Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs
Social media’s newest darling (Twitter) has become a very important platform for eco-designers and boutiques to connect with the public and each other.
Women’s Wear Daily recently featured an in-depth look at fashion brands and how social media – Twitter included – is radically changing the way fashion brands engage with their customers online, forming “relationships with a community of customers, particularly consumers for whom the Web is as important as a limb.” (WWD boasts that its own Twitter page has grown to more than 688,000 followers from a measly 200 since its launch in February.)
Chris Brogan, a nationwide social media guru and President of Boston based New Marketing Labs, a media marketing agency, works with large and mid-sized companies to improve online business communications as well as helping individuals to use social media.
Brogan says a service like Twitter isn’t just a new marketing channel, it’s an opportunity to cut through the clutter and the worst of the traditional approaches and return to basic human interactions.
“Social media provides the ultimate in listening tools, so boutiques and designers can listen. Further, there are several free or cheap distribution and media making options available, so maybe you can invite in designers and those interested in fashion to have conversations,” says Brogan. “Imagine designing with a live cam running so that people could check in on progress, give opinions on changes, shape the projects in real time?”
As we become more invested in our clothing and see how much it can work for us, being implicated in its design isn’t just forward thinking, it’s smart.
“Imagine prototyping live on video without having to ship the product around for reaction,” says Brogan. “Imagine having private showings online where people could get an early opinion on whether or not they would be willing to buy a certain product before shipping.” He adds that other ways designers could involve the public is by having people commission certain designs in a crowd-sourced manner, using a tool like Chipin.
“The possibilities are endless,” says Brogan. From personal experience, I agree.
Some of my favorite eco-designers on Twitter whom I follow religiously include Doucette Duvall, cmarchuska, Lara Miller, Bahar Shahpar and Feral Childe. Eco-boutiques include Nimli, Greenloop, Pivot and Equita. These are designers and boutiques who will respond right away to you. How wonderful is that when you’re just starting to understand the worth of eco-fashion or, better yet, to get discounts and heads up on sales and events?
Got a question for me? I’ll be your switchboard operator to them when you find me @amytropolis. And be sure to follow @ecosalon for links, tips and ideas you don’t see on the blog.