Top Tips for Marketing Your Boutique

by Michelle Hoang June 10, 2015

Are you someone who recently started a boutique? If so, you already know that a lot of wholesale clothing suppliers don't really meet your needs. After all, many of them work with larger wholesale manufacturers and distributors, and don't really touch on the trendy and affordable fashions you want to sell. Fortunately, there are wholesale boutique apparel vendors like KatydidWholesale.com who can provide you with the looks you want.

Naturally, any wholesale clothing you find may be wrong for your boutique unless you already have a very clear vision or style sense for the shop. This is a huge issue and it is one that a lot of people in search of wholesale boutique apparel fail to recognize.

Just consider that your boutique is going to have to be looking around 18 months into the future. You are not just a boutique owner, but someone who has to present themselves as an effective fashion forecaster, and one with an eye for haute couture or boutique looks rather than the broader "ready to wear" styles.

Why should this matter? When you are shopping for wholesale clothing, you have to know that you are making arrangements to purchase lines and products that are in sync with your boutique's existing image. This ensures that any audience you already have will buy the looks you choose, and that your clientele will continue to expand as you show off your ability to recognize the hottest wholesale boutique apparel looks from the more average styles.

Get Started in Marketing

Now, once you have your style sense very clear and you are defining your shop's brand or image, you need to be sure you are also speaking to your audience wherever it is they are found. For example, many marketing experts talk about market segments, and that a, "Narrow target market is the key to success for clothing boutiques, whether they operate locally or online."(Chronicle.com)

This would mean marketing to your clients based on the demographic information that applies to them. Their ages, income level, geographic locations, interests, social life, and any other factors that you feel define their fashion choices. Only when you are clear on these issues can you choose wholesale clothing that will appeal to them, and then market it to them across platforms where you know they will be found. After all, fashion is a very personal matter and your choices won't always appeal to everyone.

For example, if you purchase wholesale boutique apparel for your shop in Miami, and your audience is made up of a lot of women over the age of 40, your marketing has to focus on media and locations you know they will discover your information. Don't overlook social media in addition to standard advertising - especially sites like Instagram and Pinterest that are image-based and perfect for the wholesale clothing seller.

Remember too that you will need to design a website and any promotional programs that speak directly to your market. This is no time to cut corners as the one tool your potential shoppers will use to find you is the Internet - so be sure you represent yourself accordingly.

Fortunately for you, as someone who is marketing wholesale boutique apparel you have a great deal of lead time prior to each season. You will have attended trade shows, made orders with wholesale clothing manufacturers and distributors, and found local resources months ahead of time. This allows you to develop your catalog descriptions, social media blasts, and even to do some styling and photo shoots with some of the products "coming soon".

All of these elements will greatly enhance your basic website or advertising schemes, and your patrons will quickly spread the word via these electronic marketing messages. Soon, your wholesale boutique apparel will catch the eye of more than just the initial target audience and your boutique will be a success.

Source

Chron.com. Marketing Plan for a Clothing Boutique. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/marketing-plan-clothing-boutique-11986.html





Michelle Hoang
Michelle Hoang

Author