SaleServant?s Lenka Gourdie on how to succeed in the world of fashion affiliates

How fashion digital platforms SalesServant and BagServant works with retailers and designers

 
Social Media Portal (SMP): What is your name and what do you do there at SaleServant?

Lenka Gourdie (LG): Lenka Gourdie. CEO of SaleServant and BagServant.co.uk.


SMP: Briefly, tell us about SaleServant, what is it and what does the company do?

LG: SaleServant is a digital marketing platform offering a low cost affiliate solution to small to medium sized fashion brands and emerging designers. We also offer educational services and help them to sell more products online.

SMP: When did you start Saleservant (and why), how many people work where and how is the company funded?

LG: We started SaleServant a few months ago. The idea was born from BagServant.co.uk, which is an affiliate marketing site for bags. We are four people and we tend to outsource the majority of our work. We are self-funded but looking for external funding at the moment.

SMP: Who are your target audience/s and why?

LG: Small to medium sized fashion brands and emerging designers globally.

SMP: How do you help brands, designers, fashion publishers, retailers etc. (and what role is digital and social media technology play in assisting you do this)?
 
LG: We connect brands with fashion sites to promote their products in exchange for a pre-agreed commission. We provide them the technical solution to be able to track consumer activity online.  

SMP: How is SaleServant connected to BagServant and how does that relationship work?

LG: We set up BagServant.co.uk two years ago. We learnt all about affiliate marketing and wanted to work with small to medium brands, but they did not have affiliate marketing in place. We set up SaleServant to offer a low cost solution to these brands and connect them with other fashion sites and magazines. BagServant is one of the many publishers for all handbag brands.  

SMP: How did you initially attract users to the site (and brand) and how do you do it now?

LG: We have a network of designers we have worked with and we also do a lot of direct selling and social media. However, we are putting a strategy in place to work with other commercial partners to help us to promote our solution in exchange for a referral fee.

SMP: How do you get fashion bloggers involved and how can they reach out to you?

LG: We have involved fashion bloggers in BagServant.co.uk. Some of these fashion bloggers are becoming the fashion publishers for SaleServant as they can monetise their efforts through using affiliate marketing.

SMP: What are the low moments of what you have been doing so far (and especially in regards to SaleServant)?

LG: As a start up company on a low budget it is much more challenging to find the right talent. We have searched for a graphic designer to help us to do our infographics, and we lost count of the people we briefed before we got the right one.

SMP: What are the high moments of what you have been doing so far (and especially in regards to SaleServant)?

LG: Signing up the first premium brand I had targeted for our service.  I love the moments of success and seeing brands wanting to work with us and helping them to succeed. I have also shared my personal experience from BagServant?s social media tactics, a few of them managed to receive a few social media awards online.

SMP: What are the main social channels are you using, why and which are the most effective for SaleServant?

LG: Our long-term mission is to use all of them. I personally believe that social media is a great tool to engage your customers and different channels may reach out to different stakeholders.

SalesServant is social from:
@saleservant
Pinterest
Facebook

SMP: What sort of activity / engagement are you receiving across the social channels that you use and how to create / sustain this?

LG: At the moment we are using Twitter and Pinterest, but starting on Facebook and LinkedIn. We are planning to launch a few marketing campaigns on social media and use other experts to engage our target audience.

As for BagServant.co.uk, Twitter and Facebook have been good channels for us. We run our regular Bag of the Month competitions, it engages our followers and likers.

SMP: What is the most challenging part of building upon your brands presence in digital environments (including social media)?

LG: The market is very competitive in whatever you do. I feel that as a small business, resources are the issue to have the time to utilise all channels in the right way to drive traffic. I feel that it is about prioritising the key tasks.

SMP: What do you see as your biggest challenges and opportunities for fashion brands in regards to the impact of digital and social media?

LG: We need the brands that work with us to be active on social media and use at least some other marketing tactics to engage users. Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective ways to engage customers but doing other things right help.

SMP: What?s going to be the most interesting aspect regarding social media, social networks and/or technology for the next 12 to 18-months for fashion brands and why?

LG: It has to be the changes to Twitter post IPO.  Is this going to be a good thing or will it go the way of Facebook and Google?s monetisation and your Twitter reach will become 5% of what it was unless you get your credit card out with every tweet.

SMP: What are your top predictions for social media for the next 12 to 18-months?

1. Social media will be more and more important but brands will become more vary when it comes to using the right channels
2. They start to measure the impact of their social media efforts
3. More tools and services will be launched
4. More agencies will be launched to offer this as a service
5. Social media will be integrated into a variety of other services and offerings as a part of the key product

SMP: What are your top social media tips for fashion brands?

1. Don?t sell to your followers
2. Engage them in a conversation
3. The best way is to create an avatar of your perfect customer.
4. Identify what they like, what they are interested in and have a conversation with them. Share information about your brands and behind the scenes.
5. Become the GO TO destination for the information you can share with your customers/followers.  

SMP: Is there anything else we should know, or is there anything that you?d like to share?

LG: When it comes to social media. The more effort you put into it, it will return it to you later on. Keep going and don?t give up. Be open to new ideas and watch and learn from those who do well.   I am personally proud of my Twitter awards for BagServant.co.uk such as SBS, WOW and the smartest Smarta business of the week. I know it takes time, but you will get there.

SMP: Best way to contact you and SaleServant?

LG replies with lenka @ saleservant.com


SMP: What did you have for breakfast / lunch?

LG: Protein shake with coconut oil

SMP: What?s the last good thing that you did for someone?

LG: Helping fashion designers and seeing them grow

SMP: If you weren?t running or working on Saleservant what would you be doing?

LG: Running a fitness business and health nutrition or selling a sexy fitness clothes line

SMP: What was the last fashion item you bought online and where from?

LG: Sweaty Betty ? a fitness top

SMP: When and where did you go on your last holiday?

LG: Venice, Italy. Working holiday in the Czech Republic.

SMP: What?s the first thing you do when you get into the office of a morning?

LG: Check my emails

SMP: If you had a superpower what would it be and why?

LG: Make everybody to eat healthily and exercise regularly. Buy the fashion items they want without being influenced by external factors.

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