Showing your personality and passion in your product
Manufacturing your line is an exciting process as you watch your product unfold and come to life. It’s exhilarating to see the product move from an idea, to a sketch, and then finally to the actual prototype! But the next question then becomes, “how in the heck am I gonna sell it ?!”
There are many avenues you can choose when branding your product. Choosing that avenue, can be quite daunting, when you’re not only selling your product but also trying to define it so that it stands out among the competition. Sharing my personality and passion with manufactures has really helped me brand my product and set it apart from similar products.
1) Personality: Pick your Brand’s best Feature and Let it Shine!
Express your personality through product descriptions, logo, and website design. Being simple, clean and direct can keep your brand on equal footing with the competition. But what exactly sets it apart from the others? ? Do you use special fabrics? Does your logo have a personal meaning or interesting backstory? What’s the story behind your product’s start? Sharing a piece of personality through your brand is an organic way to show people that your brand has life and isn’t just one product among millions.
When I started my line, I used my sense of humor and love of dance to create a lasting image for my brand that also expressed my own personality. For instance, my production descriptions were a bit “tongue-in-cheek” and my product shots used movement. These little details are fun to create and convey your product’s novelty
2) Passion: You can be passionate and a successful business person.
Once your product is ready for market, it can be scary to put on your ” business face” and sell. Although your bottom line is important and can be stressful don’t lose sight of why your product exists – passion! Think of a simple phrase that describes why you started your company and what it means to you. This phrase can easily become a powerful tool in every facet of branding your product.
3) Branding: Follow your gut and consult your manufacturer!
This is where your passion and personality fuse together. I have found that your manufacturer can be invaluable in helping your product hit the ground running. As a professional dancer, I wanted my product to really reflect this. I spoke to my manufacture about making my hang tags and logo tags from ballet pointe shoe ribbons and she walked me through the steps of printing my logos and hang tags on the ballet ribbons. This way, a potential buyer would immediately have an impression of the personality behind the brand. I also used ripped fishnet stockings (a big dancer thing — hello Bob Fosse) to wrap and package my products. It’s the small things that make a big difference in branding your product.
Don’t ever shy away from showing your personality and passion during the manufacturing stage. Express your idiosyncrasies from the onset. Share your experiences and ideas with your manufacturer to help deliver a unique and lasting product. You’ll soon discover that the one thing that makes you different will also make you a success!
