Digital marketing is a crucial part of many online fashion retailer’s strategies, Social Media Marketing is now a world phenomenon, used in everyday life, as well as business. The hysteria of sharing pictures, videos and thoughts on line was augmented by the launch of YouTube in 2005 and of Twitter in 2006. (Pradiptarini, 2011) As an online fashion retailer, most of their communication to consumers has to rely from platforms online and blog campaigns to bring a sense of empowerment, aspiration and affordability to the brand. In practice, digital marketing includes managing different forms of online company presence, such as company websites and social media company pages in conjunction with online communications techniques. (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2012) Blogs from online fashion retailers such as Missguided, will provide the retailer with a platform to reinforce their brand values and the concept that they create products based on customer and global influences: catwalk, celebrity, social media, bloggers and street style, re-enforcing the digitally immersed world of today. (Misguided, 2015).

Blog campaigns will also allow the company to tell a longer story, provide exposure to PR activity and social sharing. An example of a blog on Missguided’s website can be seen in Figure 1. After analysing the blog, links to PR activity would help to make it more unique and impactful, to encourage consumer purchase intent.

Figure 1. Blog post – http://blog.missguided.co.uk/discovered/interview-with-vicky-grout

The blog states ‘can we also talk about the photo this babe got of FKA Twigs at LCM’ – a link could be inserted here with more details on the PR event.

An example of a fashion retailer that uses their blogs effectively is Arcadia, who own many fashion retailers such as Topshop, Burtons, and Miss Selfridge. The Arcadia group owner invited fashion bloggers to its headquarters for a preview of its autumn/ winter lines and a photo shoot, which was very successful with comments from the bloggers such as, ‘It was the first time a retailer had put on an event like this specifically for bloggers … it has taken a while for PRs to adjust to the various forms of online fashion sites’. 40% of fashion sales are somewhat influenced by the internet, again reinforcing the importance of blogging for fashion retailers. (Leroux, 2009)

Fashion retailers such as Missguided, need to ensure they have a qualified resource with contingency to produce enough content. This could be achieved by the introduction of a guest blogger to provide this content, which would bring something new to the blog. British Beauty Blogger is an example of a very successful, influential Beauty Blogger as you can see from her followings below in Figure 2.

Figure 2. BBB Followings –

Link to BBB blog page: http://britishbeautyblogger.com/

This sort of collaboration would drive brand advocacy, as well as introduce the brand to a new audience who are already interested in beauty, which is very closely related to fashion.

Other Social Media Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest are also crucial for an online retailer’s digital marketing strategy. These are the main players on the market, and are the channels used to promote brands and increase their awareness. A study conducted by Burson and Marsteller pointed out that 86% of the 100 most important companies present on the Fortune 500 list had an active account on at least one of the most popular social media sites. (Pradiptarini, 2011). Fashion retail is very visual and therefore, image based social activity on Instagram and Pinterest would be effective for an online fashion retailer.

These social media platforms could be used to encourage user involvement; getting consumers to post images of their purchases, respond to questions and complete tasks are all forms of effective marketing, as it builds consumer relationships with brands, increasing brand equity. (Aaker , 1991)  Online retailers would need internal resources to constantly push this content onto social media platforms, in order for people to respond.

References:

Aaker , D., 1991. Managing Brand Equity. New York: Free Press.

Chaffey, D. & Ellis-Chadwick, F., 2012. Digital Marketing: Strategy, Implementation and Practice. 5th ed. s.l.:s.n.

Leroux, M., 2009. Web fashionistas are just a click away from high street acceptance: Fashion experts are unanimous on the increased importance of blogs, writes Marcus Leroux. [Online]
Available at: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.brighton.ac.uk/docview/320258148?pq-origsite=summon&http://ezproxy.brighton.ac.uk/login?url=accountid=9727
[Accessed January 2016].

Pradiptarini, C., 2011. Social Media Marketing: Measuring Its Effectiveness and Identifying the Target Market. Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 14.