For those of us in love with all things fashion, you can never have too many black dresses, shoes (of any color) and accessories, especially handbags and bangle bracelets (last one’s my own obsession). While one can suffer from fashion overload – too many pants, not enough tops, etc. etc. – our obsession can be exhilarating. What can be overwhelming now-a-days, is keeping up with our clothes, fashion trends AND social media.

Sewing Machine by Chris Moran

You understand the value of promoting your line or business online, but with the various outlets to promote your brand you can spend your entire day perusing fashion blogs, Facebooking, updating your Twitter account, posting your fashion shows on YouTube and so on. It can be exhausting and extremely time-consuming.

Here are some tips to get you started or help you manage your online presence so you’re not overwhelmed:

Make friends with technology

To start, if you don’t have an online presence (where have you been?!) – it’s time to get online! I’m still surprised by how many indie designers don’t have an online presence. Online time should definitely be worked into your daily schedule, even if it’s just 30 minutes a day, take quick breaks to build your online community by engaging on social networking sites and checking out a few daily reads.  And, if you haven’t already, subscribe to PR Couture through email or RSS, natch.

Start small

You can spend the majority of your time trying to find the very best way to promote your business and come away feeling overwhelmed and confused by which route you should take. Research a few sites to see if they’ll be relevant and beneficial to you and your company. Relevance is key. For instance, unless you’re promoting your line to musicians, you don’t need a profile on MusicForte.com or GarageBand.com, even though your guitarist friend invited you and the site works wonders for him/her. Find the sites that will benefit you, inspire you or encourage you in your fashion design work and career. Get familiar enough with the basics of the sites to see which medium will work best for you and then go from there.

For those of you already online, double-check the relevance and benefits of the social networking sites you’re on. While some sites are fun, for productivity’s sake, you want to make sure you’re also making positive connections with your fans, consumers and the media.

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Photo by André Batista

Magnolia PR is now taking clients in baby, fashion accessories, and lifestyle for Spring 2010 outreach. As a special incentive, new clients who sign up for November will receive a 20 percent discount on their first month’s retainer.

Magnolia PR is a boutique fashion, baby & lifestyle firm in Los Angeles focused on gaining optimal exposure for their clients in major magazines and media outlets– InStyle, Lucky, People, People Style Watch, Life & Style, In Touch, Parents, Parenting, Pregnancy, FitPregnancy, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Family Circle, Today Show, Celebrity Baby Blog, Daily Candy, and many more. Celebrity placements include Hayden Panettiere, Tori Spelling, Nicole Richie, Lauren Conrad, Jessica Alba, Carrie Underwood, Bridget Moynahan and Katherine Heigl—all have been photographed recently wearing Magnolia PR products.

Launched in late 2006 by Adrienne Dorsey, Magnolia PR was conceived as a way to connect brands with their desired media for optimal exposure. From small start-up companies to established brands, Magnolia PR’s clients will receive personal, focused attention on their specific needs. Inquire today about special packages tailored for your special PR goals and needs. To learn more, please email adrienne@magnoliapr.com

On Saturday, 10/24 PR Couture founder Crosby Noricks will be presenting on social media at the Fashion Industry Development Conference in San Diego, stop by and say hello!

On Wednesday 10/28, PR Couture will be part of a panel discussing how retailers are building social communities through Twitter. General Admission seats above the first floor in the Kodak Theater are $200 for both days. If you wish to network with speakers and panelists, Floor Tickets are only $695 for both days. Crosby will be speaking along with Lady Lux, Nicole Aimee Schreiber (Project Manager at Red Interactive & Land’s End) and Maria Ogneva (Director of Client Services at FashionablyMarketing.Me)

If that all sounds like fun, make sure to check out the following articles:

Six Social Sites every Fashion Marketer Should Know (via Ad Age)

• Social media has deconstructed the traditional means of communication between retailers and consumers by adding new channels for discussion. A designer can communicate with her audience on a moment-to-moment basis through sponsored Facebook groups and fan pages, online chats, Twitter feeds, Flickr, YouTube and new social shopping channels that facilitate two-way conversations.

The Social Side of Estee Lauder (via Fashionably Marketing Me)

• Estee Lauder used social media to make an ingenious connection to current, new and could be/would be customers by offering free makeovers and photo shoots at its department-store cosmetics counters coast-to-coast.

How do you feel about sponsored fashion posts? (via Independent Fashion Bloggers)

• With all the talk about how doing sponsored posts degrades a bloggers credibility, and some blog networks won’t allow you to use their advertising if you do sponsored posts, the truth is, most of us don’t mind them.