Intoday’sonlineworld,digitalmarketingandpromotionwillbeakeyaspectofyourmarketingefforts.Inthisguide,we'lltakealookatthevariousmethodsyouhaveatyourdisposaltopromoteyournewbrandusingonlineresources.
Bythispoint,youwillhavedesignedyourlineofclothingandcreatedtechpackswithdetailedmanufacturinginformationabouteachpiece(includingfabricandtrims).Youwillalsohavemadesamplesofeachpiece,whichwillhavebeentestedforqualityandwearability.
Fromtheverybeginning,it’sgoodtohavealaunchdateinmindwhenstartinganewclothingbusiness.It’snotaproblemforthisdatetochangeasyoudevelopyourbusiness,butwithoutadateinmindatthebeginning,you’restartingyourselfoffonatimelinewithnoenddate.Thiscanbediscouragingandactuallycauseyoutotakemuchlongerwhenplanningandcomingtoadecisionaboutcertainaspectsofyourplan.
Ifyou’vemadeittothestagewhereyou’reworkingoutyourmarketingplanandfiguringouthowbesttopromoteyournewfashionlineonline,thenyou’vealreadymadeprogresswithyourbusiness.Bythispoint,you’veprobablytakencareofthefollowingsteps:
So,you’veboughtyourdomainnameandsetupaserverandemailhosting,butnowwhatYouneedtoplanhowmuchofthewebsitesetupyouareabletodoyourselfandhowmuchofityouwillneedhelpwith.Goingintoawebsitesetup,youwillneedtoconsidersomekeyaspects,whichincludebutarenotlimitedto:
Fromprofessionalwebsitedesigncompaniestobuild-your-ownwebsiteservicesonthemarket,you’llneedtohaveorbringinsomewebdesignknowledgetohelpwiththeinitialsetup,layout,functionalityandongoingmaintenanceofyourwebsite.
Whenitcomestoprofessionalwebsites,imagessnappedonaniPhonewithoutgoodlightingjustaren’tgoingtocutit.Youneedyourcustomerstotrustthatyouareaprofessionalbusiness,andtheimageryoneverypartofyoursite,fromthehomepagetotheproductpages,needstoreflectthisprofessionality.You’llneedtoconsidernotonlyphotoshootsforproductimagesforeachproductpageonyoursitebutalsocampaignimagery,whichwillbeessentialincreatingthebrandidentitythatwillbedisplayedthroughoutyoursite.
Copywritingforawebsitecanoftenbeaforgottenaspect.Itisfrequentlyleftbehinduntilthetimecomeswhereyouhavetofillyourpageswithcontent,andyou’renotquitesurewhattosay.Ifyou’renotasolidwordsmithorifyousimplydon’thavethetimetocuratetherightwordsintherightway,considerbringingonatemporaryorfreelancecopywritertohelpyouvoicethetoneofyourbrandoneverysinglepageconsistently.
Asanonlinebusinessowner,knowledgeispower,andthemoreyoucanlearnaboutSEOyourself,themoresuccessfulyourwebsiteisgoingtobe.However,alongsiderunningaclothinglineandalltheconcernsthatonlinesellinginvolves,itcanbehardfindingtimetolearnaboutthebestwaytopresentyourwebsitetosearchengines.BringinginsomeonewithSEOknowledgecanhelpyoumakethemostofeverypageonyoursitebyusingtherightcontentandensuringthateverycustomer-to-becanfindyouontheirsearchesthroughtheamidthemassesofcompetitorsthatarealsovyingforatop10slotonGoogle.
Settingyourwebsiteupandclickingpublishisthestarttoyouronlinejourney.However,evolvingyourbusinessandlearningfromeachcustomertobetteryouronlinepresenceiswheresuccessreallyhappens.
ThisiswhereGoogleAnalyticscomesin.Givingyoudetailedinformationonwhereyourcustomersarecomingfrombeforetheyvisityoursite,howlongtheystay,whichpagestheychoosetovisitandforhowlong,andthelastthingtheylookatbeforetheyleavearejustsomeofthekeydetailsthisplatformcancheck.
HerearesomeofthekeymetricsonGoogleAnalytics:
Ifyoudecidetostartthisprocesswithoutaprofessionalwebdevelopertosavemoneyinyourbudget,youwillneedtoresearche-commercestoreoptions.Withthesetools,youcanbuildasiteforyourbrandusingatemplateplatformthatispre-builtforthosewhodonothaveskillsincoding.Lookintothefollowingcompaniestodecideifthisissomethingyouareabletotakeon:
Withthesecompanies,youcancreateprofessional-lookingwebsitestostartyourbusiness.However,youneedtobearinmindthatasyourbusinessscalesandyourequiremoretechnicalspecificationsforyoursite,youwilllikelyneedtobringadeveloperonboard.
High-resolutionimagesarecriticalforcreatingaprofessionalwebsite.NotonlywillyouneedspecificproductimagesforyourindividualproductpagesbutyouwillalsoneedstunningPRshotsofyourclothing.
Everytypeofsocialmediachannelshouldbeusedfordifferentbusinessgoals,andthisformofpromotionshouldnotbemistakenforsimplyhavingafewsocialmediaaccountsandpostingonInstagramorFacebookwithoutastrategy.
Organicsocialmediaisthetypeofpromotionyouwilldothroughyouraccountforfree.Thisisyourdailypostingformat.Byusingstrategiesinvolvingthingslikehashtagsandcompetitions,youcanstarttocreateawarenessofyourbrand,butthiskindofpromotionrarelyleadstodirectsalesunlessyourbrandhasahugefollowing.
FromInstagramtoYouTube,paidpostscanreachoutsideofyourcircleoffollowers,andbyusingtargetedaudienceselection,youcandefineyouridealcustomerandmakeyourall-importantpostsvisibletothepeopleyou’remostinterestedinreaching.Althoughmanybrandshaveseensuccessusingpaidsocialmediapromotion,itcanbebothexpensiveanddishearteningifyoudon’texperiencethosehoped-forresults.
Whileinfluencermarketingandbloggeroutreachmaybeapartofyoursocialmediaplan,itisnowastrategyofitsownwithinmanyglobalbrands’marketingplans.Withanoverwhelmingareaofthespacetoenterwithoutin-depthknowledge,itisworthconsideringhiringabloggeroutreachspecialistwithadatabaseandcontactlistwhocanhelpyoutoconnectwiththemostrelevantinfluencersinyournicheandformworkingrelationships.
Notonlythis,buttheinfluencertrendsfor2019predicttheuseofmoreinfluencersthanever.Brandsarenolongerlookingattheirtop10influencerstoworkwithbutareinsteadamassinglistsof100oreven1,000creativestorelyonfortheirinfluence,whichbuildsanetworkofambassadorswithsmallerindividualfollowingsbutmorewithmoreeffectasawhole.
IfInfluencermarketingisnewtoyou,thereareseveralonlinetoolsyoucanusetohelp:
SEOisnotsomethingthathappensovernight,soifyou’renotapro,getapersonorteaminfromthebeginningthatcanhelp.Withanythingfrommetatagstosuper-richsearchengine-optimizedcontentoneverypageofyoursite,workingonthisfromthebeginningwillhelpyouconsistentlyimproveyourGooglerankings.AfocusonSEOwillalsoensurethatyoudon’tendupwithasitethatneedsacompleteoverhaulseveralmonthsdowntheline.
Withinyouronlinepromotionstrategy,youmightalsowanttoaddyourownbrand’sblogtoyourwebsite.Havinghigh-quality,regular,and(mostimportantly)super-relevantcontentwillhelpyoustarttoappearinGooglesearchesforrelevantkeywords.Investingheavilyinyourblogalsoaddsanelementoftrustforyourcustomers.
Weoftenhearaboutlink-buildingstrategieswithouttoomuchinformationprovidedregardingwhattheyareandhowtheywork.Themostimportantthingtorememberasyoupursuelink-buildingisthatqualityismuchmoreimportantthanquantity.Theonlywaytogetreal,high-qualitylinksbacktoyoursiteisbyprovidingcontentthatisworthlinkingto.Thisiswhereyourblogarticlescanreallycomeintoplayifdonewell.
Wecouldgoon.Butwe’llleavethevideomarketingfactshereandletyougetbacktoplanningyourfirstvideomarketingcampaignforyournewclothingline.
Themostimportantfactorinemailmarketingisrelevance.Withonly9%ofmarketersconfidentthatalloftheiremailsarerelevant,it’snowonderthisstrategyisn’tgivingthemthebestresults.Thinkuprelevant,useful,andexcitingcontenttosendtoyourcustomers'inboxestoensureyoudon’tgetanautomaticdelete(orevenworse,aclickofthe"ReportSpamandUnsubscribebutton).Buildinganemaildatabaseisdifficult.Trytoenticepeopletoleavetheiremailsonyoursitewithaslogansuchas“Leaveyouremailfor10%offyourfirstorder!”
Nowthatyouhaveabasicunderstandingofthesevenapproachesyoushouldtaketomarketingyourfashionbrand,it'stimetofocusinonthemarketingapproachthatyoushouldemphasizemorethananyother:socialmediamarketing.Connectingwithpotentialcustomersandengagingexistingcustomersonsocialmediaplatformsisanincreasinglyintegralaspectofanyeffectivemarketingstrategy,andthistoolisevenmoreeffectivewhenitcomestopromotingaclothingbrand.
Paidsocialmediamarketingmightbeoverrated,butwe'llcoverthebestwaystousethismarketingstrategyaswebreakdownthetopmethodsforpromotingyourbrandoneachofthetopsocialmediaplatforms.Remember,however,thatpostingcontentthatnaturallyengagesyourtargetaudienceandeffectivelytellsyourbrandstoryisvastlysuperiortorelyingonspammedpaidadsthatcauseconsumerstoturnawayindisgust.Yoursocialmediaknow-howwillmakeallthedifferenceasyoupromoteanewproductordrivemoretraffictoyouronlinestore,andhere'swhatyouneedtoknowaboutboostingyouronlinemarketingeffortsonthefollowingsocialmediasites:
Whencombined,thesestatisticspaintaveryclearpicture:Instagramisthemostimportantassetinyoursocialmediatoolboxifyouwanttoconnectwithfashionbloggersandtargetaudiencesinapowerfulway.Butwhat'sthebestwaytouseInstagram,andisthisplatform'spaidmarketingworthit
MostInstagramusersdon'tgotothisplatformtoreadtext;iftheimagesyouusetoaccompanyyourpostsaren'tcompelling,thenyourbrandwon'tgetattention.Trytotellastorywithyourpictures.Ifyouwant,youcanevenincorporatetextintoyourimagestomaketheminto"memes"thatareeasiertoshareandretaintheirmeaningevenwhenthey'reusedoutsideofInstagram.
Keepinmind,however,thatconsumersareleeryofpaidcontent.Ifyouwantyourpaidpoststohaveanimpact,craftthemtobeasfreshandengagingastheywouldbeifyouweretryingtomakethemgoviralwithoutsweeteningthepot.
WhileFacebooknowownsInstagram,theseplatformscouldn'tbemoredifferent.InsteadoflimitingitselftoimageslikeInstagram,Facebookcastsawidernetbyalsoallowingtext-onlyposts.
Ifyouwantyourfashionbrandtogaininternationalrecognition,beingactiveonFacebookisamust.However,youshouldbeverycarefulwhenallocatingmarketingfundsforFacebookads;thestatisticsclearlyshowthatpayingmoneytosellyourbrandonthisplatformjustwon'tbeaseffectiveinthelongrun.
Facebookistherightplacetosharein-depthstoriesaboutyourbrand.It'salsoagreatplacetoengageinmoremeaningfulconversationswithcustomerssincethisplatform'scommentingandsharingfunctionsaremorerobustthanInstagram's.
Ifyouuseitcorrectly,Facebookcanbeagreattoolforboostingwebsitetrafficandprovidingsneakpeeksonnewclothinglinesorbrandimprovements.What'smore,don'tforgetthatyourFacebookpagealsohasanonlinestorefunctionthatyoucanusetosellyourfashionsdirectlytousers.
WhileTwitterofferspaidads,itdoesn'thavethesameassociationwithfashionore-commerceingeneralasInstagramorFacebook.WhatTwitterisgreatfor,however,isinteractingwithexistingcustomers.TonsofconsumerstaketoTwittertovoicecomplaintsorsharetheirsuccessstories,andasinthecasewithInstagram,it'seasytofollowwhoeveryouwantonTwitter.
Twitterisgreatforhottakes,andit'salsoanecessarycomponentofyourcustomeroutreachstrategy.However,itdoesn'tmakesensetorelyonthisplatformforpaidmarketing.Atbest,youcanhopetoproduceorganicviraltweetsthatgetsharedhundredsorthousandsoftimes,andkeepingacloselookatTwitter'strendinghashtagsisagreatwaytogetinonatopicthat'scatchingeveryone'sattentionatagivenmoment.
Fashionstartupsdon'tmarketonLinkedIntogrowtheircustomerbases.Rather,theybuyadsonthisplatformtobuildprofessionalrelationshipsandimprovetheirbrandauthority.
Togetstarted,you'llneedtomakeacompanypageonLinkedIn,andyou'llneedtoidentifyyourtargetaudience.Then,youshouldoptimizeyourpageforsearchengines,andyoushouldaddallofyouremployeestoyourprofile.
Afteryou'veequippedyourprofilewithengagingcontent,itwillbetimetodrawinpotentialcollaboratorswithpaidads.PaidmarketingonLinkedIncanbeaneffectivemethodforfindinginfluencersandotherpartners,butitshouldn'tbeahugepartofyouroverallmarketingstrategy.
It'simportanttoavoidgoingoverboardonsocialmediamarketingwhenyou'refirststartingoffasabrand.Unlessyouhaveabigfollowing,customersmightbeleeryoftrustingyouradvertisements,soit'sbesttobuildyourfollowerbasethroughword-of-mouthbeforeyoustartwhalingawayatthoseInstagramorFacebookads.
Instead,youshouldfocusongettingyourSEOcontentuptosnuff.Intheearlydays,mostofyourcustomerswillreachyouronlinestoreeitherviaword-of-mouthorviasearchresults,soyoushouldgetstartedonfillingupyourwebsitewithexcellentcontentrightoffthebat.Thepositivenewswhenitcomestocontentmarketingisthatyoucantakecareofthisprocessforfreeifyoudoityourself,butyoumightwanttorelyonaprofessionalwritertomakesurethatyourcontentispolishedandinviting.
Populatingyoursitewithhigh-qualityimagesisanabsolutenecessitywhenyou'rejustgettingstarted.Makethisstepatoppriority,andalsothinkabouthowyou'regoingtoreachouttobloggersandotherinfluencers.Gettingnoticedbyaprominentinfluencercantransformyourbrandpracticallyovernight,sostartmakingalistofcreativesyouwanttoworkwith.
Somefashionstartupsspendasmuchas50percentoftheirmonthlybudgetonmarketing,andwhilethatmightseemlikealot,thisapproachcouldpayoffinhugegrowth.Toplayitsafe,however,youmightwanttocapyourmarketingbudgetataround25percent.Thatway,you'llhavetimetoplayaroundandfigureoutwhatworksandwhatdoesn'twithoutputtingyourselfinthered.
Beingabletopromoteyourbrandmeansyou’vegottocreatecontent.However,average,everydaycontentwon'tdo:You'llneedtoproducegood,creativeblogposts,productpages,andsocialmediaposts.Tostandoutintheonlinespherethesedays,yourcontenthastobebeautifullyshot,entirelyon-brand,compelling,andmemorable.Whetheryouplantoworkwithpartnersandprofessionalsortakeonalotofthisworkyourself,puttingtogetheraplanandstrategy,includingabudget,willbecrucialtoensureyoumakethemostoutofeverychannelavailable.
Whilemanufacturingyourclothingcanbeoneofthehardestpartsofstartingyourownfashionbusiness,itisn'ttheonlyhurdleyou'llneedtotackleasyoutransformyourclothingbrandintoaninternationally-acclaimedhouseholdname.Onceyou’vemanagedtonavigatethesometimes-treacherouspathofcreatingtheproductstolaunchwithyournewbrand,you'llthenneedtopromoteyourclothinglineproperlytostartselling.
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