So you’ve decided to move forward with creating your fashion brand, amazing! A fashion business is an amazing way to make money from something you have a vested interest in. If you have a unique style, can create your own items of clothing, want to sell accessories, upcycled items, pre-loved clothing, or literally anything else to do with fashion, you can start your entrepreneurial journey doing something you love.
However, making money in fashion isn’t always as easy as it might seem; profit margins for fashion businesses are notoriously low at around 4-13%, so making sure you aren’t wasting your time and money is vital to allow you to be successful.
This means not only do you need a good eye for style, attention to detail, and an ability to sell items people actually want to buy and wear, but you also need to know how to do so frugally to actually turn a profit and not lose money faster than you can make it.
One area that requires some investment but can be tricky to master is marketing. Marketing your fashion brand means you need to get your target audience spot on to make the most of your money and get a good ROI.
But how exactly can you do this? This post is going to dive into the best approaches for fashion entrepreneurs to maximize their marketing budget and boost those sales.
Get On Instagram and TikTok
Social media is a vital part of any business’s marketing strategy. However, not all social media platforms are equal in terms of being able to build an audience. When it comes to clothing or fashion-related items, people want to be able to see how they should be worn, how to dress them, and what they look like in real life.
For this reason, marketing via Instagram and TikTok can give you the best chance of success when promoting your items. Whether you set up lifestyle shoots, use models, or simply film behind the scenes, using reels and short-form video content will serve you well alongside images and detailed captions (on Instagram) to help you boost visibility and engage your followers. Always consider reaching out to a topย TikTok Ad Agencyย for quality strategies for your business.ย Whether you set up lifestyle shoots, use models, or simply film behind the scenes, using reels and short-form video content will serve you well alongside images and detailed captions (on Instagram) to help you boost visibility and engage your followers.
You should always use high-resolution images and video content, make it fun and engaging, and create captions that people want to engage with. For example, do you prefer outfits A or B? How would you style these boots? Who wore it better and so on?
Make sure to use your products on various models in different styles and scenarios to give people a good idea of how they look and what they can expect when they purchase.
Influencer Marketing
Working with influencers often gets a bad rep; however, you can’t deny the impact it can have on fashion brands.
In the first instance, you need to do your research into the correct type of influencer for your brand; don’t just work with anyone who pops up in your DMs or random accounts you come across.
Know what you want from the partnership because this is how legitimate influencers view these collaborations, what you want them to deliver, and what you are offering as part of their compensation; after all, you are using their influence and the audience they have built up, and they should be compensated for any work they do on your behalf.
Things you need to consider are:
- Does their audience match your ideal customer?
- What is their reach/engagement like (follower numbers aren’t a good indicator of success on their own; you want to look at the number of likes and comments their posts get, too) A good engagement rate is 1 to 5% of their follower count
- What type of person/influencer are they, and is that the type of person you want connected to your brand?
- What are they offering in return, and are you happy with these terms?
- Can they deliver the quality of content you expect?
These questions can help you to find your ideal audience.
Branded Merch
Branded merch can be a great way for you to reach a wider audience and get people to notice your brand and hopefully make a purchase. While this isn’t as targeted an approach as some of the others mentioned, it can still be an excellent way to drum up interest.
Your branded merch can include anything and everything related to what you sell; for example, if you sell streetwear, you design Custom Trucker Hats for yourself, your employees, or your favorite influencers; you can even host giveaways for people to win them, too.
Branded merch can also be things like pens, mugs, phone cases, playing cards, makeup bags, tools, and accessories or accessories for Crocs, which seem to be popular right now for those who are a fan of the comfortable footwear brand.
The idea behind using branded merch is that people can use or wear the items when going about their daily business, and it’s a more subtle form of marketing that is easily recognizable in person or shareable on social media.
Email Marketing
Your email list is a valuable resource, and you should treat it as such. Use your analytics to help you segment your email list based on customer preferences, previous purchasing habits, and likelihood of buying, i.e., only purchasing sale items or only wanting new releases, etc.
You can use your email list to help you promote new lines, special offers, and new collaborations, offer loyalty discounts, and give sneak peeks into up-and-coming changes.
Make your emails clear and straight to the point; include a stand-out CTA with a simple design to help you create a sense of urgency to notice them click through any links so they don’t miss out on whatever your aim of the email is.
Retargeting Ads
Have you ever had an ad or an email even reminding you that you didn’t checkout? We’ve all had them, and they are used for good reason. Retailers use retargeting ads, to entice people back to complete a sale they started but didn’t finish.
If someone is on the fence about making an app purchase, your ads can reel them back in by offering a discount or simply removing what they were considering buying.
Let’s say you’re running retargeting ads on Facebook. All you need to do is add a bit of code to your website that Facebook then uses to find users who have abandoned their carts. They will then get a staci and remind or encourage them to return and complete the checkout.
This can be done via email, too, and you get to choose the message being displayed to the customers to entice them back in.
Personalized Preferences
According to Shopify, nearly half of the shoppers want their experiences to be personalized. This doesn’t just mean knowing their name; it means knowing what they want and showing them products related to those wants or needs.
We’ve all been in the position where we have thought of something we need or mentioned in passing that having xxx would be good. And then suddenly, you see countless ads for it.
While this is likely a coincidence, being able to maximize a consumer’s search activities and buying preferences to show them more targeted ads or recommended products means they will be more likely to make a purchase as they are being shown exactly what they want.
Whether they are looking at buying new gym wear online, and your site shows them your products relating to working out, or they are in the market for a new winter coat, so you show them your coats based on their viewing history, the more personalized you make their experience, the better it will be for your sales.
You can use this approach in your emails, social media ads, and website browsing (this will be something similar to Amazon’s “pick up where you left off,” “buy again,” or “continue shopping for” sections) to help you deliver a more personalized shopping experience.
User Generated Content
Lastly, user-generated content is arguably one of the best marketing methods for most brands. It is essentially the digital version of word of mouth and is content created by the buyer and shared online.
If a customer purchases a dress from you for a night out and snaps some pics of how they styled the dress, where they wore it, and how they felt in it while tagging you in the post, you can use this content to help you with your marketing and share real-life stories and reviews from people who have purchased.
With confidence in influencers varies depending on the audience, promoting your brand using genuine customers can reinforce the message you are trying to get out, help you build a positive image, and generate interest in current and future collections.
Plus, this is generally easy and free to do as you don’t need to pay anyone; paying customers are doing the work for you. Always ensure you get permission to share any content from customers, be it on your social media, your website, or in emails.
Marketing your fashion brand requires a delicate touch, and knowing the best way to get your brand out there and how to maximize your marketing budget will help you get the results you need to move forward.
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