We were lucky to catch up with K Jhané recently and have shared our conversation below.
K, appreciate you joining us today. Do you manage your own social media?
So I work with a very small team to manage the social media platforms of the business–and by very small I mean me and one other person! I definitely underestimated it when we first began–I thought “surely creating content isn’t that difficult, I see it all the time.” But seeing and experiencing are two completely different things–and creating content is hard. Creativity is something I wouldn’t say I lack, but you have to have more than just creativity. Faith, resilience, time management, research skills, PATIENCE. Oh my goodness, it’s truly more than just getting in front of a camera. As a small business, hiring people to handle to social media isn’t something that is financially attainable at the moment, but doing it ourselves has been very rewarding and it challenges us to learn new hobbies–photography, cinematography, marketing. And when people see the work we’ve done and they compliment the photos and the marketing, and they are pleasantly surprised that we did it ourselves–it makes it all the more rewarding, espescially when they’ve told us how amazing of a job we’re doing despite it being a small team. But a small team does not equate small work or small results.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
“Curated through dreams of Romance, Soft-Glam, and Delicacy”. . .that’s per Jhané–we’re a boutique, a brand, a lifestyle, a philosophy, a promise. . .we’re here to remind women of the soft side of life and urge them to embrace delicacy unapologetically. We’re here to tell them to fall in love with themselves, to romance themselves and romanticize their lives–and that’s entirely what per Jhané Boutique is based off. I grew up seeing women who looked liked me being portrayed as persons who are not allowed to lean into their delicate and feminine side. . .not allowed to enjoy girlish and romantic things. Not just in fashion–but in media, books and so much else. Women who look like me and other women of color have always been placed–literally and figuratively–in roles where strength and sturdiness are needed. And though there is beauty in strength, I would like to remind everyone that we are allowed to be soft, we are allowed to be whimsical.
It’s gratifying to know that I’ve created a space for us to be those words. per Jhané Boutique curates clothing that, as soon as you put it on, encourages women to lean into their romantic hearts and embrace their softness.
We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.
For per Jhané we have our own website rather than selling through platforms such as Amazon and Etsy. One of the pros is complete creative freedom over how our website is presented to people. There’s also the pro of not having to be subjected to the [third party] platform’s algorithm, so our stuff is not put on the back end of their algorithm.
It is, however, tricky having our own website as we have to build a trust and ensure people that we are indeed a reputable business and our website and brand ensures a high standard of quality for our products. There are some websites, for example, that have good aesthetics and are pleasing to the eye, yet they don’t deliver that same quality for their products. It can cause people to be even more cautious about shopping online for clothing, which puts our boutique in a tight spot.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
What’s so interesting is, fostering brand loyalty and keeping a connection actually changes quite a lot and depends on the kind of clients you have. Some clients prefer constant or even day to day emails, so they can continously in the know. Other clients prefer a weekly basis–you have to find a median that works for all of you. As a business, you want to let your clients know that “Hey, we’re here and we appreciate you for being so good to us and supporting us”.
In a way, a familial connection is almost made. And that’s understandable because if you want client loyalty, then you should be genuine towards them. All in all, it’s about being genuine as well as keeping in touch with them without being overbearing. A weekly newsletter through email is how we keep the connection, as well as posting our clients in and with our products, showering them with love and thanking them. Letting them know when we’ll be doing events near this perimeter and inviting them to attend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://perjhane.com/
- Instagram: @perjhane
- Facebook: Perjhane
- Twitter: @perjhane