MAXIMUM ENGAGEMENT, MINIMAL COST Spencer

Maximum Engagement, Minimal Cost:

Damson Madder’s Approach to Social Media
Kiyoko Yaz’meen Spencer
University of Georgia
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Damson Madder is an exclusively all online individual speciality retailer, specializing in

“Maximum style, minimal impact.” (About Us) Founded in 2020 by Aimee Smale, Damson
Madder began their journey as an ecommerce small business. Due to Damson Madder being a
solely online retailer their dynamic use of social media has given them a competitive edge in the
small sustainable maximalist womenswear business. The brand announces all restocks, collection
drops, updates, marketing/advertisements, and as of recent pop up shop events via mostly their
Instagram as well as their TikTok, which are both @damsonmadder. Through visually appealing
posts and engaging stories, Damson Madder creates a sense of community and exclusivity
around its brand, encouraging followers to interact and share their own content using branded
hashtags. This interactive approach helps to strengthen brand loyalty and drives consumers to
their website, ultimately leading to increased sales. Additionally , Damson Madder’s use of
influencers and celebrities to promote its products on social media further enhances its brand
image and reach but also serves as a pivotal component of its social commerce strategy,
influencing consumer behavior and ultimately enhancing the overall shopping experience.
A significant portion of Damson Madder's Instagram content comprises promotions for
pop-up shops, influencer carousels, and product promotion posts with integrated shopping
features. This strategy streamlines the buying process, making it more convenient for consumers
to shop directly from their social media platforms. The brand's social media likes are mainly
attributed to influencer marketing and product promotion/restock posts, indicating a strong
resonance with their target market and suggesting that their strategic use of social media
influencers and integrated shopping features has been successful in driving customer engagement
and increasing sales.
Social Media plays a pivotal role in shaping consumer behavior towards the brands and
Damson Madder is one of them. Through social media marketing, Damson Madder can engage
with its audience, promote brand awareness, and drive traffic to its online or pop up location at a
fraction of the cost of traditional advertising. (Funk, 2014) The ability to create platform-
exclusive content on social media ensures that Damson Madder remains relevant and provides
unique value to its audience. Instagram, known for fostering community and engagement, serves
as a perfect platform for small businesses like Damson Madder to forge connections with their
audience. The brand effectively uses both Instagram stories and grid posting to create tailored
and effective content, offering consumers an intimate glimpse into the business's daily operations
and fostering a sense of connection and trust.
Instagram grid posts on the other hand have the advantage of its shopping segment which
allows businesses to have an online store front on their page with no hyperlink, increasing
conversion rates for small businesses and eliminates extra steps to purchase from the website.
(Deel, 2023) By adapting to the evolving landscape of social media marketing, Damson Madder
can tailor its content to resonate with its target audience and drive sales. The visual aesthetic
nature of Instagram, grid posts, combined with the convenience of the shopping segment, can
significantly increase conversion rates for small businesses. Consumers are more likely to
engage with and purchase from brands that offer a seamless shopping experience on social media
platforms. Therefore, by leveraging Instagram’s shopping features and visually appealing
content, Damson Madder effectively connects with its audience and capitalize on the
opportunities presented by social media marketing.
It is important that small businesses harness the power of social media when marketing
because it is for the most part free. If a business is not using social media marketing, it is missing
out on a valuable opportunity to connect with its target audience. Studies show that 91% of
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online adults use social media regularly, and an estimated 88% of businesses with 100 or more
employees are now using social media for marketing purposes (Funk, 2014). This means that
consumers are actively engaging with brands via social media, and businesses that are not
present in this space are losing valuable marketing territory to their competitors. The cost of
maintaining social media channels is insignificant compared to the return on investment it
provides. In order to see the best results, small businesses must take advantage of consumer
perceptions and create, relatable, personalized content for their social media platforms.
Social media plays a crucial role in improving and enhancing the shopping experience for
ecommerce businesses like Damson Madder. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok provide
Damson Madder with an opportunity to increase brand visibility and broaden their audience
(Statista, 2021). These platforms enable Damson Madder to engage with users, share relevant
content, and attract new customers while also retaining current ones. Furthermore, customer
engagement is further enhanced through social commerce features like shoppable posts and
integrated checkout options. Damson Madder's use of these features provides them with a
competitive advantage and allows customers to discover and purchase products directly from
their favorite social media platforms, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty (Falcon.io, 2021).
Data analytics from social media are invaluable for retailers like Damson Madder seeking
to enhance the overall shopping experience for consumers. Social media platforms provide
ecommerce businesses with valuable data and insights into customer behavior, preferences, and
trends (HubSpot, 2021). By analyzing data such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and
demographic information, Damson Madder can gain a better understanding of its target audience
and their shopping habits. This enables the brand to create more personalized and relevant
content, offer targeted promotions, and optimize the customer journey, all of which contribute to
a more enjoyable and seamless shopping experience for consumers.
Influencer marketing is a successful strategy that Damson Madder has well established to
enhance its brand image and reach. By collaborating with influencers, Damson Madder can use
said influencers' follower base and benefit from their credibility and authenticity (Forbes, 2021).
Influencers create content featuring Damson Madder’s products that resonate with their
audience, showing the brand in a relatable and fashionable way. This creates a sense of
connection and validation for consumers, making the purchasing decision easier and more
enjoyable for them. Additionally, influencers can provide incentives to purchase such as discount
codes or exclusive offers.
While social media offers many advantages for ecommerce businesses like Damson
Madder, such as the ability to reach a larger and more diverse audience and engage directly with
customers, there are also disadvantages. Social media is constantly evolving, requiring
businesses to stay agile and adaptable in their social media strategy to remain competitive.
Additionally, there is the potential for public negative feedback or criticism, which businesses
must be prepared to respond to quickly and effectively to maintain customer trust and a good
reputation in the marketplace. Despite these challenges, the benefits of using social media for
ecommerce businesses far outweigh the drawbacks, making it an essential tool for enhancing the
overall shopping experience for consumers.
Disadvantages of using social media are its constant evolving and the potential for public
negative feedback or criticism. Social Media is always evolving and improving with new
features, algorithms, and trends. All of this change requires a business to stay agile and adaptable
when it comes to social media strategy to remain competitive. This circles around to a previously
stated point that though social media marketing may be free it is also very time consuming and
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requires continuous monitoring and adjustments. Additionally Damson Madder must be prepared
to respond quickly and effectively to negative comments or reviews. Doing this is imperative to
maintain customer trust and a good reputation in the marketplace.
To address the challenges posed by the constant evolution of social media and the
potential for negative feedback, Damson Madder can implement innovative strategies to leverage
social media for enhanced retail engagement and growth. Firstly, the brand can create interactive
content such as polls, quizzes, and AR filters to engage with their audience and encourage
participation. This not only increases brand visibility but also provides valuable insights into
customer preferences and interests.
Secondly, Damson Madder can encourage customers to create and share content featuring
their products, building a strong community around the brand and serving as social proof for
potential customers. They can do this through having giveaway challenges. By creating contests
where participants are required to post using specific hashtags to enter, Damson Madder can
generate user-generated content featuring their products.Additionally, giveaway challenges can
help retailers reach new audiences.
Damson Madder can further enhance its brand presence and reach by continuing to
collaborate with influencers whose values align with the brand. These partnerships can help
maintain authenticity and credibility, as influencers can authentically promote Damson Madder's
products to their audience. Additionally, hosting live streaming events or virtual fashion shows
can create a sense of exclusivity and excitement around the brand. These events can be used to
showcase new product launches or collections, driving engagement and generating buzz among
both existing and potential customers. By leveraging influencer collaborations and live streaming
events, Damson Madder can effectively connect with new audiences and drive growth in the
competitive retail market.
By implementing these innovative strategies, Damson Madder can leverage social media
to overcome its challenges and enhance retail engagement and growth. These strategies can help
the brand stay competitive in a constantly evolving social media landscape while maintaining
customer trust and a good reputation in the marketplace.
In conclusion, Damson Madder has successfully leveraged social media to enhance its
brand image, reach, and overall shopping experience for consumers. By adopting innovative
strategies such as interactive content, influencer collaborations, and social commerce features,
Damson Madder has been able to engage with its audience, drive sales, and build a strong
community around its brand. Despite the challenges posed by the constant evolution of social
media and the potential for negative feedback, Damson Madder has demonstrated the value of
social media as a powerful tool for ecommerce businesses. Moving forward, Damson Madder
can continue to adapt and evolve its social media strategy to stay ahead of the curve and maintain
its competitive edge in the market.
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References

About Us. Damson Madder. (n.d.). https://damsonmadder.com/pages/about-us

Deel, I. (2023, May). Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses: A Comprehensive
Guide to Success and Growth. https://dc.etsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1956&context=honors

Falcon.io. (2021). The complete guide to social media for ecommerce.

https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/social-media-strategy/complete-guide-to-
social-media-for-ecommerce/

Forbes. (2021). How to use influencer marketing to grow your ecommerce brand.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/05/17/how-to-use-influencer-
marketing-to-grow-your-ecommerce-brand/?sh=1c2b6e3e5d1b

Funk, T. (2014). Advanced Social Media Marketing: How to lead, launch, and manage a
successful social media program. Apress.

HubSpot. (2021). What is social commerce? How to implement it into your strategy.
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/what-is-social-commerce

Statista. (2021). Number of social media users worldwide from 2017 to 2025.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/