We had a chit chat with Fashion Pr expert Faith Senam Ocloo on what we think fashion brands in Ghana are missing out on their branding strategies and she had quite some salient point to share with us.
Q: From a PR perspective, what 7 things do you think fashion brands in Ghana are missing out on in their branding strategy?
In building a brand, you need to invest in developing a brand and communications strategy that will guide your journey. From a PR perspective, I believe it goes beyond having a beautiful logo, colors, and packaging to getting your messaging consistent, forging relationships and developing contents offline and online that makes you stay relevant and top of mind. Here are a few things I suggest you don’t miss out in developing your brand.
Your brand image is everything
In building a brand, remember that image is everything. Spend time to work on both your personal image and that of your fashion, beauty and lifestyle business. What people say or perceive about your brand is crucial and as such you need to invest in nurturing a good and positive image both online and offline. This will include what kind of content you put out and the people your brand works with all create an image for your brand. Maintaining a positive image and goodwill will serve your brand a great deal.
Build a consistent brand
Many Ghanaian designers find it difficult to build a consistent brand. I mean, they have to stay true to their vision as a brand and be known for it. Be known as the best Bridal Gown Designer, be known as the best red carpet designer or be known as the best corporate wear designer. When you build a consistent brand, you become top of mind when it comes to what you are known for. Don’t try to do everything and be known for nothing. Similarly, your branding should be consistent across board. Invest in developing a brand guide that makes you stick to your choice of logo, color, visuals and messaging.
Create a Signature
I know this may take a lot of hard work to achieve but it will be worth it. Create a signature that makes your brand stand out and easily recognizable. This could come in a form of a statement piece or your visuals or how you present your brand and which tone it communicate in. Invest time in understanding your brand by making sure you have fully answered out the what, who, why, where, when and how of your brand and develop that unique feature that will make your brand stand out.
Don’t be everywhere
You don’t need to be on every fashion show or participate in every trade event because you want to stay relevant. Your communications strategy will inform you of things you need to do or events you should or should not participate in. Building a brand requires that you are impactful and strategic, so you need to question how participating in one event or the other would impact your brand positively and give you the mileage needed.
Build Mutual Relationships
In building a brand, relationships are very crucial. Connect and maintain relationships with your clients, employees, vendors, stakeholders, bloggers, influencers alike. These are people who may come into contact with your brand. Your mutual relationship with them could get you to win extra points from their mentions, features, referrals, reviews etc. Engage them in a series of events that will make them feel important and thereby be willing to support and assist you when there arises.
Be media friendly
Securing media features on smaller platforms to national and international platforms are all important in building a brand. Do not downplay or ignore them by looking at just the bigger platforms. Feel free to pitch your new products, events, initiatives to the right fashion editors and bloggers in order to gain publicity and press coverage for your event. Several mentions in the media can serve as a leverage point to gain and access several new and potential clients. Earn your spot by engaging in activities or initiatives that are newsworthy.
Use social media wisely
Social Media may be good for every business because you may feel the need to have a presence online. However, you need to be strategic in how you use social media. You don’t need to be on every platform just for being there. Identify which of them connects better with your customers and develop contents that will engage them. Attractive visuals and videos are also key.
Image credit: Vliso
Image credit: Moyi Magazine
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