Social media has a huge influence on our day-to-day lives. How we communicate and interact with people is completely different to ten years ago. Everywhere you go, someone around you is on their phone or tablet engaging in some sort of social activity. Social media is used as a way of communicating with friends and showcasing a lifestyle, which makes it an excellent tool for businesses to promote products.

Social media has fast become a powerful marketing tool, which takes advantage of the ‘sprinklers’ and ‘vacuums’ within the cyber world. The sprinklers share content and the vacuums suck it all up. Together they keep the social media world alive, fuelled by social influence and discovery.

‘Fast Fashion’ is one industry reaping the benefits. Fast Fashion retailers are seeing the advantage of these shorter trend lifecycles resulting in people constantly looking for a product to satisfy their micro-moments of inspiration. Consumers today will not go into a store to find a ‘new look’ – they turn to their social media feeds/bloggers to see what the latest trend is or find a hot new outfit.

These behaviours support the concept of ‘social proofing’ and empower the sprinklers of social media to become influencers in their own right, and the vacuums to find a way to duplicate the look before it’s gone (and affordably).

Social media has become the direct path to online shopping

A key change on Instagram recently has been ‘Paid Partnerships’, which have become one of the most effective ways for a brand to reach audiences. According to Instagram, the new tool allows creators to quickly tag the business they have a relationship with.

Fashion Bloggers have fast become an influential force within fashion and minor celebrities in their own right. Key retailers pay bloggers to promote their product on a daily basis, along with which come big celebrity advertising campaigns, TV work and invites to top events as the retailers recognise how much influence the bloggers hold.

Going forward, this cycle of bloggers, celebrity endorsements and news feeds shows no sign of slowing. It is now easier and faster for inspired shoppers to find their next look online with direct links to the actual product. It couldn’t be easier!

Originally published by Success Appointments