Social media experts speak on best practices for branding businesses on the net.

Social media may seem easy enough, but if you’re a start-up fashion brand trying to carve out a space for yourself in the digital sphere, you already know that the process can be challenging. It was those very challenges that a group of social media aficionados and tech-curious entrepreneurs convened at Pigment Cosmetics to discuss during the most recent FASHION+TECH SF.

Online branding best practices and the complexities of internet marketing were hot topics, as were product presos from gift bag swapping phone app Swagg, Abrot Bags, talkTECH Communications and brand ambassador company RAF9.

Ania and Farooq of Abrot bags

The evening was engaging and informative with speakers Brad Carrick of Solz Shoes, Sabrina Bruning of Internet Savant, Uduak Oduak of Ladybrille Magazine, Willo O’Brien of Willo Toons, and Vishal Kalia of RAF9, all of whom took part in the panel focused on topics such as “How do you build online influence?” and “How much time do you invest in managing your online community?”

Formerly known as Fashion Mash-Up, this workshop hosted and organized by San Francisco Fashion And Merchants Alliance’s Owen Geronimo concentrated on the business of fashion and its growing relationship with technology. Local entrepreneurs, fashion designers, bloggers, retailers, startups, and tech-lovers interested in networking, brainstorming and sharing new business ideas are just some of the people who attended the event.

Attendees get acquainted with other entrepreneurs during the networking hour

Experts spoke about their company’s histories with social media and discussed how they set up a strategy and got social media to work for them. A few highlights:

- Sabrina Bruning and Willo O’Brien had this suggestion for brands who want more online influence and followers: be proactive. If you want a response from someone, tweet at them first. Just make sure what you’re tweeting is relevant and not spammy.

- Another social media tip that’s easy and effective: if you see that someone you follow is going out to an event, tweet at them to have a good time or wish them good luck. A little kindness goes a long way, and can help your brand get noticed.

- In terms of online social marketing tools, Twitter and Facebook seemed to be the fan favorites amongst the workshoppers, though the merits of newer applications such as Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram for visual-heavy purposes were also noted by several panelists.

Designer Ben Raviv (left) and SF Indie Fashion's Alexandra Naughton having fun with the #fashiontechsf hashtag sign.

Photography courtesy of Alexandra Naughton (except last photo, courtesy of FASHION+TECHSF)

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Alexandra is a San Francisco writer with a passion for style and creativity. You can find her on Twitter @theTsaritsa