Tips for social success

In a session at ECMOD 2012 in November, Lucy Uren of Rowen & Wren shared her tips for social success. Uren, a former John Lewis designer, launched the niche homewares business in April 2011 following prelaunch activity on Twitter and Tumblr. 


At ECMOD, she explained how Rowen & Wren had a social strategy right from the start and how the brand continues to engage with customers over social platforms. In true social-media style, she shared a few of her top tips:

• Blog: Rowen & Wren typically posts blogs three times a week, and topics range from spotlighting new products, highlighting press features, and posting photos that customers have sent in of Rowen & Wren pieces in their home. These blogs are then automatically posted on Facebook and Twitter for maximum exposure. Rowen & Wren is also a guest blogger on a wedding blog and Uren advised exploring opportunities that will allow you to blog for other people.

• Twitter: Uren recommended tweeting up to five times a day, with 10am and lunchtime among the more popular times to tweet. She said Twitter tended to be the social network used by journalists and bloggers, rather than consumers, so Rowen & Wren tailors tweets to appeal to the press and uses the medium to communicate with prominent stylists and bloggers.

• Facebook: This is the social network where most of Rowen & Wren’s UK customers are found. Because it’s such an accessible platform for customer interaction, Rowen & Wren uses Facebook to share images and blog posts, inviting its customers to become friends of the brand.

• Pinterest: According to Uren, Pinterest is “outstanding”. It directs more traffic to the Rowen & Wren website than either Twitter or Facebook. Much of the activity on Pinterest comes from the US, but Uren says a growing number of UK traffic is generated by the site. To use Pinterest effectively, Uren recommended following and attracting influential “pinners”. If one of them “re-pins” any of your products, the result could be a huge spike in traffic and potentially sales. Uren said she pins every evening—a mix of Rowen & Wren’s products and interesting images from around the web.--MT