How to Market a Clothing Brand: 7-Step Guide
The fashion industry is growing fast. With the global apparel market expected to reach two trillion dollars by 2026, the competition in this segment is fiercer than ever.
To successfully run a clothing company and rise above all others, you need to know how to market a clothing brand and build your community.
This article will give tips on the right marketing strategy for a clothing business. We’ll look at other clothing brands and their marketing efforts and explain seven simple steps to take for a successful fashion marketing strategy.
Take notes and take action. Make the right marketing efforts and boost exposure for your fashion brand with a little help from Printify.
Table of Contents
- Step 1: Think of Your Target Audience
- Step 2: Design a Strong Brand
- Step 3: Prepare Everything Sale Related
- Step 4: Build a Marketing Strategy
- Step 5: Analyze Data and Re-Adjust
- Step 6: Stay On Top With the Latest Trends
- Step 7: Scale Your Brand When Necessary
- Start a Clothing Brand With Printify
- Ready to Join the Fashion World?
Step 1: Think of Your Target Audience
If you try to sell your clothing line to everyone, you’ll eventually sell to no one. To avoid catering to the wrong target market, it’s essential to define your target audience.
If you know who you’re selling to, you can adjust marketing strategies and do it right. A defined audience will help you target the people who will most likely buy your merch and generate profits.
Make a Target Audience Portrait
To create a successful clothing brand marketing plan, you need to understand the characteristics of your buyer personas. Who they are, what they do, and what their habits are. To explore it, you need to create a target audience portrait, listing all the traits of your ideal target customer.
What to include in your target audience portrait:
- Sociodemographic Traits. Who are your buyers? List their age, gender, education, relationship status, nationality, income, and overall living conditions.
- Interests. What do they like? Try to imagine their hobbies, favorite activities, and what attracts their interests and attention. What gets them excited?
- Geographic Traits. Where do they live? What are the climatic conditions? Are they exposed to any cultural, ethnic, or local features that affect their choice of products?
- Needs. What are their current problems and needs that other fashion brands can’t fulfill? What struggles are they facing, and what can your clothing brand offer differently?
List down those characteristics and think about how they affect their buying decisions. This way, you can figure out how to market a clothing brand that perfectly fits your target market and its needs.
Pro tip
To better understand and research your target market, create surveys, check Google Analytics, have old-school conversations, or turn to social media sites for comments, feedback, and relevant topics.
Narrow Down When Selecting a Niche
When marketing a clothing brand, you need to appeal to a specific niche to generate more sales.
Many brands and small business owners fail at clothing marketing because they focus on everybody at once. They target an unspecific crowd when they should be narrowing it down to a fixed group of potential customers that would benefit from their products.
This is where the ‘needs’ part of your target audience profile comes in handy. It identifies existing desires and problems that other fashion brands aren’t addressing. Narrowing down a niche and defining its issues allow you to provide a solution directly to those who need it.
Remember
A niche is something a specific group of people is interested in. Product types are not niches. Gaming, fishing, football. Those are niches. To know how to promote a clothing brand, you need to narrow down your niche to a fixed group of people who will want it the most.
Step 2: Design a Strong Brand
To excel in clothing brand marketing, you first need to create a strong brand image. That includes assets like a brand name, jingle, mascot, tagline, memorable logo, and an epic brand story.
All those elements create your brand personality that will guarantee a connection with the audience.
Create a Visual Identity
- Logo. A logo is a graphical representation of your company’s identity. Think of brands like Nike, Mercedes, Lacoste, or Wendy’s. Design a memorable logo that embodies your brand and appeals to the buyers.
- Slogan. Come up with a catchy tagline that sticks. “I’m lovin’ it,” “Red Bull gives you wings,” and “Just do it” are great examples. Simple, expressive, and catchy.
- Colors. A color palette differentiates your brand from competitors. Research color meanings and pick one that fits your brand message and emotions.
- Fonts. The same goes for fonts. Your slogan or brand name should be easy to read and pleasant to look at. Bright colors and complicated fonts can repel customers.
Practice the Art of Branding
Branding is all the action and hard work you put into developing a memorable brand and credibility. Branding takes all your brand assets and exploits them on other social media platforms, email campaigns, advertising, and other promotions to build brand loyalty and awareness.
Why you need branding and a strong brand identity:
- To gain customer loyalty
- To differ from the competition
- To connect with your customers
- To stay focused on your goals
- To build recognition
Step 3: Prepare Everything Sale Related
Whether you want to market a retail store or an online one, you need to prepare for your clothing advertisement ideas. Pick a place to sell your clothing line and prepare it for sales and digital marketing.
Decide Where to Sell
While brick-and-mortar stores are still popular, eCommerce is taking over retail fast. Online sales are expected to reach $8.5 trillion by 2025. Meaning an online store can be a better choice for generating interest, reaching a wider audience, and skyrocketing profits.
Having an online store opens up various opportunities. In terms of efficiency, Print on Demand (POD) is the ideal business model for an online clothing brand. No up-front costs, no inventory, and no risks. Run a successful clothing brand online with Printify.
Prepare Your Storefront
Whether you’re planning to have virtual or physical shelves, your store needs to be properly updated and prepared for sales. For a brick-and-mortar store, it’s quite simple. But eCommerce requires a bit more effort.
- Create a User-Friendly Website. Make sure your store page is fast, easy to navigate, and pleasant to look at.
- SEO. Update your page and product listings with search engine optimization. That includes high-ranking keywords, tags, and descriptions.
- Use Quality Images. Create listings with high-quality images. Let the customers see your clothing in different settings, angles, and positions.
- Design Banners. Market your clothing brand and upcoming sales, deals, and promotions directly on your website. Create banners to urge customers to buy.
Step 4: Build a Marketing Strategy
A marketing strategy is all about using existing channels, platforms, and tools to tell the world about your brand.
Let’s look at all the types of marketing you can use to your advantage. From traditional outlets and social media engagement to Google Ads, charities, and even a fashion show. This is your ultimate guide on how to market clothing.
Social Media Marketing
Nowadays, marketing online is one of the easiest ways to introduce your brand to the world. With various social media channels to choose from, your clothing line can reach millions of people worldwide.
Create social media posts on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Use captivating images, videos, descriptions, and – of course – hashtags so people can find you. Let your audience come to you and share your products with their peers.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an excellent and cost-effective way to target your potential and existing customers. 59% of consumers admit that marketing emails influence their decisions on purchases. Use that to your advantage.
Personalized emails will speak to consumers directly, displaying your goods, brand, and great deals in their inboxes. What’s more, you don’t need to be a tech guru to write a simple email. Excel in fashion marketing with inviting emails that are too good to ignore.
How to market your clothing brand via email
- Build an Email List. Get consumer data from cart abandonment, subscriptions, polls, and post-purchase emails.
- Write a Click Worthy Subject Line. Be creative, keep it short and simple, and avoid manipulative spam trigger words (act now, buy, don’t hesitate, etc.).
- Create an Intriguing Design. Use email newsletter templates or design your unique look to appeal to existing and potential buyers. Don’t forget a call-to-action button.
- Leverage Seasonality. Targeting seasonal appeal is one of the best ways to market a clothing brand. There’s something to celebrate each month. Check our marketing calendar for important dates to use to your advantage.
Content Marketing
Many fashion brands utilize engaging content on their website and other social media accounts to increase sales and boost brand awareness. From partnering with fashion bloggers to hiring professionals – the goal is to create appealing, credible, and inviting content.
Content marketing includes blog posts, landing pages, videos, and more. Online marketing has high competition. But convincing content can not only increase organic growth and lead to direct sales but attract loyal customers and establish your brand as a trustworthy one.
Write appealing content to show your clothing line in the best light. Highlight your fashion brand’s unique features and what separates it from others. Show consumers that your product is the best choice and why.
Affiliate Marketing
This marketing method might appeal more to bigger clothing companies rather than start-ups, but it’s one to consider, nevertheless.
Affiliate marketing means partnering with influencers, brand ambassadors, or anyone with a higher following who can spread the word about your clothing brand. In return, they get commissions from each conversion their referral link makes.
It’s a great way to market a clothing brand on multiple platforms and social media pages without your involvement. Let others do the work while you reap the benefits.
Search Engine Marketing
With search engine marketing, your paid business ads will pop up on result pages when people search for keywords relevant to your products (on Google Search, Bing, etc.). Brand owners bid on keywords for a chance to appear next to results for specific search queries.
This is a great way to put your clothing line in front of consumers who are ready to buy and send a direct message about your brand.
Define relevant keywords for your clothing brand. Those are keywords that users might search for to find products just like yours. Try free tools like Ahrefs Keyword Generator to see what similar terms have high rankings and bid on them for your search engine marketing strategy.
Influencer Marketing
Another great way to market a clothing brand is by partnering with influencers. They excel in social media marketing and have multiple social media accounts on different channels with a high following.
Pick an influencer as your brand ambassador, and let them tell the world why your clothing is exquisite with convincing content and a branded hashtag here and there.
Promotions and Discounts
Discounts and unique promotions are great ways to market a clothing brand and create buzz around your products. Lower prices and epic deals will capture buyer attention and encourage them to check the offer out and make a purchase.
88% of consumers admit that a great deal from a brand-new retailer would encourage their first-time purchase. Your clothing business can benefit greatly from discounts and unique offers if leveraged correctly. Those deals will:
- Attract new customers
- Encourage large orders
- Promote your brand and products
- Inspire emotional purchases
- Reward loyal consumers
Charities, Giveaways, and Promotional Events
Participate in a giveaway campaign or charity event to boost your brand exposure in a different setting. People appreciate free products and brands that support good causes. This is your chance to create an emotional bond with new and potential audiences by hosting giveaways or supporting charities.
Search for a local or global charity event, join a Facebook group, and figure out how to implement your clothing brand in the event. Either donate, give out free samples, or create promotional events like charity fashion shows.
Meanwhile, giveaways are great for social media marketing. Promote your brand online by posting a giveaway and give consumers a chance to discover and interact with your business personally. A freebie always captures attention, allowing people to discover other products at the same time.
Paid Ads
While search engine marketing only displays ads on search pages, indulging in paid advertising will get your clothing business across other social media channels.
Paid ads are great for reaching large, global audiences on multiple platforms. From social media ads to marketplaces and eCommerce platforms.
Don’t Forget Testimonials
Testimonials are user-generated content that you can use to your advantage. Those are positive reviews that include detailed information about your products and services. And great additions to your website, increasing credibility for potential buyers.
54.7% of consumers admit to reading online reviews before making a purchase. That’s more than half. Meaning testimonials build trust because it’s not you bragging about your own clothing. It’s people who have actually purchased and tried your products.
Add user-generated content to your home page, landing pages, or product pages, and let the positive reviews market your clothing.
Make It Happen Today!
Step 5: Analyze Data and Re-Adjust
Once your brand is out there, it’s time to analyze all your marketing efforts and adjust the strategy and business accordingly for higher success.
Use tracking and analytics tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot to measure your website’s and social media performance. From traffic and reach to clicks, conversions, and more.
And don’t forget to do competitive auditing to learn everything you can about your competitors. What are their offers, how well are they performing, and positioning themselves?
Step 6: Stay On Top With the Latest Trends
Don’t forget to jump on the latest trend wagon with your clothing business. Leverage consumer interest in popular trends at any given moment and use it to increase your brand visibility. Especially if some trends correspond to your brand identity, goals, and overall values.
Trends can include anything from fashion peeks to TikTok dances, special elements, phrases, movements, and more.
Step 7: Scale Your Brand When Necessary
Bigger exposure comes with a higher demand for product variety and speedy service. Scale up your business if you notice that set goals are over-exceeded, orders are rolling in at the speed of light, and the demand for your products only grows.
Upgrade your store, inventory, and shopping features when necessary to fit consumer needs and expectations. Add new products, scale shipping prices and options, expand fulfillment locations (POD comes in handy here), and set new goals.
Start a Clothing Brand With Printify
Printify is one of the top POD companies, helping brands worldwide create unique products, list them online, and ship them easily.
- Beginner-Friendly. Our platform and services are simple and easy to use, even for the least tech-savvy merchants. Register, explore, and fulfill orders in a few clicks.
- 100% Free. Sign up, design products, and list them online for free. Pay for fulfillment with the money your customer paid for the order and keep the profits.
- Free Design Tool. Our Mockup Generator provides all the features you need to create epic designs. From image scaling and text optimization to a pattern creation tool and more.
- Global Shipping. Partner with our Print Providers and fulfill orders in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, China, and the UK – with global shipping options.
- No Minimum Order. Your clothing can be printed and shipped in any quantity needed. From just one piece to hundreds. There are no minimum or maximum quantities.
- Excellent Support. Our Merchant Support team will guide you through all processes and provide help, advice, and support 24/7 via live chat or email.
Ready to Join the Fashion World?
If you need some help and guidance on how to market a clothing brand, we’ve got you covered. Use this article as a guide and take all the steps necessary to get your clothing brand out there.
- Identify your target audience
- Create a strong brand
- Prepare your store
- Build a marketing strategy
- Analyze data and re-adjust your efforts
- Don’t forget about trends
- Scale your brand accordingly
Join Printify and boost your efficiency with our convenient benefits and services. Run a successful clothing brand and surpass your competition with the print-on-demand business model.
Make It Happen Today!
Written by
Baiba Blain
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