How Important Has Instagram Been for These Under-the-Radar Brands?

How important has Instagram been for your success?

"Instagram has become such a powerful platform and has opened a unique path for designers to find and connect with their own audience. We use it organically and enjoy engaging directly with our customers—asking what works for them, what they'd like to see more of and when. We have found that our customers appreciate the open dialogue. They are interested in our story, and they want to be part of our journey as we grow and develop as a brand. So in this sense, Instagram has played an important role in helping us to tell our story and connect with our customers in a very fluid way."

How did your business get to where it is today, and what role has Instagram played?

"Instagram has always been an important part of our engagement, as well as being something that we love doing. When we first launched, we worked with a handful of amazing influencers on Instagram who embraced the brand early and really helped to spread the word about Dear Frances. As our audience grew, we realized that people wanted to know more about what goes on behind the scenes, and we loved sharing more of our story with them. Instagram grew into a platform where we could share not only our shoes but also the inspiration and the craftsmanship involved in each pair—it has become a place where we can tell our story in more detail."

What is your approach to creating content on Instagram?

"We use Instagram as a way of communicating our story and sharing what's inspiring us each season, so you'll usually see a lot of architecture, nature, and art alongside our products. Each of these elements is a source of inspiration for me, and I really enjoy curating the posts to reflect what we're currently working on in the studio, as well as new-season launches and detailed images of our shoes. The launch of Insta Stories has opened an exciting new chapter, and we enjoy using this space to share life in the studio, as well as styling advice and snippets of how influencers and customers are choosing to wear their Dear Frances."

How have you built a dedicated following?

"We keep our content focused and feature images that help to tell a story about what we're currently working on and what's inspiring us. I love to show behind-the-scenes snippets and cropped images that detail the craftsmanship in our shoes—something that can often be difficult to show in traditional media. Sharing these processes, as well as influencer styling advice, has helped us speak to our audience and engage them in our everyday processes."

via Who What Wear http://ift.tt/2vV4Q9m