How To Name Your Shoe Brand
It’s important to find a catchy name for your shoe brand so that you can stand out in your space.
Here are some general tips to consider when naming your shoe brand
- Avoid hard to spell names: you want something easy to remember and easy to spell for your customers
- Conduct a search to see if others in the space have the same name
- Try not to pick a name that limits growth opportunities for your business
- As soon as you have an idea of a few names that you love, register the domain name as soon as possible!
Why is naming your shoe brand so important?
The name of your business will forever play a role in:
- Your customers first impression
- The power behind the type of customer your brand attracts
- If you’re memorable or not
It’s important to verify that the domain name is available for your shoe brand.
You can search domain availability here:
Find a domain starting at $0.88
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Although .com names are the most common and easiest to remember, there are other options if your .com domain name is not available. Depending on your audience, it may not matter as much as you think.
It’s also important to thoroughly check if social media handles are available.
As soon as you resonate with a name , secure the domain and SM handles as soon as possible to ensure they don’t get taken.
Here’s some inspiration for naming your shoe brand:
- Wanders check availability
Create Your Shoe Tech Pack And Designs
Footwear manufacturing differs significantly from other types of garment manufacturing, as it often requires more complexity and time to produce. With a wide variety of fabrics and materials being involved in the manufacturing process, its important to be very descriptive when creating your tech pack and illustrating designs.
Ask yourself about the specifics of the fabrics and materials you are considering:
- How comfortable should the soles be? Is it made for daily wear, formal attire, or athleisure?
- What about stretchiness, durability, and weight of the fabric?
- Will there be buckles, laces, or any other embellishments inside or outside?
Here are some quick factors to think about when selecting footwear materials:
Be specific regarding your shoe materials in your tech pack and sending in your design illustrations to your manufacturer. The footwear industry is one of the most creative, so make sure that all your ideas are being conveyed in your prototype, which is also helpful for your manufacturer to have. If you need guidance in selecting materials, reach out to your manufacturer.
What Are Some Insider Tips For Jump Starting A Shoe Line
Most people find it easier to get started in a city that already puts a big emphasis on shoes. Even though the competition will be higher, there will also be more people to learn and grow from. Living in NYC, for example, will put you near not just fellow designers, but also innumerable production methods and fashion classes on how to design shoes.
Normally, designers already have an idea in mind of who they want to design for, but its worth noting the largest markets before getting started. The single most definable one is that of mens athletics shoes. They account for 20% of all sales. Womens casual follows at 17%, while womens dress shoes are at 13%.
Study the human foot, and how different types of feet react to pressure. Once you have a handle on the form and function, work on getting a patent to protect your ideas. While knock-off shoes are common, this can give you legal recourse if you decide to pursue action against a particular entity.
Finally, be careful about where you choose to produce your shoes. Shoe designers usually use manufacturers located in China, which used to provide an inexpensive way of getting the shoes to market. However, China has become a lot more competitive in recent years, with price rising and labor falling. It may still be a viable option, but you may also want to search outside of China for more opportunities.
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Write A Marketing Plan Packed With Ideas & Strategies
In marketing your shoe line business, you should be aware of the enormous competition from brand names, especially the ones that are status symbols, as customers prefer brands they know to that which they do not know. However, an entrepreneur with creativity, business sense, and style, will not be too bothered about the big sharks, especially as he or she knows the value they are bringing to the marketplace.
In marketing your shoes, you should leverage on all available sources to get business deals. For those that will be running a medium and large scale business, even those on a small scale business, they must ensure that they bid for contracts from schools, hospitals as well as government agencies, whenever the opportunity presents itself.
What will make you noticed are your innovations, your marketing has to be based on the innovations your shoe is bringing to the marketplace. Below are some tips that will help you effectively market your shoe line business:
Step : Define Your Brand
Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.
If you aren’t feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we’ll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.
Recommended: Get a logo using Truic’s free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.
If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.
How to promote & market a shoe line
Promoting your shoes can be done either online or through more conventional methods like print ads in newspapers. If you’re designing expensive shoes for younger people, you should likely try to connect with your audience primarily through social media. Structure your brand to cater to your demographic. So if youre trying to market to the middle-class, dont show your models wearing expensive designer clothes with the shoes. Word-of-mouth can also be a major component of your strategy as fashionistas are always looking for the next big thing.
How to keep customers coming back
Still unsure about what kind of business you want to start? Check out the latest Small Business Trends to help inspire you.
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Consider Selling On Amazon
In addition to selling your products directly on your site, you may want to consider selling on Amazon to reach a wider audience and attract new customers.
Here are some pros and cons of selling on amazon:
Pros
- Easy and seamless process to get your product listed on Amazon
- There are roughly 100 million thoroughly committed prime customers, so you’re bound to tap into new business
- Can help grow your business exponentially and reach new audiences
Cons
- You may encounter some “copycats” and counterfeit products
- Amazon owns the relationship with the customer
- If you already have a low-markup, amazon may not wrth your while and you could end up losing money
- Commissions and listing fees are high – it’s easy to lose control of your offering
Follow these instructions to get your product listed on Amazon or check out the video below on how to get started:
Cory Stout, founder of Woodies provides us with specifics on how to rank better on amazon:
Our main product is walnut wood sunglasses that I sell for $25 on Amazon and Woodies.com.
I dedicated myself to becoming an Amazon expert. I listened to all the podcasts and read all the blog posts I could find. Shoutout EcomCrew I took the basic fundamentals that are out there and I added a couple of my own twists.
Amazon brings me, 100 brand new customers, every day for very little acquisition cost. If I tried that on my own, it would take a TON of work and it wouldnt be nearly as effective as Amazon, so I took the easy road on this one.
Tips For Starting A Shoe Line
The footwear industry is always thriving in the United States and beyond, thanks to the never-ending demand. New technologies and designs emerge every few months, with manufacturers trying to invent stylish designs that are comfortable and appealing for the shoemaking process.
Anyone creative enough to design shoes that appeal to the public can start a shoe line. If you are a shoe enthusiast thinking of starting a shoe line, you may need a few pointers. In this article, we will discuss the things you need to consider and what you need to do before starting a shoe line.
Here are a few tips that will come in handy if you are thinking of starting your shoe line.
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Provide Great Customer Service
Providing exceptional care and creating relationships with clients is a great way to build your reputation and retain customers.
Whether you are an online business or a physical business, it’s highly important to communicate with customers and make them feel like they are the priority.
Just remember: customer service represents your brand, values, vision and YOU as a person.
Open A Business Bank And Credit Account
To protect your assets, you need to open a separate business bank and credit account. In case someone sues your company, you wont risk losing your assets.
You should also make a point of building your business credit. This way, you can easily finance your business when the need arises. Note that business credit accounts offer higher credit and great interest rates.
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Build A Referral Program
Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get the word out about your business and acquire new customers. Especially when you are starting out, its important to build a solid referral program to encourage existing customers to help you find new ones.
A great way to do that is by offering a reward to customers that refer you to their friends and family.
A fantastic referral program will help with clout, credibility, and establishing yourself in the space.
In This Course You Will Learn How To Make Sneakers By Yourself Step By Step From Designing The Sneakers On The Shoe Last Until The Finished Pair
Dear Sveta, Thank you for your wonderful shoe making course. I was so happy to find it! I was very pleased with the way that you explain everything carefully so that I could understand it. I was excited to see that I could have my own copy of the videos so that I could study them at my own pace and go back to them whenever I needed to. The best thing is being able to watch at your own pace. This is very important for people with work and family commitments.
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The Shoe Circle Runway Show At Milan Fashion Week
- Runway show
- Milan Fashion week
- Fashion Event
The Shoe Circle presents its talented and inspired designers collections during an emphatic fashion show made in Milan during Milan Fashion Week. 20 shoe designs from 20 amazing artists from The Shoe Circle have been showcased on the runway as part of The Shoe Circle extra projects. Curated by world-class Stylists and Art directors and with the participation of international fashion Models, the Milan show gives a bold statement about the Shoe Circle to its international viewers.
Determine Your Niche And Sales Platform
To solidify Afshans statement, here is a list of the 20 best running shoe brands. You can find a similar list for most styles of shoes.
To gain a foothold in the market, you must determine how your shoe line will stand out above the competition. For Fushsia Shoes, Afshan and her team ran with a luxury ballet shoe niche.
Some other niche examples to research for inspiration include:
- Keen Known for their Uneek shoe made from recycled plastic and shoes that accommodate work and outdoor activities .
- Nobull Marketed to the CrossFit crowd. Nobull makes stripped-down training shoes for athletes.
- Simon Miller Shoes Luxury thick-soled shoes and boots along with designer platform and heel shoes. They also have a vegan leather collection.
- Designer shoes that are a throwback to the 80s 90s and early 2000s.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself when trying to determine your niche:
- Can my shoe line solve a problem?
- Will it market to a specific audience?
- Will my design offer a distinct improvement over other brands?
- Is there something that makes my line special?
- Is there a section of the market that is underserved?
Ecommerce is the Way
We wont tell you how to run your business. But if you havent noticed, brick-and-mortar retail spaces are being slaughtered by ecommerce .
Unless you own an existing space or have access to free rent, determining the sales platform of your shoe line is an easy decision.
Heres what Afshan had to say on the subject:
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We Have The Best Shoe Styles To Sell On Your Store
Fashion trends come and go in a blink of an eye, but these six styles have always been and will be known wardrobe staples. Fall, spring, or summer, our timeless sneakers, shoes, and boots will complement any outfit on any occasion. Design a pair for yourself or start a footwear line on your eCommerce store with a range of unique custom shoes.
What You Will Learn In The How To Make Sneakers Course:
* How to draw the sneakers design on the shoe last
* How to make a full sneakers pattern: the upper and lining pattern, the inner soft details, counters.
* We will be making the sneakers as it shows in the image above, but in the pattern making process, I will be showing you 2 different sneakers constructions.- With high top – Sneakers with the low top
* How to make the insole.
* The insole is the inner shoe part that connects all shoe parts together
* How to cut leather details
* How to assemble and saw upper and lining sneakers details.It will include a very important step where you will learn how to insert the soft inner details of sneakers that will make your sneakers more comfortable. These soft parts are made from thin foam and they usually used in the making of sports footwear.
* How to apply the eyelets on the sneakers upper for the laces
* How to apply the eyelets on the sneakers upper for the laces.
* How to last sneakers upper on the shoe last.
* How to prepare the sneakers bottom to the attaching of shoe sole made from rubber
* How to attach rubber shoe sole
* How to stitch the rubber sole by your hand using special shoemaker’s awl
* How to create EVA wedge shoe sole .
* Basic patina on a sneakers.
* Sneakers finishing
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Experiment With Pay Per Click Ads
Pay-per-click is a performance-based marketing method that allows you to show specific ads for services or products oriented to a very defined target, with the goal that the user visits your website or landing page.
Here are some tips to consider:
- Consider connecting the ad to your corresponding landing page so that the audience receives the necessary information after clicking on the ad.
- Conversion Tracking: When running PPC campaigns, be sure to run the ads with conversion tracking.
- Focus on quality keywords, even if there are few as this will save you time and money. When assessing the performance of a keyword, it’s important to track the expense, conversion, and cost per conversion, as well as the ROI.
PPC advertising can be a very important lead generator as long as it’s done properly. Your PPC campaign is intended to drive traffic to your website and help the business scale.
Additionally, if the campaign is not having the desired results, you can make the necessary changes immediately to improve them.
Ryan Schortmann, founder of Display Pros talks about their investment in PPC Ads:
My name is Ryan Schortmann and Im the founder of Display Pros. We are a custom trade show display booth company offering easy to use portable display kits for small and medium businesses wanting to get into the trade show game.
From experience, I know that it is important to give Googles hivemind some time to settle in before each campaign starts seeing consistent results .
Setting Up Your Shoe Brand
When it comes to setting up your business, you may find yourself in a place where you have to make some financial and legal decisions.
The first thing you’ll want to decide on is whether you want to be an LLC, S-Corp, or C-Corp.
These three options are found to be the most common when starting a small business, and all serve to protect your personal assets and also provide you with certain tax benefits.
- LLC: All income and expenses from the business are reported on the LLC personal income tax return.
- S corp: Owners pay themselves salaries + receive dividends from profits.
- C Corp: C Corps are separately taxable entities that file a corporate tax return . No income tax is paid at the corporate level and any tax due is paid at the owners individual expense.
Depending on where you’re conducting business, you’ll also want to consider securing the proper permits, licenses and liability insurance.
Need to start an LLC? Create an LLC in minutes with ZenBusiness.
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