Top tips for social media success from the ASOS Marketplace team.

Jo(ASOS), Alison (Fashion Angel) and Katie(ASOS)

Wow what an evening! Our Social Media Success talk with the ASOS Marketplace team was our biggest ever. Katie Oldham, Senior Marketplace Manager and Jo Wiggins, Marketplace Editor, were super interesting speakers.

The main focus of the discussion was how to use Social Media to drive online sales, whether selling products on your own website or on other marketplaces such as ASOS Marketplace.

Their top tips were:-

• Make sure you have really cool images – you don’t need to use a professional photographer but if you are taking the pictures yourself, use natural daylight. Look at other brands pages for inspiration and to see what works.

• If you are setting up a ‘boutique’ with marketplace, make the homepage look enticing. Make sure your logo is a large enough file size to be expandable and you use an image that show what you are selling.

• The aren't standard image requirements for the various social media platforms  - you’ll need to have a few versions of your logo, in various sizes to fit.

• Your product descriptions should contain words/phrases that are likely to be used by anyone searching for that type of product on Google - you want people to find you!

• Give clear product information including accurate sizing measurements – this will help you avoid returns.

• Use the blog and feed tools – the best ones will get picked up and highlighted.

• Listen to customer feedback – its useful information on what you are getting right or wrong.

• You’ll always get some negative comments from annoying people but resist the temptation to get shirty –  kill them with kindness!

• Think of everyone as a potential customer.

• Actively use Facebook to engage with your customer and promote brand awareness - competitions work well. Google+  may not seem useful yet but it will be in the future and having a presence will help with your search engine rankings

• Twitter shouldn’t be just about announcing the new products that you’ve uploaded for sale – use it to start a conversation and ask questions.

• If you haven’t already, set up a Pinterest account – it’s very quick and easy to use and a good way of gathering followers.

• Give your customers a positive buying experience – think about the packaging – make your customers feel special – even a handwritten thank you note put in with their order will make them remember you!  This will encourage brand loyalty and recommendation to their friends.

The event was also an opportunity to promote the competition for an ASOS Marketplace seller to win six months of Fashion Angel business mentoring . For more information email info@fashion-angel.co.uk or you can download the competition application form here.

By Alison Lewy

Fantastic response to launch of ASOS Marketplace competition

Wow - response to the competition launch has been amazing - over 35 applications received in the first hour!

One lucky ASOS Marketplace seller will win six months business mentoring with our team of industry experts.

Read what the press have been saying:-

Fashion Insight 

Womens Wear Buyer

Startups.co.uk

Diary Directory
Fashion United
Fashion Extras Online

Click here to download an application form. Deadline May 23rd 2012.

Can't wait to see who wins!

By Alison Lewy

Fashion Angel launches business mentoring competition sponsored by ASOS Marketplace

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our latest competition, this time sponsored by ASOS Marketplace.

One lucky ASOS Marketplace seller has the chance to win one of our business start up mentoring packages.

The competition will be promoted at our Social Media Success networking event on 2nd May 2012 and continues our commitment to nurturing and developing young creative talent to turn them into successful businesses.

James Hart, E-commerce Director at ASOS, said: “We are very excited to be working with Fashion Angel to provide an amazing mentoring opportunity for one deserving ASOS Marketplace seller. We are looking forward to seeing the results of their business development on the site over the next 6 months”

The competition is open to fashion and accessory designers and vintage collectors that currently sell their products on ASOS Marketplace and have been in business fewer than two years clothing and accessory sellers who have been trading for fewer than two years.

The winner will be announced on Wednesday May 30th 2012.

The Prize
Fashion Angel business start up mentoring package


The winner will win a place on the Fashion Angel six month business start up mentoring programme.
For new fashion industry entrepreneurs its a fantastic opportunity to access six months of one to one mentoring from industry professionals.

By the end of the programme the winner will have an infrastructure in place and have the confidence to build a successful and sustainable business. They will also benefit from the exposure their brand will be receiving as a result of winning the competition. For more information on the mentoring programme click here.

Deadline for Entries: Wednesday  23rd May 2012
Finalist Notified: Wednesday 30th May 2012

Entrance Criteria
Open to ASOS Marketplace sellers who have been trading for fewer than two years in the UK.

To enter the award, entrants must download the application form,or request one from
info@fashion-angel.co.uk and submit 5 product images.

Full terms and conditions can be found on the application form.
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Crowdfunding for fashion talk a big success

Ben Hamilton talking to Alison Lewy

Last night’s talk on crowdfunding with Ben Hamilton from PleaseFund.Us was a great success. Most of the audience weren't really aware of it, so he gave an overview of the concept and then gave us his tips on how to create a successful campaign.

This model of raising finance uses an online platform that allows you to ask friends, family and a wider community to pledge money to help you raise funding for a particular project for your business.

In return, depending on how much money is pledged, you offer a reward. You set a funding target and typically you would offer 5-6 levels that contributors can pledge eg £5, £10, £25, £50 and perhaps a tier for the whole amount required., in case you strike really lucky!  PleaseFund.Us has run campaigns ranging from £300 - £19,000.

Crowdfunding first started in the US around four years ago with a site called Kickstarter.com – they now run thousands of campaigns and raise millions every month. Currently there are around 35 UK based platforms including PleaseFund.Us which has over 40,000 followers.


Fashion labels Enya Patricia and Hatastic have run successful campaigns on the PleaseFund.Us site. Both brands wanted to raise funds to pay for stands at trade shows. As a result both labels had the opportunity to participant in something they wouldn’t have been able to finance without this external support.




Ben’s top tips for a successful campaign were:-

• Create an interesting video – if you already have a  video of a show/exhibition,  you can use that, otherwise you should make one that will excite potential contributors. It shouldn’t be more than 2-3 minutes long.
• Upload good product images that reflect your brand.
• Include information about you and your business – people like to know who they are investing in.
• Once you have set your funding target – be transparent and outline exactly what you want the money for and the associated costs.
• Set a few different tiers offering different rewards to widen the appeal.
• Think careful about the rewards you offer – remember your campaign may attract many small pledges so you have to be able to fulfil them rewards and if it costs you to much to produce them then it defeats the object.
• Actively promote your campaign – it requires effort as you need to spread the word to as many of your connections as possible, they won’t come to you!

This method of raising money is set to grow quickly in 2012. For designers, and small businesses in general, I believe this method offers a genuine alternative to the traditional bank loan/overdraft route which has become very difficult to access.

If you have raised finance through crowdfunding I'd love to hear about it so please let me know.

For more information on how you can get involved feel free to email ben@pleasefund.us or go to PleaseFund.Us.

Author Alison Lewy
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Project 104 - our second mentoring session

Project 104's designer Sarah Reader and I  had our second mentoring session on a lovely sunny  March day. I was so excited to find out what Sarah had been up to since our last session and was blown away by how much she had managed to achieve in the four weeks.

From not having any formal plan in place, using the Fashion Angel Business Plan Guide, she has now started to put together her  business plan and strategy for going forward with the business, and we have started to develop her USP and key messages that will be used to reflect her brand across all communications.

Project 104 jackets are now on sale on the Etsy.com website and she is investigating other online retail opportunities, as well as the development of her own website which is now underway.

An opportunity has risen for Sarah to participate in a pop up shop in May – this is a great way for her to promote her brand and generate income. Sarah attended our ‘Setting up an Accessory Business’ workshop and as we are moving into Spring/Summer season, has wisely decided to design a Project 104  limited edition accessory range.

It’s tight, but we worked out a manageable schedule so she can make up  enough stock to sell at the pop up shop and then online.

Accessories serve as a good way of allowing consumers to buy in to your brand at an entry price point level, even if they can’t afford to buy from a main collection.

It’s been a tiring month, juggling all the work entailed with starting a new brand, especially when you are also working part time and on a tight budget, but Sarah has done tremendously well and we are all very impressed with her progress so far.

As ever, we  finished the  session with some clear actions and target completion dates before our next session at the end of April.

Author Alison Lewy Follow @FashionAngel1

Project 104 - Business Mentoring Session

Today was  the first mentoring session with our mentoring competition winner Sarah Reader founder of Project 104,  which was sponsored by Etsy.

Sarah wear Project 104 jacket 

photo Jay Mclaughlin

We had a really productive session, first discussing the current status of her business and outlining what the goals Sarah wants to achieve over the six month programme.  We defined  the key areas that are a priority  to focus on in preparation for the brand’s launch to market.

There are always so many things that need attention when starting up a fashion business,  but it is important to be realistic with what can be achieved with limited time and resources. It is far better to take things slowly and make sure you have everything in place, rather than rushing, making costly mistakes and putting yourself under pressure.

As with many designer, Sarah has so many ideas and plans for the brand  but has yet to formalise her strategy into a business plan  Many people think you only need a business plan if you are trying to raise money, and whilst this is certainly true, your business  needs one anyway as it is becomes your roadmap and guide, allowing you to keep on track with your goals and objectives.

Sarah in Project 104 

photo Elliot Rose

I  have given Sarah our Fashion Angel guide to writing a business plan – writing a plan isn’t  as onerous as it sounds and can be broken down into small chunks. It’s not something you can put together quickly – it usually takes a few weeks while you refine your business model and conduct the necessary research.Working on the plan makes you think about the direction of the business and the many aspects to running a successful business.

The plan will evolve as new opportunities and challenges arise. Sarah is at the perfect stage of her business journey start working on her plan and working with the Fashion Angel team will give her the tools and confidence to do this.

Aside from this we discussed how important it is for a brand to have a clear USP which will be the cornerstone for all brand development activity and be reflected in all sales/press and marketing channels. Over the next few sessions we will be defining the USP, looking at  production options, costings and profit models and researching routes to market.

We rounded off today’s session with some clear actions and target completion dates and will review  progress at our next meeting at the end of March.

I am really looking forward to working with Sarah over the next few months and watching her label develop and launch to market!!

By Alison Lewy
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Crowdfunding - an alternative funding opportunity for fashion and design businesses?

Fashion labels and designer/makers have always found it difficult to raise external funding for their businesses, but in today’s challenging financial climate, it is even harder to raise money through the usual channels particularly if you are a new start up without a track record.

Which is why I find it surprising that the fashion and general design sector in this country have been slow to pick up on the crowdfunding phenomenon. Web based crowdfunding gathered momentum in 2011 and is set to grow in 2012 as businesses seek to bypass traditional lenders and find alternative ways of raising cash directly from their peers. The granddaddy of crowdfunding platforms is US based Kickstarter, which was established in 2008 and has had over  15,000 successfully funded projects. Musicians and artists were amongst the first creative disciplines to engage in crowdfunding activity.

There are now many crowdfunding sites that allow people to contribute small amounts of money, in support of an idea or project, in the creative and technology sectors. The UK has approximately 32 UK based sites, the second largest number compared to the US, which has around 185 . As they are web based, they are essentially a global platform and give businesses the opportunity to receive donations from anywhere, however some of the sites only accept pledges in certain currencies, and with Kickstarter you have to have a US bank account. Hence it can be easier to work with a UK based platform, and they also may be able to offer more support in creating a good campaign.

So what actually is it? Crowdfunding is the collective cooperation, attention and trust by people who network and pool their money and other resources together, usually via the internet, to support initiatives by other people or organizations(wikipidia)

There are two main business models – the first is the rewards system, which basically means people that pledge cash to support your campaign will receive  a ‘reward’ . Some projects offer a tiered selection of rewards, depending on how much money is being contributed towards the campaign. This model has had a huge impact to thousands of talented people with an idea, but without the financial backing to make that idea become a reality

There is also equity-based crowdfunding which is used to finance businesses in all sectors, where investors receive shares in return for their financial support. This option is facilitated by sites such as UK based Crowdcube.

This model is not going to be right for everyone and as with everything there are no guarantees that you will be successful, but overall it gives an important additional opportunity to raising finance and  is a boost for creative SMEs.

At Fashion Angel we are keen for designers to understand this method of raising finance so they can make an informed decision as to whether it is right for their business or not, and if it does seem like a good fit, we want to help you give yourself the best chance of success.

Our next business club networking event on 29^th March 2012, will be focusing  on this –  our speaker is Ben Hamilton from Pleasefund.Us. We will also be joined by designers that have had the foresight to go this route and successfully raised their targets for their projects.

For more information or to book at ticket click here.

By Alison Lewy

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BOOK OF THE MONTH - A FRONT ROW SEAT BY KIRSTIN SINCLAIR

With London Fashion Week opening on 17th February, it seems timely to launch our regular series of book reviews with a review of a gorgeous book  - A Front Row Seat, by Kirstin Sinclair

Author Kirstin Sinclair is a well-known photographer on the catwalk circuit and she gives us insight into the fashion week world through a series of beautifully shot candid photographs taken over the last 7 years that cover all the different elements that make up the catwalk shows - Backstage, Front Row, Catwalk and Street Style.

It shows a behind the scenes view into the chaotic world that makes up the  glamorous fashion shows! Unlike many images from the shows published in women's fashion magazines the book has a much more documentary style feel to it. The book has a forward by Erin O’Connor and features quotes from different people from the industry including make up artists, hair stylists, models, editors, designers and bloggers. The book would bring a touch of sophistication to anyone’s coffee table and makes the perfect gift for fashionistas. If you can't get a ticket to any of the forthcoming shows, this book might just console you!

By Alison Lewy 

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LONDON FASHION WEEK - ARE YOU AND YOUR COLLECTION READY?

Well it's now three weeks today  until London Fashion Week opens, and for all designers involved, whether they are have a stand at one of the exhibitions or are showing on the catwalk, the workload is building and stress levels are rising.

It always fascinates me that brands commit to showing a few months in advance and therefore, in theory, there is more than enough time to design and make up your collection.
Except that there are, of course,  so many variables including, your sample materials or trimmings don't arrive on time, the factory can't get the make right, let alone when only a week before the season starts you decide you don't like what you've designed at all and want to start again!!

Although to some extent designers do thrive on the adrenalin of working close to the wire, invariably it ends up a last minute panic and by the time you get to opening day you are so tired you can't think.

Here are a  few tips to help you survive the next few weeks:-

• Every morning block out half an hour  of  'you time' so you can sit quietly and review  what stage you are at and what you need to achieve for the day. Do this before you get involved with emails, calls, machinists ect
• Update your To Do list from the previous day and create your new list for the day.
• Prioritise your actions so you quickly can see the tasks that need your immediate attention and those not so urgent.
• If you haven't done so already - set up a sampling schedule spreadsheet  - this should list all the samples you are making as part of your new collection, who is making them, the materials being used , columns for waiting to get made, in work and samples completed. You should then be able to see at a glance at what stage your collection is at  and monitor progress. 
• Once you are clear of your plan of action for the day - communicate with your staff or anyone working with you - make sure there are no issues you should be aware of. 
• Check your sampling schedule and make sure everything is fine with  your sample machinists.
• If there are any problems - tackle them straight away otherwise they will loom over you and hamper your productivity.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Try and get some good nights sleep.

You'll be amazed how much better you will feel by being organised, allowing your creative juices to flow and to enjoy the moment when you finally get to show the world your new collection. Before it all starts again....

If you have any other tips/comments please do post them.

Good Luck!!
Author, Alison Lewy founder of Fashion Angel
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TIPS FOR INCREASING YOUR ONLINE SALES FROM ETSY'S GEORGINA BLAIN

Last night's E-commerce Excellence talk was a resounding success. The event was held at McQueen, a cool restaurant/bar/club in the heart of Shoreditch. 

It was great to see so many talented designers networking and sharing information and ideas with each other, some of whom had already set up their own e-commerce website and others were already Etsy sellers or sold through other websites. The common factor was that everyone wanted to increase their online sales but weren't sure how to go about it.

Etsy's UK Marketing Manager, Georgina Blain, shared with us her expertise on how to maximize online sales.

Her top five tips were:-

1. Your product photos need to be good - they are your main selling tool so poor images will mean poor sales.
2. Tag your photos with descriptions your customers are likely to use if looking to buy your type of product , otherwise your product won't show up in searches.
3. Give clear descriptions of your product so customers know exactly what they are buying
4. Important to build a relationship with your customer - tell a story behind your products and make sure you highlight any interesting facts.
5. Buyers won't just come to your product or website - you have to spend time on your own marketing and  PR. Send press releases and good images to relevant media - social media sites are a very useful tool to build followers and brand loyalty.

Alison Lewy also pointed out that before you decide which website to sell through it is important to research and think about the websites your target customer is likely to visit. Websites have various pricing policies so make sure you understand what you are committing to.

Etsy's Georgina Blain and Fashion Angel's Alison Lewy 

Alison Lewy introducing Georgina Blain to guests

E-commerce Excellence talk in full flow!

Guests networking after the talk

Guests networking

Georgina Blain and Alison Lewy

Georgina Blain and Alison Lewy

Georgina Blain and Alison Lewy