How fashion brands can use Instagram carousels for richer storytelling and better engagement
Photo: IG @henrimeilhac
How can fashion folk like you get better engagement from your Instagram feed?
One word: Carousels.
Carousels allow for richer storytelling and a little creative thought into designing them makes them swipe-worthy content that can get up to 5.13% higher engagement than video or image posts.
Yes, carousels take longer to create than image and video posts, and that could be why so many brands aren’t taking advantage of them. But done well, carousels can be the content that keeps on giving.
If you wear all the hats in your business and are time poor, then try creating one or two carousels a month to begin with. And to get maximum mileage from your effort, make sure you design them in a way they can be reworked and repurposed.
Work smarter, not harder
Think of a content idea that will still be relevant in a month or two. Let’s say it’s one of your signature styles or a hero piece from your current collection.
Create a story around your theme that’s going to inspire, educate or entertain. For instance, how to style your hero piece in three different ways.
Take your time crafting your caption and research your hashtags! Don’t just throw this up in a hurry; give it the very best chance to be seen and enjoyed by those who it’s meant for.
Repurpose, reuse and recycle your content! Work smarter, not harder and don’t let that good stuff go to waste. While your carousel will get pushed further down your feed, you can still use it again later in other ways, such as:
X Having a flash sale? Share your carousel in your Stories and inspire followers to become buyers.
X Turn it into a blog post and share with your Facebook followers and in your mailing list. NOTE: Make sure your blog is linked in all the right places so readers can easily buy that style from you.
X Use the carousel slides in a video and run as organic or paid content
X Use the carousel slides in a Facebook carousel ad campaign.
Think of your carousels like your own mini fashion editorial in a magazine
As your audience swipes through your dreamy carousel, what’s the story you want to tell?
Decide on a theme. Gather your images and craft your words before putting the story together in Canva or your preferred design program.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Create a capsule wardrobe from your current collection and demonstrate how it can be worn differently each day and night.
Tell the story of the evolution of the design process for one of your best or most popular pieces
Show how one of your best pieces can be worn three or more different ways.
Share the sustainability and ethics that underpins your brand values and detail some of the ways you’re actively contributing to better industry practices.
TIP: To find carousel content ideas that your audience will love, head to your insights and look back at your most popular posts. Read back through the comments and see if there’s something that stands out as a topic they’re interested to hear more about.
If you’re hashtagging on the hop because sitting down to create a hashtag strategy feels like too much work, then I’ve got something for you in the Shop 👉🏼