Lonely Ghost: A Brand That's Doing Things Right

A brand that I have been following and admiring since 2019 is "Lonely Ghost". Lonely Ghost is an Utah based clothing brand that sells sweatshirts, sweatpants, t-shirts, hats, and many other items. Lonely Ghost is one brand that does an amazing job at engaging their followers and maintaining a loyal support system, so let's talk about it!

So, What Is Lonely Ghost?

Lonely Ghost is an iconic streetwear clothing brand that was founded by India Blue Severe (aka Indy Blue) and one of her best friends, Bronson Christensen. Lonely Ghost takes meaningful statements and puts them on clothes. Their most iconic line is "I LOVE YOU SAY IT BACK". According to an article on Pitt News and based off what I know from Indy Blue via social media, "This mantra is the Lonely Ghost movement" and that "The brand name came from a screenshot of her childhood ex- boyfriend, Jackson Dunford, sent her, reading "Say it back". It's actually sweet because the ex-boyfriend that inspired one of the main slogans of her brand is now her husband. The actual name of the brand, Lonely Ghost, comes from a moment Indy Blue had sitting on a train. She states on one of her websites (lonelyghost.co) that "I came across a picture of a ghost with the word 'LONELY' scrawled across the bottom" and "I couldn't get it out of my head. 'Lonely Ghost'". This brand is full of personalized feelings and memories that get turned into cool clothes. Are you intrigued yet?

So, How Is Their Content So Engaging?

Lonely Ghost has grown from something small to a pretty large following on social media with a high level of follower engagement. Their Instagram, @lonelyghost, currently has 266,000 followers with tons of aesthetic content and meaningful ways to connect. Their Tik Tok account, @lonelyghostco, with 69,500 followers, features videos with similar engaging captions. The main thing that Lonely Ghost does to engage their followers is they ask their followers deep, meaningful questions that make their social media accounts a safe space to share in. Lonely Ghost also keeps their followers engaged by giving their devoted followers the chance to be added to their 'PR list' by having contests in their comment sections. Half of their Instagram posts include a caption saying that the best answers to their question will be added to the PR list. They also have posts where they tell the followers to tag someone they love or someone they're thinking of in the comments for a chance to get on the PR list. One example, shown below, is "Tell us your favorite spooky tradition and we'll add 10 of you to our PR list". Not only do they have followers engage to win a free hoodie or be added to the PR list, but they ask questions just to check in. They genuinely like hearing how their followers are doing, and they care to check in.

Why Ask Questions?

So you may be wondering why this brand tries to ask deep questions all the time, and my answer is that they are more than just a clothing brand; They're a community. People who follow Lonely Ghost and purchase clothes/ support the brand are part of what they call the "Ghosty Gang". Indy Blue herself constantly opens up about her life, her struggles, and her deep thoughts on her personal Instagram. It's clear to see that her and her team carry that vulnerability and sense of openness into her brand.

Their main slogan, as mentioned earlier, ("I LOVE YOU SAY IT BACK") comes from a personal memory from Indy Blue and serves as a reminder to tell people that you love them more often. One of their other sayings that's on many of their clothing items is "Text Me When You Get Home". This serves as another way to tell someone you love them and a reminder to always check in on your people. Another one of their clothing drops included clothing items with the phrase "It's Cool To Care" on them. I actually have one of their t-shirts with this saying on it. This phrase went along with a collection of posts encouraging people to care more about the Earth, be more conscious of their environmental impact, and simply just care more. It is cool to care, and I love that they bring awareness to issues through their clothing. Overall, Lonely Ghost finds new and creative ways to connect people through their clothes. I admire that they seek to be a safe place for people to share about their lives and a constant reminder to love people well.

What Does Engaging Content Really Mean?

So, I've talked about this brand having highly "engaging" content, but what factors qualify content as engaging? Let me share with you what I found. A Forbes article written by Stephanie Wells breaks down five psychology-based tips for making content more engaging. Those five tips are "Inject some emotion", "Use reciprocity", "Create curiosity", "Promote belongingness", and "Use FOMO". Now, let me break these down and use Lonely Ghost's content as an example for each of these tips.

The first step on Wells' list is to "Inject some emotion". In the article, Wells explains that "If you post something that evokes emotion in your followers, they'll be more likely to feel that emotion, too, and engage with the post". By asking questions like "What are you manifesting" and "Would be cool if everyone could comment something they love about themselves", Lonely Ghost is evoking positive emotions attached to the meanings behind their clothes. I think it's cool to read through the comments on their Instagram and see people get vulnerable with strangers on the internet.

Now, for the tip to "Use reciprocity", Lonely Ghost does a great job of giving back to their followers that support them. Wells suggests that "To boost your engagement on social media, offer to do something nice for your followers". As I mentioned previously, Lonely Ghost is constantly hosting contests to win free clothes and chances to be put on the PR list, which is usually a list geared toward influencers and celebrities that have large followings. Lonely Ghost truly cares about the people who support their brand, and they are constantly finding ways to include their fans and reward them back.

The next tip is to "Create curiosity", which Wells explains as"Create curiosity by teasing your followers about an exciting, upcoming announcement; they'll be more likely to stay tuned in to all of your upcoming social media posts". Lonely Ghost often posts vague content that alludes to a new clothing drop coming soon, which is exactly what Wells explains to do.

The next tip on Wells' list is to "Promote belongingness". Wells suggests that "An easy way to promote belongingness and boost engagement on social media is to like and reply to comments from your followers. Liking and replying to comments will make users feel seen and appreciated". The people who run the Lonely Ghost social media indeed like and reply to comments on their posts to increase a sense of belonging.

For the very last tip, Wells proposes that brands "Use FOMO", which is the abbreviation for the phrase "Fear of missing out". Wells explains that "You can use FOMO to increase your engagement on social media by not just listing the benefits of whatever you're promoting but by telling your audience what will happen if they miss out". I have seen posts on Lonely Ghost's Instagram that basically are saying "Hey you'll be even cooler if you have this piece of clothing". FOMO is a real thing, and if you feel like everyone else is going to have something, you may want it too.

As you can see, Lonely Ghost literally checks all the boxes. I have been following this brand for a long time, and I love seeing what new, crazy things they do with their brand. It's such a great feeling to feel welcomed and connected to a brand that also promotes such positive feelings and a sense of community. If you haven't checked out their stuff, you probably should, so here's the link again: https://lonelyghost.co/

My Thoughts On Lonely Ghost:

*Correction: Lonely Ghost was created in 2019, not 2016. For clarification, I have been following Indy Blue on social media since 2016.*

Sources:

Christensen, B. (2019, September 16). REMEMBER INDY THE LABEL? – LONELY GHOST. LONELY GHOST™. Retrieved October 13, 2022, from https://lonelyghost.co/blogs/blog/remember-indy-the-label-this-is-her-now-feel-old-yet

Rowan, J. (2021, October 24). Offbeat | Joining Indy Blue's “Ghost Gang”. The Pitt News. Retrieved October 13, 2022, from https://pittnews.com/article/168106/blogs/offbeat-joining-indy-blues-ghost-gang/

Wells, S. (2019, May 23). Five Psychology-Based Tips To Boost Engagement On Social Media. Forbes. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/05/23/five-psychology-based-tips-to-boost-engagement-on-social-media/?sh=1e91bfc67c68