Describing your brand properly is a necessary skill for building a successful clothing line. Not only does it help clarify what your company is all about, it also shows that the people behind the brand are knowledgeable on what they’re selling and know how to present a great idea. Your brand profile should be included on your website and in press releases. In many cases its your one shot at reeling in your target customer. Some people have trouble with describing their brand in words, and if your one of those people, don’t lose sleep over it. It’s one of those things that you kinda KNOW, but you can’t exactly explain. Let’s work on getting that explanation down.
When writing your brand statement, what your aiming for is convincing your target customers that your brand is exactly what they’re looking for. If your products aren’t giving people a solid idea of what your brand is about, your “About” page is your only hope. It also helps to be pretty specific about what your brand means rather than establishing yourself as a brand with no real meaning. I’ve seen tons of t-shirt lines that I didn’t really understand right off the bat, but got a better understanding and appreciation for once I read their brand profile. I’ve also seen a bucha brands who’s brand profile do absolutely nothing for making their brand look good, and in fact do the opposite. It automatically makes me pass over the brand and look for something better.
If you don’t want to be looked over there’s a few major things you should ask yourself while defining your brand:
What does your brand name mean and how does it relate to your products?
What kind of theme is prominent in your designs?
What principles do you stand by?
What words can you use to describe your products?
What are some notable features about your t-shirts?
If you can tackle those questions then you’re on your way to writing a great brand profile. Try to avoid cliches like claiming your brand is “unique” and “something new”. Don’t mention how everybody is tired of going to a party and seeing 3 people wearing the same shirt and that your brand will be the one shirt nobody has. Those are just fillers people use when they don’t really know what the hell their brand is actually about. None of this stuff will have a great impact on whether or not a potential customer will consider buying your items. Instead, focus on describing what makes your brand so unique and cool rather than simply saying “We’re cool and unique!”
Don’t make a buncha statements like “We’re here to take the clothing industry to the next level” and “We’re gonna change the t-shirt game forever!” That kind of talk is nothing but your company’s generalized goals, goals which many other brands also have. It doesn’t increase the chance of gaining new customers.
Don’t flood your brand description with unnecessary information about yourself or your team. Things like “We always wanted a clothing line and finally our dreams have come true” and “We each have our own unique styles and ideas” do nothing for the potential consumer learning about your brand. You should only mention things about yourself that relate to the brand. If you have a line of fishing t-shirts it’s okay to say you’ve been fishing all your life. That kind of information actually adds to the brand experience. Knowing that you and your best friend have been trying to sell tees for the past 3 years doesn’t help in highlighting the brand itself. People don’t even care about you until you’ve proven yourself.
Read the rest of the article at t-shirt magazine