When starting a clothing line you have to consider many different factors. On our blogs we have addressed many of these issues but today let us talk about how to market your new clothing line. Issues like how to market your clothing line effectively so that you are maximizing exposure. Here are some of our marketing tips. Some of the most popular ways to make others aware of your clothing line today are using Social Media such as Pinterest and Instagram. Make sure you are utilizing Facebook.com, Twitter.com, Google Plus and Youtube.com. You also will want to promote your line on Snapchat. You can download the mobile app on your IOS or Android Devices. The idea behind using these social platforms is to get people talking about your clothing brand and engage them.
You also want to make sure you are using Postcards to distribute to potential customers and even mail to apparel retailers. Your clothing line postcards should have photos of your clothing that generates consumer interest and makes people want to know more about your line. Make sure your postcards are of high quality as they are direct reflection of your clothing line. Be sure to put your website, points of purchase and phone number on your postcards.
Even before you start advertising your clothing line you first want to make sure your brand message is clear. What do you want your brand to communicate? What does your line stand for? It is very important to define your clothing line in the minds of consumers. Check out Part I, Part II and Part III of our article series on defining your clothing line start-up. A strong brand message can go a long way towards making your fashion label successful.
We have seen a rise in crowdfunding for coming up with the seed money to develop a clothing line using sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo. The terrific thing about crowdfunding is it is also a way to market your clothing line. It is a cool way to gain fans and get donations that can help your clothing line get off the ground. We also have seen clothing line entrepreneurs take their fashion ideas on shows such as the popular ABC Show The Shark Tank. Even if a fashion designer doesn’t get a deal with the Shark Investors, the publicity they get from being on television can propel a line. Word of advice – if you go on Shark Tank, have some inventory ready so you can sell it after the show airs. The last thing you want to do is to gain the exposure and when people visit your website you don’t have anything to sell. That would be a gigantic missed opportunity.
One last tip that is important when marketing your line is making sure your fashion designs and collection speaks to your clothing brand’s identity. You want to make sure each collection has an adequate amount of pieces in the collection to keep people interested in your fashion label. Don’t be a one trick pony.
Well until next time – good luck with starting your line :)
Article by Michael Harper, Co-Founder of StartingAClothingLine.com, Co-Author of “The Official Step by Step Guide to Starting a Clothing Line.”