SMCLA Beyond Fashion Panel - Event Recap

"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things." - Jean Cocteau

The same could be said about Twitter. Smack in the middle of LA Fashion Week, Social Media Club Los Angeles thought it would be the right time to hold a panel on how fashion brands and the companies behind them are using social media and ingenuity to dominate the industry and reach customers. Attendees dressed to impress and arrived ready to hear from our amazing panel.Moderator Tara Gardiner (@GardinerConnect) kept the event moving at a brisk pace, asking each of our panelists great questions pertaining to influencer marketing, customer service on social, community building and analytics:Here are some of the nuggets of wisdom provided by our panelists Twitter style:On building a community:"It's not our priority to be different, it's all about personalization." - Kristi Marquez (Director. Social Media, ShoeDazzle)"Building a community is the greatest thing a brand can do." - Laura Knapp (VP of Digital Content, SRAX Digital Impact - Social Reality)"People are looking for the story behind the brand and something a little more nostalgic." - Kristi MarquezOn data and new tools:"Make sure you're analyzing your data correctly so you understand consumer touch points - John Tomich (CEO & Founder, Onestop Internet)"Don't be afraid to experiment with new tools and sites." - John TomichOn managing clients and teaching them about social:“Social media is a lot about education. We educate clients that it's about quality, not quantity.” - Laura KnappOn customer service in social:“We try to answer every single inquiry & comments, but for us it's very manual” - Kristi Marquez  On searching for bloggers/influencers:“It's a lot more scalable for us to go through affiliate programs.” - John TomichAfter the panel ended, attendees talked amongst themselves, networked and sipped on spring water and coffee provided by sponsors Icebox Water (@iceboxwater) and Dogtown Coffee (@DogtownCoffee). Attendees also enjoyed the decor and ambiance of General Assembly (@GA_LA), who hosted this event for SMCLA.SMCLA's next event will be a member exclusive WordPress workshop taught by Adam Silver and will take place on November 8th at Mychal's Learning Place.If you would to learn more about Social Media Club Los Angeles or join us, here's some more information. Also, if you have any suggestions for what programs you would like to see next, send us an email: socialmediaclubla@gmail.com, tweet us @SMC_LA or like us Facebook.com/SocialMediaClubLA.