facebook it makes me interested in that brand, cause if they like it, then I will probably do so too. I therefore believe that the investment companies within the fashion retail industry do on social medias is well spent money.
I have just read an article about use of social media in fashion merchandising by clothing and retail industry firms and I found some really inspiring texts there:
“…few brands, if any, are seeing significant sales result from their postings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and other sites. Social media hasn’t been about driving transactions; it has been about building brand awareness and a “community” that will be devoted to a brand and, thus, buy it. Social media isn’t about sales today; it’s about driving sales in five, 10 or 15 years as the Internet-mad generation of twentysomethings matures.”
“What Facebook allows, is for companies like Macy’s and Wal-Mart to have a true dialogue with their best customers, and, most importantly, provides high-value customers a platform to evangelize a brand.” – Maureen Mullen, New York University think tank Luxury Lab
“That idea that because of my relationship with you and your relationship with a store, I am more likely to be open to that store’s messaging and ultimately buying because my friend is a fan.”
“A corresponding study from March used a test and control methodology that aimed to quantify incremental purchase behavior that could be attributed to social media exposure. Research showed that fans who were exposed to Target’s messaging versus fans who weren’t exposed were 19 percent more likely to buy at Target. Friends of fans who were exposed to the retailer’s messaging were 27 percent more likely to buy at Target than those not exposed.”
Next class in my eMarketing course we are going to talk more about social media. I’m excited and I look forward to learn more about it 🙂