Facebook users feel the need to express themselves through their fashion brand preferences, but very few companies in the space seem to be executing on this. According to PageData, only 4 of the top 25 Facebook Pages in the fashion category are actually run by the fashion brands themselves:

• Victoria’s Secret PINK (#6, with 1.24 million fans)
• ZARA (#7, with 1.23 million fans)
• Dolce & Gabbana (#22, with 324,000 fans), and
• Gap (#24, with 319,000 fans).

However, while technology may be the last thing on the minds of fashionistas (and vice versa), Victoria’s Secret PINK and its following of 1.24 million Facebook fans show that fashion markters can and should consider leveraging Facebook Pages in their marketing efforts.

What’s Victoria’s Secret doing right? Talking to customers often (frequent Wall posts) in ways that bring value to them (special offers) and that draw them into conversation (likes and comments).

On the Victoria’s Secret PINK Page, you’ll notice that the administrator is consistent about posting information to the Page’s Wall. This alone already sets the Page apart from Pages like ZARA and Gap, both of which post status updates sparingly. Updates to the Wall need to find a balance between posts that are purely self-promotional and those that benefit and engage fans in some way. Unlike Dolce & Gabbana’s Page (above), which is heavily focused on self-promotion and offers fans few perks and opportunities to voice their opinions, Victoria’s Secret PINK Page complements self-promotional posts with value propositions: purchase that and get this for free; or sign-up for this and get that.

But perhaps most importantly is the ability to generate high quality posts, inviting fans to participate in a two-way conversation. On April 28 of last week, the following announcement was posted on Victoria’s Secret PINK Page:

By announcing that its PINK Collegiate Collection would be adding 24 more colleges to its list of exclusive schools, the update earned 4,287 likes and 476 comments, the majority of which pleaded that their schools be picked. Interestingly, in that same time interval, PageData documents a significant spike in the number of new Victoria’s Secret PINK fans per day, highlighting the positive impact of post quality on fan growth.

Generally speaking, technology meeting fashion makes sense, especially now. In an economy where retailers are suffering, low-cost but high-reach marketing intiatives are the key to achieving greater visbility and brand equity. And the two industries coming together makes a sort of intuitive sense: like social networking, fashion is another kind of platform for social expression.