The Sunday News
INSTAGRAM is the favourite new tool of fashion designers, bloggers, models, stylists, basically fashion lovers across the world and has proven it. But is it enough to push sales for those advertising their products in hopes to break even let alone make a profit.
With over 400 million monthly users, Instagram is the eighth largest social networking platform in the world, in the fashion world, it’s probably number one. Compared to other social media platforms, the viral nature of Instagram is much more potent in spreading a commercial message when it comes to fashion. A designer doesn’t need a large following to get attention: one Instagram picture — just one of the 80 million posted every day, these pictures can be rapidly “reposted”, driving users to the original source. If an Instagram account has over a million followers (such as Kim Kardashian West’s 91,2 million followers) then people are definitely paying attention.
Instagram has become a platform for designers to show their pieces without a runway and reaching a larger audience. It’s that glimpse into a designer’s mind, as well as their stock cupboard, that makes Instagram so intriguing, turning a feed into a living mood board. The best designers aren’t just posting cold, hard product; they’re giving insights into their working methods, their mindsets and the inspirations behind their work. This in turn helps them to sell the stuff from their homes.
Nevertheless, quantifying the impact of Instagram is tricky. Whether the number of likes directly equates to sales numbers for businesspeople. Some models get discovered on Instagram from regularly posting pictures of their work. It’s a good place to connect with fashion bloggers from around the globe to find out whats haute and what isn’t.
Although the main advantage of Instagram can also be its biggest disadvantage: it relies on images. That means you need to be very mindful of the images you post because it is the image that will attract followers. Poor pictures will have people that follow you, skip past you in their feed and not read the message in your description.
In order for people to notice your work and take you seriously on Insta, your pictures need to be square to be most effective.
Loading non-square images will cause parts of the image to not show in the feed. That means your message or branding can look sloppy because not all the words may be shown. If you can afford a pro photographer use him, but iPhone and Android apps take good quality pictures as well. If you have Windows mobile, Blackberry, or Linux it won’t work. That means you won’t be reaching all your target audience.
If you want people to notice your work or are hoping to take your fashion brand on an international scale . . . do post regularly and add catchy captions.
email: [email protected]
