Recent research about how small businesses use websites and social media suggests some striking trends: One in five small businesses use social media in place of a website, yet 24% of small businesses report that they do not have a formal strategy guiding their social media presence. The findings come from Clutch, a research and reviews firm based in Washington DC. “Sometimes business owners think web design is the last thing they need to think about,” says Vanessa Petersen, ArtVersion’s Executive Director of Strategy. “But once you make that decision to put in the work to [build a website], it’s amazing what it can do to ease some of the burdens of doing business.” One such burden is managing a small business’ online reputation, which is significantly easier when a small business manages their own website and tends strategically to their online presence overall. Build Trust and Credibility By providing accurate information and allowing potential customers to corroborate their presence online, small businesses can use a website to build public trust and credibility. When potential…
Marketing and brand strategy for fashion, lifestyle and luxury brands has now clearly shifted to a predominantly digital experience that goes far beyond an online purchase. To grow brand visibility and gain community engagement, the communication style requires a multi-dimensional, cross-channel approach with emotional content experiences at strategic touch points. Design companies are now fast becoming media companies – creating digital media experiences for fashion and lifestyle brands is, quite simply, necessary for survival. In designing the digital interfaces for fashion, the focus is on pushing the boundaries past the collection or product itself, to kinetic and visually rich media environments. The iteration of a fashion brand with a contextual virtual environment creates a storyline, nuance and complexity, moving the audience through a sensual and emotional experience. It’s the essential difference between linear advertising and creating content. Telling the brand story of a fashion label both visually and contextually requires well-defined, engaging and inspiring delivery from a strategic perspective to result in an a refined and sophisticated design. Visual storytelling for fashion and trend based brands must be applied to the…