GROWING A FASHION BUSINESS:HOW TO SELL CLOTHES, JEWELRY AND HOME GOODS ONLINE

TODAY’S AGENDA

• Meet the hosts• Fashion’s unique challenges• Savvy differentiation • Setting up your products• Tactics that work for fashion • Q&A

#SellingInStyle

MEET THE HOSTS

ALISON GARRISON

• Manages Volusion’s SEO, Social Media and Marketing Consulting teams

• Passionate about strategy, content and helping SMBs outwit entrenched brands

• Avid Pinterest user, which is where I get my fashion inspiration

• Enjoy buying fashion for my 16-month-old daughter and 8-year-old dog

Search Marketing Manager

#SellingInStyle

SAMANTHA RUPERTSearch Marketing Specialist — SEO and Social Media• 4 years of experience in digital marketing, SEO and

social media

• Uprooted New Yorker learning to two-step through life in Texas

• Passionate about SEO, branding and staying on top of the latest social media trends & networks

• Enjoys going paddleboarding and reblogging fashion photos on Tumblr

#SellingInStyle

FASHION’S UNIQUE CHALLENGES

CHALLENGE #1

It’s a Crowded Marketplace

CHALLENGE #2Entrenched Brands Boost

Competition

CHALLENGE #3Search Engines are

Machines

CHALLENGE #4Your Time is Finite

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES1. Differentiation2. Setting up products3. Focus on the tactics that work

Solutions For Your Store

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Savvy DifferentiationSAVVY DIFFERENTIATION

FIND A NICHE AND GROW FROM THERE

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JEGGINGS - WHO KNEW?

CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

• Stay-at-home mother of three• College graduate• Homeowner• Looking for cute, functional and affordable

clothing to wear every day

Leah, 37 Mark, 25• Urban professional at the start of his career• Single, no children• Values convenience (no ironing, please) • Passionate about staying ahead of the fashion

curve, but doesn’t want to look like he’s trying

#SellingInStyle

COMPETITIVE RESEARCH• Identify your 3-5 most immediate competitors

• Review their website thoroughly with attention to:

Aesthetics

Brand voice

Promotions

Structure - navigation & categories

• Consider their advertising strategy

• Scour their social media

• Discern who they are targeting and how they are doing it

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BRANDING AND BRAND VOICE• Your brand goes beyond visual elements

○ Reflects your company values ○ Influences how you speak to customers ○ Impacts how customers feel when they interact with your

store

• Brand voice is the consistent use of language to portray your company, as well as engage and motivate customers

• Adjectives that could describe your brand voice:○ In-the-know○ Hip○ Friendly○ Empathetic○ Urban

Be consistent and engaging

○ Sassy○ Fashion-forward○ Wild○ Classic○ Nostalgic

WHAT IS YOUR VALUE PROPOSITION?• Ask yourself…

○ What makes my store attractive and memorable to my target market?

○ Why should customers shop with me? ○ Why am I the best place to buy X product?

• Some effective selling propositions:

○ Free, fast shipping○ No-hassle returns○ Free gift with purchase○ Ethical product sourcing○ Superior quality○ Lowest prices ○ Partnerships with charities or social enterprise

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USING EMOTION TO YOUR ADVANTAGE• Appeal to your customers’ emotions and goals

with your messaging

• Consider possible emotional motivations for buying your products

• Use those emotions to help motivate your customers to make a purchase

• Don’t forget about the power of making people feel like they’re on the inside

○ Connect with customers individually

○ Help customers feel as if they know you

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SETTING UP YOUR PRODUCTS

WHAT SHOULD PRODUCTS COMMUNICATE?• Clearly articulate what your product is and what sets it apart

○ Fabric, flattering fit, quality, price, etc.

• Be transparent! Share as much informational as possible since your customers can’t try your products on

○ Sizes — accurate sizing charts○ Color options — accurate depictions○ Clothing lengths — list information in the product description

and note how tall your model is○ Angles — what does the item look like from the front and

back?○ Helpful Information — lining, dry clean, etc.

Dress from ModCloth

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MAKE PRODUCTS SEO-READY• Provide unique, engaging and informative product descriptions

○ Do not copy manufacturer’s descriptions○ Be your customer’s personal shopper and provide information to influence purchasing decisions ○ Incorporate highly descriptive keywords and style adjectives into both product name and

description

• Encourage reviews after customers receive products○ Volusion reviews appear in the SERP’s rich snippets○ Reviews can help build customer confidence, improving conversions and limiting returns

Your SEO checklist

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KEYWORD CHALLENGES• A red dress is not simply a red

dress

• Broad keywords should not be your end goal

• More descriptive phrases will earn traffic that converts

• Use trend and style phrases thatare appropriate for your brand

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DESCRIPTIVE KEYWORDS• Keywords should accurately describe

product

• Target 3-5 keyword phrases per page

• Think of unique identifiers such as brand, style & cut, trend, color, material and occasion

• Effective keyword phrases for products○ black boho maxi dress○ men’s green lightweight rain jacket

• For categories○ Fall coats○ Booties○ Baby rompers and playsets

PRODUCT PHOTOGRAPHY BEST PRACTICES

• Quality photography is essential○ Impacts every area of your online

presence, including social media and shopping feeds

○ Increase conversion rate

• Showcase your products appropriately○ Use models ○ Do not show products lying flat

• Create videos showcasing your products○ Provides a better view of the fit,

design and quality○ Perfect for sharing on social media

You have great products, show them off

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TACTICS THAT WORK FOR FASHION STORES

EFFECTIVE TACTICS

1. SEO 2. Social media3. Email marketing4. Lookbooks 5. Advertising

Digital marketing that’s worth your time

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CATEGORIZATION BEST PRACTICES

• Offer a variety of sorting options○ Occasion○ Color○ Material○ Clothing type

• Consider using a Mega Menu • Allow customers to filter within

categories ○ Filtered pages are dynamically

generated○ Cannot be optimized for SEO

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CONTENT STRATEGY• Builds brand awareness• Captures leads at different stages of

the buying cycle• Increases audience engagement• Diversifies your keyword relevancy• Earns natural links and online mentions

• Good content:○ Brand voice○ Engaging○ Unique○ Is not overtly salesy, but does

entice customers to share your content

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SEO FOR FAST-MOVING PRODUCTS• Fully optimize categories and

subcategories ○ Add keyword-optimized Title

tags, meta descriptions and on-page content

• Optimize product pages○ Add keyword-optimized title tags

and meta descriptions to all products, along with unique descriptions

• 301 redirect dead product pages back to their relevant category page

OUT OF STOCK

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EFFECTIVE TACTICS

1. SEO 2. Social media3. Email marketing4. Lookbooks 5. Advertising

Digital marketing that’s worth your time

#SellingInStyle

SOCIAL MEDIA BEST PRACTICES

• Post quality pictures that followers will want to share○ Showcase products in use to highlight different angles and

styling options○ Encourage customers to share pictures of themselves wearing

your products○ Create style how-to’s or tutorials so customers can see your

product in context

• Use social media to ask customers which products they prefer○ This or That? posts ○ Can be paired with contests: Which pair of shoes should we

give away this month?

• Make it easy for customers to share from your website○ Add calls-to-action at checkout○ Turn on social sharing and liking features in Volusion admin

area

Making your products exciting, engaging and sharable

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NETWORKS TO JOIN● Consider where your audience

interacts

● Choose social networks based on demographic data that fits your audience

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PROFILE OPTIMIZATION• Craft custom, branded default profile

pictures and cover photosFree photo editors

• Fill out social media profiles thoroughlyDon’t copy bio directly from your

websiteCreate a call-to-action (Facebook)Verify your website (Pinterest)

• Include appropriate links to your website and other social media channels

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POSTING 101● “Rule of Thirds”

○ Promote○ Share○ Engage

● Highlight your products with helpful posts○ “How to style” and “what to wear”

● Don’t be too salesy — offer helpful, noncommercial posts along with posts about your products

● Post often and consistently

● Post when your audience is active

EFFECTIVE TACTICS

1. SEO 2. Social media3. Email marketing4. Lookbooks 5. Advertising

Digital marketing that’s worth your time

#SellingInStyle

EMAIL BEST PRACTICES• What should I promote?

○ Products your shoppers will be interested in○ New seasonal product lines○ Sales and other large campaigns○ Products that match a specific customer

segment’s past purchasing behavior

Engage directly with your shoppers

EMAIL BEST PRACTICES• How should I craft my message?

○ Segment your email lists based on customer interest

○ Write your copy in a brand-appropriate tone○ Showcase your products in a fun, likeable way○ Support brand identity with quality images○ Link featured images directly to a product page○ Mention related products or alternative colors

• Always include links or buttons to social media channels

Engage directly with your shoppers

EFFECTIVE TACTICS

1. SEO 2. Social media3. Email marketing4. Lookbooks 5. Advertising

Digital marketing that’s worth your time

#SellingInStyle

LOOKBOOKS

EFFECTIVE TACTICS

1. SEO 2. Social media3. Email marketing4. Lookbooks 5. Advertising

Digital marketing that’s worth your time

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SHOPPING FEEDS• What are shopping feeds?

o Large lists of products gathered from data submitted to comparison shopping engines

o Ex: Google Shopping (at right)

• Benefits of using shopping feedso Allow people to search and sort

by very specific parameterso Customers compare multiple

products to find the best valueo High conversion rates

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REMARKETING ADS● What is remarketing?

○ Ads only appear to people who have already visited your online store

○ Used to remind shoppers about a certain product or your store as a whole

● Often shown as display or banner ads○ Facebook also supports remarketing ads in the

News Feed (far left)

DISPLAY ADS• Image-based ads that appear on other websites• Work best with high-quality pictures of products

SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING• Appear on a variety of different social

media networks:o Facebooko Pinteresto Polyvoreo Instagram

• Earn website clicks or page engagement

• Ad copy should be short, snappy and prompt shoppers to take action

• Images should relay the ad messagingo High-quality or custom imageso Size images correctlyo Seasonal images

#SellingInStyle

OPEN Q&A SESSIONJoin the conversation at #SellingInStyle

Call 1-888-750-3996 or email services@volusion.com to learn more about our Fashion Marketing Package.

Provide the sales rep with coupon code FREESTYLE to earn a free month of service with a 6 month commitment! Offer valid through Oct. 2015

Helpful Resources• Create a Brand Voice • Learn how to use Google Analytics with Google’s training resources and free video classes• Try using some of free photo editors like Canva or Picmonkey• Discover how to use custom tabs on Woobox• Read Volusion’s blog, which includes our comprehensive DIY Product Photography Resource Guide

and a fantastic article on selling clothes and apparel online• Watch these Volusion-produced webinars that we strongly recommend for fashion stores:

Jumpstart Holiday Sales with Social MediaProduct Page Success | Tailoring Your Products for SEO and Shopping Feeds10 Proven Ways to Increase Sales Conversion

• Uncover the best times to post on social media• Learn how to create a digital Lookbook • Find out how to do a 301 Redirect in a Volusion store (it’s easy!)• Explore Google’s Adwords Tool and Google Trends• Jumpstart your SEO knowledge with Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO • Add Google Analytics to your site with this guide• Learn to create a Google Shopping Feed on your own

Find out how you can work with Volusion’s marketing experts by calling 1-888-750-3996; be sure to ask about our fashion Marketing service, Shopping Feed Management and Remarketing!