I’ve always been a creative person. I love carefully picking color palettes, arranging elements in ways that pop, brainstorming unique ideas, and accounting for every minor artistic detail no matter how mundane it may seem because I believe presentation matters.
Combining that with my love for fashion (and long-standing passion for fashion-design) which stems from a young age, creating fashion content is naturally a joy, even if it isn’t always easy.
Producing fashion content has been my favorite part of managing the social media of Her Campus at York University (HCYU), a reputable magazine company that collaborates with universities across the globe. As the organization’s Director of Marketing, I’ve had plenty of experience experimenting with different content ideas, aesthetics, and techniques to create posts that leave a memorable and positive impression.
I introduced significant changes to HCYU’s social media content strategy, helping attract greater engagement and attention to the organization, including from brands and even singer-songwriter Lexi Jayde! In doing this, many of the organization’s posts achieved higher-than-usual engagement levels, with some generating over 200 interactions!
Among the many posts I’ve made, two Instagram carousels did especially well (and of course they were fashion posts). One introduced viewers to maximalist fashion brands and the other gave advice on how to incorporate the whimsy aesthetic trend into personal style.
Looking back at my experience creating and constantly monitoring metrics, here’s two valuable lessons that most stood out to me from my experience:
1. Let Passion Fuel Creativity. If You’re Not Passionate, Find Ways to Be.
Having genuine interest in what you’re creating makes you more devoted to your project, and far more interested in what you bring to life. It’s no longer a task you want to get over with, but something you find fun and motivated to do your very best in, sometimes even compelling you to go above and beyond what’s expected.
When making maximalist fashion content, like my two most successful carousels, I wasn’t just producing content for another trend. Maximalist fashion was something I am already drawn to for its bold colours, and unique, expressive styles, even before social media caught onto it. Most of my closet is maximalist!
I had fun with the content, because it allowed me to share some personal favorite brands, or styling tips. I saw it as a great opportunity to incorporate it into HCYU’s content, and interestingly, the two posts I was most passionate about creating happened to be my most successful!
However, while personal interests can be an excellent source of drive and inspiration, social media marketers aren’t always at liberty of creating content about what they like, such as their favorite trends or styles. Sometimes, marketers have to make content about things they may not even like.
So, how can you approach a trend that you’re not interested in?
- Find something about the trend that does interest you. Look at different angles; are there maybe aspects of the trend you do like? For example, even if you aren’t a fan of the overall aesthetic, you might appreciate its colour combos, history, or styling possibilities. Finding something even slightly appealing can act as a solid starting point.
- Put yourself in the shoes of your audience. Consider what makes it exciting to others who enjoy it to create meaningful content which resonates. Pretend you’re the target audience and consider: what might I want to see or learn? Once you’re done, quality check by asking whether your content appeals to ‘you.’
- Treat unfamiliar content ideas or trends as creative challenges. Treat your project as a game. Experiment with different visual concepts or storytelling formats to make a previously more boring task fun while broadening your creativity skills.
Think about it this way: it’s easier for an actor to play several similar roles, but the way I see it, a great actor is one who can adapt to different perspectives.
Passion is a wonderful motivator that can offer a powerful creative advantage but sometimes can’t be relied on alone. When needed, be curious and experimental to help spark interest in what you create.
2. Give Your Audience Something Worth Discovering
Another lesson I’ve taken from my experience is to offer content that creates meaning beyond just aesthetics. I didn’t notice this at first, but my two most successful carousels weren’t only eye-catching, they both shared another quality.
Even if not as noticeable right away, they introduced audiences to discovering something new that they could apply themselves. Research even confirms this. People turn to Instagram to actively seek information, most significantly to seek information.
My maximalist fashion carousel introduced followers to different brands associated with the aesthetic, helping viewers discover designers or brands they may have not previously heard of. My whimsy carousel offered playful style tips on types of accessories that can help express this style, with visual examples.
These two posts generated notable engagement compared with much of the other content on the organization’s account. What stood out to me the most, was not just the staggering amount of likes, reposts, and shares, but the huge amount of saves each got. In fact, for both, saves were the second highest form of interaction after likes.
What the high number of saves signals to me is that many viewers considered the content worth revisiting, which goes back to my advice about creating content that offers something to your audience. They might really appreciate it or even want to check it out again. It makes me wonder just how many of those saves translated to someone actually using my info or advice!
And the content doesn’t necessarily have to be information-heavy either. In fact, at least in my experience and with these two pieces of content, the written information was minimal but was elaborated on visually. For instance, my maximalist fashion brand post for the most part only has the brands’ name on the centre of the slide. The rest is just the way I selected and styled products from that brand to convey my point.
The key takeaway from all this is that adding value to content doesn’t just stop at visuals, considering what the audience can gain and carefully executing it can make all the difference.
My Final Thoughts
As I continue making content, I’ll strive to apply what I’ve learned so far (and keep learning some more!). So next time you’re making any type of content, ask yourself: What strategy can I use to be more interested in my work? What can I do to make my content more save-worthy?
And if you have any advice you’d like to share, comment down below!
After all, being fashion forward isn’t just about keeping up with trends. It’s also about finding creative and meaningful ways to bring them to life!
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