Attire Accessories - Jul/Aug 2019 (Issue 77)

SOCIAL MEDIA 125 WEB WATCH Attire Accessories is at the heart of the online accessories community. Here’s a quick update on what’s been happening… ATT I RE ACCESSOR I ES @AttireAccessories @AttireAccessories @AttireAccMag OUR MOST RECENT LIKES AND FOLLOWS: Instagram @agiftfromthegods @cavendishfrench @jewellerylondon Social status Lena Ahlqvist, founder of byEloise, explains that creating authentic content is key to building a loyal social media following. SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLE: Company name: byEloise London Follow me at: @byeloise_london When did the company set up Instagram and Facebook accounts, and what prompted it to do so? We set up social media accounts almost straight away when the company was founded late in 2014. At that time, we did not have a strategy or plan as such but realised that this was an obvious marketing tool that we had to use. Has your business benefitted as a result? If so, how? We have definitely benefitted. Our social media is our shop window for retailers and consumers, and it enables us to communicate directly with our customers. People and shops that are new to byEloise can browse our assortment and learn what the brand is about. Existing customers get to know about news and offers. It is also a tool to communicate and set the tone for the brand. More recently, we have linked our social media with our web shop, and that makes it easier to convert social media into sales and also to measure the results. Where do you see the future of social media going, and how can it continue to drive brands forward? I think one important trend is that consumers will start looking for more authentic content. I am quite tired of influencers who keep feeding you with paid content and constantly push you to buy products. If you want to build a substantial community with genuine followers, you need to tell your story in a way that’s not too obtrusive. How often do you post, and what do you post about? Recently, we have started to post every day, either on stories or regular posts on Instagram or Facebook. We are always careful to post something that we feel actually adds to the story about our brand and that we feel is appealing to our customers. We post to let customers know about news and offers. We post photos that we feel can serve as inspiration. When our customers post about us, we often put this on our story as we are grateful when people talk about and promote our brand. What advice would you give to first-time social media users? First of all, I would start browsing what other people do and get a feeling for what you like. I would also try to attend a seminar or two to build your knowledge and understanding. If you are serious about wanting to use social media as a sales tool, I would then try to find someone experienced to manage your social media accounts. It is more time-consuming than you think, and with the right experience, your social media can become a very effective sales tool. I would, however, strongly advise that you – as brand owner – are always in control of the tone. You need to be happy with the way your brand is presented to your customers. THIS MONTH ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WE’VE MAINLY BEEN: • Keeping you abreast of all the industry news you need to know • Providing inspirational quotes to give your day a boost • Giving top tips on how to make the most out of your own social media Louise ’ s Top Tip Louise Prance, Editor of Attire Accessories , gives her social media top tip: Social Media can often feel like just one more thing on the to-do list. It’s time-consuming, and ensuring you put out the best content possible can be a daunting task. That’s why scheduling tools such as Hootsuite and Planoly can become your new best friend. Putting aside two hours a week for your social media scheduling using one of these easy apps will allow you to do your Instagram/Facebook/ Twitter posts all in one go, safe in the knowledge they will be posted at your desired times. Doing it this way allows you to compartmentalise it as a one-off weekly task rather than having it become a daily chore. Twitter @MeenuGraziani @creativeRawards @gift_focus