One of the challenges that many companies face as they begin the descent into the realm of social media is figuring out a way to keep the content fresh on Facebook, Twitter, and the like. For a brand that’s used to doing things the “traditional” way, there are only so many new campaign visuals one can create.
The resulting media content doesn’t have to be a big-budget, hyper-orchestrated affair. In fact, some of the best content that you can post for social media consumption is actually quite simple to create:
1. Share Anything “Behind the Scenes”
Customers love having the opportunity to go behind the scenes of a glossy brand; and there are countless, simple ways to accomplish this.
Photo Shoots: Most fashion brands do at least one photo shoot within the course of a year, so while your campaign photographer is busy getting the perfect shot, here’s your chance to capture the behind-the-curtain scene. The models getting their hair done… The makeup artist prepping brushes… the photographer’s assistant sneaking peeks at the models… the storyboard… etc.
Fashion Shows: So much action happens backstage; give your social media fans/followers “VIP” access by live-tweeting what’s happening and posting some pictures of the situation.
Production: There is truly no more effective way to share the craftsmanship that goes into developing your products than offering a viewing of creative teams actually composing pieces. Hermes recently did this by posting videos to Facebook displaying the brand’s artisans at work.
Planning Meetings: You might be asking yourself, “What customer would care what takes place in our boring corporate meetings?” You would be surprised how fascinating these insights can be to an outsider. We live in a voyeuristic culture and people love to glance into the lives of others… especially when those people work for the brands they love!
2. Ask your Customers / Fans / Followers for feedback
Another simple tactic in content generation is to let your consumers do it for you. It is truly amazing to post a question and to then monitor the myriad of responses by customers. For example, J.Crew recently asked its Facebook fans for an opinion on which new “site creative” would be most successful. The company received over 300 opinions within 1 day
3. Feature your Employees
Does one of your employees have an impeccable sense of style? Feature fashion favorites from your team members! Elle does this by occasionally featuring the shoes being worn by their employees in their “Elle Shoe Diary,” and its success speaks for itself.
4. Live report from an event
Have an exciting press event, party, or product demo in the pipeline? Enlist someone to report live from the event, best done via Twitter with the occasional picture post. Louis Vuitton did this well for the launch of their London store, as previously reported.
5. Share inspiring content from others
Especially relevant on Twitter, an easy way to create content for your brand is to simply share what’s already out there. Was there a recent magazine spread that featured your brand prominently? Share the link. Tory Burch recently did this by sharing the post of a favorite blogger, and it proved that sharing press is another rewarding tactic for any luxury brand.
Photo Credits: J Crew Mood Board
Edited by: Gina Conforti
