It is mid-November and some of us have had the first snow, so there's no better time than to plan our Christmas shopping, enjoy (or adapt to) more time with the family and most importantly - plan what to wear for the party season. To avoid breaking into the piggy bank, there is one simple way you could use to finance the fashions of the oncoming season: vlogging, a viral marketing tool. With as little as one hour a day, your unique personality, well put-together looks and strategic engagement with viewers, you could be liaising with brands and receiving 50% of revenue from in-video ads.
The art of vlogging (video-logging) has been a source of revenue for many YouTube stars and fashion brands, due to the mutual benefits it brings to both parties. With YouTube taking 4 billion hours each month of our internet time and ranked the second most visited website, it is no wonder YouTube is advertiser's honey nest - somewhere the fashion industry has the potential to grow its presence. Already a massive success in the beauty industry, this phenomenon has been creeping into the fashion industry with CosmopolitanUK producing catwalk-related vlogs and ASOS's lovely how-to videos for creating individualistic looks.
It has been reported that YouTube is the top source of upstream traffic for twice as many brands in 2012 than its previous year, indicating the vastly growing brand involvement with video and consumers. The advantage of advertising on YouTube is not only the guaranteed high exposure rate, but the ability to track down information about who is responding, when and where. This is valuable information for brands, who can then evaluate that knowledge and adapt to specific markets and areas in the world. Huge brands are relying on vloggers to put in a good word, because is it the most influential factor across all stages of the purchase cycle, as found by the Keller Fay Group on behalf of Reward Stream, specialising in marketing. Furthermore, the research showed that from 10 active referrals there were 8 new customers. Therefore, the YouTube Partner Program allows vloggers to work alongside Youtube, running regular ads and taking up to 50% of the revenue.
First of all, anyone with a voice and a unique idea can be a YouTube personality. Like with any company, customer engagement is key. To establish a fan base through channel subscribers, be likeable through interacting with your viewers and adding links to your networking sites - as people share your link, you will be making money from ads. You can also reward viewers with promotions and feature their website in your advertising space. However, the most important thing is to carry out serious research on the current season's trends and taking tips from successful vloggers. Like, Fleur, oozing Britishness and sharing ideas from gifts to hairstyles, LA-based stylist, Chriselle Lim, giving universal fashion advice, or Barbara sharing her fashion hauls, you could be joining the fashion video culture with your own unique little something.
The British make-up artist, Charlotte Tilbury, has followed the footsteps of online beauty gurus and now has uploaded a video tutorial on each one of her 100-piece skincare and make-up products for Net-A-Porter. Having beautified the likes of Kate Moss, worked for Vogue and LOVE as well as being involved in fashion show campaigns for Tom Ford, Tilbury has nearly 90,000 subscribers since uploading her first video a year ago. Professional expertise on the harmony of colours, textures and looks to suit you is the most in approximately 5 minutes is a dream.
Multitudes of vloggers from around the globe have influenced fashion companies to do their own video series, bringing a personal touch to their brand and increasing their exposure. A special case involved a notable vlogger, Tanya Burr, who has been given the amazing opportunity to work alongside other online personalities for Very.com, on its YouTube channel. 'Style Inspiration from Tanya Burr, Pixiwoo & Electra' gives fashion advice on getting looks of celebrities currently in the spotlight, ranging from Vanessa Hudgens' boho style to Selena Gomez' flawless glamour. The videos feature a hovering 'click to shop' link that takes viewers directly to Very's website, increasing traffic and customers.
Similarly, a leading cosmetics company, BH Cosmetics, based in Los Angeles, CA, have launched a vlog in collaboration with ItsJudyTime, a YouTube star with over two million followers. It has been named one of the country's fastest-growing private companies by Inc. magazine's 2013 Inc. 500 list. Since its launch in 2010, it is pretty clear that the rapid growth is owing to its popularity and viral sharing, as BH Cosmetics co-founder and CEO, Fred Sadovskiy said, 'BH Cosmetics owes much of the credit for its success to its large YouTube following. This unique partnership will allow us to continue our growth and our strategy to capitalize on the popularity of social media influencers.' In addition, BH Cosmetics did not use recognisable celebrity faces to back the brand - instead, 'the company was one of the first to team up with early YouTube stars to make videos that would tap into their existing audience,' said Michael Carney of PandoDaily. With Judy Travis, the host of ItsJudyTime, the company has gained consumers confidence through Judy's expert knowledge as winner of the esteemed L'Oreal Paris' 'I'm Worth It' vlogger award and genuine passion for answering viewer's questions daily.
Just as L'Oreal and BH Cosmetics depend on the influence of vloggers to reach their markets, fashion brands like Topshop and Burberry could expand their horizons and engage in a video strategy. Vlogging has huge business potential due to the customer recommendation success statistics, global brand awareness and the effect of being influenced by fashion ideas from half-way round the world. Fashion vloggers - the industry needs you (and if you're a poor fashion student, you might need the industry)!
Words by Nicole Stevenson for chloédigital, Fashion Technology London