The Fashion Pitch: Techniques to Make Your Fashion Brand Stand Out

1. Mindmapping: - Hi, - My name is Dolly a shop, - and I am a digital strategist as well as a teacher at the Fashion Institute of Technology. - I have previously launched two companies and set up marketing strategies for many companies - . - So now we get to work on crafting your 12th pitch. - Today session is going to be about mind mapping strategies. - So have you ever had a chance in an elevator session to talk to somebody about your product - or your brand? - You literally have 10 seconds to create that initial conversations that you can create an - opening for a continuing conversation. - A. - They need to figure out if they could use this particular brand or product, - and B they need to start thinking through if this creates value for them. - So this is why it's so important for you to think through how best describe what you do and - how you doing. - So in this session we're going to talk about my mapping strategies. - Essentially, - you want to think through the different keywords that you associate with your brand and - product and how you can best describe your messaging not only for your 12th pitch, - but also for your marketing materials. - You need to know what kind of culture you're going to be able to provide, - what lifestyle you want to synergize with and how you're going to best connect with your - customer. - So my mapping essentially focuses on creative problem solving. - You want to think through the key words that are associated with your company or brand and - start thinking through how you can really establish a foundation for your company. - So when you think of my mapping, - you want to be able to think you want to take a look at your competition. - What are they doing? - How were they engaging with their customers? - What type of Burbage did they use was the lifestyle that they're creating and how do you - connect with them the best way possible? - So we think through the different keywords in regards to my mapping. - So this is actually the fun part. - You get to brainstorm. - I love brainstorming, - so essentially you want to start doing some research First. - You want to see what your competition is doing one of the most important things because you - want to understand the scope of the market and how they're engaging with their customers - and More importantly, - what are their keywords and morals behind the company? - So let's start off with Rule number one. - We really want the mind map to be as memorable as possible because when you were thinking - about that physical creation off the mind map, - you'll be able Teoh relate back to it when you're at a networking event, - or when you're actually in a meeting, - pitching your product. - And those branches will be synergistic with what your company is about and what the basis - for your product service or brand or the foundation for your brand product or service. - Let's focus on the unique components of your company. - What type of information do you want to stand out about your company and what's going to be - specifically relevant to the people that you're speaking to? - If you have an emotional connection to any part of your mind map, - it will stand out in your mind and you'll be able to reflect back on it. - When you're in these type of conversations, - or what you're searching for content to produce for your about us page or your social media - components, - you're going to continuously go back to your mind map and revise and update it with new - keywords that are gonna be relevant to your company or your brand or your product or - service. - Repeating information and identifying connections is a good way to remember the conference - . - The information. - In the long run, - when you're physically creating the mind map, - you want to make sure that you specifically branch out with those keywords and when you - branch out toe once person specific section, - continue to branch out. - So it's okay to have one branch out for the first section, - another two for the second section, - and keep going until you don't have any more areas to branch out an arrow out to you want - to think through as many keywords as possible their synergistic with not only the - particular area of expertise but also the culture and the lifestyle that you're creating - for your brand. - Now it's time to get down to work. - You're going to start with with a blank canvas, - and they're gonna put your brand or your company right in the center of it, - and then you're going to start branching out different keywords. - You want to do that because you want to make sure that your mind is physically able to - embrace everything that surrounds your particular brand. - Feel free to use images as well as those words to help you be creative and inspire - different ideas from those particular images. - Can I have your main branches to the central image and connect your second and third - branches to the first and second levels? - Because your brain works by association, - it likes to link two or three or four take things together. - If you connect the branches, - you'll understand and remember a lot more easily. - Now you have to start writing what comes to mind when you start to generate your thoughts. - Start to draw those branches from that main topic and keep as few words as possible on each - line. - As you start to mind that more, - try to continue to think really amount of words per branch, - and you want to make sure that you're very clear. - Be very sick ST in your choices of words for your man, - right single words or simple phrases, - and they continue ranching. - Make as many branches as you can for the main topic. - When you extend your thoughts from one ideas, - the next draw lines between your thoughts to create lateral thinking. - When you're finished mapping, - study the connection, - start thinking through the connections between your thoughts and the ideas and try to - relate them where they become synergistic. - Okay, - so let's do one now for fun. - So I decided that I'm going to create, - um and exercise apparel company so that even the company is gonna be called athleticism is - . - And I started thinking through the different components. - So write their letter size goes in the center of my mind map and now I'm going to start - branching out. - The first thing that I'm going to branch out is going to be towards exercise because that's - a huge component of my apparel company. - The next area is going to be branched out towards meditation playing visualization. - Now the third branch out. - I'm going to start taking a look at exercise and thinking through those two particular - components. - So we have like swimming. - We have dancing, - we have running, - we have walking jogging, - and I feel like you get the notion. - So we're gonna continuously branch out and think about the exact culture and the energy - from this particular area. - Let's continue on branching out. - So we have the meditation branch and branching out from there. - We wouldn't think about yoga, - and we want to think about relax ation, - balanced energy, - healthy diet along the lines of that. - So, - at this point should have an idea how the mind mapping strategy goes, - and continuously thinking three wards that are associated with your particular company and - the the culture that you want to provide in terms of lifestyle and company culture. - This is one that I started putting together as I mentioned before. - The brand's name is called Athletics Eyes, - and it's focused on quality and strength and comfort as well as exercise healthy lifestyle - meditation. - So I want this. - I want this brand to be positioned as a comfortable, - healthy athletic apparel brand that people can wear Teoh not only the gym and yoga classes - , - but out in about around town because it's become part of their lifestyle. - So from exercise were thinking weaken expanded to dance, - walking, - running the healthy lifestyle really focuses on com. - Listen, - purity and even gluten free because that's that's something that we're trending more - towards right now. - And when I when I mentioned meditation, - yoga is such a prevalent, - uh, - such a prevalent component of what people do in their daily life style, - and I can really imagine this apparel fitting into that segment, - so another component of that would fall into the happiness, - self, - self control and peace of mind that people would have when wearing these items during their - yoga classes. 2. Determining your Target Market: - Now we're up to my favorite part defining the target market. - In order to build a solid foundation for your business, - you need to determine who your target market is going to be and how you're going to reach - them. - What kind of Burbage are you going to use? - And more? - So how are you going to engage with them? - This is going to be really important and all that in order to figure out your marketing - strategies and how you're going to market your product directly to your consumer. - Targeting a specific market doesn't mean that you're going to need to exclude people that - don't fit into your criteria, - but rather you're reaching more specifically your direct target market in terms of - demographic information and people that will synergize best with your product. - It's going to allow you to focus your marketing and brand messaging towards specific market - . - That's more likely Teoh purchased from you as opposed to other markets. - This is going to be much more affordable, - efficient and effective way to reach direct clients and generate business. - So we're going back. - Teoh, - your competitive analysis. - How are you going to define your target market really is ultimately going to start off with - checking out your competition because when you figure out your competitors are targeting, - you know that there is already a market for this particular product and you can think about - it in the competitive landscape. - Could that potentially be your clientele or doesn't mean that there's a knish area and you - should be directing it towards a different clientele? - This is going to make you think, - and more importantly, - it's going to help you figure out what type of bourbons you should be utilizing in your - marketing strategies. - You're also going to start analyzing your product or service. - So ultimately, - the benefit of high quality design is really essentially for them to gain more customers - and make more money. - This is the next step in defining your target market. - You want to analyze your product in your service so you want to start writing out a list - off each feature of your product and services you offer, - and next to each feature you're gonna list the benefits that they provide. - For example, - if a if a dress designer offered high quality dress designs, - the result is going to be a more professional company image and that is going to that is - going to resonate with more customers because it's going to have more luxurious feeling, - and it's going to present itself as a professional, - trustworthy company. - So when you think about when you think about what you who your target market is, - you need to really evaluate what the product in the services that you're going to be - providing them. - Then you're going to start making a list of the type of people that need these benefits - start diving. - Indeed, - it's really going to be about specific demographics. - They're going to be targeting your market. - So you want to think about the age, - their location, - their gender potential income levels so that you can just and price your items accordingly - . - And additional items would include education level marrow, - family status, - their occupation, - because you want to make sure that your product is based around their lifestyle. - So with my athleticism company, - I would be targeting 25 to 35 year old demographic in more of a suburb in location that - focuses on outdoors, - exercise and really healthy lifestyle. - You also want to think about the psycho graphics of your target market. - What is their personality going to be like their attitude, - potential values, - interests and hobbies, - as well as their lifestyle and their behavior. - How can you connect with them through the type of content that you're gonna be providing? - And how is your product or service going to fit into their lifestyle? - Well, - they use it, - and when will they use it? - What kind of features were going to be the most appealing to them, - And what media do they turn to for information? - Are they big around social media because you want to make sure that you tailor the content - specifically toe where they live? - So now we should ask ourselves a couple of questions first, - whether or not people that fit my criteria for my target market. - Well, - my target really benefit from a product or service, - and is there a need for it? - Do I understand what drives my target market to make these decisions? - Can they afford the product or service that I'm providing? - And can I reached up with my message? - Are they easily accessible? - You don't want to break your target market down too far, - because then you're gonna have too much of a niche market that might not be defined yet. - Consider your marketing message for each niche market. - And if you can reach different niche markets, - make sure that your your marketing has targeted appropriately. - So if you find that there are only 50 people that fit all of your cry interior, - you should be re ability. - But your target. - The trick is to find a perfect balance. - You might be asking yourself how I find all this information. - The Internet is your best friend. - Start Googling. - Take a look at what people are doing. - What are they talking about? - Social media is more than just a tool to have conversations on, - or social media is more than just engagement tool. - But it's also a listening tool. - You can learn so much about people, - their interests, - what products they're using, - where they are just from listening to what they mentioned on social media, - especially Twitter and Instagram. - Defining your target market is definitely the hardest part. - But once you know you're targeting, - it's gonna be much easier to figure out which media you can use to reach them and the - marketing messages that resonate with them. - Instead of sending direct mail, - we don't do that anymore. - We're gonna be focusing on reaching people on platforms that they live on and creating a - desire for them. - Toe Want Teoh? - Engage in the content that you're putting out there, - especially when it's synergistic to your brand. - There's a quote that I typically use in my classes. - You can't be everything to everyone, - so you want to make sure that you're the right thing to the right people. - You need to focus on your primary market. - You're going to have a specific product or service that's going to reach a demographic that - wants your product or service. - So you just want to make sure that you understand who the person is that you're trying to - reach. - And it will help you figure out best strategies in regards Teoh why they would want your - product or service and techno graphically how you can reach them. - So a couple of things that I've been thinking about lately have been not only social media - , - but the fact that we are on our mobile phones almost all the time, - so you find that people want opt in through email. - That's one aspect if you find that another component because we're on our Mobil's and - you're reaching your under my graphic text. - Mystery might be the right option. - More importantly, - which social media platforms resonate with which target market? - If we're thinking tumbler, - we're probably thinking the 13 to 17 year old demographic that we're talking about - instagram, - even though it does Q towards the 13 Teoh 27 year old demographic, - people are starting to increasingly adopt that technology because we're focusing on visual - photo sharing. - So it's really important to focus on who am I trying to reach and what the bass strategy - trapped strategy to reach that, - What do you want? - A sample target market that I put together for the company that I created? - Athleticism. - We're basically targeting the active young thinking woman, - women who are appearance conscious. - Their main goal is to achieve physical fitness and inner peace. - They have an active lifestyle, - but they're also sophisticated and well educated. - Their age range from 25 to 45 years old in the upper middle class, - and then they will probably reside in North America. - Because that's where that's where I am aware that I can reach that. - The graphics are also important because we want to think about the appeal to the customer - that about that they value so essentially their values fall into high quality of life. - Please self improve name. - They value innovative sportswear and they don't want to compromise. - I'm great style or comfort. - This this product line is really meant to you make them feel fantastic, - whether they are working out or they're heading to work out, - or even if they're just walking around town because they feel comfortable not only in their - apparel, - but also how they look in it. 3. 10-second pitch: - so your elevator pitch is going to be one of the most important components of your company - because you're going to want to describe your company the best way possible to the right - people, - and you also want them to be interested in what you were up to. - So you're spending, - I don't know, - a matter of two minutes describing your company. - You already lost their interest. - They're no longer engaged with what you're talking about, - and they're probably thinking about something else at that point. - So that's why it's a where to get your 12th pitch down to literally 10 to 15 seconds. - No more than that. - And that essentially means that you're squeezing it into about a one or two liner on. - And these are things that we're going to start thinking about because that is probably one - of the toughest thing that you're going to have to dio. - So we're going to have to figure out different keywords that are relevant with your company - and your culture. - And more importantly, - we want we want to focus on these core components. - What do you do and how do you help other people? - Because that is what your 12th pitch is about, - and that, - essentially, - is what your company's about. - We want to work with who we know and we like. - And if you're helping me do something, - I'm going to appreciate that important to think through how we can best engage with our - target market about what we do best. - Whether it's your product, - your brand or your service, - you want to communicate in the most efficient way possible. - When people think about your brand, - what do they think of? - Are you funny? - Are you fun? - Are you sexy? - Dynamic? - How can we best communicate that through this Burbage? - And we really want to focus on how we're able to connect with people in the first couple of - seconds that we meet or talk to them? - I was actually watching a restaurant Impossible show the other day, - and I felt like it was it was interesting because it touched on the fact that unfortunately - , - one of the businesses was really struggling and they were trying to figure out best - strategies on I'm making themselves more successful within their space, - and I feel like this is synergistic in terms off. - How do we approach these situations so he was invited to speak on the, - uh he was invited to speak on TV and promote his brand, - and in the beginning he was doing a terrible job just practicing for it. - But when he was put on the spot, - he was ableto best communicate why people should come to his restaurant in 10 seconds. - That's what we need to dio. - And it doesn't need to. - It shouldn't feel southsea. - It should be warm, - inviting and something that people will really synergize with. - Your 12th pitch could also become the mission statement for your brand strategy because - essentially, - you're describing a couple of different things you're describing who you're trying to reach - or who you're targeting. - You're describing who really needs your product or your service, - how you're going to help them or what you're doing to benefit them. - What exactly you offering and how do you do it? - Where are you offering? - It is an online Is it in person? - Is it virtually? - And what are you doing? - It isn't in real time. - Do you have a same day delivery? - What are the special features that you're that makes you competitive in the school? - Come on. - Different ideas Teoh think about is the opportunity to start off with a hook when somebody - asks, - What do you do? - Start with a statement designed to pique their curiosity. - Step one. - Identify your goal. - Start off by thinking about the objective of your pitch. - Do you want to tell your potential clients about your organization or your company? - Or do you have a great, - fantastic, - exciting new products that you want Teoh create awareness around? - Or more importantly, - do you have a simple and engaging opportunity to create awareness about your company? - What you dio Step two. - Explain what you dio start your pitch by describing what your company does. - Focus on the problems that you solve and how you can best help people ask yourself, - This question is, - you start writing. - What do you want your potential consumers to remember about? - You? - Keep in mind your elevator pitch should really excite you. - After all, - people get excited about what you're saying that neither is your audience. - Your pitch should bring a smile to your face and quickly it, - like really quick in your heartbeat. - People might not remember everything that you say that they'll definitely remember your - enthusiasm. - I like to think of Pinterest is an interesting example. - Pictures is an online pain board You're able to pin and save the things that you love. - I think it's very clear and concise and what they do and how they do it literally. - You're able to envision what they dio so we can think through those different scenarios. - What? - How do you best describe your company? - Step three. - Communicate your USP. - That's gonna be your unique selling proposition. - It really identifies what makes you your company and your brand really unique. - And you're gonna want to communicate your unique selling proposition After you've spoken - about what you dio, - you want to highlight your U S P whenever you can to show how you're different in the - market and why your consumers would want to purchase your product or service from you as - opposed to somebody else. - And then you also have an opportunity to engage with question. - After able to communicate your USP or you your unique selling proposition, - you're gonna need to engage the person you're speaking. - So make sure that you put together some open ended questions that can't be answered with a - yes or no. - But it actually increases the conversation. - So recently I was actually at a networking event and I asked somebody what they did. - They got really flustered and they looked at the wall and they gave me, - like, - a very kind of jumbled up answer. - But it kind of sounded like they were. - They were reading off something that they had written, - and that's something that we need to remember. - You're going tohave to separate versions of your 12th pitch, - one that you're going Teoh potentially include in writing components. - So if you're reaching out for press or if you're reaching, - if you're adding it to your website and someone and so forth or you're putting it in a - business plan, - though, - that's going to be the written version. - But you want to remember that when you speak to people, - it's a completely different approach, - and it needs to be more personalized and feel a little bit warmer than as though you had - written it, - because we don't want to speak like we right. - I put together to sample ones. - The 1st 1 is the one that I would write. - Athleticism provides stylish workout apparel to the female demographic so they look and - feel their best when exercising. - That would be the written version, - so that if I ever wanted to send over a description of the company or if I wanted Teoh, - um included within a potential on and if I wanted to include it within a potential press - release, - this is the type of Burbage that I would use. - But when you're speaking to people, - we have to remember that people need a more personal connection. - So if somebody were asking me in a networking event, - what would I say to describe my company? - Or what do I dio? - This is the second line is the version that I created for that I created a clothing line - that makes sure women look and feel their best when exercising. - Do you see the difference? - It's a little bit warmer, - and it develops a personal connection. - We spoke about quite a few different components. - This is the introduction to your branding strategy because you're going to need to put - together a strong branding strategy in order to establish a strong marketing plan. - So we focused on your mind mapping strategy. - Who is your target market and how are you going to reach them. - And more importantly, - your elevator pitch is going to be Burbage that you're going to use and probably almost all - of your marketing materials, - even if you adjusted according to who the target market is you're trying to engage with. - Those were still going to be strong terms that you're going to need to include and focus on - , - because people want to understand what you do. - And they don't want to feel confused every time they hear your company name or your - company's objectives, - they want to understand from the beginning. - OK, - athletics Eyes focuses in apparel that targets a female demographic for working out. - Hope you had a great experience.