1. Invest in Neutrals 

I can not stress this enough, buy neutrals!! In order to be stylish, it’s extremely important to have a good base of neutrals in your wardrobe. Here is a list of items that should always be available in your wardrobe. 

• Black blazer
• White shirt
• White, black, nude t shirt / tank tops  
• Nude coat
• Black coat
• Black dress
• Black, white hoodie
• Black, white joggers
• Black jeans 

Fashion indeed is full of colors and different patterns, however neutrals are not as monotonous or repetitive, it’s a main component of an outfit. Once you have a neutral base, you can then add a pop of color, or  matchy accessories. Neutrals are mainly nude, white, black, gray, and camel. 

2. Don’t focus too much on latest trends

They are all called trends for a reason, they are temporary not permanent. It would be a total waste of money to spend a lot on trends that will disappear after a couple of months. Budgets vary from different people, therefore if you really like a trending item, the best thing to do is spend a small amount by not getting it from designer brands. 

Some people use the latest trends to base their style, as they struggle and trends inspire them. Therefore, if you are one of those people, I would advise you to organize a fixed budget that will cover your shopping expenses in terms of the latest trends every couple of months. 

The question one should ask themselves before investing in a trendy item is: Will I wear it in a couple of years or will it be at the back of my wardrobe full of dust? The answer would be yes if you are a person that does not rely on trends, you have your own fashion identity and already have a precise style. However if the answer is no, then you should not be spending all your money on the latest trends. 

3. Keep up with sales online & offline

Nothing beats online sales, we have all heard about the crazy sales online steeping as low as 99p. Offline sales are mostly seasonal sales such as summer sales or winter sales, however online, there are many year round sales at unexpected times that end quickly. 

You should also keep up with seasonal sales for certain high end brands where you can get an item from your wishlist at a low price. The main online sales are on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas, and Easter. 

4. Invest on timeless designer items 

Investing in classic designer pieces is a smart idea, I mean you will be spending some good money on designer items, however they are timeless. They are always trendy, do not go out of fashion, and can always be worn to complete outfits. Personally, I believe that it is totally worth it to save up during the year to buy a designer item that will last long. 

Many designer websites have made available on their homepage a section for the classics category, staples that go with any outfit. 

5. Vintage, thrift, second-hand  

Another great idea to save up yet be fashionable, is to shop at vintage stores, thrift shops, and second hand pieces. Thrift shops offer stylish clothing, and to be honest, thrift shopping is definitely trendy at the moment, and provides a fun experience. 

Thrift shops also allow the shopper to get items that he or she couldn’t get before, the clothes are usually great quality and should look great after a quick wash. 

On the other hand, vintage clothing automatically means stylish, old pieces that are timeless, and become trendy after a couple of years. We have all witnessed the comeback of mom jeans, baguette bags, etc.. 

Second-hand or pre owned goods are also a great way for saving up on designer items. If you really want that Gucci bag or those channel sliders, you can easily get them for half price through pre-owned shops or online websites. On a personal note, my favorite pre-owned app to use is Vestiaire Collective, a very famous website/app that offers thousands of designer items for everyone’s tastes. 

6. Closet clean outs 

Don’t you think that selling some of your own clothes that you don’t particularly wear would help you save up? I do! 

That is why I would advise you to filter out your wardrobe, take out that dusty sweater you don’t wear from the back of your wardrobe and sell them on an online marketplace. My favorite apps to use are Depop & Vinted. 

Closet clean outs are so important in order to keep up with fashion, getting rid of the pieces that are never worn would allow you to earn money and therefore save up to buy new trendy items. 

7. No impulsive purchases 

Impulsive behavior leads to regret, guilt, and most probably you being broke! Shopping should be a fun experience not an experience that leads to impulsive behavior. 

If your wardrobe has everything and you don’t need anything new, there is no need to buy something that is first of all not worth it, and secondly a complete waste of money. This kind of behavior leads the person to not respect their budget by buying items they don’t necessarily need, and having a closet full of nothing homogenous to complete outfits. 

8. Plan your shopping sprees 

Planning your shopping sprees allows you to organize yourself, know when you will be spending money on clothes, how much money you will be spending, what you will be buying more or less. 

Another great way to organize yourself regarding shopping, is to make a wish list of items you need/want, according to certain categories such as clothing, accessories, shoes. This would allow you to not impulsively buy items you don’t necessarily need. 

9. Alternatives for trends 

A great way to keep up with the latest fashion trends is to shop at stores such as ZARA, PRIMARK, ASOS that are always up to date with fashion trends. These stores always offer the same trendy items that you see in designer brands yet at a lower price, therefore you get to participate in the trend, be stylish, without exceeding your budget. 

10. Websites that offer sales 

There are many websites that offer sales, such as: 

• Lyst 
• Asos
• Shein 
• Theoutnet 

Lyst and Theoutnet have designer items that are sometimes on sale up to 70%. Asos is an online marketplace that groups many brands, different styles that also sometimes has sales. Shein on the other hand, is the cheapest one of all, with so many sales throughout the website in different categories. Of course the quality differs from website to another, from brand to another, however everything depends on the shopper’s tastes and preferences. 

11. Rule of three 

The rule of three is one of my favorite tricks to save up while shopping. Basically, you go to a store and you really love a white shirt. The smart thing to do is to think about 3 ways you can wear that shirt, with 3 different outfits. This simply helps you save up by buying one shirt that can be worn three ways or even more if you are creative enough! 

Now imagine doing this with all of the items you buy, you would actually save up so much and end up with so many fashionable outfits! Also, if you think of it, imagine buying pants that you know you will wear only once or twice in your life, is it really worth it? Not in my opinion, especially if they are expensive and will lead me to exceeding my budget! 

12. Don’t underestimate accessories 

Accessories are so important when building an outfit, they are not the base of the outfit, but they are definitely complementary. Accessories allow you to spice up the outfit by adding either jewelry, glasses, bag, scarf, hat, etc.. 

Imagine yourself on a turquoise beach, having dinner by the sea during sunset time, golden tan, and wearing gold earrings with a white dress! Wouldn’t it elevate the outfit by making you look classy yet exotic? It can add up so much to a fit, for example, you can wear a simple all white or all black outfit but enhance it by adding a pop of color with a stylish bag or cool sunglasses. 

Accessories catch people’s eyes and make your outfit look 10 times more stylish. Accessories can be bought from any store according to one’s budget running from 3 pounds to 150 pounds or more.

The post How to be fashionable on a budget – Tips & Tricks first appeared on wbsdigital.

The SaGG Foundation is a non profit organization that provides Gambian girls with opportunities regarding their education in order to lead successful lives. The foundation’s concept is to match girls with adequate sponsors who will assist them financially concerning their education. They are present on various social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Below is an analysis of the performance of these social media channels, research on their competitors, and recommendations for possible improvements. 

Social Media Platforms Listening

  Men are the primary visitors of the facebook page with a percentage of 52.3, women occupy the remaining 47,7%. The top countries were the Gambia with 44.1%, followed by the UK with 13.5%.  Their reach is 4795, their highest reach number was on 25 February and lowest reach was during the period between 26 January and 5 February.  On their facebook page, most of the content shared is girl’s stories, videos including a motivational speech, and inspiring photos of girls working.  

Now regarding instagram, the content is aesthetically pleasing, their theme color is pink and the content resembles each other. Their content is almost the same as the other platforms, however they also include content such as marketing campaigns including important days such as international women’s day, world book day, women history day.

They have less followers on instagram, however I believe they are more present on this platform, by responding to comments, posting stories, and saving them in the highlights for everyone to see. Most of the comments they get are congratulating comments, support comments, and encouraging comments. The instagram page gets more likes than any other platform’s page. Their reach on Instagram is 915, the highest was before 6 January and the lowest was during the period between 26 January and 5 February. Women are the primary visitors on Instagram with a percentage of 72.5%, men was 27.1%.  The country that visits the most Instagram page is the US with 19.1%, followed by the UK with 15.5%.

The foundation’s twitter page does not have as many followers as Instagram and Twitter, with only 177 followers, and 484 tweets. They post content at least twice a week, they do not get many likes on the tweets. However their most liked tweet has 45 likes, it is a picture with the story of a young Gambian girl. 

Nevertheless, on twitter, the page does not get much comments like Instagram and Facebook. Most of their content is mostly photos and videos, same as the other platforms. 

Social Media Channels Analysis 

As seen on the audit presented above, the biggest amount of followers they have is on Facebook. After carrying out the Audit, it has been analyzed that the platforms that the foundation are most active on are Facebook and Instagram. However the platform where there is more engagement is unquestionably Instagram. The SaGG website is linked on all platforms which makes it easier for individuals to find your website throughout your social media channels. Their target audience is mainly women aged 21 to 40 years old. The foundation’s marketing strategy is simply playing on the emotional side of individuals, they try to reach their hearts before their minds, by informing them on girls’ cases and what impact would their sponsorship or donation have on these girls. 

Site Audit 

The foundation’s website has a 80% site health, which is a good score overall, the site performance was 87% which is also a good score. The authority score which determines the overall quality of a website, was 16, which is low. There are 132 organic search traffic, and 94.6% of the intent is informational. 

Competitor Analysis 

Their Instagram is not as eye pleasing as the SaGG foundation however as shown below, they are more intimate on it, they share more personal photos including activities the girls participate in, what they do on a daily basis. 

On their twitter page, they don’t only tweet about their foundation, they also post job opportunities which leads to more engagement from the audience wanting to get involved with the organization.

Industry Social Media Trends

TikTok is the biggest social media trend at the moment, many businesses have already adopted it, however most non profits are not on the app yet. TikTok is emerging and it is necessary for foundations to opt for it in order to reach younger audiences by touching them emotionally through creative content.

Livestreams is another social media trend that organizations should start adopting on their social media content management. Going live enables businesses to engage personally with their followers by answering questions, interacting, and meeting their followers. 

Another trend that is becoming more frequent on social media, is the hosting of remote or hybrid events on platforms, such as seminars, webinars, or campaign events. This can allow followers to attend online events and engage with the organization.

Recommendations & Social Media Goals 

Video content

The SaGG foundation has been inactive lately on Youtube, the platform enables engagement, therefore it would be better if the foundation started creating video content such as Life in a day of a Gambian girl and uploading it to their channel.

TikTok

The SaGG foundation currently does not have an account on TikTok, it is advised that they create an account and start posting videos on the platform following the current trends.

Livestream

It is advised that the SaGG foundation adopts the livestream culture, especially on the Instagram platform, as it is frequent nowadays.

Reels

The SaGG foundation should start creating content on Instagram through Reels, it helps with the algorithm , it allows organizations to be more discoverable on the app, and it boosts brand awareness.

References

Aventri (n.d.). The 2021 Virtual and Hybrid Events Guide | Aventri. [online] www.aventri.com. Available at: https://www.aventri.com/strategy/virtual-events.

earthweb.com. (n.d.). Instagram Live Statistics 2022: Is Livestreaming Effective? – EarthWeb. [online] Available at: https://earthweb.com/instagram-live-statistics/.
Geyser, Werner. “TikTok Statistics – Revenue, Users & Engagement Stats (2022).” Influencer Marketing Hub, 11 Jan. 2019, influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-stats/#:~:text=in%20March

The post Social Media Listening first appeared on wbsdigital.