Nowadays it can be difficult to break into the fashion industry, especially as a small business, since you are competing with larger brands and companies. Between fast fashion companies like Shein that offer low-priced items and higher-end stores like Nordstrom that offer more well-known brands, it can be difficult to break into the fashion industry. This is when you need to get a bit creative and allow yourself to stand out and be apart from others.
5 Tips to make your fashion brand unique are:
- Find a niche that works for you and your demographic
- Tell your brand story
- Remain personal with your audience
- Test out new designs
- Post content and be consistent
Niche Down
One of the most important things you can do to differentiate yourself from your competitors and truly begin to make a name for yourself is to find a niche and stick to it. A niche is essentially a specialized market. So you will be finding a product(s) that fit your targeted demographic, aka your customers, that fits their needs.
The overall idea of a niche is that you are finding a market with high demand but a low overall supply. For example, many people right now are creating slogan tees that include quotes. Whether they are positive affirmations or quotes from their favorite movie or show.
Since that market is quite saturated it may not be the best one for you to consider breaking into. Unless you are browsing stores and searching online for apparel relating to your current favorite show and realize that people are not making items related to it yet. Then that would be a good chance for you to create a few designs and make your apparel. This will give you leverage over other sellers who are creating similar items but for different shows or movies.
The key to creating a successful fashion brand is to locate a current demand that is not currently being met. This can lead to new collections being released more frequently as you find new needs or you can truly niche down with one or two specific ideas if the demand is great enough. When you stick to one or two common themes you can begin to expand your apparel offerings beyond just tees or sweatshirts which allows product diversity.
Brand Storys Sell
Your business is an extension of yourself, especially if you are beginning as a self-funded brand. Chances are that people will associate your brand with you, your voice, and their perceived impression of you. This is why you need to tell your brand story over and over again.
Many businesses will repost their brand story on their social media pages biweekly if not weekly just to ensure that new followers or customers know it. Not only will it help you to build brand loyalty but you will also form a connection with your customers. They will understand the drive behind your business, how the designs came to be, and more.
It allows your brand to become more personable and real to the customer. Not only will they remember your brand after they complete their purchase but they are more likely to bring it up in conversations afterward as well. Creating a unique fashion brand is all about how you market your products to the consumer.
This is another reason why so many companies create commercials even though they tend to cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. It’s because they tell their story while portraying the image they want you to think of when their company comes to mind.
Being Personal Fosters Relationships
One sure-fire way to stand out and remain unique is by being personal and personable. Interact with your followers and customers regularly. Not only will this allow them to know what’s going on with your brand but it also makes them feel like they are a part of it.
Some popular ways to be personal with customers while remaining professional are sending out weekly newsletters, engaging with them on your social media accounts, and even responding promptly to inquiries. Simple tasks but they do tend to be time-consuming, which is why so many companies hire interns or marketing assistants to help.
Newsletters will allow them to hear about upcoming sales or events going on. No one can shop a sale if they do not know what it’s going on so keeping them, especially your loyal customers, up-to-date is important.
Engaging on social media can be as simple as spending fifteen to twenty minutes once to twice a day responding to comments and messages on Instagram and TikTok. Liking comments, using first names when responding, and reposting customer photos are all great items to do during this time.
If you receive a customer email regarding an order or return, try to answer it when you have the chance. There is no pressure to be on twenty-four seven and respond immediately, but trying to do so within twenty-four hours on weekdays is preferred by many.
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Take Risks and Try New Designs
After you begin your brand and find a footing with your customers, you can start to receive feedback from them. Between the feedback and your ideas, you can begin to incorporate more creative designs into your brand.
Now they do not need to be anything crazy but you could try out different color combinations, patterns, materials, anything really that differs from your typical products. While these pieces may not be everyone’s favorites, you could test out pre-orders or do a limited launch to ensure that you are not stuck with unsold inventory later on.
It’s important to keep in mind that new products and ideas are what keep a brand fresh and relevant, especially in this industry. Niches are key to growing and becoming well known but the brands who tend to blow up, do so because they took a risk on a design or product that others weren’t sure of. Even if the first product or two you try are not hits, chances are they will get people talking and looking at your brand.
You know what they say, any publicity is good publicity, especially if you do not have a large marketing budget to compete with the larger fashion brands.
Be Consistent and Post Frequently
Social media is key nowadays to becoming well known and doing well in competitive industries, like fashion. One of the easiest ways to grow is to be consistent but continue to post quality content.
Anyone can take horrible photos and post three to four of them a day. However, not everyone can coordinate product shoots, edit their images, and create quality content to post daily. Many platforms are specifically pushing video content now as they find that more people interact with it than photos.
This means that quality content takes more time to produce, edit, and curate to fit your brand. When we tell you that customers know the difference between high and low-quality content, we mean it.
So our five tips on how to make your fashion brand unique are to find a niche that works for you and your demographic, tell your brand story, remain personal with your audience, test out new designs, post content and be consistent. These tips will allow you to gain an audience and foster connections with your audience while offering them a unique twist on typical fashion brands.
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Related Questions
Is social media a key aspect of making my fashion brand unique?
Yes, social media is essential which is not the answer that many business owners want to hear. Between engagement and response rates, telling your brand story, and building rapport with your customer’s social media is a must. Plus, when customers post about your products, your company is essentially getting free publicity since you are not paying for that post. Why not take advantage of those benefits?
What if I have no brand story to tell my customers?
While it may not feel as though you have a brand story to tell, you most definitely do have one. It does not have to be anything crazy or intense, it can be quite simple. Such as how there was a product that you wanted to buy but could not find anywhere. So you decided to take matters into your hand and began to create designs based on your idea. Then you wanted to share it with others and began to post about and sell your products. Every product has a story, it’s just about how you tell it.
Do I have to remain active on social media?
While it is a personal decision for each brand, we highly recommend remaining consistent on social media even after you gain a following. You are constantly being exposed to new people, catching eyes, and gaining traction even when you don’t know it. So while social media may not be your thing it is quite beneficial to remain consistent and active on it as you grow.
To learn more about how to start your own fashion clothing line check out my startup documents here
Please note: This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a legal expert to address your specific needs.
Meet Shawn Chun: Entrepreneur and Fashion Business Fan.
I’m a happy individual who happens to be an entrepreneur. I have owned several types of businesses in my life from a coffee shop to an import and export business to an online review business plus a few more and now I create online resources for those interested in starting new ventures. It’s demanding work but I love it. I do it for those passionate about their business and their goals. That’s why when I meet a designer or boutique owner at a craft fair, farmers market, retail location or anywhere else I see myself. I know how hard the struggle is to retain clients, find good employees and keep the business growing all while trying to stay competitive.
That’s why I created Fashion Business Boss: I want to help fashion business owners like you build a thriving business that brings you endless joy and supports your ideal lifestyle.