Continuing with our INSIDE THE FASHION INDUSTRY blog series, let’s dig a little deeper into marketing. It is time to talk about why investing all you got into marketing is crucial for the success of your brand. We all know that there is no business without marketing, but the problem is that people do not understand that marketing is more than putting your name out there. It is a science that understands your customers.
I know I am no marketing specialist. People study and qualify themselves in marketing because this is a complicated science of understanding people’s needs and how to get into people’s heads. But thanks to Seth Godin (who is the reason why I am writing this blog), and his book This Is Marketing, I wanted to share with you an overall picture of why working with a professional marketing agency can save your business.
So, let's look into a couple of reasons why marketing is everything.
1. Getting your name out there
As a new business, people do not know you. People do not know what your brand is, what kind of products you are selling, and, mainly, what you represent as a brand.
Do not think you can handle all the marketing on your own, and do not think you will become recognized because you know how to use Instagram or any other social media. Yes, you might be good at posting and creating content, yes you might be able to increase the follower numbers on your own, but face something: as the owner/designer of the brand, you have too many emotions attached to your products.
Marketing is a science that makes your customer get to know your brand and buy from your business. When you are not using the right marketing because you are telling a story about yourself or your products, it is not going to work. People need to know what your brand is, and you have to communicate that to your audience in the correct way.
Yes, writing blogs and showing up for your customers is important, and creates engagement and trust with your clients. But do not forget that, at the end of the day, your goal is to make seals. I suffered from this many times. I love what I do a little too much that, sometimes, I give away too much free information (you're welcome you all!), and, sometimes, I simply turn down clients because I think they are not ready to jump into the commitment of starting a fashion business – which is not my problem, but I do not want any of my followers spending unnecessary money…
When it comes to putting your name out there, a marketing company knows better! How to communicate with your target market, where to find them, where to invest in ads, and everything necessary to get your potential customers to see/listen to your brand.
2. Creating status
Ok, about This Is Marketing by Seth Godin, I do not want to spoil the book. Honestly, it is that good and I recommend you all to read it. Business owner or not, this book will make you think about how you run your life…
Anyhow, one of the things that Seth Godin says in his book is that shopping is status. That makes perfect sense!
We shop because we like things. We shop from one particular brand because we identify not only with that brand’s product but with the brand’s image.
Shopping from one brand that we like makes us feel like we are living in the same circle of people who also consume from that brand. Makes us feel like we are related by our style, our habits, and our daily basis. We have the same status as anyone else who consumes from that brand.
This is the message you need to know how to pass on to your clients. Who are you and what status are you supporting by launching this new brand? Your customer needs to know what kind of status they will have by purchasing from you and adhering to the “lifestyle” that your brand supports.
3. Implementing a new mentality
When you create a new business, you are not only selling a new product/service, you are creating a new mentality. You are implementing a new reason for people to shop more and more.
Now, by creating a new mentality and giving people a new reason to shop, you need to translate that into a smooth, but effective message to get into your customers' minds. Let me ask you: Can you do that?
That is exactly my point! Marketing goes beyond selling, marketing understands how to communicate with people and how to get into their heads in a way that your customers will understand that your new product is not just a product, it is something that they need to have in their life. It is their status.
4. Creating the necessity of buying your products
As I mentioned, when you create a new business, you are creating a status. You are implementing a new reason for people to shop. But you have to give your target market a reason why they should buy from you and not your competitors.
Every new season brands launch new collections, but your customers will come to you first. And why is that? Because you implemented a new mentality on your customers. You created a new status that says that by buying your products, your clients would be more than shopping, they will be achieving the goal of owning something from your brand.
When I wrote the blog INSIDE THE FASHION INDUSTRY - Developing Your Branding Deck I mentioned that joining a cause or supporting something bigger than your business is a great way to create brand awareness. Well, this is exactly what I am talking about!
By creating a new brand and joining an environmental cause, for example, you are showing your customers that you care about the world, and you are engaging the “status” of the people who support this same cause. Naturally, you will be attracting people who are interested in this cause, and those people, who are now potential clients, will start to become familiar with the idea that by buying from you they will be supporting one status: protecting mother earth.
Believe it or not, as easygoing as a person can be, we all have preferences. For instance, I love steak. Do I go to all kinds of steak houses? Yes, I like to try them all, but when I have the chance of choosing, I will blindly choose a Brazilian steakhouse (for obvious reasons, lol).
We all have the right to choose what we like and what we want to buy. The reason why we do it is that a particular brand matches our status, our mentality, and our beliefs and this is something that has to be transmitted through your marketing.
As I said, I am no marketing expert and, to be completely honest, I need help from a marketing specialist too. The future of your business depends on your profits, so it is important to seek the right help when we are talking about marketing. You put all you got into development, to make sure your garments are perfect and have the quality you (and your clients) expected. Then why not do the same with your marketing? Development and marketing are two things that walk together, side by side, and they must be coherent with each other. I have said this before, but let me repeat it, what makes you think that you will sell a $400 cashmere scarf with marketing materials based on a $150 budget?
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