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Sharon Herzog is an American entrepreneur that three years ago saw a lack of communication between brands and bloggers or influencers. She decided to create a platform called Fashion PR Girl where brands and bloggers can find each other and create partnerships. I find her business very smart and, of course, fashionable. Social media is fundamental for her service, it is basically how brands and bloggers contact her and decide to become part of Fashion PR Girl. Therefore, I decided to talk with her about social media and fashion.
In your opinion, what is the relationship between social media and fashion?
“I believe there are important relationships that have been made in the last several years; relationships between brands, consumers, designers, agencies, media and publishers have accelerated because of the nearly instant communication and feedback we can generate using social media. We rarely have to write carefully crafted emails to initiate these important relationships with each other – it can be as simple as connecting with someone on Instagram or Twitter.
There is so much brilliance and talent in the fashion world, but there are also so many talented people who do not easily emerge onto the scene due to resource constraints or lack of opportunity. There are now dozens of tools for social media that allow anyone in fashion to strategically create conversations and elevate their presence within the industry. For the last several years I’ve been lucky enough to be able to study and understand these different relationships and listen to people’s challenges at different roles and levels.
While my perspective is usually on the business side, I also see the relationship between social media and fashion consumers. I find that millions of consumers look for inspiration on visual social networks as a way to develop their own identity and style. They may seek to stay updated with the latest trends, or they may seek brands and designers who help communicate to the world who they are and what they represent. The social media/fashion relationship is an interesting one as the benefits are mutual for most of the parties involved.”
How do you use Instagram?
“I use Instagram in three ways: 1) I leverage Instagram’s API to develop free and paid tools for members of Fashion PR Girl. One popular tool that we developed is a sponsored post calculator that helps publishers, brands and agencies understand what they should charge (or be charged) when working with content creator; 2) I connect with and continue to grow our followers on Instagram to understand how they use the platform to develop mutually-beneficial relationships and successful businesses; and 3) I use it personally to grow my own network of business contacts and friends.”
Do you use other social networks? How?
“Yes. After assessing which social networks best fit with our business and the people we interact with we decided that Twitter and Facebook are effective to reach our customers and partners. While there are other social networks that I can use to connect with potential contacts we find that Twitter was best for developing B2B relationships. Twitter has also been helpful in easily sharing our expertise with others. Facebook has been great for getting to know our business contacts personally. We also use Facebook when we need cost-effective paid advertising.”
How do you think fashion changed web business and vice-versa?
“I feel that the web has changed the way fashion-related businesses, particularly the smaller niche markets, have been able to grow and find customers. But regardless of the specific niche you’ll require specific tools to grow and generate revenue. We’ve seen hundreds of SAAS platforms launch that give anyone the means of generating revenue with very little capital up front. So many people don’t realize how easy it is to get something going today compared to years ago before hosted e-commerce platforms, integrated payment systems or content management systems were available. The challenge before was to get something even started. Now it’s a matter of using their passion, belief in themselves and resourcefulness to see success.
While doing business on the web has changed the fashion industry in so many ways, fashion has shaped web businesses as well. While anyone can put up an e-commerce store, they still have to consider all the aspects of what makes anyone desire a brand or designer in the first place. It may be the quality, the creativity, the story and many other details that make up the fashion that we admire.”
What is fashion for you?
“Fashion is a way for me to communicate without saying a single word about who I am, why I am there and how I want to connect with the people around me.
I am an engineer at heart, but I understand the nuances of social interactions and what makes us connect with one another. Fashion, often times, is part of how we shape our interactions.”
What are your fashion trends for Summer 2016?
“My current trends: whites, light fabrics and sexy cuts.”
What do you suggest to someone who wants to work in fashion?
“I recently offered some advice to someone who had worked for many years in an entirely different industry. Their true passion has been fashion all along and is finally taking the leap to make his way into this world. The advice I gave to him: Use social media to get your presence known and your name out there. Connect with the right people and develop what you represent through a blog, Instagram and Twitter. It’s the easiest way to start developing your reputation if you truly are serious about working in fashion.
While traditional forms of networking are important, the easiest path to connecting with industry professionals is by following and connecting with them on social media. Transitioning into fashion can be as simple as that – and I say this from experience having worked in the healthcare industry for 15+ years.”
What is your fashion mantra?
“Wear something that allows you to feel confident walking into any room. If you don’t feel confident, definitely wear something else.”
I am fashion because… Finish the sentence.
“I am fashion because I just work it.”
Please describe who you are and your expertise.
“Every so often I get reminded by some really smart people to stay true to who I am because I sometimes attempt things which don’t fit my skillset or what I’m passionate about. I can try really hard to create the best content to inspire people in the fashion industry, but my heart is really all about data and the technical side of things. For example, I probably can’t produce a visual story for you on Instagram, but I can tell you about the individuals who like similar posts, their followers, engagement and the potential fees that the publisher could charge for that content.
Besides my work in tech and the fashion industry I am passionate about empowering females around the world through education, leadership and developing self-confidence.”
What is your goal with Fashion PR Girl?
“My goal with Fashion PR Girl is to be the number one resource for providing useful data from social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter so brands can increase their exposure and revenue through targeted partnerships and connections. I love hearing success stories from individuals who use our data, but what I really love is helping entrepreneurs see some success, period.”
As usual, make your dreams come true.
LEGGI QUESTO ARTICOLO IN ITALIANO
