Luxury shoppers, like everyone else on the planet, are spending more time than ever before online, and on their mobile devices. Luxury brands are taking note — brands that once shied away from the digital landscape, assuming it was only the realm of brands seeking to appeal to the unwashed masses, are finally recognizing the true value of digital marketing for luxury brands.
Here are 4 tips to help aspirational brands take advantage of all that the digital world has to offer:
1. The visual social networks were made for you
It’s long been accepted that beautiful images are one of the most effective ways for luxury brands to connect with their audience offline — so it makes sense that they should embrace the more photo-centric platforms when they take their marketing efforts online. Social platforms like Instagram and Pinterest were made for the big-budget, glossy photography that is a hallmark of most luxury brands’ marketing outreach. These platforms allow the aspirational brand to strut its stuff — raising awareness and building a following without being overtly promotional.
What if you don’t have Pulitzer-prize worthy photography in your budget? You can still harness the power of these visual platforms — grab your smartphone, select your favorite photo editing app and fake it until you make it.
2. Beauty is only skin-deep when it comes to your website
Almost by definition, a luxury brand’s website is nice to look at, but a pretty website will only get you so far with today’s savvy (and demanding) consumer. No matter how gorgeous your products are, and how vivid your imagery is, you need to make sure that your website functions properly. A well-designed luxury website needs to be quick, intuitive, optimized for mobile, and focused on the best user experience — just like every other website out there.
4. Saddle up to SEO
Luxury brands are not immune to the perils of Google’s algorithm — a poorly-designed, clunky website will not impress the Google bots, no matter what industry that website represents. Luxury brands (in general) have historically had relatively poor search engine optimization, making it difficult for them to rank well in users’ searches. An SEO-friendly website will allow luxury brands to capture — and capitalize on — the traffic that their name has the potential to generate.
This may be the time to call in a professional — SEO is mission-critical to getting your website seen and it’s not a ‘set it and forget it’ deal. A firm that specializes in SEO has the time, resources and experience to give your strategy the attention it needs in order to be effective.
5. Let them market for you
Research has shown that one of the biggest drivers of luxury purchasing is the perception of status –a person likes what making that purchase says about him in the eyes of everyone around him. A consumer who cares about how the world perceives him can be a major source of awareness and advocacy online for an aspirational brand — by posting about his purchase (your product) online, he looks savvy, stylish and otherwise in-the-know to his fans and followers on social media. Give your fans an outlet on social media and they’ll become an extension of your marketing department — showing and telling the world all about your brand.
Build your luxury brand into an online empire with help from CMDS, a full-service marketing agency. We will provide you with the tools to keep your audience engaged with every step of your journey. Contact our marketing professionals and get exposed to the digital universe today!