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Blogging Posts
Web fashionistas just a click away from mainstream acceptance
October 19th, 2009
I was really interested to see an article in the Times (www.timesonline.com) on the increased importance of blogs within the fashion industry.
This is a sector I have been strongly associated with for many years, so my interest was tweaked.
It wasn’t that long ago that Sir Philip Green, CEO and supremo of Arcadia, owners of Top Shop, Miss Selfridge and other leading retail fashion chains, dismissed offhand a new social networking website called Mint, setup by fashion students. If he couldn’t see an immediate financial opportunity, forget it.
So it was interesting to see Sir Philip invite fashion bloggers to its HQ for a preview of its Autumn / Winter lines. This is part of a broader trend in which retailers have been forced to find new ways of influencing key opinion-formers on the internet, which is the sector’s fastest growing sales channel.
According to Leon Bailey-Green, founder of the Online Fashion Agency ‘right now, bloggers are ruling the online fashion space. Arcadia are thought to be punching below their weight online – for example, ASOS, the fashion retailer that operates entirely online receives more visitors than any of Sir Philip’s brands.
As frivolous as a bloggers preview seems, fashion experts are unanimous in their increased importance, which began at the top end of the market. Two years ago Chanel invited bloggers to Paris for a VIP tour of Coco Chanel’s apartments. Its now, common for bedroom bloggers to have their own section at fashion shows, elbow to elbow with conventional fashion media.
More importantly, it is estimated that 40% of all fashion sales are influenced by the internet (15% of actual fashion sales are online), so retailers increasingly see the need to win hearts and minds online.
This is a problem because consumers are notoriously fickle and disloyal on the internet. Over 60% of consumers have increased their use of price comparison sites, and 45% said that they would leave the website immediately if it failed to show them what they wanted on the first page, according to Avail Intelligence Trust Index (http://avail.net/en).
So it seems that retailers really do need to take fashion bloggers seriously now and will find it difficult to get their attention when they become mainstream. It will certainly affect sales.
5 good reasons to have your own Blog site
February 16th, 2009
I’m amazed by the Blog-resistance of many small and medium sized businesses. You hear comments like ‘ I dont have time to Blog’, or ‘It doesn’t have any relevance in my industry’. Or even ‘what is a Blog anyway?’. But in this economic downturn, now is the time to raise your profile, and Blogging is a great way to do this.
So, to help focus on the benefits of Blogging for your business, here are 5 reasons you should be thinking of Blogging as a vital extension of your business:
1. Become a Thought Leader.
Stand out from the rest with your opinions and thoughts. This shows great thought leadership, professional insights and leads to debate.
2. Engage in dialogue with your customers
It’s a great was to engage in a more informal environment. You send out mail shots and email newsletters, so why not enter into a different kind of dialogue. One that really brings you closer to your customer.
3. Every Blog is an SEO opportunity
Plant words or phrases to raise your SEO profile. Sow subjects you want to promote and discuss these on your Blog. Done effectively, this will raise your SEO rankings overall, which can only be a good thing.
4. Blogs are like bait
Blogs encourage people to link with you because they are interesting and informative, far more than a standard website where you are encouraged to click on a promotional icon. Blogs are not seen as corporate or too sales focussed, and people often feel they want to connect with the ‘thought leader’ rather than a big corporation.
5. Humanises your brand
Your blog will show the personal side of your brand
All too often, there’s the excuse of ‘I don’t have time to Blog…’
In reality, you don’t have time not to do so….