Don’t Sweat the Metrics

mwindover    July 2, 2015

Organization name: Titika Active Couture™
TitikaLogoLg
Web references: Ark Media Group, Best Health Magazine, Business London Magazine, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Socially Fit, Titika Active Couture, Twitter, YouTube

Industry: active wear

Name of contact: Eileen Zhang, President

Company Profile
Titika Active Couture was born in Toronto in 2009, to founders and Eileen Zhang and Courtney Brooke. Their story is simple—two people who saw a gap and turned it into a business opportunity.

Titika’s clothing is workout-ready, made with high-quality fabrics and an edgy, feminine look that can be worn beyond the gym or studio. Being fashion-forward and functional is part of what makes Titika different form other activewear brands. Back in 2012, Titika made Best Health magazine’s list of “5 amazing Canadian yoga wear brands (that aren’t Lululemon).”

Sure, there’s the clothing, but the company also has a give-back mentality, 10 core brand values, and a highly positive mission statement.

“Our mission is to provide an empowering environment for women to conquer their passions through high-quality product, continuous research and development and community involvement: by testing and quality assuring our production process to provide the best product possible; by utilizing the latest technologies and innovations in our fabrics while maintaining focus on our environmental responsibility; by providing dedicated service to our communities in ways which are supportive and positive.”

Description of how social media is used for business performance
Titika has made a successful pairing of social media and a strong online presence to promote its products to its core audience of 19- to 50-year-old women. Those women have contributed to the company’s social media presence every time they’ve tweeted (3.2K), liked (14.5K), pinned (442 followers), and instagrammed (3.8K) @titikaactive. Newbies can join the mailing list or follow the company to receive a 10% discount on their first web order.

Furthering that social reach is the company’s new YouTube channel, on which it promises tips, tricks and trends.

The company’s blog posts also help consumers wear each look, or “rock this gear,” as the blog notes, in addition to providing seasonally relevant fitness advice. And fashion bloggers do their part, too, featuring Titika threads for working out or working it at a TIFF event.

Titika seeks out collaborations with consumers through its “Influencers” program. With this endeavour, fitness-forward people with social media savvy are invited to send their links to Titika and be rewarded with a little swag. The reward for Titika: credible voices with reach helping to expand the company’s reach and consumer base.

And, of course, there are regular giveaways to those who share their Titika style on Instagram—another effective method in the social media attack.

Through all of these efforts, Titika has seen its profile and sales rise, with consumers coming into one of the company’s physical stores—seven in Ontario—or purchasing online from Canada and the United States. Working with Ark Media Group, Titika increased its social media following and engagement by an average of 500%, which resulted in improved sales and features in fitness and fashion blogs. According to Wear New Media Studio, the website and online store they designed for Titika became an “instant hit” with existing followers and users, and further opened up the six-year-old brand to a new audience.

Lessons for others:
1. A strong social media presence, even in the absence of abundant traditional advertising, can translate into increased sales. Make an honest effort, measure your progress, and use the results to grow your brand.
2. Develop brand ambassadors by partnering with key consumers (see Titika’s Influential Leader program). Maximize their feedback—and brand loyalty—by translating it into new products, innovations and improvements.
3. Recruit from within and without the ranks to build an online review repository and spread the word on your brand.

Submitted by: Melanie Windover

To contact the author of this entry, please email at: melaniewindover@gmail.com

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Programme Director, Social Media for Business Performance.