By Polina Raygorodskaya

While fashion films may be all the rage, many independent fashion labels are wary of investing in a video strategy, perceiving it to be too costly or time-intensive, or simply not knowing what to do with video once its been created. The reality is that with a simple video camera like a Flip or even the iPhone, some basic editing skills, and a plan for promotion,  posting videos to a YouTube channel as part of your PR strategy can make a significant impact on your business, without a significant investment of time or money. Here’s how:

Title and Tag Videos for Search

YouTube is a huge search engine, so name the titles of your videos according to search terms that are descriptive, and also desirable for both your search engine rankings and the casual YouTube viewer. To find out popular search terms, play around with the Google Keyword Optimizer. When relevant enough to a Google search (or with enough backlinks), your video will pop up towards the top of the first page of organic search results with a thumbnail icon of your video. This is a highly effective way to build awareness (and clicks!) on your content, because these video search results occur above standard organic search results.

Ask for comments, shares and build interactivity

Remember, you are not simply creating a series of videos; you are building your brand.  Ask viewers to subscribe to your channel in a conspicuous manner. Monitor your videos for comments and respond. Create videos based on feedback, or in response to customer questions. If for example, you make gorgeous hand-painted scarves, create a series of videos with tutorials showing the various ways the scarf can be worn. You may also solicit fans to make their own videos showing how they have worn your scarves as well.

Encourage Brand Building Through Contests

Create a video announcing a video contest! YouTube users can post video ‘ responses’ to your videos, so encourage creative, instructional, evocative videos about your line in exchange for a chance to! Both ModCloth and Hayden Harnett have used video contests to drive brand awareness and promote new products. You can then use the videos that were created as further evidence of your loyal following and may even want to mash up all the submitted videos into their own video! Here’s another tip: require each video to have specific tags to help boost search and further promote your brand.

Provide Behind the Scenes Access

Provide your customers with a backstage pass to tradeshows, showrooms, fashion shows, photo shoots and let them feel a part of the magic! Quick interviews with stylists, make-up artists and editors are are of great value to those customers outside the industry.

Share, Embed, Tweet, Repeat

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is disabling the embedding of your videos – after all, you want people to share your brilliance with the world! Kickstart the sharing by cross posting your videos to your blog, Facebook page and Twitter.

About Polina

Polina Raygorodskaya is an acclaimed analyst and public relations specialist for the fashion industry. As president of Polina Fashion LLC, she has addressed the marketing and public relations needs of countless up and coming designers. For more information, please visit www.polinafashion.com or email info@polinafashion.com.