SOCIAL MEDIA: A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR LUXURY BRANDS

“Social media provides a unique opportunity for luxury brands to engage with target consumers as well as create a tangible, yet aspirational experience for those that will be consumers of its products in the future,” said Bryan Segal, CEO at Engagement Labs. “Therefore, not only are these brands using social media to drive sales, but also creating brand experiences that illicit desire and build brand affinity.”

However, while luxury brands have a wide-reaching appeal and extremely large followings, Engagement Labs’ data indicates they engage and interact less with followers than typically seen with other retail brands the company measures.

“These luxury brands are missing out on opportunities to engage and activate audiences through two-way conversations,” said Segal. “By posting more frequently and responding to followers comments, luxury brands could elevate not only their online footprint, but also increase WOM conversations, and in turn build brand awareness to drive a path to purchase,” he said.

On the visual-platform Instagram, Valentino placed first with an eValue score of 82.7 out of the possible 100, and had the highest engagement score. The company posted significantly more content than the other brands measured and had the most active user base. The content shared by the brand featured professional images of its products, user-generated content from well-known fashion bloggers, as well as images of celebrities wearing its products.

Valentino on the visual-platform Instagram

On Facebook, high-end shoe brand Christian Louboutin ranked first with the highest overall eValue score, as well as the highest engagement and responsiveness scores among the group. The company leveraged short posts and included professional photography of its signature red-bottomed shoes accompanied by the hashtag #LouboutinWorld which enabled the brand to generate the most likes and shares per 1,000 fans.

The Facebook fan-page of Christian Louboutin

When Engagement Labs looked at the social media performance on Twitter, the company found jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. ranked first for overall eValue score and had the highest engagement and responsiveness scores. Tiffany & Co. leveraged a range of content including photos of celebrities purchasing its products, to user-generated content from popular fashion bloggers, as well as promotions for new products. The brand’s most engaged tweets featured the #WillYou hashtag, in reference to its signature engagement rings.

Tiffany on Twitter