Having dope apparel is nothing if no one knows about it. One of the top 5 problems that designers have when they first start their online store is getting people to see it. Leads for any online business is hard to receive when there are so many people doing the same thing you’re doing - and seasoned at it. Getting people to buy your clothes doesn’t have to be life-crushing. I’ve tried so many tactics that ended up being too costly and time-consuming. I eventually stopped and strategized a campaign that was cost-effective, creative, and guaranteed a way to funnel sales.
Before I organized any campaigns, I went through a checklist first. Always do this first. Trust me; it’ll help you save time and money in the long run.
STEP 1: Check your budget (can’t do shit if I don’t have any money). My budget was small starting, but with the help of sales from family and friends, The BACo Store made a few hundred dollars. Luckily, I could use that money for the cost of production and marketing.
STEP 2: Refer to your pricing sheet to see what the most inexpensive items for the season I had in inventory were.
STEP 3: Order your shipment at least three months in advance. Doing this will give you time to promote and rectify any missing equipment.
STEP 4: Have follow-up emails ready to be sent out to new signups.
Okay, now that you’ve gone through the checklist and figured out what you want to sell, here are some fresh ideas for you to work with.
Free Photoshoot Pop-Up
Everyone wants something tangible, so having your brand on-hand will elevate your chances of selling exponentially. When The BACo Store did monthly Free Photoshoot Pop-Ups, we sold out every time. The only thing I invested in was a photo lighting set that I got from Amazon for like $39.99, a rack, and some hangers that I borrowed from a local boutique, and business cards that I bought from Vistaprint for about $20. The whole campaign outside of merchandise cost me a one time cost of $59.99, with the merchandise I spent $309.18. I had twenty pieces of clothing that sold at 30 per item. $700, which means I covered the expense of the campaign and made $390.82 in profits on hand. In the same week after the campaign, I made an additional $462 from online sales after sending follow-ups and thank you’s that had special discounts.
Have A Giveaway
Having a giveaway is the easiest way to create traffic to your site. One of the rules should funnel traffic back to your site; that way, you’re getting engagement on both social media and your website. Let it run for a month.
Conceptual Pop-Up Shop
A theoretical pop-up shop is a little bit more expensive. Like the Free Photoshoot, it’s an excellent way to let people get the shopping experience they already know With this type of guerilla marketing, I’d suggest you do this down the line once your store has made at least $5k of flowing income. A concept shop, unlike a pop-up shop, only requires samples so people can get an idea of how your product looks and feel. According to your budget, you can get creative. Some ideas would be to make it invite-only, serve drinks, or partner with a local business like a barbershop or another boutique that offers booths for small-time designers.
I hope this helped! If you have any ideas, drop a line in the comment section!