Sugar - A Digital Marketing Agency

03/19/2024

Is your business website working as well as it could? As well as it should? I am excited to announce the launch of my new service!

To learn more visit

If you’re someone who loves their website but doesn’t understand why it doesn’t translate to more customers and sales or you’re someone who knows something is “off” about their website but can’t place their finger on why, you’ll get what you need to increase traffic, rank better on G...

02/03/2022

It's not the hashtags - it's your content 😬

Sounds harsh I know, but let's face it, it is easier to reconfigure hashtag sets than determine what content your audience wants to see and why.

Figure that out and then test lot's of different content types. Try video, carousels, static posts, Reels. Track what works, what doesn't. Then create more of what works.

Then try different posting times, days and hashtag sets - those are the sprinkles on the sundae. The content is the ice cream 🍨

Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me what you think, I'd love to know!

01/25/2022

You make plus size but you don't show plus size?

If you are a fashion brand that makes pieces up to a size 14 (or 16, 18) why is it that on your social media and on your website I do not see one model of that size?

If you recognize that the plus size market brings the $$$ and you have pieces in your warehouse ready to be sold and worn; these pieces need to be modelled on an appropriate size model.

Let's get into it...

The stats for 2020 are readily available online and they show that the US plus size market was valued at 24 billion dollars that year. Yeah, that's a BIG B.

If you make pieces in plus size (that's a US 14 and up) then you recognize that there are customers looking for those sizes. You know that you can sell to them and take a piece of that BIG B pie. But you need to work for that piece.

Today plus size consumers have more options than ever - from small indy brands to huge international brands.

Gone are the days of having to dress business casual as a kid because those are your only options. The modern plus size consumer wants well made pieces that suit their tastes. Chances are if you're reading this, you're an indy brand and I'm going to be real with you - gone are the days when you can sell a poorly made, ugly plus size item, collect the money and call it a day.

The plus size consumer is probably the most savvy customer you can find. They are used to being burned by photoshop and thin models with padding over their bodies making clothes look good.

Simply put; if you do not use plus size models to model plus size pieces the potential customer might assume this brand is not for them, and they are just setting themselves up to be burned again.

Let me be blunt; if you make plus sizes you need to show your pieces on plus size models, not only size 2/4 models.

In summary; create an amazing buying experience for your plus size customers, show them you value them and that your brand is for them.

What do you think, do brands that carry up to plus sizes need to do a better job of showing plus size models in their social content and on their websites?

01/20/2022

If you've been looking to hire someone to run your brand's social accounts you've probably come across the terms "Social Media Manager" and "Social Media Strategist" what do they mean and what's the difference?

✨ Social Media Manager - this is the person that is responsible for the day to day aspects of social media accounts. They are responsible for making sure that your brand shows up on social media. They create, schedule and publish the content. They may also be the same person that responds to comments and DMs and does community management.

✨ Social Media Strategist - A strategist is less involved in the day to day workings of the accounts. They look at the big picture - how does the content published work with the brands goals. They create strategy based psychology, doing deep dive research on the brand's ideal customer and marketing psychology. When I talk about my BFF Method, I am referring to Social Media Strategy.

Today, most Social Media Managers offer strategy, simply because that is the best way to achieve the best results.

I offer both complete Strategy and Management as well as Strategy only packages. Maybe you're not ready to have someone work with you on your accounts monthly, but you need a clear path that will tell you what to post and how to attract your ideal customer. I will create a custom strategy - unique to your business. Cause I don't do cookie cutter. Let's make your brand and your customers BFFs.

Apply to work with me using the Link in Bio.

01/17/2022

One of the most common questions I get as a Social Media Manager is "what should I be posting?" If you're a fashion brand, you might feel confused because most of the advice you'll find is geared more towards service based businesses. Not to mention the dreaded "know, like and trust" factor is fairly ambiguous.

So here I am, you BFF Social Media Manager to save the day and tell you exactly the 3 types of content you should be posting if you sell online.

⭐ Lifestyle. This is the content that makes your ideal customer say, "hey, I like them, they get me!" If your brand were a person, they would immediately hit it off with your customer.

Examples: photos at the beach, at brunch, exercising, spending time with loved ones, at the club, getting ready for a dinner party etc

You get the vibe.

⚠️ To pull this one off you need to know your client avatar extremely well ⚠️

⭐ Product. This content lets your customer know and see in detail what you're selling. This content is straight to the point, no need to romance your customer here. Let them know why they should be getting your product.

Important; this is the time for clear, close up product shots.

Examples: sales announcements, descriptions of materials, fit and unique features.

⭐ Loyalty. This is the content that keeps your customers coming back over and over.

What are your brand's core values? What happens behind the scenes?

Examples: Are you woman owned, POC owned, do you donate to charities? Do you have a sustainability initiative?

These are the same pillars your fav brands use.
Go take a look and get inspired!

Was this helpful? Let me know in the comments what you struggle with when it comes to posting.

12/13/2021

This time of year is the busiest time in retail. From Black Friday Sales (which have become Black Friday week sales) to Boxing Day, you have your hands absolutely full. The last thing you want to do is plan your content - I totally get that. But you can do this!

Whether you sell through your social media or run a "keep the lights on" account the system I outline will work for you. This is the same system I use with my clients.

Here we go:

Break your content down into 3 categories:

1. Lifestyle. This is the content that connects with your customer, makes them feel like your brand really understands them. Examples; models at a party in your brand's clothing, models lounging on the couch, models spending time with friends, models hiking on a local trail. When I say "models" this can be anyone, maybe it's even you right now.

2. Product. These are the posts that sell. Take clear, close up photos of your products. Show the quality of the fabric, the patterns, the details. Talk very clearly and directly about the benefits. List prices, sizes and availability.

3. Loyalty. This is where you keep the customer loyal to your brand for life. Think about Lululemon or Patagonia. Their customers connect with the brand beyond the features of the product. Talk about what your brand believes in and stands for. Are you female-founded? Size inclusive? Do you have a do-good element like donating to a charity each month? What is important to you? Talk about it!

The world's biggest and most successful brands break their content into these categories. Now you know their secret!

Are you surprised that you only need these 3 types of posts for your fashion business? Have questions? Leave them in the comments 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

12/01/2021

Ok listen to me carefully, I am your Social Media BFF and we are going to talk through this together.

If you're a business owner you've seen it everywhere; and by "it" I mean the courses and posts. "Why your business needs to be on Tik Tok, " "How to Master Reels for Dummies," "If you're not posting to Pinterest you're a loser!" That escalated quickly....😬😬😬

Here's the thing, Tik Tok has massively grown some people's businesses (I've seen it with my clients even). Reels are a great way to get your content seen by a new audience and Pinterest is an absolute powerhouse search engine I've talked about lots. But if you are a one person show, it is just not possible to be on all the platforms yourself and do it all well. You might be really good at social media but you also might be losing your mind feeling like you have to show up everywhere.

Even if you have a social media manager on your team it doesn't mean you have to be ALL the places. You can show up effectively, grow steadily and having a thriving business by choosing a select number of platforms that work for you and with your business.

As you grow your team, and work with experts you can steadily add more platforms if you so choose! So take a breath, if you don't want to make Tik Toks don't! If you are ready to add a platform, go for it! Or maybe it's time to hire an expert and for you to work on other aspects of your business. Just an idea 😉

Tell me in the comments, have you seen this sort of stress inducing advice on social media?

11/19/2021

Are you a fashion brand that would like to offer your customers a special offer on Black Friday? Have you also realized it's a week away and you do not have your ducks in a row? 🦆 🦆 🦆

OK, let's not panic, I will walk you through this. You are going to do 3 things and 3 things only to prepare. Well, I am go to sneak in a 4th but it's optional.

1. Decide what special you will be running. Free shipping? 20% off? Special prices for Holiday themed items or for overstock?

2. Take some fresh photos of your products. Depending on what you sell, this may be a flat lay, a posed photo of yourself or a model etc. These need to be new photos that your audience hasn't seen before.

3. Create the sales graphics in Canva. Use a Canva template and change it to fit your business. We are in a time crunch here and Canva has excellent looking templates. Schedule one for Monday to prime your audience for the sale. Schedule the next one for Friday.

4. (Optional) Email your list letting them know that you will be participating in Black Friday.

There it is. The 3-ish 4-ish steps to organizing your Black Friday sale. Is there more that can be done? Absolutely. But done is better than perfect my friends! You can still make those sales even if you didn't have everything planned a month ago.

As your BFF Social Media Manager I am telling you you can do this! 💪💪💪

We'll save the better planning for next year 🤗

11/16/2021

Have you ever heard the expression "if it's cheap it won't be good and if it's good it won't be cheap?" Now of course there are exceptions but it's a good rule of thumb.

With freelance hiring websites like Fiverr, low balling companies posting Social Media Management jobs and catch all Virtual Assistants offering the lowest possible prices, social media management can live in a purgatory of not being valued as a skill.

Social Media Management is not simply posting. It includes:

☑️ Knowing the nuisances of every platform you work with (Instagram, Facebook. Twitter, Pinterest, Tik Tok). Each one has its own culture and what works on one may be a total non starter on the other.

☑️ Analyzing data and metrics - what content works and what doesn't. If it works, repeating more of the same. If it flops, analyzing why and what could have been done differently.

☑️ Creating and executing marketing campaigns. How and what do you sell during the holidays, Valentine's Day, the summer time?

☑️ Creating and editing graphics and videos. Repurposing content and making the best use of what's available.

Now if your marketing strategy does not include Social Media then maybe a very low priced package is what's right for you. Or maybe even better - right now in your business, it's best for you to handle the social media yourself. There are many business owners who are killing it doing their own social media. I see them everyday on this platform and I salute them!

However, if you are ready to add a Social Media Manager to your team I encourage you to look at more than just the bottom dollar when hiring one.

11/03/2021

The worst case scenario was coming true; the snowmobile was flipping and I was on top of it, about to be under it.

Several years ago I went snowmobiling in the scenic mountains of Whistler, Canada. Whistler is a world renowned ski and snowboarding destination, and I happen to live just 2 hours away.

I had been snowmobiling before, and after a rough start had enjoyed a very scenic and fun beginner ride. This time I was booked for an Intermediate tour and I was extremely nervous to say the least. I had asked for another beginner tour but my party insisted we didn't need it and could manage Intermediate just fine.

After our tour guide gave us the pre-trip safety instructions he said "Sometimes people flip, we'll laugh at you but we'll help you eventually." I thought "OK, all you have to do is not flip."

Almost immediately after the tour started I knew I was in trouble. I was almost driving off the road, almost into the side of the mountain, hairpin turns were everywhere and my heart was racing and my palms were sweating. I was hanging on for dear life and hoping that soon, this would be over.

30 minutes in, we are in deep snow, and if you know anything about snowmobiles, you know that slow and deep snow are NOT a good combo. The tour guide and other riders race up a hill with deep snow and a hairpin turn at the top. At this point I am about to throw in the towel but I tell myself no, I can do this! I muster all the courage I have and give it a go....not even half way up the hill, things go sideways (literally) and I am driving off the side of the hill and flipping. All I could do was hold on and hope I wouldn't flip more than once. Turns out I didn't have to worry because I just flopped over on my side. As I lay there with my pinned leg all I could do was wait for my group to notice I was missing and come back for me. They did come back, and lifted the snowmobile off me and thankfully did not laugh! I rode the rest of the tour to the finish line and hopped off as fast as I could.

Is this a story for LinkedIn or Instagram? Hard to say, but it reminds me of the quote "success is going from failure to failure with the same enthusiasm."

Careers and businesses are almost never smooth sailing and sometimes you end up in your worst case scenario. Pinned under a snowmobile on a mountain metaphorically. There are times when the fear is palpable and you rather be doing anything else and be anywhere else. This is my little pep talk to you, dear business owner, you are doing it! Even if it's with sweaty palms and a racing heart and missing a set of skills that you need.

If you need a team to give you a helping hand with a set of skills you don't possess, maybe this story will help you make that decision. You don't need to stay stuck. It's also a story to probably scare you away from snowmobiling haha.

10/05/2021

Brands during the IG/FB outage today. Are y'all OK?

This is a wake up call to get your SEO, Email Marketing and Pinterest up and working for your business. From your friendly digital marketer.

Have a happy Monday night everyone!

09/29/2021

"The person posting to your social media has no incentive to make you money." Jarring, I know.

One of the biggest myths about social media is that it is run by interns the world over. As if Zara, Aritzia, H&M, American Eagle and countless more brands are leaving a key element of their marketing strategy to a random intern with no experience or skills. Let me debunk that right now - they have large teams dedicated to their social media accounts.

So if your social media is currently being run by someone and it is not their main job description - they have no incentive to make you money. They have other tasks and responsibilities that are more important and crucial to their job retention. This isn't bad or wrong! This is normal! However, a social media manager does not treat your social media as an after thought.

One of the best pieces of advice I've heard is, don't take advice from people who haven't been where you are trying to go. So you're probably not trying to be the next Aritzia, but believe me when I say, the brands you do admire the ones who do want to be like, don't have an intern running their socials. Just food for thought!

09/27/2021

Running a fashion e-commerce business is no joke. There are a million things that need your attention. Scheduling launches, talking to production, sourcing and designing, filling orders, book keeping, just to name a few. Everyday as you're rushing around it hits "I forgot to post today!" You throw a post up, think of a quick caption and keep it moving. Does that sounds familiar to you? Or maybe you're very organized and you have your social posts scheduled but your business is thriving and you have less and less time and energy to plan your social posts.

Whether you're the former or the latter, it's time to get a social media manager. A social media manager is ready to take the task of thinking about your social channels everyday off your plate. We do more than just post. We analyze, report, brainstorm ideas and support your business! If social media is a part of your marketing strategy it might be time to hand it over to a professional.

08/26/2021

BREAKING HASHTAG NEWS

Instagram just confirmed something many people had suspected.

Are hashtags dead?

With engagement down across what seems like all accounts this summer, many people have wondered if hashtags are dead and not working anymore.

Nope, they're alive and well.

Instagram just posted a blog post explaining how their search works and how to best optimize your account and posts to be found by users. Within that blog is a sneaky sentence that will change how you post.

The Bombshell

Direct from Instagram's blog:

Use relevant keywords and hashtags in captions. For a post to be found in Search, put keywords and hashtags in the caption, not the comments.

It has been standard practice for years to put hashtags in the first comment of a post and for those of us in the game tracking analytics, there was no problem tracking hashtag stats through this method.

Now Instagram has told us, "no, stop that" and if we want our posts to be found we need to play ball.

TL; DR;

Start putting hashtags in the caption not the comments if you want your content to be found - Instagram says so

Personally, I have never liked the aesthetic of hashtags in the caption. I think it looks messy and is distracting. But! I want my content and that of my clients to be found and seen, so starting today I am switching to make sure I am working with Instagrams algorithm, not against it.

I am suspicious though for how long this change has been in effect, because Instagram has said in the past that it did not matter if the hashtags were in the captions or the comments.

However, I am one to roll with the punches so here we go!

Are you surprised by this news are did you suspect this already?

07/15/2021

Hi 🙋🏻‍♀️ I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Yana and I am a Social Media Marketing and Pinterest Strategist. I specialize in helping fashion e-commerce brands connect to their audience and make more sales.

When I started out in Social Media Marketing I was primarily working with service based businesses. I worked in the tourism, online education, coaching and professional sectors.

As much as I loved working with my service based clients, I kept coming back to my one true passion - fashion! A few years ago I was actively working on designing a sustainable line of dresses. Though I did not end up launching my brand, I still have the knowledge of what it takes to launch a fashion business.

It's hard work and a labour of love. I have seen this over and over with my clients. They love what they do and put their heart, sweat and literally tears into their businesses.

I have had the absolute privilege of working with fashion businesses in different niches (athleisure, women's luxury and accessories - to name just a few).

I'd love to work with you to grow you fashion brand too.

Some things about me:

▪️I'm based in Vancouver, Canada
▪️I prefer fruit flavoured desserts over chocolate ones
▪️I have two Yorkies that are high maintenance but so cute!
▪️I love to travel. Once it's safe to do so my next stop is the Dominican Republic
▪️I was born in Estonia
▪️I'm allergic to Pineapple but I will risk my life for a Pina Colada 🍹

I'd love to know more about you. Where are you based?

06/14/2021

You might be confused, you might be saying "but you offer Pinterest services!" And you'd be right.

To be clear, I am not here to bash anyone and just because someone calls themselves a Virtual Assistant it doesn't mean don't hire them. Now that I have that out of the way, let me explain.

The thing about Pinterest is that it requires strategy and knowledge unique to the platform. Pinterest is not social media, it is a visual search engine. It also has its own culture and user habits, same as each social media platform has its own culture.

If you have been on the Internet any length of time you know there is a difference in how people act and interact on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok for example. This is exactly the same with Pinterest.

To have success on Pinterest it is not enough to throw up photos and call it a day. It requires competitor and keyword research, as well as having an eye for trends and staying up to date with the algorithm.

I keep seeing Pinterest packages that offer a bazillion re-pins of other people's content as well as group board activity. It makes the packages more appealing because it seems like bang for your buck. However, group boards died their death in 2020. Pinterest rewards new content, not the same content re-posted many times. Why is that service still being offered even though it is not an effective way to market your business on the platform? Infer at will.

I have other similar examples of activities that bring no value but pad a package. This is why I come across Pinterest accounts with beautiful content but the account is stagnant.

Before hiring someone to handle your Pinterest account ask them about their strategy, ask them what kind of content they think will perform well and why.

So that is my controversial opinion for today!

Happy Monday, hope you have a great week. Tell me in the comments how you start your week. Is it by reading hot takes about Pinterest?! 🥴

06/04/2021

If you have a personal Instagram or Facebook account that you post to, you may feel that you can easily handle posting to your business account. And while that is true in the sense that you are totally free to create and post content to a business account anytime, it might not be in your best interest to do so. ⁠
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Marketing online is more complicated than most people realize and social media strategists do so much more than throw up a picture, emojis and hashtags and call it a day. ⁠
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As social media strategists we know best practices and trends for marketing online. We also know how to incorporate your online strategy with your overall marketing plan so that they work holistically together. ⁠
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Social Media Managers are data nerds; we collect metrics on page performance like engagement and followers. We focus on branding, brand awareness, create posting schedules, select posts to boost, and interact with followers among many other things. ⁠
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To market online properly, it takes a lot of time, knowledge and effort. As a business owner, you know that there are a million things that need your attention and some things just do not get 100% of your effort. ⁠
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It's time to switch it up, and bring someone on board to take your business social media to the next level.

05/31/2021

05/31/2021

05/31/2021

As small business owners we are used to "bootstrapping" a lot of things. We are our own tech support, fulfillment centre, customer service rep, stock manager, office manager and the list goes on. ⁠
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In the an effort to save money and get things done we tell ourselves that we can do it alone for just a little bit longer. And maybe that's true - you can go a little longer on your own. But where are you going?⁠
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I've talked to a lot of business owners and the reality is that a lot of them do not know where exactly they are trying to take their business, or they know but don't know how to get there. ⁠
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Here's the thing - if social media is a key pillar of your marketing strategy, then you need help. ⁠
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You can stop the random posts whenever you remember to do it, the stress of trying to figure out how best to use Instagram for your brand or trying to research what you should be posting and when. ⁠
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The fact of the matter is, if you don't post with a strategy then you are just spending time. That's where working alone often ends up - just spending time. And spending time, is not a money making activity. ⁠
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If any of this resonates with you, it's time to invest in your business and get a social media strategist on your team. ⁠
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If you haven't hired someone to help you with your social media, what's preventing you? Let me know in the comments.