EP.18 / 5 MARKETING TIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE FASHION BRANDS
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READ THIS BEFORE YOU LISTEN:
Before you listen to this episode, I wanted to quickly note that marketing is important in business but there is a difference between using marketing solely to increase profits without consideration of your business practices and using marketing to support the positive impact your business is doing.
I'm very cautious with how often or how much marketing/sales advice I put out there because my mission is not to promote overconsumption and overproduction, but to help society, brands and everyone who wears clothes feel empowered by how we can shift fashion and provide tools and resources to operate effectively in this space.
With that said, this episode is aimed toward sustainable businesses, brands and entrepreneurs who have already done their ethical due diligence in their operations and supply chains and need the extra hand in getting the word out there, reaching their target audience and making their mark in the industry.
WHAT’S COVERED IN TODAY’S EPISODE
TIP 1: CREATE A MAINTAINABLE AND DETAILED CONTENT STRATEGY
This strategy should be consistent with your brand style guide, your colour hues, etc. But it should also (more importantly) provide value and insight to your target customers.
Value-packed content will always win over simply publishing content.
TIP 2: BE CONSISTENT
Once you establish a content strategy it’s important to stay consistent with it, but don’t feel afraid to adjust your consistency to your target audience if need be. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but it’s worth mentioning; what might work for someone else may not work for you - so don’t feel compelled to stick to a strategy or schedule if it’s not serving you or your audience. Another thing this section covers is the difference between consistency and spam; be consistent in a way that makes sense, i.e. generates a high click-through rate and is relevant to your target audience.
TIP 3: AUTHENTICITY IS KEY
Being authentic is not only one of the most effective ways to do business in general, but it’s also an amazing marketing strategy. People want to connect with people, they want to buy from people and learn about people. Being authentic is also a big step in establishing trust with customers.
This section invites you to explore parts of yourself as an entrepreneur or business owner that you can implement into your unique marketing strategy that can encourage long-term relationships with your customers.
TIP 4: BE SPECIFIC TO YOUR NICHE
Find your tribe, build a community and treat your customers with respect and care. They will be sure to return the favour.
Having a loyal fanbase or customer base is incredibly powerful for an emerging or small sustainable brand. You can build this by doing the research and grunt work before launching products. Once you’ve established who your customers are, be specific and clear about what you’re selling and how it benefits them.
TIP 5: INVEST IN SEO AND BRANDING
We are all visual creatures, we relate brands and identities with colour hues and graphics, even subconsciously. Because of this, having a strong brand image will allow you to penetrate the market effectively and have a lasting effect on your ideal customer.
SEO is also essential, especially for local sustainable fashion brands. In this section, I speak about how investing in an SEO expert to help your brand with searchability and discoverability is worth the investment and why.
