How do you level the playing field when it comes to competing with other indie clothing stores, or bigger, well-established boutiques? One word: video.
A thoughtfully executed video marketing campaign will show off your wonderful clothing to customers. With videos promoting product features, expert fashion tips, and how to videos, you can showcase the brands you stock, the beautiful colors and flattering fit of your clothing. Here’s how to motivate your audience to click “buy” with video.
Bring your clothing to life.
Picture a dress on a hanger, the same dress on a model, and that dress on a regular person like you or me. It’s obvious what would be the most useful image for customers trying to visualize what it would look like on them. But why use pictures when you can produce a video?
Create a video series showcasing the way your clothing range really looks. Include a variety of sizes to showcase the way the material drapes on a range of body shapes. For customers shopping online, videos giving an accurate impression of what the clothing would look like on them are invaluable.
It’s not just about the products.
As a small business owner, you know that you’ve got to innovate if you want to stay ahead of larger chain stores. Hosting regular events and recording what happens on video makes for effective promotional materials.
For instance, you could host a fashion show. It’s a great way to show off next season’s line of clothes, or a new designer you started carrying.
Or, you could put together events that are truly useful for your audience. Think of sewing classes featuring easy alterations. Or, a historical film series on fashion icons. By holding events on a regular basis, you can create engagement online, while also attracting potential customers to your brick-and-mortar store.
Make your customer service a talking point.
Chances are, someone else stocks the same clothing range as you. Customers might be able to access it more conveniently or for less money.
Use video to differentiate yourself from the competition by showing off your remarkable customer service. Capture your luxurious changing space, interview your team members, and share some of the ways your store has helped someone have a better day! Ten Tips for Introducing Your Team with Video will give you plenty of food for thought.
You’re more than a small business.
Many customers want to support small businesses. Still, you’ve got to give them a reason to purchase.
Do you stock brands from up-and-coming designers? Perhaps your children’s clothing has been designed by a young celebrity? Maybe you stock items that are extremely limited and won’t ever be produced again. Perhaps you have in-depth knowledge about the fashion industry.
Pinpoint what’s unique about your boutique, and make it a feature of your video campaign.
Don’t forget about your window display!
If you’re in a location where there’s a high level of foot traffic, then go all out to attract those passersby. Invest in a large screen, and show a video that tells potential customers why they need to come into your store.
It should show why your store is different. For instance, try featuring an exciting new brand that they won’t be able to purchase elsewhere, or even a montage of customers wearing your stock. The sky’s the limit!
Team up with an emerging clothing designer.
This is a win-win scenario. Your store and the designer both work together to produce videos that promote your brands.
Audiences love behind-the-scenes videos. Create content that gives them a glimpse of the designer at work, the store being set up for a fashion show featuring the designer’s clothing, or maybe even a preview of the next season’s collection. Our article, Let Them In: Go Behind the Scenes with Video, is a great starting point for anyone considering this approach.
Reach out to fashion bloggers.
Work with well-known fashion bloggers to enable your videos to reach a wider audience. However, targeting the vloggers with the largest following isn’t necessarily the smartest strategy.
Instead, spend time online searching for bloggers whose aesthetic and voice are a good fit with your brand. Rather than sending your chosen bloggers the same video and asking them simply to repost it, work on cultivating a relationship with them.
Find out what they’d be interested in endorsing and the content they think is most popular with their audience. Working together to create a how-to video that’s highly targeted at their existing followers will appeal to fashion enthusiasts. Check out our blog Five Ways to Supercharge Your Campaigns with Influencer Video Marketing for tips.
Wrapping up.
The fashion industry is crowded. Big brands – both clothing stores and designers – have recognized the importance of having a coherent, engaging video marketing strategy to promote their wares.
Most of them do it very well. Take a look at Nordstom’s collection of videos for an example of well-executed fashion video how-tos.
That certainly doesn’t mean small business owners should shy away from competing with them. Look at what your competitors are doing and work out where your store does it better. Set out to engage customers by helping or entertaining them, as opposed to simply selling to them. Chances are, this approach will be positively received, and sales will follow.
Are you the owner of an independent clothing boutique? If you have any video marketing tips to add, we’d love to hear them! Share below or on Twitter.
