You’ve worked hard to turn your passion into your fashion brand, but getting your line from sketchpad to wardrobe is hard work. With a plethora of online competition and high street favourites, making yourself visible to your market is the only way to stand out from the crowd. So, when you’re ready to get your brand out of the closet, here’s a few ways to make sure heads are turn in your direction, with 5 actionable tips by Li-at Karpel Gurwicz, Head of Strategic Marketing at Wix.

Do your research

Start by researching your competitors; companies that have a similar offering to the audience you would like to reach. Consider the type of marketing they use to draw their customers through the door. Do they have discounts or flash sales? Are their products aspirational or affordable?

By checking competitors on a regular basis, you’ll start to notice patterns in their marketing – and more importantly, it might reveal the best way to differentiate yourself from the pack.

Research doesn’t stop with your opposition. Part of building a brand is researching the type of customer you would like to attract. Profiling their age, occupation, income and likes will help in deciding the type of brand promotion you choose, and ultimately, how successful you are at reaching your target audience. The further you can delve inside your customer’s head the better.

Make your mark

There are many ways to distinguish your brand from your competition, the most obvious being a logo. When creating your logo, think about how you want your brand to be perceived. For example, what will my audience think about when they see my brand? This will help in crafting the perfect symbol to fit your image. The most successful brand image is consistent across all channels which makes them easily recognisable.

Once you have your logo, all your other visuals should match its feel, colour and style. Whether you choose to sell your products on the high street or online, ensure the displays you create for your products follow the same visual story.

Create a stunning online shop

In the digital age, a lot of the communication with your customers will be online. The shop window has become an online presence, none more so than the website. It can be daunting trying to dress your shop, luckily there’s a variety of tools to help you build a stunning website for free. Platforms such as Wix.com have integrated artificial design intelligence into the website design, making website building as easy as creating an Instagram account. Simply answer a few questions, and the technology will do the rest based on what it learns about you, your business, your style and your existing digital presence. You will have your fashion store ready to go live within minutes, and you can immediately start to sell your fashion creations.

You can personalise your online fashion shop as you wish. Just like in real life, when you see fashion designs that really catch your eye and just don’t let go, great fashion websites have a way of popping out of the screen and leave a truly stunning impression. Dare to be unique.

Build visibility through social media

Similar to your logo and your website, the rest of your marketing channels need to fit together as a cohesive unit. With so many ways to promote yourself online, it can be overwhelming to decide where to begin.

Social media is an obvious place to start. It’s easy, free and if updated regularly can make a big impact. Facebook and Twitter are great ways to get in touch with potential customers and spread the word about your products. Channels like Instagram or SnapChat are a great choice to advertise your products because they offer a unique visual appeal, making your products aspirational.

Blog for the biz

It’s a great idea to add a blog into your shop. This way you can keep your visitors updated on new developments, new products, new versions, special offerings, etc. The blog platform allows the business to introduce these novelties in detail, accompanied by images or technical details that you just can’t fit into a twitter feed.

One more important reason to manage a company blog is that it adds character to the site and to the business in general. Clients tend to appreciate a business run by humans with humour and personalities rather than corporate clerks. If you do that successfully, the readers will react through the comments and you will have a valuable communication channel with them.

Another great thing about company blogs is that they are good for SEO. Most business sites don’t have enough text to enjoy SEO benefits, but blogs always do. Playing it smart with a blog can increase the number of quality visitors substantially.

Getting yourself launched and making yourself visible is no easy feat. However, doing the right research and implementing the right tools can help you make the best decisions for your brand. In just a few clicks you’ll be on your way.