fashionhodgepodge

Photo: Agyness Deyn by Hedi Slimane for Vogue China March 2011

This is kinda part numero dos of my other Tumblr post on branding. As I was going through my Tumblr and the reg feed I thought of a few tips that make some fashion brands on Tumblr stand out in my mind. They…

•  Stay away from carbon copies. Don’t post the same thing that you do on all other channels. Keep some content unique just for your Tumblr followers. What’s the point of a person following you on all channels if it’s the exact same, right?

Photo: Alessandra Ambrosio Russh Magazine Issue 35

• Showcase your style.  Post the awesome visuals or photos that don’t really make sense for a full blown blog post on your blog, but really represents you in some way. I find that there are super rad photos I want to use, but they don’t fit, so I put them on Tumblr for inspiration.

Photo: Gisele Bundchen photographed by Paolo Roversi for Vogue Italia Feb 2002

• Measure. If relevant, include a link back to your site, or products and TRACK it. You’d be surprise what you can learn from your analytics. And….Google Analytics is free!

Photo: Dazed & Confused June 2009

•  Look back. Take a look at your Tumblr – maybe you see a theme going and it can be created into a great blog post on your main blog. Use Tumblr as a supplement to your main blog. It enhances your story, or makes your story better, or gives another insight into your brand or personality. Something that can’t always be seen in a few characters of texts or posts.

Photo: French Vogue February 2004 Daria Werbowy by Inez & Vinoodh

•  Mix it. Use Tumblr in conjunction with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest (yes, I said it!) to express your point of  view and stream of consciousness.  Interact with all communities on each network to build out your following and relationships. You probably will not have the same followers on Twitter that you do on Facebook, or heck even Pinterest. Everyone consumes content differently.

Que, no?

xo

Photo via Vogue Australia Tumblr

A picture says 1,000 words. One photo, so many thoughts, interpretations, emotions.  Imagery is so important in story telling that is no surprise how quickly Tumblr has crept into the fashion industry and made itself a space in the past two years. From brands like DKNY to Madewell, to glossies Vogue to Russh, and our fave influencers from Nina Garcia to Coco Rocha – Tumblr gives us an extra window into brands (retailer, publication, personal) stories and inspirations more than ever before.

Photo: Anja Rubik and Iselin Steiro by Camilla Akrans (2006)

Whether you’re doing it just for yourself or for a Fortune 500 company, there are a few things think about as a brand on Tumblr:

•  Identity – Think about how you want to represent yourself. Who are you and how will you express that through your Tumblr design, content, and words.

• Personality – Keep it real, weird, quirky, casual – a.k.a. =  yourself. Show your humor, your dark side, your romantic side. Show you.

Photo: Vogue Paris October 2009

• Values – Use Tumblr as a way to show what’s important to you. What makes you tick? What do you stand behind?  Posting a photo is like an endorsement or a thumbs up to that image, so keep in mind the attitude it influences.

• Audience – It always comes back to your audience – customer/visitor/reader – who ever. What do they want to see from you? Keep them in mind as you post, even if your only audience is you.

Photo: Dree Hemingway by Lachlan Bailey (2009)

Tumblr has opened up a a whole other way for brands and consumers to engage with one another and understand each other’s point of view. Tumblr is an extension of  that marketing conversation,  image, and most importantly - relationship.

Check out Tumblr’s fashion index to start Tumblring through it all.

xo