BUSINESS

  SOCIAL MEDIA

LEARN FROM OTHER BRANDS

FOLLOW THESE TWO ACTION STEPS TO MARKET LIKE WARBY PARKER

JUSTIN BAZAN, O.D.

WARBY PARKER does a lot of things well, including marketing. The morning I wrote this column, I received an email from Warby Parker. It contained photos of smiling young faces wearing fashionable shades. I was left with great feelings about sunny spring days that lay just ahead. I then logged into Facebook, where, again, there was a message in the right-hand column of my news feed about Warby Parker’s spring collection. A few clicks later, I’m looking at the collection on its website, feeling like I have to have a pair. There surely are lessons to be learned here.

Let’s take a closer look at how Warby Parker leverages social media to build its brand. Specifically, there are two things we will focus on: 1. Who and where is the target audience and 2. How the content reflects the brand and engages its target market.

ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

Warby Parker targets consumers who are generally younger than age 35, hip and trendy, so it markets exclusively to this audience. To replicate this targeting, identify who you want to market to, and then utilize the social media platform they are on. Begin by looking into your patient records, and identify a demographic where you may be lacking. For example, perhaps you notice a wealth of Generation X patients and, subsequently, their children, but are missing millennials.

Then, do some research into each social media platform. Start with “About” pages, where most list some information into their users. In this case, Warby Parker utilizes the social media platforms that are most conducive to building its brand. For example, 90% of Instagram users are younger than age 35, according to a study out of Penn State in ScienceDaily. As such, it is an obvious choice for Warby Parker to use as part of its social media efforts. Its posts engage thousands of users.

CONTENT IS KING

To be successful with social media, one has to post interesting content. Find your business’s persona, and post as such. This may require some brainstorming with your partners or your team. But, dedicate the time to identify and develop a plan.

Warby Parker sells glasses. However, it is a lifestyle brand that goes way beyond just selling glasses. It sells a personality, and its social media content reflects that. It recognizes that not all of its content needs to be directly related to selling product. This subtle, indirect approach to posts is masterful. It is an approach that builds stronger relationships with people and, ultimately, inspires those individuals to make a purchase.

Take a look at its posts. The content deals with the latest trends in books, food, music, design, people and pop culture. When done well, it often is as if Warby Parker is a person, and you get to see all the cool things he is up to and in to.

TAKE ACTION

Consider taking these two action steps. Perhaps you will experience similar success to Warby Parker on social media. OM

DR. BAZAN is founder of Park Slope Eye, in Brooklyn, N.Y. He is a member of the AOA, NYSOA and the American Academy of Orthokeratology & Myopia Control. In 2014, he received financial compensation for services from Allergan, Bausch + Lomb, Vision Service Plan, Luxottica, The Vision Council and Foster Grant.