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In a recent op-ed piece on the Business of Fashion, Renata Certo-Ware offered up an intriguing look into the current state of content marketing in the fashion industry. In short, the argument centers on the notion that members of this industry are letting one of the most powerful resources imaginable, great content that reels in viewers, go to waste. Whether or not you buy into this argument, it’s still offers up the basis for an important discussion regarding how you maximize your content potential if your brand resides in this sphere of the economy. With this in mind, let’s explore Certo-Ware’s notion in greater detail and see if there’s a solution to this potential problem plaguing brands within the fashion community.

An Industry Wide Problem

At the heart of the aforementioned article’s subject matter is the recurring theme of wasted potential. After reviewing plenty of the industry leader’s websites and social media accounts, Certo-Ware finds the vast majority of the offerings severely lacking. The main problem that’s found over and over again on these sites? A weak or diminutive user experience. Whether it’s missing out on interactive opportunities that could further bond the consumer to the brand in question, or bland blog content that’s better at putting the audience to sleep than it is at engaging them, these sites just don’t seem to get content marketing. Naturally, this is just the opinion of one industry expert, but the argument and evidence Renata Certo-Ware offers up is both compelling and hard to explain away.

Finding the Proper Response

So if bad content marketing practices are ruining most of the fashion industry’s big chance to make a splash with consumers, how does the op-ed piece propose to fix the issue? The main response to this dilemma comes in the form of “shoppable” content. Considering the overtly retail tones naturally found within the fashion industry, it makes sense to create content that highlights and improves the eCommerce experience.

Whether it’s providing an expanded visual experience as Devika Girish of the Content Marketing Institute proposes, or getting back to the basics of this form of advertising via well-rounded blog content, generating offerings that entice the reader to do a little virtual window shopping is the main response to problems facing the fashion industry. Of course, this might sound like slipping back into traditional advertising that simply puts up a banner ad and calls it a day, but the difference is definitely there. Great content adds value to the user experience, and in this case that value comes in the form of providing entertainment and engagement during the shopping process.

Tailoring the Solution to Your Brand

For those in the fashion industry, and even for the rest of you who might be from a different area of the marketplace but still interested in the discussion, the “one size fits all” approach to shoppable content naturally won’t work for every single brand on the virtual runway. Clearly, the message itself regarding the connection between your content and the online window shopping experience definitely holds credence, but getting there is the tricky part.

In order to connect your brand with the audience that matters most, blending this new approach with the tried and true staples of a great content marketing campaign could be the key to reaching the online fashion promised land. Whether it’s spending more than just a passing moment coming up with blog content topics as Sajeel Qureshi of the Huffington Post suggests, or continuously testing and re-testing your ideal consumer profiles, refocusing on the basics can do quite a bit to help you find success with your audience. Regardless of where you stand on the fashion industry discussion, it’s hard to argue against this approach toward optimizing and improving your content.