Week 10A: Personal content in blogging

When it comes to fashion, it can get very personal.  We all have our own unique preferences and styles.  The way we dress influences the way people see us and how we see ourselves.  Adding personal touches to blog posts about fashion just makes sense.  Leather and Lilacs has a major focus on body image and body image has a huge effect on how we value ourselves.  Personable content will help followers remember that it’s something we all deal with.

Week 9: Twitter

Body positive was one of the keywords I used to search to find connections.  I tried size inclusive and plus sized as well but what I was really looking for was any pages that promote body positivity.  I figured that would encompass the other key words as well.  I also searched for celebrities and clothing stores that I know to promote body positivity so some of my searches were very specific.  I then created two lists, one for body positive specific pages and one for clothing stores that promote body positivity. 

 Will be posting mostly in the morning.  This will be positive quotes and ideas about loving yourself an being your best self, as well as any sales promotions and updates about new lines, garments, and products.  It will be best to do it in the morning because it will be a positive reminder for people starting off their day, or let people know about promotions before they decide to do any shopping for the day.  Seeing a sales promotion when you start off your day may inspire you to get some shopping done.

Week 8B: Other company's instagrams

Visual media is imperative to the success of new fashion companies starting out today.  Instagram especially is necessary for promoting a successful clothing brand.  It lets people see whats new, what inspires the lines, and gives a detailed visual of the companies aesthetic.  Most, if not all successful clothing companies today use social media, especially Instagram, as a way to reach their buyers and fans.



The first company I chose to compare is Dollhouse Boutique.  It is a local company with locations in Carlsbad Village and Encinitas.  For a small business they use Instagram very effectively.  They have 15.4 thousand followers.  They post every other day and usually get around 20 likes on each post.  They don’t receive very many comments.  While that isn’t a huge portion of their followers it is proportionally similar to that of urban outfitters.  Their last post was form last night.  It was a post of a girl with very cali-girl hair from the back wearing a long sleeve mustard color blouse.  Their posts that get the most likes are the ones that scream California summer.  While most of the other brands have a lot of success with very seasonal styles, Dollhouse boutiques has a very clear summer aesthetic.  In the future with my business, it would benefit me to also choose a very specific aethietic to portrayTheir most used hashtags are: Carlsbadvillage, Encinitas, Carlsbadbeach, and Encinitasbeach.



I also chose Urban Outfitters.  Like the rest of the companies, social media is a huge influence for Urban Outfitters.  On Instagram they have 8.9 million followers.  They post four to five times a day.  their most popular posts include very seasonal aesthetics, or well known brands used to create quirky ensembles.  Their last post was posted this morning of a girl wearing a scarf and a comfy sweater.  Their posts generally get between 50 and a 100 thousand likes and around 100 comments.  The only hashtag they use is UOonyou.  One way I could use their techniques to make my Instagram page better, would be to create very seasonal posts and use Instagram as a place to advertise promotions and sales.



The next business I chose was Forever21.  They have 16.4 million followers.  Although they have twice as many followers as urban outfitters, they actually get around the same number of likes.  They actually receive around half as many comments as urban outfitters.  They post multiple times a day and their most recent post, a picture of a plus size model in a latex bunny costume, was posted this morning.  The type of content that gets the most response is fun, trendy images of the latest styles and trends.  The hashtags they use most are F21xMe and ForeverBabe.  Each week they have a contest and choose one image of a fan dressed in their clothes and post it to their page to promote that person’s Instagram.  That is what the hashtags are used for.  This is a very fun way to get the followers engaged, and I would definitely consider doing this for my business in the future. 



Lazy Oaf us a British fashion company and the last business I chose.  They are a much larger than Dollhouse but much smaller than Urban Outfitters and Forever21.  They post every day and have Instagram as on of the main ways to shop from their website.  Instagram is a huge part of your shopping experience with this company.  One of the many ways they keep their followers engaged is also through a contest but this one is a bit different.  They have a weekly contest to see who can post the collest picture of food with faces.  The use hashtag LOfoodface.  These food pictures are the pictures that get the most likes each week



They post a lot of art and weird picture of food with faces.  That generally gets more likes than the images of their clothes.  Their last picture was posted this morning.  It is a picture of scrambled eggs and spinach made to look like a woman’s face.  They usually receive 5-10 thousand likes on a post and around the same number of comments as urban outfitters even though they have a much smaller follower pool.  Having such a quirky way to keep fans interested seems to be working out really well for them, I would love to find something interesting like that to do on my business’s Instagram.

Week 8A: Instagram

Leather and Lilacs is a fashion brand.  Today Instagram is known for being image heavy and fashion forward.  Before I began my research I assumed Instagram would be the best option, and after I feel the same way.  Instagram is a great way to share images of new designs, as well as quotes and short videos.  It will allow to me to make tags to draw in a larger audience and help me pinpoint my target market more specifically.  when I create a store I will also be able to link the store directly to the account.  Another great aspect of using Instagram as a business account, is my access to influencers.  Once an influencer is interested in a product and promotes it, you would have an immediate following.  That is the goal here eventually.  To have my company be well know and sought after for being a body conscious, body positive brand.

Week 7B: Activity Log

These are the two images of some of my activity log.  It has mostly been liking other people pages.
  

This is the image of the 3 posts that are scheduled for the next couple days.  They are inspirational quotes to help my followers feel great about their bodies.

Week 7A: Liking others' Facebook pages

https://www.facebook.com/CSIT155/

https://www.facebook.com/Vogue/

https://www.facebook.com/independentfashionbloggers/

https://www.facebook.com/Indyfashion/

https://www.facebook.com/startupfashion/

https://www.facebook.com/danajadedesigns/

https://www.facebook.com/charlottekathleendesign/

https://www.facebook.com/Nathaliajmag/



The pages I chose to like on Facebook with my page, all involve fashion.  The first four (Vogue, Independent Fashion Bloggers, StartUp Fashion, and Independent Fashion) are resources for people interested in fashion.  Here you will see a wide variety of trends and inspiration.  They are all great resources to learn about fashion.  

As part of my company I want to make the fashion industry a better place.  That means lifting other designers up instead of trying to bring them down.  I believe the fashion industry can be competitive without being catty and that many independent designers love, and benefit off promoting each other.

StartUp Fashion is a great resource for designers just starting out.  
The last three pages I chose are independent designers.  Dana Jade Designs and Nathalia Jmag are designers I went to school with in Boston when I got my Bachelors Degree.  They are amazing designers who love collaborating and promoting other designers.  Carlotte Kathleen Designs is one of my previous Co-workers who had had her designs featured in Vogue.