Fashion designer Nicole Miller is expanding her social media presence to video, becoming the first designer on VYou. Miller, a self-proclaimed social media fanatic (the designer is a regular poster to Instagram and Facebook) is using VYou to interact more with her fans and show the authenticity behind her label.
"VYou lets us show it is Nicole Miller answering the questions and just talking to people herself," Allison Hodge, Miller's vice president of communications and marketing, tells Mashable. "It isn't like the man behind the curtain; it's actually the designer."
As the first fashion designer on the site, Miller has the opportunity to shape her brand in a new way. Hodge says VYou will open up chances for behind-the-scenes videos as Miller drapes dresses in the collection. Or, Hodge says, Miller may post videos of two different dresses to get direct and immediate customer feedback on how to edit them.
VYou released a redesigned homepage this week to highlight featured content and users, including Miller. VYou also upgraded its search interface making it easier for users to look for topics people are asking questions about.
VYou has seen an uptake in high-profile users. Other than Miller, Oprah Winfrey and Ariana Huffington are on the site, and senators and congressmen have begun flocking to the social media platform.
Steve Spurgat, CEO of VYou, says the new interest in video within social media could be attributed to the "accessibility" it allows with well-known public figures. With video, users can ensure they're interacting with said figures, rather than their social media managers.
More so, Spurgat tells Mashable VYou helps "personalize and humanize" virtual conversations.
"In the real world we don't interact in a breaking news kind of way," he says. "VYou brings more personality into the situation when you're just looking in a camera and talking to the audience answering their questions."
Hodge says Miller will be on VYou at least once a week answering questions and posting videos.
Miller answered a Mashable interview question using VYou. Check out her answer here: