8 min read | Book Club | A.M.

Brendan Kane is a “growth hacker” who’s worked with Fortune 500 companies to expand their social reach in multiple markets. In his book One Million Followers: How I Built A Massive Social Following In 30 Days, he discusses the process and specific techniques he’s employed over the years to increase the followings of big businesses as well as public figures such as Taylor Swift and Katie Couric. 

While his company’s results have proven successful, it’s important to note that Brendan’s company specifically worked with people that already had followings and large marketing budgets.  So the question arises, how useful is this information for today’s small businesses and fashion influencers in the Pacific Northwest?

Quite helpful, actually.  In a lot of ways.

Ever wonder how to strategize Cost-Per-Click (CPC)? Or gain a clearer picture of your Client Acquisition Cost (CAC)? Or bang your head against a wall in endless iteration cycles?

Much of Brendan’s advice relates to building a following on social media, specifically through Facebook.  But the philosophy carries over into many other communities, both on-and-offline.  And while having a large marketing budget is one of the keys to succeeding in any campaign, it’s not the only indicator of success. 

Brendan is quick to remind readers that even individuals with a very small budget and limited resources can build a following through consistently adhering to his methodology (which sounds like a line, we know.  But in this case, the results speak for themselves).  And he’s the first to admit to the benefits of an endless stream of marketing cashflow:

“. . . some financial investment is required.  It may sound like a lot of money, but if I came to you and said, ‘Your dream will be more accessible for $10,000,’ is that worth it?  How much is a movie deal, model contract, or record deal worth to you?  Think about what you can invest, where you’re trying to go, and what you need—maybe you don’t even need the full one million followers to build more credibility.  Maybe you only need 250,000, 100,000, or even as little as an extra 10,000 followers.  Whatever your goal is, this system can surely help you get there.”

So in this review, we’ll look through the lens of a contemporary fashion professional or brand with a small following and smaller budget and identify practical steps that can be taken to increase market penetration through digital/visual merchandising and viral storytelling.  And we’ll look at things outside Brendan’s book as they become relevant to our discussion.

And before we dive too deeply, it’s important that we establish a framework.  At this stage we’ll assume that you’ve founded a business that solves a specific problem for a particular industry based upon your unique strengths and that’s fueled by your insatiable passion and relentless march toward achieving your goals.  If that’s not the case, this might not help you at this time, but it will be excellent advice when you get there.

Hard Work And Discipline

Brendan makes it very clear that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to building an online presence.  What worked for Taylor Swift might not work for businesses that focus on sustainable luxury and inventing new textiles, or for non-profits that work to create workplace equality and clean our oceans.  Iteration will be the cornerstone of the process, even after initial successes have been achieved. Chapter 1 lays the foundation for Brendan’s marketing playbook in three obvious steps: Hypothesize; Test; Pivot. Clearly, step four would be Repeat.

This was true for Brendan in every case, even with his own personal brand, as he reinforces time and again.  Brendan’s personal brand was built around his desire to help others achieve success, so he aligned his brand story with his business goals.  He wanted to be seen as a leader in his field; an expert with the skills and track record needed to solve really big, really expensive problems.  “. . . when building my following I focused my brand around the themes of thought leadership, teaching, and inspirational posts.”

What’s less obvious is Brendan’s social platform of choice.  Of all the ways to build a following, Brendan chose the Facebook platform for its relatively robust direct marketing tools, specifically its ability to greatly refine and target specific individuals and niches.  His book is two years old as of this writing, and Instagram and Pinterest have become the de facto platforms of choice for the fashion world.  As such, there are some elements that don’t translate quite as well.  However, since Instagram is owned by Facebook, and they share the same business manager website and tools, we’ll focus on the things that seem to work across these platforms.

CONTENT IS KING

The most important element in any marketing strategy differs on your specific goals, but one thing matters more than most:  Content.  It’s true for journalism, and it’s true for selling necklaces in a completely oversaturated market.  Content will perhaps be the most difficult thing you will encounter while building a following on a social platform.  And while we prefer a philosophy that encourages quality over quantity, Brendan would advocate for both.

According to Brendan, building a massive following is easy.  Keeping it is hard.  He writes, “Ask anyone who has had digital success and they’ll tell you without a doubt that content is the critical factor in growing and engaging large audiences.”

Start Filming

Video is the new hotness, and not just for Facebook.  As a small business, you have to understand how any platform works before you can begin creating content for it.  Many online platforms have algorithms that value and promote video over all other formats.  This is because their goal is to monetize the consumer, and the longer a consumer remains engaged with a particular piece of content, the easier it is to monetize them.

Creating the right video content varies upon the distribution method, but generally speaking, the average consumer will remain locked in with a video for as long as it’s interesting to them.  And your audience is more likely to share content that resonates deeply.  This is where iteration comes into play.

Let’s look at Instagram.  Instagram have implemented nearly every winning strategy we’ve seen in other companies to date, including IGTV for long-form content and Stories for short-form content.  Their latest competitor is TikTok, whose Vines-like emphasis on extremely short duration, light-hearted, lack of music DRM controls (for now), and highly customizable content have driven Instagram to adopt a similar feature set with their newly released Reels.

The key to all of this is engagement.  Social platforms want advertiser revenue.  Advertisers want consumer attention.  Consumers generally want to be inspired, surprised, and delighted.  You need to understand where you fit in the food chain so that you can benefit from the systems in place.

For small businesses, you must consider how your content will help your chosen social media platform make more money.  That sounds weird, but hear us out. Social platforms will promote any content that is in alignment with their Terms of Service and increases consumer lock-in.  They’ll also downgrade or “shadowban” content that is not suitable for all audiences and that will not net them more consumer attention.  So, your best strategy is to create content that aligns with their ToS, is instantly engaging, and is designed with sharing and saving in mind so that you increase the likelihood of being promoted by their algorithms.

Later.com have published an in-depth analysis on how the Instagram algorithm works which is a must read that demystifies the platform. More on Later, later.

Hello, Curator

As if you weren’t wearing enough hats already.  You are now the Art Director for your Marketing Department responsible for the design aesthetic and implementation of all deliverables across all channels.  This might sound scary, but it’s probably something you’re used to already.  You’re already an expert at visual merchandising for your trunk shows, popups, and retail spaces.  The same care and attention to detail carries over to promoting your brand aesthetic on social channels.  There are a million tutorials on this, so we’ll focus on the pertinent details.

Back to Instagram.  The app is limited to three columns and infinite rows, offering many predictable design choices motivated by any number of goals.  But within our context, ask yourself, how will your content inspire, surprise, and delight your audience?  How can you explore new aspects of your brand story?  How will you strategically add products?  How will this contribute to your marketing funnel?  Create a marketing mix that aligns with your business goals while giving you creative flexibility.  Fashion tends to veer more into nonconformist territory, constantly challenging boundaries and norms.  But whichever direction you choose for your brand, remember that anticipation sells.

Below are a few Instagram feeds from different fashion brands with very different brand aesthetics.  Some are luxury fashion houses. Some are small companies. And some are executives and influencers. In each case, their story is clear.  The key, again, is engagement, and it helps to really refine your visual language until it absolutely aligns with your brand message.  What are you trying to say?  To whom are you trying to say it?

Looking closer, you can see a marketing mix with timely and relevant info, upcoming opportunities, runway recaps, diffusion lines, brand partnerships, personal messages, and even invitations to pause and reflect upon important topics. Since fashion is all about apparel and accessories, it’s of interest to note the relatively sparse use of graphics and text throughout each example’s social channels. Instead, businesses are inviting their audiences to engage with both the products and the concept of a lifestyle, if not the lifestyle itself.

From Cartier’s elegant refinement, to Jil Sander’s minimalist runways, to Gucci’s vintage surrealism, to Kendall Jenner’s globetrotting celebrity, to Sara Blakely’s unabashed reality—each keeps their storytelling within clearly defined boundaries, rarely deviating. And that consistency in messaging pays dividends in a world of compounding consumer interest.

Perhaps most important, as of this writing, nowhere in this list or any accompanying feeds will you find dated graphic designs boldly proclaiming “75% OFF OUR ENTIRE INVENTORY!!!” This generally signals that you are desperate to sell something that cannot otherwise be sold on its own merits. However, the method can be useful if your business model relies entirely on flash-sales and your audience demands they receive the best deals over anything else.

The fact is, especially now, it’s important to attract people to your business that will be likely to buy from you. But we must be careful to communicate sale opportunities to customers who will be delighted to share that info with their circles of influence in ways that give more than they take. To do this, it’s all about consistency of tone and execution. Lead with a compelling vision of a future we can all be inspired by and to which we would be delighted to belong. Then let the image description do the talking. And if you’re going to break the rules, understand them thoroughly and have a clear reason as to why that will engage directly with your target audience.

Pictures are worth a thousand words. But a well envisioned marketing campaign will keep your business doing business for seasons to come.

Up Next

In the next articles, we’ll look at some more of Brendan’s advice and how it translates to the fashion industry, as well as show you how to plan and implement a consistent brand campaign. It’s every bit as tricky as it sounds, but with some guidance, can be executed at a high level rather simply. It’s about what you know, but it’s also about who you know. The great news: Seattle is a small market and the help you need is often just a direct message away.

Editor’s Note: Provided are links for further reading. We do not make a commission. At the time of writing, Seattle Fashion Collective have not worked with Brendan Kane or associates, and provide a review of this book at face value. All editorial opinions are our own.