N17 Creative Callings – How to Sell Your Brand
21-04-2020
On Friday 17th April 2020, CEO Jenny Holloway and industry expert Jax Johnson paired up for an in-depth 3-hour session on How to Sell Your Brand.
The latest in a series of online seminars under the N17 Creative Callings business support programme, supported by the Mayor of London and the European Union, the session attracted twenty-eight participants all at various stages within their own businesses based in the N17 postcode area of London.
Jenny Holloway began the session with some very honest and insightful advice based on her own experiences as well as using examples of stories from other brands that she has worked with such as Finery London. She discussed how having your own business will take over your life, you really have to have a passion and a drive to succeed and that it’s a level of commitment that doesn’t suit everyone. She talked about being nimble and adaptable, keeping on track of what is going on in the macro and being reactive to what sells, consumer demand and industry changes.
Other key areas Jenny covered included; rolling ranges, extending the product life cycle, USP – what is your brand story, understanding quality, knowing your target market and who is your core customer. Half way through the session Jax Johnson took over the seminar with some excellent information on making the most of the web, email marketing and social media. Jax said that you need to remember “your website is your shop window to the world.”
She talked about website design, functionality, bounce rates, regularly posting topical content, design consistency, tone of voice, related links and regularly checking your website works on all browsers. In particular ensuring functionality on mobile phones as these are increasingly being used to browse and buy. She also touched on Google analytics to understand your audience – their likes and dislikes and focusing on what works.
Moving on to social media she discussed how to make the most of these free marketing tools by analysing your audience and working on the platforms they use. She discussed regular posts, building up an audience, and the increased popularity of short videos e.g. behind the scenes of making a garment or working on a fashion shoot.
Jenny Holloway returned for the last hour of the seminar. She talked about her own personal experience of setting up a website and the various costs and considerations involved. The session then rounded off welcoming any questions from the participants of which there were many, from advice on setting up a website to recommendations and more.
Feedback included:
“The Finery case study was really interesting, as well as hearing about the speaker’s own experiences. I was familiar with all the social media strategies, but it was useful to review them in this way.”
“I learnt from the practical examples and that video marketing is the best form of marketing.”
“The speakers were really good to listen to and actually being online was really useful because we could never get to Fashion-Enter for their workshops in time as we were often out of London.”
“I found the slides really useful. Sometimes when people just talk it doesn’t all go in, so to have the slides up helps for the information to be digested.”
“The online marketing module was all new to me. Analytics and website optimisation, video marketing as a key tool, CTA, mobile as the primary device.”
“Lots of quality and practical nuggets of info peppered the session; such as the hallmarks of garment quality and how this relates to your brand placement in as far as knowing what your potential market will expect and where that will place you on the pricing scale. The smart directive to focus on testing out and demand first, rather than sinking capital without this necessary R&D (fast and nimble, as opposed to fast and loose), which also links to ratio ordering.”
“All the personal experiences and tips shared with us were really good. It makes it easier to “picture” the information.”
“I enjoyed the part about how Finery came about. This was very useful to me because I loved the idea and have been thinking how to standout in the saturated market.”
The next N17 Creative Callings online seminar is on Trend Analysis with Lauren Morrison on Thursday 23rd April 2020 10am – 1pm.
If you have just started or are looking to grow a small business in the Tottenham CEZ area, then please get in touch and we will advise on how N17 Creative Callings, supported by the Mayor of London and the European Union, can help you and your business. Contact Esme: esme@fashion-enter.com
