How Technology is taking fashion communication to another level
Introduction
In order to investigate the effects of actual versus surreal photos on social media engagement, I oversaw the Instagram account for Just Gill, a company that specializes in handcrafted leather bags. I developed a publishing schedule and selected content over the course of a month in order to examine how various images affected audience engagement. The objective was to find out whether, in contrast to traditional, real-life photographs, surreal, imaginative images could increase engagement by creating a sense of fantasy. Developments and the ways in which each style affected brand visibility were shown by tracking metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and saves.
Brand Overview: Just Gill designs customisable leather handbags for British consumers between the ages of 16 and 65. Its friendly, honest brand voice that reflects classic British craftsmanship.
Goals:
Increase followers. Boost engagement. Convert followers into clients. Enhance reach and awareness.
Setup and Strategy
I spent time with Just Gill's Instagram account before starting the project. With a friendly, craftsmanship-based voice, the brand's material emphasized on real photos of handcrafted goods. Creating appealing captions that complemented the brand's image, updating regularly, and striking a balance between realistic (60%) and surreal (40%) imagery were the objectives of the monthly plan I created.
Reels, static images, and informative carousel posts were all incorporated into my content plan to keep followers interested. Reels provided exciting visuals, static posts showcased workmanship, and carousels conveyed brand narratives and information about the products. This varied approach helped me keep an engaging and well-balanced feed by guaranteeing constant engagement and enabling me to examine the ways in which various content type impacted audience interaction.
MOOD Board
Pinterest
MOOD Board
Pinterest
MOOD Board
Pinterest
Shoot day
Photographs
Photographs
Literature Review
Literature Review on Instagram Captions, Hashtags, and Taglines for Handcrafted Leather Bag Brands in the UK
Instagram captions, hashtags, and taglines play an important role in creating brand identification and boosting engagement for handcrafted leather bag brands in the United Kingdom. According to research on social media marketing, the mix of an authentic voice, relevant keywords, and clever visual storytelling can help small businesses stand out in a competitive market.
Captions
Captions help connect with audiences, convey brand personality, and enhance visual material. According to research, captions for premium products like as handcrafted leather bags should emphasis the products' craftsmanship, legacy, and distinctiveness through storytelling. For example:
"Each stitch tells a story handcrafted with care, designed to last a lifetime. Meet the bag you’ll carry forever."
"From our workshop in the heart of the UK to your wardrobe. Timeless design, unmatched quality."
Hashtags
Hashtags improve Instagram discoverability by categorizing posts and making them searchable. To reach both local and worldwide audiences, a UK-based leather bag brand's hashtags should include general fashion tags, product-specific tags, and location-specific tags.
Literature Review
General Fashion and Lifestyle: #StyleInspo, #LuxuryFashion, #EverydayStyle
Product-Specific: #HandcraftedBags, #LeatherBags, #SustainableFashion
Location-Specific: #BritishDesign, #MadeInTheUK, #UKStyle
Audience-Specific: #SlowFashion, #TimelessWardrobe, #CraftsmanshipMatters
Taglines
Taglines are essential for building a company identity and can be used in Instagram bios, posts, and promotional materials. A strong tagline captures the brand's essence while appealing to the audience's desires. A handcrafted leather bag brand's motto should emphasize attributes such as durability, timelessness, and craftsmanship. Examples of effective taglines include:
"Timeless Craftsmanship for Modern Journeys" "Handcrafted Luxury, Made to Last" "Designed in the UK, Made for the World"
Conclusion
Captions, hashtags, and taglines are essential for conveying the personality of a handcrafted leather bag brand on Instagram. A brand can effectively engage with its target audience by emphasizing on storytelling, employing relevant hashtags, and creating memorable taglines. For a UK-based brand, emphasizing craftsmanship, tradition through these features resonates with consumer values, increasing visibility and creating customer loyalty.
JustGill Instagram
I found several important areas for improvement when I was looking over Just Gill's Instagram account. In order to improve analytics and draw in the appropriate audience, it was crucial to turn the account into a business profile. Despite having 300 reel views, 20 average likes, and 124 followers at the time, the account lacked a clean, businesslike appearance. With just 76 profile views in the last 30 days, visibility was restricted by irregular posting and infrequent hashtag usage.
I collected information from October 6 to November 6 using Instagram's analytics, finding patterns in region (Bournemouth, Poole, London), age (18–54, primarily 25–34), gender (75% female), and peak activity period (6–9 PM). Improvements such as posting at the best times and focusing on the the best demographic of local women between the ages of 25 and 34 were driven by this data.
Shoot with Sasmitha
In order to achieve a realistic yet surreal feel, I asked Sasmitha to assist with the photography of four bags, focussing on unusual outdoor locations. We attempted using a bench backdrop for the blue bag, but we decided that the green background was too distracting and put it aside. For a dramatic focal point, the orange patch bag was photographed dangling from a pole.
We placed the red bag next to the steps and filled it with newspaper to give it structure and depth. The combination of the blue structure and the silver purse produced a striking and eye-catching composition. We decided to put the blue bag close to the road because it provided depth and few distractions. I chose filters after the session to improve the aesthetics of each picture.
Final photos
Experimenting with Pika
After searching through numerous websites, I eventually found Pika Art, which authentically adds a surrealist or visual effects to a picture or video. I began experimenting with the pictures we took of bags, and while they were perfect and visually appealing, there was a problem: the hand holding the bag was also affected, and the filter would apply to that hand as well. For this reason, I decided to have the pictures taken without the model as well, so that the audience would find them more appealing.
Experimenting with Pika
Final videos
I updated a grid planning template from the previous term to better reflect Just Gill's brand aesthetic. I changed the original brown tones to more symmetrical hues that matched the colors of the company. Five static posts, including one surrealistic image, and four reels containing surrealistic components were included in the final 9-grid design.
Grid Planning
Content live on Instagram
I’ve started posting content on Just Gill’s Instagram, finally bringing the brand to life! Although I was delayed by a few days according to my calendar, I decided to take a steady approach: one photo daily alongside engaging reels. For the first post, I shared the Just Gill logo and name, presenting it as a three-grid layout. This cohesive design ensures that visitors instantly grasp the brand’s identity and get familiar with the logo. The aim is to create a visually appealing introduction that connects with the audience, setting the tone for a recognizable and professional brand presence.
Working on surrealistic content
In order to improve Just Gill's social media approach, I started adding surrealistic aspects to my content after Penny's advice. She underlined that incorporating original and imaginative images would enhance the posts' readability and aid in brand differentiation. Motivated by this, I came up with unique and fantastical settings for the bags in an effort to draw attention and distinguish Just Gill.
I first tried using Canva to make original backdrops, but I wasn't happy with the outcome. I looked at a number of platforms and tutorials since I was determined to get better, and I finally found Pebblely. I was able to play with Christmas-themed themes using this tool, which produced backgrounds that were much more aesthetically pleasing and well-lit than I could have with Canva or Photoshop alone.
One particularly striking design showcased a silver purse set against a gorgeous Christmas-themed background. The product's attraction was increased by the lighting and ambience, but the final image was square and only fit for a post. I used Photoshop to stretch the backdrop and Pika.Art to make it suitable for a reel.
I looked into sites like Canva, Adobe Express, Photoshop, and AdCreative.ai along this process, using trial or free versions to keep the project within my means.
Individual insights
Every post did well on its own while I was researching individual insights; some had a lot of likes, some had a lot of profile visits, some had too many non-followers looking at our Instagram, some had views from our hashtags, some had shares, and some helped us gain new followers. All in all, this experiment was very beneficial to Gill and me, but I wasn't aware of it until I looked at the insights for each post. It demonstrated that real-life photography is just as crucial for the company as surreal postings. Maintaining a balance between the two is crucial for social media marketing, as real-life photos may effectively showcase what you are selling and create a brand loyalty towards the consumers while surreal posts can draw in more new audiences.
Outcomes
The most obvious difference was in the number of views on the account. When I first started, it had 76 views in the previous 30 days, but after my most recent post, I saw on the professional dashboard that we had 3.6k views in the same time frame. We were certain that we had expanded over the previous 20 days because Instagram also gave us some encouraging indications, which we could observe in a variety of ways, including an increase in followers, likes, shares, reel views, and visitors to our profile, which were evident in the individual insights of each and every post. I found that these particular insights clearly supported our surreal postings, but that didn't mean our photography wasn't effective at drawing in viewers, one post attracted solely 17 new audience just by hashtags.
Outcomes
When looking at the professional dashboard, it was easy to see how our brand was growing because all of the graphs were rising and were green, which was a good indicator. There were 3.6k views overall, 202 interactions, 9 new followers, and 106 profile visits. It was clear that the majority of viewers were drawn to the surreal posts, but the majority of interactions were with normal photography. I believe this is because, while the surreal content draws viewers in with its distinct style, normal photography establishes an impression of originality and dominates the audience's trust.
The following slide illustrates the distinction between views and interactions. It is clear that surrealist reels were able to attract a large number of non-followers, while real-life photography generated the most interaction. The difference between the two is significant; it is not merely a small one. Regarding the followers, the graph indicates a favourable trend. We only lost one follower, and after that, we only got more, which is encouraging.
Outcomes
Conclusion
To sum up, this study provided important new information about how to use realistic and surreal content strategically for social media interaction. Every graphic style contributed to the brand's expansion in a complementary way. With its creative and striking appeal, surreal content was quite successful at drawing in viewers, boosting likes, and encouraging shares. However, realistic photography strengthened Just Gill's reputation as a company dedicated to excellence and craftsmanship by fostering professionalism and confidence.
The results highlight how important it is to be creative, balanced, and flexible when creating a successful social media strategy. incorporating cutting-edge tools like Pika and Pebblely. Carefully chosen realistic posts combined with surrealist art showed how strategy and art may work together to improve audience engagement.
All things considered, this trial effectively increased Just Gill's online visibility, resulting in appreciable gains in follower growth, engagement metrics, and brand recognition. In addition to these immediate benefits, it laid a solid basis for the brand's upcoming marketing initiatives, opening the door for more creativity and narrative.
This study demonstrated the potential for creative experimentation for achieving long-term success in digital branding in addition to validating the efficacy of fusing artistic discovery with strategic planning.
Resource Page
Adobe. Adobe Photoshop. Available at: https://www.adobe.com/photoshop.
Adobe. Adobe Express. Available at: https://www.adobe.com/express.
Canva. Canva Design Platform. Available at: https://www.canva.com.
Pebblely. AI-Powered Image Generator. Available at: https://www.pebblely.com.
Pika.Art. Animation and Visual Effects Tool. Available at: https://www.pika.art.
AdCreative.ai. AI-Powered Design Tool. Available at: https://www.adcreative.ai.
Instagram Analytics. Built-in Social Media Analytics Tools. Available via Instagram.