The shoe industry is a giant one with many competitions to be wary of. However, there’s always a place for a new brand as people continually seek the perfect fit for them. This means that’s there’s enough opportunity to tap into when it comes to the global footwear market. It can be tricky determining how to navigate through this industry. However, you will find it easier to develop perfect shoe advertising ideas with enough creativity, business sense, and style. This article covers the best practices when it comes to shoe advertising. Additionally, we’ll be exploring some shoe advertising practices you can incorporate into your business.
Best Practicing for Shoes Advertising
The marketing landscape is continually changing, and you must stay up to date on the latest practices. While the fact that your advertising should be customer-centric remains, there are some practices you need to implement in your advertising.
Always Market Your Innovations
The first step to shoe advertising is an innovative concept your target audience would find appealing. Each successful shoe brand today started with innovative concepts that skyrocketed them in the market. So you have to first identify that concept that makes your shoes innovated, which is what your shoe advertising will revolve around. Next, ensure your marketing idea is tailored to the audience you know would be most excited about it.
Add Your Customer Service in the Marketing
Although whether people like the style and function of the shoe would be the primary purpose of the purchase, customer service also plays a significant role. Develop an ad that showcases how your customer service sets you apart from the rest. One way you can do that is by showing the customers on the ad how they can search for shoes by heel length, color, material, and other features on your website. You could also integrate avatars that allow customers to try on different shoe pairs. An innovative customer service that you can integrate into your ad will help draw customers to your shoe business.
Market to Your Community
The internet has made it relatively easy for you to tailor your shoe advertising to international communities. However, there’s a strong likelihood that your local community members will be your first customers. In addition, some people could buy your shoes out of a desire to support you. Therefore, you should tailor your shoe advertising to your community first. For example, you can implement a shoes advertising plan of hosting a fashion show featuring your new shoes. You could either make it free of charge or charge a fee, making it clear the proceeds go to charity. You could also include special deals for locals in your shoes advertising plan.
Sell Identifiable Benefits
There are many shoes out there, so selling benefits rather than products is the best way to make your shoes advertising plan stand out. An excellent example of this practice is Bowerman, who made the waffle tread. He wanted to make the most lightweight running shoes. He believed that a lighter shoe would improve the speed of a distance runner. Therefore, joggers and runners alike bought into the benefits he offered in his shoes advertising plan. Luckily, the product worked and was able to gain the industry’s respect. Therefore, you should focus on selling identifiable benefits rather than products in your shoes advertising plan.
Also, with sight being the best way to make your customers believe, evoking emotions with visual content is essential. When your shoppers can look at the product and the experience it offers, it allows them to visualize how your products will improve their lives. Therefore, in your shoe advertisement, show them what it would feel like striding into town with a pair of your shoes. In addition, let them visualize all the comfort and confidence your products can offer them. By painting a picture, you will b able to convince shoppers that they deserve to own a pair.
Adapt to Your Audience Needs
The top shoe brands today are continually adapting new communication methods for their marketing plans. It isn’t because they’re on the search for something new. Instead, these top brands realize that their customers are on these new communication platforms and adapt to their needs. If you find out that your target audience is mainly on Instagram, you should ensure you take your business there. Ensure that your posts are always valuable. Sometimes, your shoe advertising plans shouldn’t always be about sales pitches but motivational posts with samples of your shoes on the post.
Your Customer’s Needs Should be the Base of Your Strategy
Sometimes, people are not looking for shoes. They’re looking for better ways to stay in shape or something to make their day out more comfortable. Identify the felt needs of your customers and meet these needs in your shoes advertising strategy. For example, if there’s a focus on cardiovascular health today, jogging to stay in shape might be on the rise, making jogging shoes a felt need. If it’s party season, the felt need would be comfortable shoes you can party in for long. What is the felt need of your customers? Locate these and ensure you base your strategy on them.
Tell Stories as a Part of Your Shoe Advertising Strategy
One of the most cost-effective techniques you could implement in your shoes advertising plan is to build a brand story. This requires you to put your mind to work because the story must highlight the purpose of your product. When you’re able to craft a compelling story of how your shoes came to be and why they deserve to stay, your shoes advertising strategy begins to pay off. In addition, your story should show that your shoes serve a social cause, drawing appreciation for the brand. For example, most shoe industry customers in 2018 shared in a research that they purchased because of the brand’s social mission.
Use Influencers in Your Shoe Advertising Strategy
Word of mouth marketing strategy will always be the most effective marketing technique. It is especially effective when it is a fashion influencer doing the talking. It’s a clear fact that influencers today hold the attention of large numbers of followers. These influencers are viewed as fashion gods by their fans, and the information they share is considered trustworthy. When crafting your shoes advertising strategy, ensure that you leverage this faith to promote your business. Today, with Instagram being one of the leading social media platforms, influencers are one of the most effective tools you can implement in your shoes advertising plan today.
Shoes Advertising Ideas to Try Out
When you’re selling shoes, you’re providing your customers with the opportunity to increase the number of shoe pairs they already have. Using these practical shoe advertising ideas will help you brilliantly engage your customers. Keep reading for some of the best shoe advertising ideas you can implement in your marketing plan.
Use Locals as Models
We shared earlier that it’s essential to market to your community as they might make up your first customers. One way to do that is to turn the local people into models for your shoe business. Pick someone the locals trust and look up to and offer them a pair of shoes for free. In exchange, they have to model your shoes to the community. If they agree, you can post images of them wearing your shoes. This shoe advertising idea will help you gain the trust of your community if you implement it.
Get a Business Partner in the Fashion Field
Not many people know how effective this shoe advertising idea can be for your business growth. Shoes are in the fashion industry, so you should pick a business partner who understands how the fashion industry works. Your business partner doesn’t have to be a competitor; you can pick a partner whose product complements yours. For example, a clothing store business person could make for a great business partner. While you display their clothes on the mannequins in your shop, he could also display your shoes at their stores.
Additionally, your online shoe ads could show how your shoes go well with their clothes, while theirs could show how your shoes complement their outfits. Such a dual partnership is an excellent idea because it benefits both partners who agree to work together.
Formulate a Contest Around Your Shoes
A great way to market your shoes is through contests. People love contests because they’re a lot of fun and usually attract curious participants. A good shoe advertising contest is when you ask customers to design your shoes. Then, offer an attractive price for any participants who can design a white pair of shoes and make them stand out. Not only does this open up the advertising part of your business, but it will also build up customer links. A contest is always a fantastic shoe advertising idea because it increases traffic for your business.
Send Newsletter Regularly
One way to unlock old relationships with customers is through newsletters. It is an excellent shoe advertising strategy because it helps you connect with your customers. Ensure you keep your customers up to date with new and old advertisements in your newsletters. You could make the newsletters a weekly or monthly occurrence. Maybe your customer receives a newsletter from you informing them about a giveaway at your store; it would prompt them to come to visit. You could even share information about a lucky draw where lucky people tend to win expensive shoes. Your newsletters could also contain information about discounts and sales about to take place. These pieces of information will keep the customers curious while helping you maintain a relationship with them.
Explore Reward Programs
Everyone loves it when they get a reward or some surprise. If you love it, then you can be sure your customers will too. Therefore, one of the best shoe advertising ideas you can use to trap your customers is a reward program. You can start implementing a reward program for loyal customers who always shop from your store. Maybe, you can award points for each purchase by the customer. When they reach a specific score, then they can get a gift courtesy of your shoe business. This shoe advertising strategy ensures customers keep coming back because of the promise of a reward.
Share Customers’ Testimonials
Another shoe advertising idea to explore is sharing customers’ testimonials. Many people are convinced when they see or hear what others have to say about your business. You can ask your customers to write testimonials about their shopping experience with you. It gets even better if they can attach a picture with the testimonial. This shoes advertising idea works like magic when it comes to influencing your customers’ minds.
Final Thoughts
Shoe advertising can be pretty tricky if you don’t know the best practices or shoe advertising ideas to try out. Therefore, this article reveals some of the industry’s best practices and the top ideas you can implement to increase sales. Remember to stay true to your brand message through it all, even as things change. The best part about these shoe advertising ideas is that you can implement as many of them in your business as you want.
