Building a contact list of customers or leads who are genuinely interested in your product and everything you have to offer is a critical part of your marketing strategy. You want to find people who are deeply interested in seeing what you have to offer next: your newest items, your latest promotions, or even teasers of what might be coming next.
How can you start building that list? These key list-building tips can help.
1. Choose your platform.
Where are you planning to connect with your customers? In the early days of your fashion brand, you might not have the tools you need for an extensive marketing platform that covers multiple platforms. Instead, you may want to focus on one or two: one social media channel or a robust email list, for example. As your brand grows, you can expand the places where you connect with your target audience.
To make your list-building efforts more effective, make sure you’re connecting with potential customers where they are–and where it’s most likely to create an impact. For example, if you know that your target audience is made up mostly of Gen Z, you may want to focus on an Instagram-based platform, while if your target audience is made up mostly of millennials, you may find Facebook more effective. Do your research and make sure you know what platform your customers are most likely to use to make it easier for you to connect with them.
2. Focus on your ideal target market.
While some people will certainly sign up for your list who do not seem to fit your mental version of your target market, the majority of your customers will likely fit into a specific profile. Define it clearly so that you know who you’re looking for. The better you know your target audience, the more you can refine your marketing efforts, and the better you can target your list-building efforts directly to them.
3. Offer an incentive that will encourage people to sign up.
Some people will naturally sign up just because they like your brand and want to know what you’re doing next. They’re interested in seeing what you will release next, or what new ideas or promotions you might run. Others, however, will need a little more incentive to move forward with connecting with your brand.
They might, for example, be more willing to sign up for your email list, join a social media group, or follow your social media platform if you offer them a discount code or other incentive for signing up. Consider what type of incentive will be most likely to move your target audience: a discount? A free small item with their next order?
4. Keep information about your list in clear view on your website.
A sidebar or running header is a great place to include that list signup information. You don’t want it to take over the screen, which could make it difficult for them to perform the other actions they want to perform on your page.
Instead, make it a small sidebar or easily-accessible tab that can be viewed as customers browse your website. Make sure you highlight the benefits that customers can get from signing up–most notably, whether they can get a discount on the order they’re about to place by signing up.
5. Add a pop-up.
Sometimes, you can encourage people to sign up for your list by putting a pop-up in when they first visit your website. Keep in mind, however, that customers may not have decided whether they will make a purchase when they first visit your website. Make it easy for them to decide later that they want to sign up.
6. Make it as simple as possible for people to sign up for your list.
It’s natural to want to use your list-building efforts to help you learn more about your target audience, whether it’s a few demographic questions or a simple question about what brought them to your website in the first place. However, while it’s usually okay to ask a question or two of your new signups, it’s important to keep it as simple and short as possible. Customers who have to go through multiple steps to sign up for your website will be much more likely to simply give up and click away.
7. Provide quality content.
If you want to get and keep people on your list, make sure you’re providing them with high-quality content that is likely to attract their interest. Your website, social media pages, blog, and emails should always offer things that are intended to benefit your readers. Show off your new designs. Offer fashion tips, including tips for accessorizing more effectively. Invite your readers to take a closer look at your behind-the-scenes efforts.
Whatever you provide, however, keep your target market in mind and make sure that you’re providing material geared toward their needs. Not only will it make them more likely to sign up, it will increase the odds that they will remain members of your list over time.
8. Allow customers to opt-in when they buy.
Sometimes, customers are looking for the easiest ways to connect with your brand. Consider allowing them to opt-in with your list when they buy from you. A simple checkbox can sign a new customer up for your email list while completing the checkout process, and the customer won’t have to list any additional information or take any additional time out of their day.
Building your email lists, fan lists, and overall contact lists for your brand can be difficult at first. As your brand becomes more widely known, however, your target audience will be more likely to come to you, and you’ll find that you have an overall more robust list that helps generate ongoing customer traffic. We hope these list-building tips were helpful!
Do you want to learn more about how to take your fashion brand to the next level? Check out our free LevelUp FASHION webinar today to see how you can enhance your fashion brand.