They may be more known for their beauty and health offerings, but earlier this month saw Priceline Pharmacy unveil their first ever fashion collaboration – teaming up with Australian designers MISHA Collection and Finders Keepers to create two limited-edition cosmetic bags. As we have a tendency to do, we used the opportunity to pull MISHA founder Michelle Aznovorian aside for a one-on-one chat, not surprisingly, on our #1 favourite subject – Instagram.
With over 447K+ followers on the Gram, MISHA is one of Australia’s big success stories when it comes to utilising social media to grow a fashion label. After launching in July 2013, MISHA quickly became a familiar name on the fashion scene – buoyed along thanks to appearances at both New York Fashion Week and Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia and collaborations with Gigi and Bella Hadid, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and the Kardashian/Jenner clan.
But while influencer and celebrity collaborations is obviously a key way to grow on social [and Fashion Weeks a helpful asset in awareness-building], the way to the top of IG is not a straight line when faced with a saturated market, algorithm changes, and the much-discussed shadow bans. Here, Michelle talks us through the 10 key methods she’s used to navigate the twisting turns of Instagram to get the brand to today’s impressive social media standing.
1. Influencers
Collaborating with bloggers, models and celebrities, both locally and internationally, and having them wear MISHA is great exposure for us and drives a lot of traffic to our page. We can then share the content, allowing our followers to see our product worn in different ways by people who inspire them.
2. Keep it relevant
I always aim to post things that are relevant to our followers. It’s more than just the clothes. We need to show them the MISHA lifestyle and everything that it embodies; we need to show them a glimpse of themselves and what they aspire to be. Think strong, confident females who know what they want and love to look fabulous. If our posts are on-point and relatable to our followers, then they will be engaged with our content and our community grows.
3. Videos
Video content has really amped up in the last year or two. People want to see more than just an image, especially when it comes to fashion. They want to see how the garment moves, how it fits, how the wearer feels in it, and they could feel wearing it. If a picture tells 1000 words, a video tells the whole story.
4. Shoppable content
A great new feature Instagram has introduced is shopping tags on posts – so now our followers can see the name and price of the products we post. Information is important, so the more we can give our followers, the better.
5. Timing
By knowing the times when our followers are most engaged (thanks Instagram!) we are able to post at the best times for maximum interaction. The most interaction a post gets, the more exposure it gets to new followers.
6. Analysing Data
There are great reporting tools you can access to gain insights on your Instagram followers and what they like (and don’t like), and by analysing this data I can post more of what our followers want (and less of what they don’t want).
7. Stories
I love posting on Stories to give our followers a live insight into the world of MISHA. Whether I’m on set at a photo shoot, at Fashion Week, or have just launched new styles on the website, our follows love being involved in the process – right as its happening.
8. The feed
I find that an Instagram feed tells a story. A beautifully curated feed can be the difference between someone following your page, and not. The feed says who we are as a designer label, what we’re about, and why you should follow us. It shows the kinds of things you’ll get to see more of if you follow us.
9. Giveaways
Competitions are a great way to reward followers – but also gain exposure to new, potential followers. A simple ‘tag a friend to go into the draw’ is an easy way for a follower to win a great prize – but also for us to be seen by someone who may not already follow us.
10. Stay connected
I love for my followers to feel like they are a part of the MISHA family – so that means lines of communication are always open, and I encourage feedback and questions. We receive hundreds of Instagram messages a week, and I ensure they are all responded to because I want our followers to know that we are always here to help.
For the first time, Priceline Pharmacy has teamed up a fashion collaboration with two iconic Australian designers – Michelle Aznavorian of MISHA Collection and Cyd Beard of Finders Keepers to create two limited-edition cosmetic bags. Inspired by the designers’ autumn/winter 2019 collections, Michelle and Cyd have created two distinctly different bags – with the MISHA bag featuring a blush leopard print design. Available at all Priceline stores nationwide, shoppers who spend over $69 in store can purchase one of the designer bags for $10.
Main image: Micah Gianneli wearing MISHA.
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