During my internship at Sweet Caroline's Boutique in Oneonta, NY, I gained valuable experience and insight into the operations of a fashion boutique while working closely with the owner, Michelle Castle. I learned firsthand what it takes to successfully run a retail business and she shared practical advice and tips, particularly in areas such as marketing and product advertising, which gave me a deeper understanding of how to attract and retain customers.
Final Project Outcome
During my internship, I was responsible for creating social media content for Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, with the goal of highlighting new arrivals and attracting customers to the boutique. I regularly posted Instagram and Facebook Stories over the days I worked each week, providing details about new products and styling suggestions. This consistent content creation helped increase customer engagement, resulting in higher sales and bringing new shoppers into the store.
What I did
To complete my social media projects, I began by selecting and styling products to create cohesive looks that would appeal to a range of demographics. The product selection was typically based on current fashion trends. After styling the outfits, I modeled the clothing and took photographs that highlighted key details of each item. Once the photos were ready, I designed templates to showcase them, researched trending audio to use on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, and wrote concise product descriptions. When publishing the content, we always included direct shopping links to make the purchase process quick and convenient for customers.
What I learned
While working on these projects, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of marketing products on social media. Before we began promoting new arrivals online, many customers were unaware of the latest inventory or had difficulty envisioning how the pieces could be styled. Showcasing products in a styled, relatable way proved essential for attracting interest. For small businesses, advertising new items and demonstrating how they can be worn is critical to driving foot traffic—something larger corporations with established customer bases don’t rely on as heavily. Seeing the impact of these strategies firsthand was incredibly valuable and reinforced how powerful social media and thoughtful marketing can be. I plan to carry this insight with me when opening my own fashion boutique in the future.
