Bergdorf Goodman + Killer Content = 110 Years Strong

As a luxury goods department store with a 110-year-old brand, Bergdorf Goodman has managed to defy odds with it’s forward-thinking content strategy.

The brand is a legacy, certainly — it was referenced heavily in Cary Grant and Doris Day’s That Touch of Mink 50 years ago, and is a favorite of Carrie Bradshaw’s in Sex and the City today — but not the kind of company you would expect to be on the cutting edge of technology.

The brand, though, has indeed found success in engaging digital fans — here’s how it does it and how your brand can replicate its success beyond industry lines.

Pieces in the Puzzle

Bergdorfs’ content strategy includes an active presence on multiple platforms. To start, Bergdorf’s blog is updated up to five times each day with high quality visuals often tied to internal content, such as the concepts behind the store’s latest storefront windows.

Its Tumblr nearly matches the blog in output, but is focused almost entirely on Instagram snapshots and quick images.

The ease of sharing on Tumblr comes into play for Bergdorf content — some of its posts have been re-shared more than 100 times.  Both strong content and topical influence account for this level of engagement.

Finding the Brand’s Voice

Finding the voice of a clothing brand — or any other brand for that matter — doesn’t need to be a difficult task.

It is important to note that the mind behind Bergdorf’s content is 20-something Cannon Hodge, who previously worked with the company for more than five years in trunk shows and special events. She explained in an interview, “We didn’t have a ‘This is what the voice is going to be like’ conversation.”

For Hodge, being the voice of Bergdorf is a full-time gig, beginning at 7 a.m. when she wakes up to check the brand’s channels and sometimes posting to Bergdorfs’ Twitter when she sees someone playing good music on the New York subway.

Having one person fully committed to Bergdorf’s outlets preserves the voice of the brand and also allows for its immense volume of content. Because Hodge knows the brand’s tone intimately from her time spent with the company, she is able to bring Bergdorf to a new generation of fans and potential consumers.

Going Where the Fans Are

Bergdorf bases its social activities on where its fans already are — Twitter and Facebook are the home bases, as for most large fashion brands — but the retailer isn’t afraid to branch out and try new platforms.

Bergdorf posts about 30 tweets each day, covering everything from fashion and beauty trends to office gossip and partying. Since Bergdorf only has one storefront, located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, local content makes sense. So, the occasional party or store pics don’t really alienate followers.

Bergdorf even takes risks with experimental inspiration sites like Pinterest. For example, Bergdorf has a pinboard of all things red — red shoes, lipstick and apparel from its own site, as well as other visually stimulating red items such as a case of apples.

Staying Relevant and Fresh

Bergdorf Goodman keeps its brand relevant with the digerati through its social media efforts. You can tell just by taking a look at its Twitter stream. But a deeper dive illustrates that this brand innovates quickly and adopts new social platforms into its strategy, based on how its audience is using those platforms and what type of content it can bring to the table.

Image courtesy of Bergdorf Goodman