• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, October 1, 2015

“The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about,” said Oscar Wilde, but he might have added, “or not talking about yourself.” That’s the predicament many luxury brands are finding themselves in on social media, according to a new report from Brandwatch, titled “Social Insights on the Luxury Fashion Industry.”

The Brandwatch study, based on a survey of 32 high-end brands, found that luxury brands have virtually no voice on social media, as 99.6% of Twitter content mentioning luxury brands is posted by consumers, leaving a tiny sliver that comes from brands.

At first glance that might seem like a good thing -- after all, isn’t the whole idea to get people talking about your brand on social media, and let them do most of the talking? At the same time, some luxury brands may feel they risk becoming, how shall we say, “common” by posting on social media.

However Brandwatch notes that such a skewed ratio of consumer-to-brand content isn’t actually advantageous for luxury brands, for a couple key reasons. First of all, the concern about damaging the aura of “exclusivity” which many luxury brands cherish is misplaced: you can talk to people about your brand in an aspirational context without diminishing its exclusivity.

At the same time posting to social media and interacting with social media users is an effective way to build loyalty among existing customers. Luxury brands have long encouraged the perception that customers enjoy a personal, emotional relationship with them, in keeping with the artisanal quality of the product; social media is just another channel to acknowledge and reward customers for their love of the brand.

Of course, as with other forms of “high touch” communication -- in-store service, events, and so on -- it’s important to get it right. That means quick, thoughtful, substantive responses, and immediate attention to any customer service issues.