Fashion Marketing in Social Media: Using Instagram for Fashion Branding

Social media has become an important tool for the business of marketers. Increasing exposure and traffics are the main two benefits of social media marketing. Most marketers are using social media to develop loyal fans and gain marketplace intelligence. Marketers reported increased benefits across all categories since 2013 and trademarks increased the number of loyal fans and sales [1]. Therefore, 2013 was a significant year for social media. Feeling the power of Instagram may be one of the most interesting cases. Social media is an effective key for fashion brands as they allow them to communicate directly with their consumers, promote various events and initiatives, and build brand awareness. As the increasing use of visual info graphic and marketing practices in social media, trademarks has begun to show more interest in Instagram. There is also no language barriers in Instagram and provides visuals which are very crucial for fashion industry. The purpose of this study is to determine and contrast the content sharing types of 10 well-known fashion brands (5 Turkish brands and 5 international brands), and to explain their attitude in Instagram. Hence, the content of Instagram accounts of those brands were examined according to post type (photo/video), content type (9 elements), number of likes and reviews, photo type (amateur/professional), shooting place (studio/outdoor/shops/etc.), and brand comments on their posts. This study provides a snapshot of how fashion brands utilize Instagram in their efforts of marketing.