There was a minor discussion/debate going on in the office a few weeks ago about Life-Style and Fashion blogs. The discussion was centered around how successful are these bloggers and if they even make any money with what they are doing.
There are even more blogs out there now than there were about 4 years ago with about 31 million bloggers in the United States, yet fashion and life-style bloggers have made their own blogs very lucrative. It’s been reported that Bryan Boy makes over $100k a year and the Man Repeller, Leandra Medine, has risen far up the ranks to become almost a fashion icon.
Image via Zimbio
I, myself, read several fashion and life-style blogs daily. From this discussion though, I started to breakdown some of these blogs in order to interpret how marketable are these blogs and it turns out they are marketing machines. I’ve read my brains out on how to make my different marketing efforts really shine, but it’s all laid clearly out in some of these blogs. As a I was reading my daily feed, it occurred to me that they really had some of these marketing techniques down solid whether they know it or not.
1. Stunning, crisp visuals.
Do I see any stock photos on the style blogs I see? Negative.
Visuals have proven time and time again to attract a larger audience and 40% people wil respond better to visual information than plain text. That’s where these bloggers excel and the most successful ones have stepped it way up with visuals.
Back away from the selfies, some of these images are absolutely stunning photos taken with DSLRs and professional lenses. Masters at lighting, angles, color, and editing, the photos show how images should be done the right way. Most of these bloggers do not have professional training in modeling or in photography, yet they provide their readers breath-taking visuals to keep them coming back for more.
Image via Atlantic Pacific
Your own marketing blog and visuals should be just as remarkable. They do not need to be street-styled photos or fashion-esque, but it’s time to back away from the general stock photos. Implementing your own infographics, pictures of your office or even random instagram photos all soar beyond the typical images. Visual content drives much more engagement.
2. Takeaways
Sometimes I peruse the Independent Fashion Bloggers site because they provide useful and quick tidbits of information. One of the articles I read a couple months back on 4 Tips for Writing a Super Compelling Post. The tip that captured my attention was “What do you want people to walk away with?” Marketers love lists and things they can consume efficiently, all while learning some type of takeaway. Many fashion bloggers understand that providing sources for readers to purchase the items that they wore in the picture, teaching a DIY, or makeup technique. Without fail, their readership knows that they will leave the blog knowing something more than they did before stumbling onto the site.
Your content should always have some type of takeaway for readers, otherwise it could just be a mashup of meta content that won’t provide you with any solid traction. Remember to ask that question “What do I want people to walk away with?”
3. Links, Guest Posts, SEO, Collaborations
Image via The Man Repeller
Did you know that 44% of online shoppers use a search engine to begin the process of buying and 75% of users never scroll past the first page of results? Well, these bloggers do and have credible results in search. Fashion and life-style bloggers understand their influence in the habits of online shoppers and use links, guest posts, SEO, and collaborations to their advantage. It’s definitely one of the biggest ways that they will make money in the blogging business, but as mentioned before it does give them impact and credibility. Many of these bloggers also only align themselves with collaborations or guest post that fit with their own branding, which makes senses; however, so many marketers sometimes forget that guest posting must work with your brand as well.
4. Consistency
A few of my favorite blogs, I know around the time the new post will go up, where they post the links to find the items they are wearing, how to find a past post that I want to reference, or what they are going to talk about on that given day. Fashion and life-style bloggers have gotten the consistency down to a science and they understand that readers want that. It would be difficult to navigate if the reader didn’t know where to find the takeaway they were looking for.
Image via Cupcakes and Cashmere
Marketing isn’t a sprint and you often can get burned doing the short spurts; however, it’s more of a marathon. With the consistent features, your users will know what to expect and can use your content as a resource because it isn’t confusing/unpredictable.
Graph via ThriveHive
5. Social Engagement
This one is a no-brainer, but with some of the following that these bloggers have it shows how they have nailed it. From Pinterest to Facebook, they know how to interact on all social media channels and when a new one hits the streets they own it too. With 35% of consumers posting on social media sites at least once a week and with social media now accounting for about 18% of all time spent online, it’s essential for there to be brand interaction. However, there aren’t just some brainless tweets sent out (ok, maybe sometimes because I guess it would be a little boring otherwise) or Instagram filters just chosen arbitrarily. Like the consistentcy shown in the takeaways, it’s also reflected in their social engagement as well. Interacting with brands and their readers, fashion bloggers are well-versed in social media channels. Sometimes these outlets are perfect extensions of their blogs and they fit well into their marketing.
Screenshot via DesignLoveFest
Interacting with your customers on the social media channels that work well for your company are now a must. These outlets could give you more leads if used in the correct way, provide a source for excellent customer service and give another area for a consistent brand message.
Follow their lead, these blogs aren’t just playing dress up frivolously, marketers could learn a thing or two from them. They drive huge amounts of traffic, have large followings on social media and represent a turn in how people process digital media. Life-style and fashion bloggers are in fact a force to be reckoned with in regards to their inbound marketing.
TrackMaven may just pivot into a fashion blog, Corgis on the Catwalk…JUST KIDDING.