3 Tested And Proven Ways To Market Your Fashion Brand As A Fashion Entrepreneur

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of any fashion business. If you want people to know about your fashion brand then you have to market it. 

This week, we spoke with Opeyemi Ademola of OpshebyOpshe and Gift Innocent of Ehi’s Couture on how they market their fashion brands, the marketing channels that work best for them, and many more.

Opeyemi Ademola is the Founder of OpshebyOpshe, a fashion brand that specialises in both bespoke and ready-to-wear female garments and accessories. Her brand caters to female wears from work to casual to party and bridal outfit. 

The bespoke arm of the brand is targeted at women who need their outfits ASAP, and this has earned her the title “The Emergency Tailor”.

For her, marketing is convincing people to buy what you are selling.

Gift Innocent is the Founder of Ehi’s Couture which is a unisex fashion brand that is aimed at redefining fashion as simple, classy, and elegant but yet affordable. She believes that you do not have to break the bank to look fashionable.

For her, marketing is how you build awareness and the strategy you employ to unveil your brand to everyone. 

Marketing is the wheel of modern business; if people don’t know of you how do they patronize you. To know how often you should market your fashion brand, ask yourself, how many times do I eat? Always. – Gift Innocent.

Types of Marketing for Fashion Brands

Someone once told me to ensure I tell every single person I meet about my business, so, even if it’s just a casual conversation let people know what you do. Just be your one brand ambassador. – Opeyemi Ademola.

1. Direct Marketing

Direct marketing is one of the most important types of marketing there is for fashion brands. This entails encouraging your customers to tell others about your fashion brand. It is what is referred to as referrals. 

I get most of my clients through referrals. When the outfits I make for my clients fit well on them, they won’t even have to spread the word about my brand. The dress will do the work. – Opeyemi Ademola.

2. Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is also very important. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and WhatsApp are great platforms to use in marketing your fashion brand. According to our designers, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have been the most help in marketing their fashion brands. 

I use social media as my branding style to reach my friends, family, and everyone that believes in my brand. No one can tell about your brand better than those who believe in you 100%. – Gift Innocent.

3. Sponsored Ads

Sponsored ads are another great way to get clients for your fashion brand. It could be on a Facebook ad or an Instagram ad.

The amount I spend on sponsored ads is nothing compared to the number of clients I get from these ads. The more I pay, the more visibility and orders I get. – Gift Innocent.

Approach to take in Marketing Your Fashion Brand

My first approach is quality, excellence, and affordability. When you offer very quality items that last longer, it brings your customers back for more, that way you have gained their trust. Then when you do an extremely neat job on the cloth it becomes excellent. Then I try my best to make it affordable for everyone to have a taste of Ehi’s on them. – Gift Innocent.

1. Photos

For posting on Facebook and Instagram, posting quality photos that show samples of your work is very important. Post pictures that will get people interested in what you do and will make them want to buy from you.

2. Videos

As a fashion brand, it’s not every time you should post only your fashion items. When you give useful content to your clients, it will make them value your brand more. Sometimes, you need to also post videos teaching people a few things.

I do videos teaching people a few things and this makes prospective trainees interested in joining my fashion classes. – Opeyemi Ademola.

Posting content to your social media, be it in the form of photos or videos should be something you do daily as a fashion entrepreneur. You want to make sure that your brand is always in the minds of those that follow you.

Part of marketing sometimes involves giving out clothes to clients for free as a bait to get referrals. This is usually when I have a new collection out. I can give them an extra item for free on a purchase or just give them outrightly without a purchase. I do both but only for loyal clients. – Opeyemi Ademola.

Challenges Faced in Marketing

1. Lack of Funds

For many startups, funds can be a challenge when it comes to marketing, especially for sponsored ads on fashion blogs. This challenge, however, doesn’t last forever because as your fashion brand grows, so will your income, and with time sponsored ads will become affordable for you. Never give up!

2. Not Having Content to Post

As a startup fashion brand, knowing what type of content to post on your social media pages can be such a hassle, but with time it gets better. As you push yourself to be better at your craft, your work will begin to market itself for you. To learn more about knowing the content for marketing your fashion brand on social media, click here.

Importance of Marketing for Fashion Brands

Marketing comes with many advantages to fashion brands, some of theme include;

Marketing opens big doors and challenges you to do big things. When you put yourself out there you get more client and more client means more work. – Gift Innocent.

1. It helps you make more money

The more you market your fashion brand, the more sales you can make for your fashion brand. They work hand in hand. Once you have gotten the marketing channel that works best for you, it’s always best to stick to it and watch your sales go up.

2. It helps you reach more people

Marketing takes your fashion brand to reach more people. When you market your fashion brand effectively, you get recognised beyond your local area. People that will naturally be outside your sphere of influence become completely reachable by you.

3. It helps you become an employer of labour

As your fashion brand reaches more people and you begin to make more sales and more money, naturally your fashion brand will expand. As your brand expands, you will need extra hands to work with you and this will, in turn, make you an employer of labour.

In closing, 

Opeyemi Ademola said, “If you don’t excel in business, you’ll be the first one to suffer it, if you do, you’ll be the first to enjoy it. Push yourself beyond your limits. Listen and learn more. Be willing to spend money on your business to make money too. Your customers are your number one marketers, treat them and they will promote you and help you grow organically.”

And,

Gift Innocent said, “In a nutshell, branding is who you are—and marketing is how you build awareness. Branding is your strategy, while marketing encompasses your tactical goals. To determine who your brand is, you need to ask questions.. Build on your strength and work to eliminate your weakness.”