With all sartorial eyes set to be on Dubai soon thanks to our very own fashion weeks – Arab Fashion Week (October 6 to 10) and Fashion Forward (October 20 to 23) – never before has the powerful partnership of fashion and social media been so important.
As such we spoke to Eva Chen, Head of Fashion Partnerships at Instagram to offer her top tips on how to use Instagram to your advantage – whether as a blogger trying to make money through social or as a business.
Focus on Engagement, Not followers
Followers don’t necessarily translate to business impact. It’s not the amount of followers you have, but the passion and engagement that people feel for a brand that matters most. You can have millions of followers, but more important is whether people are engaging with you, such as commenting and tagging their friends.
Tell the authentic story of your brand
From showcasing products on the catwalk to providing behind the scenes access, Instagram helps you tell an authentic story about your brand. Creative tools such as Boomerang, Hyperlapse and now Stories give more creative flexibility to tell your stories in interesting ways and bring your business to life, capturing the full cycle of your product—from the design process to the runway.
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Connect with your community
Instagram has opened up fashion and made it more accessible to everyone. The Instagram community is active and robust, so take the opportunity to engage with your followers. Ask them questions and respond to their comments. Re-posting or commenting on someone’s post when they’ve tagged you in it, will build a real connection with your followers, which will in turn drive advocacy and brand love. Also, the Instagram community is incredibly creative – lots of designers and brands are now collaborating with influencers in the community.
Make video the star attraction
Motion is the next big trend and we’re seeing the fashion community increasingly embrace video and our video tools to tell their stories. With video you can bring the craft and beauty of designs to life – you can actually see the sequins twinkle and the fringe move.
A photo posted by ® ARAB FASHION COUNCIL (@arabfashioncouncil) on
Craft a strong visual identity
A strong and consistent brand is vital. Think about the images, the typography, the talent or tone of voice. When someone is scrolling through and sees your posts, you want them to know it’s you. With Instagram Stories you have another tool to communicate who your brand is through moments of spontaneity and joy. Also, don’t forget, people often watch videos on their mobile so designing videos which can be played easily with the sound off and framing the story in vertical orientation, rather than asking people to turn their phone to landscape, are key considerations.
Main image: @FFWDDXB
