What started out as leaving casual comments and sharing photos with our friends, social media became one of the most powerful digital marketing tools a brand can now utilise and so as a consequence a top job opportunity across the entire fashion industry. 10 years later it is now seen as bizarre for a brand to not have a social media team, and strong online presence. Which could just be your ticket into the fashion industry…
Social Media has become a truly important role within the fashion industry. In a generation that values connection on a personal level, it’s debated if a brand will stand the test of time without a social media presence. With a brand now determined by its social media following and organic content, the fashion industry handles the digital space knowledgeably.
What working in social media in fashion looks like
So what does being part of a social media team at a top fashion house require of you? The role revolves around creativity, the ability to react fast and staying organised. With a vast amount of followers entrusting and following a brand for engaging content that resonate with them, working on social platforms is different than anything before it’s time. Not only do you deal with the eyes of the industry anymore. But now anyone and everyone can comment publicly on your work or the fashion house.
Working in social media in fashion tends to include working in a team to manage a brands online presence, producing content on point with the brand, analysing a lot of data and developing effective strategies. As an extremely fast paced and forever changing sector it certainly goes hand in hand with the fashion industry. Whether your a social media manager, executive or assistant. You can expect to be staying up to date on latest trends, communicating the brand effectively, and strengthening brand awareness. A lot of your time may look like creating and scheduling content for multiple social channels.
An important aspect of the role, is always handling content in an honest and responsible way. Especially during sensitive time or when responding to delicate news. Handling scandals or world breaking news in a bad way on social media could result in some intense consequences and ruin the image of the brand. We all remember Boohoo ignoring their workers conditions or Kylie promoting products in a time of devastating news. These are things we as consumers don’t forget.
As part of the social teams, your goal would always be to increase engagement, form relationships with your audience and grow the online community. To do this correctly and send a coherent message, you will often work with many different departments from time to time. From the Editorial Team to the PR team it’s important to communicate, follow the same dates and maintain a clear tone of voice across the entire company. Social Media is even now part of the PR strategy, building the reputation of the brand.
What might your daily tasks include in a social team?
All though no day looks the same for someone working in social media in fashion, you are always working towards the same goal. You will be constantly thinking of content! Planning stories, posts and reels or Tik-Toks around your brands calendar. You may even be the one creating some of the engaging content or planning shoots. Contributing to content creation, you may even be on the look out for potential influencers or handing briefs to your current brand ambassadors. As a creative yet analytical role, you will be tasked with generating these creative ideas for posts, campaigns or even caption copy. However, a lot of your time will also be spent tracking, analysing and reporting. In the fast paced biz it’s important to stay ahead and consistently track performance, competitors activity and stay up to date on trend sand techniques.
What skills will you need to take on this dynamic, Gen Z led role?
In such a fast paced environment, to get a job in social media, it is key to having exceptional organisational and time management skills. Working to short and snappy deadlines, you will constantly be faced with another load of content and another deadline. To stay passionate in such a role, it’s important to have a genuine interest in social media, lifestyle trends, pop culture and news to stay ahead.
There are also a lot of hard skills that come with the job. It’s important to have some understanding of social software’s such as Hootsuite or Facebook business manager to efficiently plan content. With many layers to the role, you also need to be able to use image and video editing software confidently. From Canva to Adobe, your editing skills and understanding of the impact of imagery is crucial. It’s important to be just as analytical as you are creative. You need strong analysis and reporting skills to implement new strategies. Learning software such as Excel, can help you organise your data. You need to understand the world you work in. From the fast paced trends to understanding the differences from organic or paid content. It’s essential to stay up to date with the constant changing updates and algorithm development, you can check out Ad Week and Mashable. As a job tailored perfectly to the younger generation, you have the advantage of living on social media and your understanding of the platform, goes beyond your personal use.
To land such a rewarding role in social media, you of course need experience! AKA an internship! Gaining any or some experience in social media for a fashion brand will help you understand this fast paced workplace and set you apart from the rest. You can also give yourself a head start by learning the hard skills you need. Start practising and using Canva or Hootsuite, even prepare some content for your favourite brands to build a creative portfolio.
From a competitive and confusing algorithm, to the millions of followers watching your every move. The intense digital marketing role could just be the one for you.
Want to learn more about the roles in fashion? Check out our latest article on the role of a Product Developer.
