Lately, there have been a lot of different strategies on how women with a taste for fashion can get into the industry. Through the use of their social media channels, women of all styles, tastes, ethnicities, and backgrounds are modelling everything from high fashion vogue to family-owned boutique clothing stores.
More and more people are getting involved in these practices, and it has become a crucial way of making a living for some. Unfortunately, not everyone will get the call to collaborate with a high-value high-value client, but for the people who are interested in learning more about how this type of campaign starts, we have five helpful tips for the fashionista.
1. Choose Your Platform
One of the most important aspects of being a fashion influencer is not spreading yourself too thin. The first priority in being a fashion influencer/model is to have a place in which to display your fashion expertise and outfits. Many people believe they need a website or some large online presence that spreads across the entire internet. But all you need is a social media account. However, not every social media platform will be right for you, which is why it’s important to find the right social media channel to do this. When fashion influencer hopefuls first start out, they set up social media accounts on every platform. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. and begin a daily barrage of posting.
While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can spread you too thin and have a direct effect on the type of content and message you are sending. You may have all of your social media accounts, but only choose one for your fashionista business. Many fashion-forward entrepreneurs are having great success on Instagram, and this could be your answer as well. In order to figure out which one is going to be more impactful for you, test the waters on all of the major platforms to see where the most engagement is coming from.
2. Choose a Niche
As with any business, the number one thing to bring you success is to determine what type of fashion influencer you want to be. First, it should be something you’re passionate about. What style of clothing do you normally find yourself wearing? Is it high fashion items? Or are you a more casual wearer?
Whatever the niche, choose it wisely because these are the people you will be targeting in your posts. You see, not only are you targeting your followers for the engagement (which drives your social media posts to the top of the stream), you are also targeting the brands that provide this type of clothing and apparel to their customers. You are selling a look, and brands want to see conversions. The best way for a brand to see conversions on your channel is to see the engagement that comes with every post you distribute. Fine-tuning a niche is a detailed and targeted approach that brings quick results.
3. Make Appropriate Use of Hashtags
If you’re just getting started in your modelling career on social media, you may not have amassed a large following yet. Utilizing hashtags on platforms like Instagram is essential to growing your follower count and bringing that narrow niche right to your doorstep. We mentioned narrowing the niche earlier, the hashtag you use can help you do this.
For example, if you’re wearing a specific outfit that caters to #Vogue fashion, make sure to use those appropriate hashtags at the end of your post. Someone who is looking for #cardigans on Instagram isn’t interested in paying attention to #Voguefashion at that moment. Hashtags are in the NOW, and they represent what you’re the audience is paying attention to at that moment. When you bring them closer to you with hashtags, you are funnelling them into a social media account they are interested in.
4. Wear the Right Clothing
There is an old saying, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” The same goes for new users to your social channel. You have a split second to grab their attention before they swipe to another more interesting post. As a fashion influencer, you want to make sure there is a reason for them to stay where they’re at.
For instance, E and O Apparel shares modest dresses for women in their Instagram page. They are detailed and targeted, and the owner, Erica Harman, states, “You only have one shot at getting them to tune in to what you have to say. It’s so important that if your page represents the fashion of some sort, that its the best you have.”
5. Present Yourself as an Option
Whether you are a brand new fashion influencer who is just getting started or you already understand several strategies, the one thing that ties you together with other influencers is the brands who work with you. Eventually, you will need to reach out to brands that you are interested in working with. Take some time to research their business, what they enjoy posting, and (where applicable) the models they generally work with. After you have accomplished this, take some time to write out a template that approaches the brand to tell them you are available to help spread their message.
This template can be used over and over again. Make sure it’s heartfelt and genuine and never skip the step of researching their business. The template is there to help guide you, but it will never be the same for every brand you reach out to. Tailor it to the individual brand you’re targeting, and you will begin to see results very quickly.
Be the Influencer
As you gain more experience, you will begin to see several different strategies that will work for you. The most important aspect of being a fashion influencer you should always remember is to stay true to yourself. Your followers and the businesses that want to work with you can tell when something’s not right. Just be you. You may not have as many followers as someone else who is doing what you’re doing, but you’re a micro-influencer, and micro-influencers have a targeted audience who want what you have. Be the influencer, and be yourself.