How to Successfully Advertise Online Within the Fashion Retail Industry

Sunday, June 3, 2012
Online advertising within the fashion retail industry is bigger than it has ever been before. With all the different social media networks, blogs, article websites, picture posting and all the other resources out there, figuring out where and how to even start can be quite overwhelming so we will be covering a few basic ideas in order to successfully advertise your products online.

For more reasons than none, advertising a single product line can be much easier and faster than advertising a company with many different types of products. At first thought, you may think it is the other way around and a company with many different types of products is much easier to advertise since you have more products to talk about and you will probably be involved in different sectors, which in time creates a more diverse background creating more opportunities to advertise not only online but anywhere.

In some cases this can be true but for this particular case we are speaking in terms of product optimization, which is much more straightforward and organized than optimizing for an entire company with various types of product. This specific advertising also serves as a starting ground for a larger and more diverse company in the future.

Since we are specifically speaking in terms of fashion apparel and retail companies, let's say you have just manufactured a pair of premium denim jeans that are similar to some of the most popular premium denim brands out there but you are able to offer them at a fraction of the cost. You could create a website and blog specifically targeting your premium denim jeans in order to get direct traffic from people searching those exact keywords. You could also create social accounts and post articles all targeting premium denim jeans. Make the online world of retail revolve around your product.

It is much easier to target a group of keywords relating to the same topic than it is to target a group of keywords that are scattered throughout a general category. All of this keyword targeting is a large part of how online retailers are successful that didn't have any type of prior advertising. To make this thought more clear, let's go back to premium denim jeans. If this same individual or company decided to go a different route and sell t-shirts, shoes, sweaters, shorts and watches on top of their jeans, they wouldn't get the same results because they would be optimizing for clothing in general. Yes, they could after a considerable amount of time but nothing compared to the time frame of one particular product. Concentrating all your online advertising energy on one specific product creates success.

If you look at specialty brands that are successful it is because they have focused heavily on one particular product, which draws attention to their other products. Sticking with premium denim, look at brands like True Religion Brand Jeans, 7 For All Mankind or even Rock & Republic. They all initially started out with premium denim jeans and now they are known for their other apparel and accessories as well as their overall lifestyle.

This last topic of online advertising within the fashion industry is an article in itself so we are going to keep this short and to the point and save all the details for another day. Say you have already created a website with a blog, created an account with every social media network you can think of and have articles posted, press releases submitted and the whole nine yards but you still want more. Say hello to affiliate programs. There are many out there, some better than others, but pick a solid one like Commission Junction or Google Affiliate Network. This will allow you to submit your product catalog to thousands of people who then post your products on their websites to be sold. Yes, you have to give these people a commission, usually 5-15%, but the potential for spreading the word about your product is endless and could be one of the most effective ways to advertise online within the fashion industry.

Dress Up Your Meals With An Old Fashion Salad

Friday, June 1, 2012
BThe salad recipes in this article are all salads from the past that are still popular today. At your next meal, cook-out, picnic, etc, why not serve an old fashion salad. You will no doubt receive rave reviews for your White Corn Salad, Lettuce-Blue Cheese-Salad or American Potato Salad.

WHITE CORN SALAD
This is not one of my original recipes but one I grew up eating when my late mother clipped it from a local newspaper (now defunct) send-in recipe column. There is a local pharmacy ad on back of the recipe with a phone number that begins BR-5-... Now that does take you back, doesn't it? Most of you younger reader's never had a phone number like that!

2 cans whole kernel white corn
1 medium green pepper*
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
tomato wedges
pimento strips

Drain 2 cans of whole kernel white corn. Slice green pepper and onion in thin slices, mix with corn. Cover and let stand in refrigerator for about an hour. Before serving, toss with oil and vinegar, and season to taste. Garnish with tomato wedges and pimento strips.

*In Southern Indiana where I was raised, a green pepper is a bell pepper.

LETTUCE - BLUE CHEESE SALAD
1 head lettuce
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 oz blue cheese
salt and pepper
dash of cayenne
1/4 cup salad oil
2 tbs. vinegar
1/2 tbs. paprika

Tear lettuce into small pieces. Toss the lettuce and cabbage together. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Crumble the cheese and mix together with the cayenne, oil, vinegar, and paprika. When combined, toss over the vegetables. Good idea to add fresh tomatoes and green pepper slices for more color.

AMERICAN POTATO SALAD
1 cup mayonnaise-style salad dressing
1 tsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
4 cups cubed potatoes, cooked
2 boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped sweet pickle

In a large mixing bowl combine the salad dressing, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper, mixing well. Add the potatoes, eggs, onion, celery, and sweet pickle; toss together gently to coat. Refrigerate until time to serve. Also keep leftovers refrigerated (if you have any!).

Style on Show - London Fashion In Focus

For those who love fashion, there are many places to find stylish wear in the UK capital. London boasts many different top-name designers as well as a few up and coming ones and more, for less. When you come to London and stay near one of the city's most famous landmarks - Hyde Park - you will be smack bang in the centre of fashion.

Style Is All Around - Fashion In Focus

Paris isn't the only city you can count on for fashion. In fact, with many of the world's best designers in the English capital, you're certain to discover many fashion finds near and around the vicinity of your Hyde Park hotel. London is home to such prestigious names in the fashion industry such as Paul Smith, Burberry, Lulu Guiness, Alice Temperley, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney and more. If fashion is what's on top of your agenda, you'll find it here, whatever your style.

Designer Fashions

If top-of-the-line clothes from big-name designers are your kind of style, you'll find them in spades without having to go far from your Hyde Park hotel. London's top brands such as Burberry, Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith have multiple branches in the city, and the big department stores such as Harrod's stock many of their latest creations as well. If you're willing to venture a bit farther from your Hyde Park hotel, London's top shopping destinations such as Westfield and the Dover Street market offer many fabulous designer finds - from the current big players as well as creations from newer, up and coming names. You're only limited by your budget.

Bargain Fashions

Speaking of budgets, high fashion can be had at low prices for those who know where to look - and it's often not far from a Hyde Park hotel! London has fantastic shops with the latest styles at very affordable prices, as well as designer items at a fraction of their original cost. Here are a few places to look:

TK Maxx. If you're willing to spend some time hunting, you'll find big-name labels at very low prices on the endless rails of this store. You'll want to make sure you have plenty of time - the city's best bargain centre can be quite addicting! What's more, new stocks are delivered every day.

H&M. With many pieces from such designers such as Stella McCartney and Viktor & Rolf, you'll surely find plenty to suit your fashion needs at this popular store. You'll have a branch very close to your Hyde Park hotel- London's favourite clothing store seemingly has a branch on every corner! Stocks varies from branch to branch.

Designer and Sample Sales. Top labels for less are available through regular sample and designer sales in London. Designer Sales UK has five annual sales in March, May, September, October and December, while Designer Warehouse Sales are three-day sales occurring twelve times a year