How to Promote a Luxury Fashion Brand on Social Media?

It’s not surprising that the Social Media Revolution has created a stir in the fashion universe, and more so in the world of luxury fashion brands. What is surprising though, is how creatively and smartly high-end fashion lines have made their presence more pronounced than ever.

From Prada and Missoni to Burberry and Ralph Lauren, the brands in the fashion luxury realm are catching up with all the social media platforms, including TikTok, the latest millennial obsession, apart from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Here are 6 effective ways to promote a luxury fashion brand on social media:

1. Copy that: Crafting compelling copies

Words can do the trick, once you know the kind of brand image you want to establish. More often than not, when most of the fashion houses spend millions on advertising, they ensure that class is spelt consistently through their copies. Some of the most frequently used words include ‘unique’, ‘timeless’,  ‘elegant’, and ‘classic’ among others.

However, there’s more to the art of copywriting, than the mere usage of these words. This is when other factors come into play, like the target audience, the core message to be conveyed, the platform in question etc. You can check out this luxury words list for effective luxury brand copywriting.

Hermès relies on minimal text. (Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B99opmEjLwX/)

From quirky, witty phrases that make you go “ooooh” to striking ones that let you virtually feel, the tone of the words is extremely integral to copywriting for luxury fashion brands. Take a cue from some of the top luxury clothing brands- Louis Vuitton thrives on description and vivid storytelling, Hermès relies on its signature minimal text, and Emporio Armani keeps it crisp and effortless.

Thus, every great copy is backed by great ideation, a creative storm and a carefully incorporated technical tuning.

2. Fame through frame: Stories through photographs

The heart wants what it sees. About 56% Instagram users who form the high-end consumer base turn to the platform to check a brand’s latest collection. With a creative expanse allowing for experimentation, one can figure out what strikes with the audience the most. From haute couture shoots with exotic locales, to product shoots with an aesthetic appeal, the frame lends a vibe that resonates straight with the audience. So it goes: caught in the eye, captured in the heart.

Louis Vuitton features its latest additions.  (Source: https://www.pinterest.ca/LouisVuitton/)

• Pinterest is considered to be a crucial social media platform, since users primarily browse through photographs with a greater intention of purchasing compared to other platforms.
• Instagram is all about insta-attention. A stunning visual combined with a powerful copy and SEO can work wonders for promoting a brand. One also needs to keep in mind that the leads need a place to go, so a call-to-action (CTA) button or link is a must, like Instagram’s shoppable tag.

3. The video game: Moving stills

YouTube, TikTok, and IGTV are three popular social media platforms that enable a brand to showcase its exclusive video content. Fashion Week(s), season-wise Collections, behind-the-scene videos, campaigns, interviews with celebrities etc. are some of the popular videos uploaded by fashion brands across these channels.

‘Inside Chanel’ traces the brand’s story.  (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT3LM5P-C1M&t=18s)

Chanel is one such luxury clothing brand that’s ruling the fashion realm, with 1.58 million subscribers (as of 05 May, 2020) on YouTube. The brand launched its ‘Inside CHANEL’ video series way back in 2012, giving the viewers a sneak-peek into its evolution as of one of the most iconic fashion labels in history.

4. Stats’ the way!

The social media marketing Bible lists statistics as an essential component of its strategy. One needs to analyse numbers, and trends as a pre-requisite to the marketing plan in order to target the right audience and tap into a space where potential buyers turn into active consumers. One also needs to study these patterns for ascertaining how effective the promotion plan has been.

Some of the most effective and widely-used social media analytics tools have been listed here:

• Sprout Social
• Brandwatch
• Google Analytics
• Talkwalker
• Keyhole
• Facebook Insights
• YouTube Insights
• Instagram Insights

For high-end clothing brands, the numbers-only analytics report seems to fall short in giving an overall impression of their potential and existing audience. Thus, most of these brands delve deep into the conscience of their demographic. They closely monitor the behavioural patterns of customers belonging to their competitor brands, owing to fierce promotion tactics adopted by them.

Prada’s sentiment perception. (Source: https://www.talkwalker.com/industry-research/retail/prada-social-media-analytics)

Sentiment analysis is one such key tool that’s frequently used. Owing to wavering loyalties and the easily impressionable nature of human brain, a brand must stay abreast of what people are talking about.

Gucci’s campaign for gender-fluid fashion.  (Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFUvLNL7E8Q&t=310s)

For instance, the previous year witnessed a surge in the discussions on sustainable fashion. Tapping into this trend successfully, brands like Gucci, Burberry, Chanel etc. brought out an effective strategy to generate social media buzz by launching eco-friendly collections. With talks on gender and identity too taking the centre-stage among millennials, fashion luxury lines like Louis Vuitton, Kenzo, Yves Saint Laurent also placed a lot of focus on gender-neutral and gender-fluid collections, receiving a lot of positive response.

Promoting a fashion brand on social media gets amplified when you can get your consumers to participate, interact and be a part of your luxury brand.

6. Talk to them, and they will talk to you!

Engaging with your existing consumer base is as important as expanding it. A two-way interaction is one of the most reliable ways to do so. According to a study by Boston Consulting Group, six out of ten millennials tend to look at User Generated Content (UGC) while purchasing something. Burberry saw a 21% surge in its profit after it launched The Art of the Trench, inviting contributors to share photos of themselves donning the label’s signature trench coats.

Gucci’s community engagement game is strong too. (Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/B_uYfZdCmLN/)

#GucciCommunity is a stellar example of how Gucci has focused tremendously on the importance of growing within its community, and beyond. Its most recent initiative has been on fostering art and creativity to get through the Corona virus pandemic. It has also used the social media space to appeal to its community to mobilise funds. This has aided the brand in carving a position in the global arena as one of the spearheading luxury fashion brands that’s devoted to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Creating a dynamic image in the minds of its audiences has in turn, led to the development of a positive sentiment towards the brand.

Social media platforms are easily and frequently accessed, and that’s what makes them the key ingredient of promotional strategies used by luxury fashion brands. After all, luxury is born way before you can own the material- it starts with a desire to feel what you see.

The trick is to stay abreast of all the social media developments to be able to effectively & efficiently promote a luxury fashion brand on social media.