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brand consultant, digital marketing, fashion, fashion brand, Fashion Business, fashion consultant, fashion designer, fashion marketing, inbound marketing
Digital marketing may sure be the only way to get the attention of an online audience. However, does this mean that merely by betting on it, you’ll be able to get your brand visibility and sales? The truthful answer is, no.
For one, online shopping is just about catching up, and before buying clothing and accessories (beyond the t-shirts and tunics), most people would want to experience the product, especially if they’re new to the brand. It is thus safe to say that just as brands and retail are present both offline and online, marketing efforts should be directed in both channels. In an earlier article, we have spoken about digital marketing for fashion brands.
In this one, let’s discuss offline and inbound marketing.
Today, most marketers understand inbound as a subset of online marketing, specifically, emails. However, anything that actively brings customers and their buying intent into your store is inbound, and this can be anything from a store level event to a pop-up. Without further ado, let’s look at some offline methods you can use to market your brand.
- Go Beyond The Billboards. Today’s customers are bombarded with static and dynamic billboards wherever they go. This influx of information does nothing for brand recall. Instead, focus on value. What can you offer through your advertising that is useful to a potential customer? This can be anything from a lookbook to a consultation. “But how do we get them to come to us first?”, you may ask. Online advertising is an excellent place to begin.
- Level Up Your Ideas. For brands that are beginning to sell in multi-store settings like malls, it is essential to direct the attention to yourself actively. Remember a decade ago, when mascots would be standing around to guide you to a place? You need to do something similar, but make it much more sophisticated. What if you could organize a treasure-hunt around the mall, with simple cues in the elevator or stairs? Marketing has long moved past flyers and bills.
- Make Packaging Awesome. Many lingerie brands do this, as do perfumeries. Make the packaging so attractive that people feel like they’re giving themselves a present. Chances are, they’ll share it online and tell more people about it. In any case, it doesn’t hurt to add a small CTA (call to action) on the box asking people to share their experience online.
- Look At Pop-Ups and Collaborations. Pop-up stores are insanely famous today because they offer an element of the unexpected. Make your pop-ups interesting, but not intimidating. Depending on your brand’s core audience, loud music may or may not work. Likewise, look at collaborating with other stores to conduct events on grooming and makeup, or to educate people on the different kinds of handbags. You’ll be surprised by how many people look for such advice.
As you can see, offline and online marketing today do not exist in two separate vacuum containers. They go hand-in-hand to help you gain more out of your efforts. For example, an event could be offline, but its promotion takes place online.
What is the most exciting marketing campaign you’ve ever encountered? Tell us in the comments.
Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion. She is a Freelance Fashion Designer and Brand Consultant helping fashion brands to create great products from idea to launch. Fuel4Fashion social links: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram
