Today’s digitally savvy millennial generation has brought about a transformation in how people interact with one another and brands. Millennials are changing the way luxury brands communicate with customers and prospects, by demanding authentic and trustworthy communication through digital channels. Therefore, the key for luxury brands to succeed in this new scenario is to create genuine connections and trust among their customers through social media marketing. Social media has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes, including luxury brands. Read on to find out how luxury brands are winning on social media by implementing these four strategies.
Build a Compelling Brand Story
A branded story that is compelling, authentic and consistent across all touchpoints is the foundation of building trust and connection with your customers. Stories create connections by bridging gaps on divergent points of view, providing clarity and meaning to customers as well as inspiring action from them.A well-crafted brand story helps luxury brands connect with their customers in a more meaningful way. It also helps them to cut through the noise and break through the clutter of social media, providing an opportunity for luxury brands to have one-on-one conversations with customers.A good example of building a compelling brand story can be seen in TUMI’s #YourAdventure campaign. TUMI is a premium travel brand that offers products for adventure travel, such as bags, luggage, gadgets, accessories, apparel, and footwear. TUMI’s brand story revolves around inspiring people to go on adventurous trips and live a more connected and authentic lifestyle.
Leverage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a powerful strategy that luxury brands can leverage on social media to engage their customers. When done right, influencer marketing is a mutually beneficial, long-term relationship between a brand and an influencer. It helps build trust and a connection with your customers, resulting in higher engagement, retention, and sales.When choosing the right influencers for your campaign, look for those who have a large following in your niche, a high level of engagement, and a positive brand image. Also, make sure the influencers you select fit your brand’s tone and voice to avoid any brand squabbles. Besides choosing the right influencers, you also need to make sure you have a well-defined social media strategy in place before beginning the campaign.A good example of leveraging influencer marketing can be seen in Saint Laurent’s #YSLBeauty collaboration with Bella Hadid. The luxury brand partnered with model Bella Hadid to promote its cosmetics line. The brand put Bella at the center of the campaign by featuring her in the brand’s social media posts. The brand’s posts featuring Bella garnered millions of likes and comments, thereby driving a lot of engagement.
Create Exclusive Content for Social Media
In an effort to build trust and engagement with prospective and existing customers on social media, luxury brands can create exclusive content such as visual content, webinars, quizzes, etc. that is useful and relevant to their target audience. The content you create should be designed to add value to your customers and satisfy their needs.This type of content can take the form of visual content such as images and videos. When creating visual content for your social media channels, make sure that it’s consistent with your brand image, engaging, and has a clear call-to-action.Some brands have also started creating webinars for their social media channels. Webinars are an excellent way of educating your audience and engaging them. You can invite your customers to participate in webinars about your products and services.A good example of creating exclusive content for social media can be seen in The Ritz-Carlton’s #RitzLife campaign. The hotel chain invited its customers to share their “Ritz Life” moments through a contest. The brand invited customers to share their travel stories, images, videos, and tips in the contest. The campaign received a lot of engagement and helped the brand to connect with its customers.
Commit to Responsive Marketing
Social Media is a two-way communication channel, and luxury brands need to commit to responsive marketing on social media. This means that you need to be consistent with your message, respond to customer comments, and actively engage with your audience.Efficient engagement on social media is essential for increasing your brand’s visibility and reach, generating leads, and growing your customer base. You can make the most of social media with consistent and engaging posts.You can also use paid social media campaigns to increase brand awareness and drive more traffic to your website. Paid social media campaigns use paid advertising options to amplify your message and reach a broader audience.A good example of responsive marketing can be seen in The Ritz-Carlton’s #RitzCarltonLadies campaign. The hotel chain invited women travelers to share their travel stories with the tagline “RitzCarltonLadies”. The brand invited women to share their travel stories on social media, featuring their Ritz experiences.
Summing up
Social media offers brands many benefits, such as increased brand visibility and reach, an opportunity to engage with your customers, and capturing more leads. However, to maximize ROI from social media, you need to implement certain strategies. These include building a compelling brand story, leveraging influencer marketing, creating exclusive content for social media, and committing to responsive marketing.
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