Stitch Fix: Best Practices for Instagram
By: Rebecca Luedke
Tags: Brand Strategy, Instagram, Best Practices, Stitch Fix, Ufcjonline

Stitch Fix is an online personal styling service in the United States, founded in 2011. It uses recommendation algorithms and data science to personalize clothing items based on size, budget and style. They have a strong presence on Instagram, and they thrive at utilizing user generated content.

The Stitch Fix voice and tone on Instagram should match their vision and mission at all times. They want to help people collaborate with stylists to find unique pieces that make the customer look and feel good. Stitch Fix’s voice is to honor people of all sizes and ethnicities, and this is clear by the user generated content they often share in their posts. The tone of the posts should be fun and flirty, with a positive vibe to give encouragement for people to look and feel their best.

Best Practices

Post three times a day: 7am, 12pm and 7pm. These are optimal times to post as many people are online during these times. Posting at these times allows for reaching a vast array of followers. For example busy moms before the kids wake up; people on their lunch breaks; and college students after class. Drive Customer Engagement. Post polls every Saturday morning to ask followers to choose “this or that” (example: skirts or dresses). Respond to questions in a timely, positive manner. Voice should reflect happiness, wellness and fashion. Use trending hashtags to continue growing online followers. #OOTD is a common hashtag that influencers and fashion fans use. This should be used consistently for Fix posts. Because Instagram is an image-based platform it is important that images are visually appealing. Photos with faces get 38% more likes, so this should be kept in mind when curating content. User Generated Content should be used several times a week. UGC has a 4.5% higher engagement rate. People trust real reviews of a brand. Posts should show what a Fix box can contain, how to style the clothing, and should always share everything there is to love about getting a Fix. It should be encouraged to use the #MyStitchFix hashtag so that content can easily be found. UGC is also a great way to show that Stitch Fix is for everyone!

Content Posts: Dos and Donts

The post below is an example of user generated content, which Stitch Fix does an excellent job of utilizing. The post shares an influencer in Stitch Fix clothing, asking followers to choose which outfit they like best. Doing so engages with the customer, and allows the brand to curate content instead of having to pay for professional photography of models and clothing. This post also helps show potential customers what type of clothing they might see in their Fix, and how they can style the different items.

This next example is a great post to show the type of images that should be used for the brand as well as the ideal tone. It is colorful, and shows what types of items you can get in a Stitch Fix box. The tone is light and positive, in theme with February and Valentine’s Day, while encouraging customer engagement. However, there are no hashtags being used which is a general rule for Instagram posts. The ideal number of hashtags is 5–10 per post.

This is another example of the correct tone, saying good morning to the brand’s followers, being light and cheery, however again there are no hashtags. Using #OOTD would have been ideal here.

Customer Concerns

There will always be questions and mishaps with any brand. What is important is that the brand responds quickly to unhappy customers, providing an opportunity to correct the situation, as well as giving answers to help spread brand awareness. Here are a few examples of when Stitch Fix has responded promptly to answer questions and provide excellent customer service.

Lastly, when it comes to best practice for a brand’s social media, it is important to have a complete profile. A customer should be able to find the brand on social media, and should be able to easily obtain the basics on what the brand is all about. If the brand has other outlets, they can also point to that in their profile. Stitch Fix does this by including in their profile, the other SF brand accounts that are available.

By following the above best practices, Stitch Fix is sure to continue being a thriving brand with a strong presence on Instagram!

Resources:

Stitch Fix Website

Stitch Fix Instagram