Meghana Madhavan – LUC Marketing 399

What Marketers Can Learn from Beyonce’s Ivy Park Launch

If you’ve been on social media recently, you know that Queen Bey is back. While the entire internet is buzzing about her new visual album, the pop star also recently made another successful venture into the fashion world with her new ‘athleisure’ line Ivy Park. Sold in stores such as Topshop and Nordstrom, the line features chic and understated clothing that can be worn on and off the field. Sources say that Beyonce was instrumental in every aspect of developing the line, including it’s marketing efforts. And as usual, she slayed at it. Here are four takeaways for social media marketers looking to promote a new fashion line.

1 Leverage video

Beyonce released an edgy promotional video for the new line that immediately got fans and news outlets talking. She then continued to release 15 second clips until the release, building excitement and showing more and more of the brand. The video also did an excellent job of capturing the brand image and style, letting potential customers know what to expect from Ivy Park. Videos and visuals are the perfect way to introduce new fashion items and demonstrate the voice, look, and feel of your brand.

2. Use a recognizable name

The video and all promotional materials surrounding Ivy Park heavily featured Beyonce herself. As a style icon and role model to many women, having her name and image so closely linked to the brand gave it instant credibility. While you may not be able to get Beyonce as the face of your brand, using a well-known influencer can attract a wider audience to your brand and strengthen your brand image through association with an influencer who embodies those characteristics and values.

3. Build buzz early

Seven days to go. Arriving 14 April 2016 #IVYPARK

A photo posted by IVY PARK (@weareivypark) on Apr 7, 2016 at 2:17am PDT

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Mashable noted that Ivy Park had already received unprecedented levels of engagement on Instagram much before the line was launched and even before fans had even seen any of the pieces. By releasing the video early and building a strong social media following, Ivy Park had people engaged with the brand before they had even bought from it. If you’re launching a new line or product, your marketing efforts should start long before the product hits shelves.

4. Build a launch website

The website for Ivy Park was also released months in advance and featured essential details about the brand and exclusive content. The website was also used to collect emails. While social media promotions are an essential to marketing your brand, it’s important to have your own channels for content as well. It allows you to develop leads through email collection, boosts your ranking in search engines, and drives traffic to your domain.

While successfully leveraged by Ivy Park, these four practices are not unique to the brand. They’re hallmarks of any good content marketing campaign. By applying these, you can create the same amount of excitement about your new product or line.

Title image via Elle

4 Things to Do When Livestreaming a Fashion Show

Livestreaming has been dubbed the major social media marketing trend of 2016 by many experts, and with good reason. Nearly a quarter of brands have amped up their budgets for livestreaming this year. Periscope and Meerkat have already amassed a large following and Facebook recently entered the ring with Facebook Live, the platform’s own livestreaming service. While fashion brand have been utilizing livestreaming for runway shows for years, these new apps and services offer greater video quality and ease of use. They also allow audiences to watch directly from their social media feeds. But like any social platform, there are do’s and dont’s for marketers. If your brand is considering livestreaming your next fashion show, follow these tips to make the biggest impact.

Make it a two way conversation.

Engage audiences by offering them more than a one way broadcast. Including a special hashtag, encouraging viewers to comment or tweet at you, and responding to these viewers will create a conversation about your content and brand. As seen above, Kenneth Cole had a live twitter feed layered over their stream. This allows viewers to feel like they are at the show themselves, talking to other attendees and brand representatives. Ultimately, you want to use livestreaming to make your audience feel like they are a part of the brand experience.

Offer behind the scenes access.

Make viewers feel like they’re doing more than just watching model after model on the runway—after all, they could see this content from countless Snapchats and pictures posted online. By offering behind the scenes exclusives, viewers will get an intimate look at your brand and feel like they have VIP access to your show.

Leverage viewer feedback for your marketing plans.

As mentioned before, you should allow audiences to have a conversation about your show and react in real time. In addition to better engaging your viewers, this provides your brand with valuable data. You can use viewer feedback to measure sentiment about your collection and find out which pieces and trends received the most buzz. Designer Rebecca Minkoff recently weighed in on the value of social media conversations surrounding live streamed shows.

“We had a pair of trousers that buyers initially didn’t want. I showed them the social reaction — how many bloggers wrote about them, how well they performed on Twitter, how much fanfare they had. They took the feedback and decided to stock them for major department stores.”

Let customers go directly from viewing to buying.

We’ve all seen a gorgeous dress being modeled on the runway and wished we could buy it right there and then. Thanks to livestreaming and other social media advances, now you can! Racked notes that brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein allow livestreamers to buy similar pieces through a “shop now” button. This is a great way to turn your livestreaming and social media efforts directly into sales.

Livestreaming a fashion show is just one way that fashion and beauty brands can use this new and trendy tool to amp up their social media efforts. You can also stream special announcements, exclusive interviews, and product demos, just to name a few examples. By using these tips, you can make sure you get the most out of your livestreaming efforts.

Title image via The Future of Luxury

3 Things to Consider when Choosing a Fashion or Beauty Influencer to Work with

Chances are you have a favorite beauty blogger. Or two. Or three. There are countless online voices in the world of fashion and beauty and a number of them have come to wield a great amount of influence in the industry. By working with these individuals, fashion and beauty brands are able to reach a wider audience and enhance their brand image. They are certainly taking advantage of this opportunity, with over 60% of brands having an influencer marketing strategy in place. If your brand is ready to take the plunge and reach out to an influencer, here are the top three things you should consider in your search

1. Style

It’s important to work with an influencer who’s style and personality resonates with who you are as a brand. For example, Urban Decay is currently working with actress and model Ruby Rose, who is known for an edgy look. This fits the bold and edgy feel of the brand, as noted in the tweet below. At the very least, choosing an influencer who doesn’t match your brand voice can confuse audiences and feel awkward, and at the most it can damage your brand. It’s also important to run a thorough background check on the influencer to search for problematic postings. Your brand could face scrutiny for working with influencers who have made controversial comments in the past.

2. Audience

Even if your influencer seems like they perfectly embody your brand and values, your marketing efforts could fall flat if their audience does not fall within your target market. You want your brand and products to resonate with the influencer’s audience so you should know as much as possible about them. Also consider the platform that the influencer uses. Some influencers post all their content on Instagram while others have their own blogs or use Facebook. Luanna of Le-Happy is a great example of an influencer active across almost all social platforms. If there is a mismatch between where your influencer lives and where your audience lives, your content won’t make an impact. A brand selling anti-aging products probably won’t have much success with an influencer who only makes Vines.

3. Budget

Prices for working with influencers have gone up in recent years. We’ve all heard the stories of Kim Kardashian making millions for one Instagram photo. But you don’t need to work with a nationally known name with a million dollar pricetag. Niche and local influencers can help you reach specific cities and demographics. If your brand is trying to promote a charitable cause or social mission, try to find an influencer who is passionate about your cause and willing to offer their services.

At the end of the day, influencers are people, which means you need to build a relationship with them that is symbiotic. While it can take time to find the right person and build this relationship, the benefits to your brand outweigh the cost. Successful influencer marketing can boost your brand image and even your bottom line!

Title image via About Tech

Fashion and Beauty Brands Gear Up for Festival Season

Summer is almost upon us and so is festival season! This is certainly something that fashion and beauty brands haven’t failed to notice this year—if you’re a young woman using social media, chances are you’ve seen some sort of promotion around festival fashion.

While music festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella have been around for years and have always been the scene of bold fashion statements, young women are now spending more time and money on what they wear. After all, now we have social media to share outfits and followers to impress. A number of fashion and beauty brands are trying to join that conversation in recent years through product lines and specialized content shared through social media. While some, like H&M, seem like a perfect fit, some may surprise you. Here are just a few brands running social media marketing campaigns for festival season.

H&M

While H&M has long featured the trendy and boho styles worn to music festivals, the fast fashion retailer now releases a co-branded collection with the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival itself. The “HM Loves Coachella” collection is available in stores, online, and festival goers will be able to purchase the items at a tent set up by H&M. They promoted this line throughout their own social media channels with the hashtag #HMLovesCoachella and they partnered with major publications like Buzzfeed and Refinery29 to promote it as well.

Pandora

When I first saw that Pandora was partnering with Coachella as the festival’s official jewelry sponsor, I was skeptical. It didn’t seem that people in their target audience would be interested in going to music festivals in the first place. However, if they are trying to target a younger market, it certainly makes sense for them to use festival season as an opportunity to do so. Using popular hashtags like #festivalseason and #festivalready are also a great move by the brand. They also included plenty of great visual and video content on their own online magazine, demonstrating the importance of having your own channels to post content rather than relying on ever changing Instagram algorithms.

Urban Decay

We’ve got festival season in the bag. 🎶 #UDGetaway #UrbanDecay

A photo posted by Urban Decay Cosmetics (@urbandecaycosmetics) on Apr 5, 2016 at 7:04am PDT

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A brand known for dramatic smoky eye looks may not seem like a fit for boho festivals but Urban Decay has done an excellent job positioning their products as must haves for music festivals like ULTRA and Spring Awakening where edgier looks are prominent. If you’re running content around music festivals, its important to know which ones your audience will be going to.

Coach

A coach bag is another product that might seem out of place in the festival scene but the historic fashion house has been using content marketing to reach a new demographic. They’ve been working with influencers that are young artists, DJ’s, and fashion gurus who are exactly who young festival goers would be looking to for inspiration. This is perfectly coordinated with their new line which has a much more alternative and boho feel.

If you’re a fashion and beauty brand trying to reach a younger market or better engage your audience, consider following these brands example in joining the conversation surrounding festival fashion and festival season. It’s what’s on the audience’s mind in the coming months and good content marketing means supplying the relevant information they are looking for when they need it. Judging by some of the surprising brands in this list, chances are there is a niche for your brand as well!

Title image via: Racked

6 Brands Winning on Instagram and What You Can Learn From Them

It’s where your customers go to post photos of their latest meal, their dog, their workout, their vacation, and of course their makeup! In the era of the #selfie, it goes without saying that beauty brands should be on Instagram. After all, it’s the perfect visual platform for makeup and cosmetics. While pretty much every major brand is there, there are a handful that have developed a strong presence and following in particular. Here are six beauty brands doing all the right things on Instagram and what your brand can learn from them!

1. Essie

Pure snowy white #blanc is perfection on @essie_envy. Show us your Color of the Month mani for a chance to be featured! #essielove

A photo posted by essie (@essiepolish) on Mar 26, 2016 at 3:54pm PDT

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Good social media marketing on any platform requires that you do more than just broadcast product information. The social aspect can’t be ignored. Essie does a wonderful job of engaging directly with their audience and making audience participation a key component of their Instagram game plan. They share photos of followers, encourage followers to use their hashtags, and hold contests for them as well.

2. Fresh

Indulge without the calories. Add Cocoa Body Exfoliant to your bodycare ritual for nourished, radiant skin. #LinkInProfile

A photo posted by Fresh (@freshbeauty) on Feb 18, 2016 at 12:07pm PST

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Fresh is a brand truly taking advantage of Instagram’s visual appeal. Their creative pictures and product shoots both fit and enhance their playful image. It’s important to maintain your brand “voice” even through your visuals. If your brand is fun and light, serious black and white Instagrams will feel forced and unnatural. Strong visuals also boost engagement among your target audience.

3. Tarte

Yup. 😕 #LOL #ugh #comeonfriday #repost from @betches

A photo posted by Tarte Cosmetics (@tartecosmetics) on Mar 16, 2016 at 4:51pm PDT

Tarte isn’t afraid to be funny and even a little tart! While selfies and outfits of the day are a big part of Instagram, it’s also where your audience goes for hilarious memes. Don’t be afraid to inject humor into your Instagram posts or even post non beauty related pics that your audience will be able to relate to.

4. LUSH

❤️🐰❤️ #fightinganimaltesting

A photo posted by Lush Cosmetics (@lushcosmetics) on Mar 2, 2016 at 8:20pm PST

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Stopping animal cruelty is an important part of LUSH’s mission and they make that clear on their Instagram page. The platform can be a great way to share more information about your brand’s values and social initiatives. Do an annual charity event? Share candid pics and throwbacks to previous years events. Instagram allows you to use photos to give consumers a behind the scenes look at the people and values behind the brand.

5. Lancome

Live a little out of the ordinary. #Lancome #LaVieEstBelle #Happiness #ThinkPink #PinkStateOfMind #Fragrance #QuoteOfTheDay

A photo posted by Lancôme Official (@lancomeofficial) on Mar 14, 2016 at 11:53am PDT

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Just like there’s no such thing as having too much makeup, you can’t have too many hashtags on Instagram. They allow more eyes to get on your post when users search popular hashtags and the platform allows you to use up to 30. Lancome is no stranger to this and use a variety of trending and funny hashtags.

6. Urban Decay

Our Summer collection is here! Get an inside look at what went down during our summer photo shoot. #UDGetaway #UrbanDecay

A video posted by Urban Decay Cosmetics (@urbandecaycosmetics) on Mar 25, 2016 at 7:28am PDT

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Instagram isn’t just a side activity for this major brand. It’s a crucial component of their entire marketing and communications strategy. In fact, they even announce new products entirely through social media. The lesson here? Don’t be afraid to give Instagram and social media as a whole a big role in your marketing campaigns. It’s where your audience lives and it can be worth the investment to integrate it fully into your strategy.

These are just a handful of brands with amazing Instagram presences and just a few of the things you can do to make your account shine. What all these brands have in common is that their Instagram is true to their brand image and offers something of value to their audience. Every brand and audience is different and it’s important to find what works for yours, but following these tips will give you a great starting point!

Image via Influenster

4 Ways to Make Your Beauty Content the Belle of the Ball

Recently, I needed to buy a new foundation and decided to swap out my usual Clinique for a drugstore brand. But having not bought a different brand in so long, I didn’t know what to choose. So naturally, I picked up my smartphone and began browsing the web for suggestions!

This process got me thinking about how much beauty product marketing has changed over the past decade. Research has shown that the average consumer consults many more sources of information and a majority of those are online. While a few years ago, we may have been more swayed by an ad in Cosmopolitan, now we probably consult many beauty blogs and online reviews before making a decision.

But with so many sources out there, how do you make your content and your product stand out? Informed by my own beauty buying experience, here are some top tips for optimizing your content and getting your product in front of searching customers.

1.. Three letters: SEO

If your beauty content is buried in the 9^th page of a search for “best drugstore foundation”, it’s unlikely any consumer is going to see it after already reading article after article about the best brands. Optimizing your content for search engines makes it easier for consumers to find your content and know it is the most relevant to their search. You can do this organically, by bidding on keywords, or by buying ad space. The chart below illustrates just how important SEO is for B2B and B2C companies.

2. Make your content relevant to trends

Before I even began looking for foundation brands, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a link to an Elle article about cushion compacts. It was actually a sponsored post by L’Oréal about their new cushion compact but still contained plenty of relevant information about a trend I had been hearing so much about lately. With so many complicated beauty trends like contouring and baking gaining popularity online, there is a high demand for content that teaches techniques and application. Make your brand the one supplying this content and consumers will be grateful. Smashbox has an entire portion of their website devoted to product tutorials. This is a great contouring tutorial from MAC:

3. Videos and Visuals are key

Your audience expects killer visuals and videos everywhere but they have special importance for beauty. Who wants to buy a product without knowing if it will make you look good? They also create additional value for consumers. Instructional videos and product demos will be appreciated by audiences trying to find the best makeup techniques and infographics allow multiple products to be compared quickly and highlight key benefits of each. These GIF’s included with L’Oréal’s post were especially helpful for a more complicated to use product

4. Leverage social media

As I mentioned, I saw that sponsored post on Facebook before I was even looking for a foundation. When I did begin my search, it was the first product on my mind. Your audience lives on social media so why not meet them there? Research has shown that they are likely to be responsive to brands on these networks. Use your social accounts to blast your content to larger audiences and enter consumers’ paths without being intrusive.

The beauty industry has a particularly excellent opportunity to be successful with content marketing. However, just like with any other medium, there is a lot of noise to break through. With these tips in mind, you can stand out by delivering top quality content while effectively promoting your brand and services. You’ll be the first one they think of when they run out of foundation!