There is a huge demand for digital marketing skills in the fashion industry. Therefore, a strong knowledge in this area can help one to stand out as a successful fashion house amongst many players and make the brand's story resonate, says Manu Jolly
Fashion is a highly competitive industry with the constant foray of innumerable designers and labels in the market every day. Creating a great brand out of one’s label is a truly mind boggling exercise in such a scenario. In the pre-digital age, brands were erected with traditional marketing strategies like print and TV. While these traditional tactics may never completely disappear, today’s Internet-savvy consumers have more power than ever before. They embrace the brands that deem worthy of their time with open arms via online channels. By strategically harnessing online platforms, fashion professionals can create the right buzz about their brand without using other marketing and promotional services.
Online marketing
Pursuing a specialised online marketing course in fashion can be of great help to modern day budding designers in order to create a successful online fashion business. It not only introduces them to various modules that cover the importance of using online marketing for their fashion brand but also get new business deals and promote their own e-commerce venture.
The business of fashion runs on the equation of need or demand for stylish and affordable clothing and accessories which can be bought conveniently from the comfort of home using the internet. We can say, it runs on the desire to be in vogue whereas the key to building successful e-commerce businesses lies in creating a lifetime customer value so that customers not only come back for more but also share their experiences on social media. A subject module on reaching out and selling on various online platforms can be a valuable lesson for the professionals. However, once a fashion brand is established on other platforms, the professionals must move ahead to setting up their own e-commerce store.
Promotional campaigns
Traditionally, fashion was exclusive to runway shows and magazines, but recently, designers and labels are intensifying their social campaigns like contests, talent hunt, exhibitions etc and reshaping the way they connect with the industry. Social media is creating a connection between fashion and regular life by opening the door for new designers with small budgets to leverage their creativity.
Fashion blogging
Nowadays, the trend of fashion designers coming up with their personal blogs is becoming more common. Content on these blogs may vary from lookbooks to behind-the-scenes photos to selling online. While the content may differ, what we do know is that a fashion brand with a blog can be a powerful marketing tool.
Email marketing
Although, social media works effectively for many marketing activities, it somehow lags in generating new leads. The potential fashion professionals must be acquainted with the fact that in such cases, only the good old emails work.
A 2014 study by McKinsey and Company suggests that email conversion rates are 40 times higher compared to Facebook and Twitter combined. The rate at which e-mails prompt purchases is not only estimated to be at least three times that of social media but the average order value is also 17 per cent higher.
Shopping online
For a young designer, planning to tap the online segment to create a brand name for his label, it can be difficult to know how to begin. Fashion is all about attractive images, and images should be at the heart of a customer’s online shopping experience. A designer needs to influence a customer’s buying decision with visually appealing product pictures. To give these customers enough confidence to buy, one must weave a story around the product, which stands out of the crowd. However, before focusing on selling the label, a designer must introduce oneself on the online platform through his personal story as customers buy a brand as much as its products and they want to know what motivates and inspires the face behind the brand.
Online marketing skills can facilitate the fashion professionals to generate more walk-ins to their brand store through effective online promotions of their new collection and clearing left out inventory. Moreover, by mastering the art of Facebook event promotion, these professionals can draw more people at their stall in various exhibitions. There is a huge demand for digital marketing skills in the fashion industry. A strong knowledge in this field can help separate a successful fashion business from the rest and make the brand's story resonate among consumers.
(The writer is CEO, Digiperform).