Week 3B: Business/Consumer Communication Examples

Investigating the Social Media Presence of 5 Businesses

Luca and Grae

https://lucaandgrae.com/
Facebook Last Post: February 5th, 2019
Twitter Last Post: February 8th, 2019
Instagram Last Post: February 8th, 2019
Pinterest Last Post: February 8th, 2019

Luca and Grae seems to be using all of their social media pages very frequently and intuitively. They are the only brand I investigated that is using Pinterest, and it seems like a great way to have potential customers add these items to inspiration boards, and very easily be able to act on their interest by clicking on the photo and shopping the items directly on the Luca and Grae website. They are posting outfit photos in their clothes multiple times per day on Facebook and Instagram, and using Twitter to communicate with customers about sales and promotions, as well as answering inquiries publicly from their customers.

It's All Wild

https://itsallwild.com/
Twitter Last Post: September, 2017
Instagram Last Post: February 14th, 2018

It's All Wild is almost entirely inactive on social media, which is surprisingly being that it is run by a social media personality. It has been over a year since their last post on any platform, and it seems like this lack of a social media presence may be contributing to declining sales, as almost all of their items are currently discounted on the website.

Honey Pop

https://shophoneypop.com/
Instagram Last Post: February 8th, 2019

HoneyPop's only active platform is Instagram, but they are sure using it well! Honeypop posts daily photos that appeal to the wider lifestyle image of the skincare company, instead of just product photos. Honeypop is using their Instagram to present a brand image and lifestyle, and create a connection with their customers. In addition to feed posts, HoneyPop is also actively using Instagram stories to share customer photos and testimonials.

Sisters Apparel

https://sisters-apparel.com/
Instagram Last Post: February 7th, 2019

Similar to HoneyPop, Sisters Apparel is also focusing solely on Instagram for their social media presence. They primarily post customer photos in their clothing, which creates a personal feel to the brands presence. Instead of showing stylized studio shots of models, they're using photos of their real customers. While this may not create as much of an "aesthetic" polished feel, or present a perfectly put together lifestyle like HoneyPop or Luca and Grae, it makes the brand feel more personal and homegrown, inspiring customers to purchase the clothing and become part of this community.

Liv and Jess

https://www.livandjess.com/
Facebook Last Post: October 29th, 2018
Twitter Last Post: November 23rd, 2018
Instagram Last Post: January 25th, 2019

Liv and Jess is not nearly as active on social media as I would expect from a company who's sales (I would assume) come almost entirely from social media. Liv and Jess, like all the other businesses I investigated in this assignment, was started by a social media influencer. However, their social media presence has large gaps in posting frequency, and seems to lack a cohesive brand image.

Analysis

Each of these businesses have something in common: they were all created by social media personalities. Each business, however, has taken a different approach to using social media to build a customer base and create a strong brand image. The most popular social media platform in this exploration was Instagram, and the only platform used by each of the 5 businesses I looked into. Instagram was also the most frequently used, with 3 of the 5 businesses posting daily. It was very interesting to see the way each business chose to use Instagram to express their brand image. While HoneyPop, Luca and Grae, and Liv and Jess went for a more polished, studio feel with stylized model photos and product photos, Sisters Apparel posted primarily customer photos. This choice seemed very deliberate, as a way to separate Sisters Apparel from other clothing companies. By posting user submitted photos, it gives a more home grown, community feel to the brand's social media presence, making their customers feel part of the brand, instead of just followers of it.

The company with the strongest overall social media presence was definitely Luca and Grae. They are posting consistently on each platform, and offering unique value on each platform, encouraging their customers to follow them everywhere to get the full connection. On Instagram and Facebook, you get stylized studio photos presented in an aesthetic that is consistent with the brand's image. On Twitter, you get information about customer inquiries and flash sales. And on Pinterest, you get outfit inspiration on how to style their clothing items. Each platform is offering unique value to their customers, they are posting daily on each platform, and sticking with consistent branding throughout their entire online presence.

Blogs I Commented On:

Austin Poynter
David Durham
Elena Cohen