How to market my shoe line for sales on an open market besides the web?

[Junior Reed]

I created my own shoe lines and I am interested in getting my shoes lines advertised on larger market such as stores and online, what would be the best way to approach stores and business owners to market my products

[Patrick Mcfadden]

Well first: What separates your product from others? What are the advantages or benefits of buying your shoes? Do you currently have a consistent amount of sales? These are the things the stores are going to want to know.

I would make business cards, and go around to small business that are mom & pop retail shops and give them a power point about your shoes. Then have people who buy your shoes walk into that store and ask do they have them. In marketing, there is no substitute for activity. Just get out there and do something to get your business noticed! That may mean networking with your potential clients, making phone calls, printing flyer's, or writing press releases. As long as it reaches potential clients, it’s worth doing.
Your goal with all this activity is to increase your potential customer base. The more potential customers you have, the better your chances are for a growth explosion in your business.


Also start networking with other business like at the chamber of commerce and post fliers at colleges, send a letter to everyone you know telling them about your new business.

there are samples of letters to your warm and cold market at the link below

[zipzoom]

Instead of chasing after large retailers, I suggest you build your brand first through word of mouth and online sales. Online marketing is the trendy thing to do nowadays, whether through social media sites like FB or Twitter or through online listing websites, you can really expose your business to the right consumers who would be interested in enrolling in a make-up academy. The best part about online marketing is it's free, if done correctly. Also, since you're not outgoing, you can communicate with potential customers through the computer screen, eliminating the need for one on one marketing.

Create a Facebook page for your business to increase awareness. Also, you should list your business online, specifically on websites that direct users to local businesses in their area. Zipzoom.com is actually a pretty cool online service; it is an online shopping website where users/customers can search for local businesses that offer products and services ranging from babysitters to electricians to flowers. Users can communicate directly with businesses they choose to buy services/products from after getting recommendations from zipzoom.com, and from there, your business can gain business. Usually, I believe they charge vendors for signing up, but since they're new, they are offering a special promotion for vendors who are interested: register as a vendor for free. It's a good option for those who are on a tight budget but still need exposure to grow their business. If this is something that appeals to you, you should just try it out and see what happens.

Once you have enough brand equity, you will have a much easier time persuading retailers to carry your brand of shoes.

Good luck!

[Steve]

Amazon has a process for this.
http://www.amazonservices.com/content/se...amazon.htm

As for other shoe companies- welcome to the cold call. Stop by and talk to them. Probably won't be that hard. Shoe people are pretty laid back. Just ask them for a few minutes of their time and bring some samples.