Social media evolves quickly, but you must ask yourself what a customer wants before changing strategy. Don’t get distracted by shiny objects on social media A general rule of thumb, but one that proves true time and time again, is that you have to speak to your customers in a way that is most authentic to you. Pia Arrobio, the creative director of Revolve brand LPA, is also amazing at Instagram, but she has an entirely different strategy. For Revolve, the content that works is aspirational, engaging, and travel-based. They showcase different ways to style their pieces and what they wear to work, for example. The Song of Style team has done a phenomenal job executing content that speaks to the brand and its customers. To be successful on Instagram, you have to be authentic and if that’s not something a designer wants to do - and is not comfortable doing - then hiring someone to be the spokesperson of the brand is essential. That can be daunting for a new brand, because a designer may not feel comfortable in front of the camera, but it makes a difference when it comes to connecting with the customer quickly.īut don’t do it unless you’re all in. Instagram is pushing video more than ever, so being active on Instagram Stories and IGTV and posting more videos on your feed is hugely important. That said, it helps that I have a 35-person team to feed the beast that is Instagram and all of the other channels you’re trying to grow. As overwhelming as that may sound, it’s also exciting because that’s where brands can thrive and connect in such a profound way. You can’t send 10 emails every day, but you can post 10 Instagram Stories. There’s no cheaper, more efficient or more effective way to spread brand awareness than social media. © Revolve Go all in with video - or not at all The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Gerona spoke to Vogue Business about how to do Instagram well - even if a designer doesn’t already have an influencer-like following - and why creatives must also pay attention to numbers. “It was a hunch that turned into a playbook that’s been hugely beneficial.”īut cracking the influencer code is just part of the brand-building puzzle. “Early on, we realised our customer was shifting away from picking up magazines to looking at bloggers for inspiration,” she says. Around $350 million of the $499 million in sales that Revolve registered last year came through influencer marketing. This summer, the California company started clothing line partnerships with Aimee Song and Camila Coelho, which are sold exclusively on the e-tailer. Revolve now has 23 in-house brands that account for about one-third of sales. Lovers + Friends, which Gerona founded with Mitch Moseley, became one of Revolve’s bestselling lines - and served as the catalyst for the acquisition. Brigid Cattis was picked up by retailers like Fred Segal, Shopbop and Revolve, and while the business model was ultimately unable to scale, the brand made an impression on Revolve co-founder Michael Mente. The acquisition marked a shift in R evolve’s business priorities as it turned its focus away from wholesale to private label brands fronted by influencers.Įarly on in Gerona’s fashion career, she started an Ebay store that sold reworked vintage clothing, which led to the launch of a label, Brigid Cattis. Gerona, the co-founder and designer of Alliance Apparel, joined Revolve in 2014 after selling her clothing company to the e-commerce retailer. Social media allows for better targeting of customers, so brands should match price points to what their shopper will pay and work backwards.Īs chief brand officer at Revolve, Raissa Gerona oversees the influencer arm of a company with a stock market capitalisation of $1.53 billion as of late August.Data is as useful as creative vision and can help ward off the pressure to chase shiny new social media inventions.Instagram increasingly requires a video strategy, so designers must learn to be comfortable on camera or hire a good proxy.

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