ModCloth is an online women’s retailer that does social marketing right. They source women’s clothing from indie designers and sell them to women all over the world. They are not just good at social marketing–they are “a social-shopping community” that centers itself around its customer.
Here is what they do right:
1. Branding to their Target Audience
ModCloth stands out as a social brand because they have a solid understanding of who their target market is and what they want.
What is their brand? They are cutesy, vintage, retro, sweet, hipster, indie, and feminine. They hire normal-sized, normal-looking women between the ages of 18 and 30. This brand personality helps them stand out to as well as relate to their core target audience.
2. Community Engagement
To ModCloth, engagement isn’t just a goal–it’s who they are. They involve their customers to the point that they become the brand. For example, they have a program called Be the Buyer which allows customers to vote on clothing that the company will ultimately sell on the site.
Another way they involve the customer is a contest called Make the Cut. Customers submit their own clothing designs and drawings for the chance to win a cash prize along with having their item actually made and sold on the website.
ModCloth also has a Style Gallery where customers submit photos of themselves wearing clothing they bought from ModCloth and the community will vote for their favorites. This is another way they show their target market that normal women are buying and wearing their clothes in style as well as offer accessorizing suggestions.
3. Social Site Integration
ModCloth does a wonderful job of integrating social seamlessly into their site. Not only do they have active communities on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, but they practically make their website feel like a social network itself. Shown in the image below, they have buttons for sharing products on each major social network…my guess is the Pinterest button gets used the most. They also have a “Love It” option, so you can save the piece in your repertoire of “Loved” items.
Below the item, they have honest reviews from customers. They can include photos of themselves wearing the piece, their measurements, star rating, fit, etc.
This helps with transparency, shows customers how the pieces look in real life, and helps notify the company when an item has a recurring issue.
What is ModCloth doing right with social?
They are not just utilizing social marketing, they are a totally social brand that involves its customers in the branding process. They have created a true brand community–something very few brands manage to achieve.
Melissa Pont is a social marketing manager at SaleAMP. Tweet her at @melissapont. She notes that she is not affiliated with ModCloth, but is an admiring customer who appreciates their marketing strategy.
