Communication: 3 pieces of communication for your fashion store

 Communication; how to develop it? Now that you know how to position your brand in the fashion world, we will tell you about the critical pieces of communication you have to put together to achieve a successful marketing strategy.

These pieces are the material your channels or media will be based on (press, influencers, brand ambassadors, etc.) to make your brand known.

Without clarity, there is no paradise.

Before detailing the pieces of communication, you must define three main aspects:

What do you want to communicate?

Are you launching the latest collection of your brand? Did you set up new sewing workshops? The important thing about this point is that the message is clear and concise, leaving no room for doubt.

This way, you will save time (and money) because your broadcast channels will be clear about what you want to communicate.

 What for

What is the purpose of communication? What results do you expect from it?

The saying goes: “he who covers a lot squeezes little.” For this reason, we recommend that your objective be very punctual (one or, at most, two). Thus, you will achieve more effective and will not scatter your efforts.

Continuing with the example above, if you are launching the latest collection of your brand, the objective could be “to publicize my latest collection,”; “achieve 100 sales during the first month of diffusion,” or “improve the current positioning of my brand by 25%.

As you can see, the objective will depend on your brand’s needs, and it is a crucial piece of information that the different channels or media need to know to understand your dissemination strategy better.

 For whom

Define the target audience of the communication pieces; that is the question!

Yes, we have already talked about it several times. Still, we insist on this point because many brands launch their communication without being clear about who it addresses. This way, the strategy’s effectiveness is diluted, wasting time and money.

So, defining who is that public that will spread your brand or product will be instrumental in designing an attractive and effective dissemination strategy.

The 3 pieces of marketing and communication that your brand cannot miss

Once you have these three points clear, you can start putting together the pieces you will send to the channels or media outlets you decide according to your business objectives.

Let’s meet them.

 Lookbook: the image is everything

Gone are when brands showed their latest works only to specialized media or in exclusive parades.

Today, people can already see your brand’s news with just one click and from any device. It means that the internet has been, for some years now, the most crucial window in the world of fashion, that’s why you can’t stay out!

The lookbook, or style book, is a catalog with a series of photos that exemplify how one could use a brand’s collection. In other words, it is a piece that simplifies the concept and lifestyle the firm wants to communicate.

The lookbook, which can be in physical and virtual format, allows each garment or accessory to be observed in detail. Its images stand out for being clear and simple.

One of the main advantages of the online lookbook is that the detail is maximized! Users can enlarge the image to see the material and design of each of them.

Providing all this information to the channels or media you choose will help them better understand your product and its strengths, which will optimize your brand communication.

How to put together a successful lookbook

The creation of a lookbook includes professionals who work as a team; we can mention fashion designers, stylists, photographers, makeup artists, and models. The number of collaborators that participate will depend on your budget.

Generally, lookbooks are produced in photography studios (except when they are done outdoors) since it is necessary to work on a full background and with perfect light (essential!).

But even more fundamental is that all photos have the same amount of color, contrast, and light; otherwise, they lose quality and professionalism.

A critical point to take into account is the model: although it is the photographer who is going to suggest certain poses to achieve an attractive (and selling) image, as the owner of your brand, you have to know that:

• It is essential that the model pose full-length and firm (static) both from the front, from the side, and the back. In this way, the garments are worn from different angles.
• Each pose requires between two and three photographic captures (so you have more chances to choose the best one). For example, if you photograph a skirt, it should be two or three photos from the front, two or three pictures from the profile, and two or three from the back.

Remember that your lookbook has to convey your brand’s visual identity; therefore, once finished (it usually has an extension of 50 to 100 photos), check that the design is consistent with what you want to communicate and that the edition is elegant.

Also, don’t forget to add your brand logo (always at the beginning), contact information (name, phone, email, address), and your eCommerce site.

Lookbook closed? Cool! Now all that remains is to contact the channels or media outlets you choose to tell them about your brand or product, and that’s it!

An important recommendation is to try to have a face-to-face meeting with the media outlet(s) that you consider essential in your strategy since the “face-to-face” relationship generates a relationship of greater collaboration and understanding. In addition, new ideas for your brand may arise!

Let’s talk about costs.

Surely at this point, you are already wondering how much it costs to create a lookbook. Well, the reality is that it all depends on how much you decide to invest.

For the location, you can choose to hire a photography studio, put your house (or that of a relative), or even your showroom. The same goes for models: they can be professionals, friends, or even yourself!

The important thing is that your lookbook looks professional. Starting with the photographer, the more specialists you hire (stylists, makeup artists, etc.), the more level this piece of communication will have.

But we recommend that you see it with the eyes of an investor: the lookbook reflects your brand and the lifestyle you want to communicate. It can make your product want to be bought.

Also, remember that these photos will also be used in your promotional campaigns on social networks, for example, or in your eCommerce! It is a single investment that is worth many.

 The video is super powerful!

Did you know that 70% of marketers say that video converts better than any other format? Please make the most of this great tool and use it as a critical piece of your communication.

A well-made video (clean shots, good lighting, aesthetic quality) has the power to show all the strengths of your brand or product and make you stand out from your competition.

It can be, for example, a backstage video of the lookbook (a kind of “behind the scenes” of the photos as in this example ) or a piece that shows your product in action, as the successful Baum Cloud Store does :

You can also opt for a cartoon-style video.

Did you see what good options are? If you can’t hire a professional videographer at the moment, don’t worry! Different free tools can help you create excellent audiovisual pieces to spread your fashion brand.

Soon we will share a video with the details of each of them, and we will also share the best advice from specialists on the subject; stay tuned!

The latest video trend: fashion shorts

Do you dare to do a little more? Dabble in the incipient fashion shorts!

What are they? They are cinematographic style pieces where famous artists participate and whose objective is to transmit the lifestyle that the brand represents.

Cheer up and try it! You don’t necessarily have to hire a famous person; if you have an idea that symbolizes your brand’s identity, it will indeed work out!

It is true that until now, there are very few firms that have been encouraged to this type of communication piece and that most of them are renowned. Still, they can serve as a point of inspiration to create your work, right? Stand out from your competition!

Look at the example of the prestigious Prada brand.

All these video format options that we tell you about our excellent communication materials to share with the media of your choice. Make them irresistible!

The press release: a classic that is still valid

First of all, what is the press release? It is a communication tool brands use to keep journalists and the media abreast of their news (launch of a brand, presentation of a product, etc.).

As such, it retains a journalistic and more formal writing style, which is why we will share some tips for writing it.

Tips for writing your next press release

• The information has to focus on a single topic, and that topic has to be of interest to the medium. For example, a cooking magazine does not apply to your latest clothing collection presentation.

The structure must contain:

• Headline: short and concrete, essential!
• Descent or pompadour: it is the part below the headline and synthesizes the most important aspects of the press release, which are what, who, where, how, and why.
• Body: time to show off! In this part, you must develop the points you mentioned in the descent as profoundly as possible. Remember to present the ideas in their order of importance (known as an “inverted pyramid”).
• Brief testimonial: this is a quote from a member of your company (or yourself!)and serves to personalize information or to create the feel of a formal interview.

The newsletters are written in the third person, and you have to avoid too many adjectives, value judgments, or any other exaggerated resource of advertising communication. For example, you should not put “this is the best collection in the world.” Instead, show why it is.

I included links with photos, infographics, and videos: be concise and give the person who receives the newsletter the chance to learn more about your brand or product if they wish.

Remember to add to each piece of communication that we saw a section where you tell a little about the history of your brand: what are its reason for being, its motivations, and its objectives.

In this way, the people behind the channels or media you choose will understand the soul of the brand much more and will be able to communicate it better.

Conclusion

Having defined the three aspects we mentioned at the beginning of this post, you already have a large part covered. It only remains to put together the marketing and communication pieces and get in touch with the dissemination channels so that they do the rest.

Do you have a store or a fashion showroom? We propose you continue growing and creating your online store with us.