Marketing Advice By Business Type

Marketing a Sportswear Retail Business

Promotional tactics for sportswear retail businesses are exceptionally diverse. But in our experience, there are a handful of tips and strategies that will deliver the best return for your marketing efforts.

We see marketing as the great equalizer, a business discipline capable of dramatically increasing a small company's footprint in the marketplace.

A lack of marketing experience can sometimes be overcome through persistence and innovation, two key features of sportswear retail business marketing success.

Viral Marketing

Viral marketing is one of the most elusive marketing techniques in a small business owner's arsenal. When you're marketing a sportswear retail business, you ultimately have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. But despite the risk, viral marketers can influence the likelihood of success. Product giveaways, community-building, online discussion channels, and other techniques may not guarantee that your products will go viral -- but they definitely improve the odds.

Building A Community Around Your Brand

Does your business have a social media presence? If not, you may be falling behind the rest of the marketplace. Although they invest heavily in other marketing channels, most sportswear retail businesses need to do a better job connecting with their customers. There are many ways to launch a social media strategy. In our experience, it's helpful to begin with a direct mail campaign. Using vendor-provided mailing lists, you can broaden your reach by informing new contacts as well as established customers about your presence on popular sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Generating Buzz

Never underestimate the value of good buzz with consumers. You've heard it said before: Word of mouth is the best form of promotion for products and brands. For a sportswear retail business, it's worthwhile to invest in strategies to promote brand conversations. Businesses that target brand discussions need to be active partners in dialogue. With minimal effort, you can instigate conversations through social media and other communication vehicles favored by today's consumers.

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