# Paid Marketing



## RiseAboveSxA (Apr 17, 2014)

What's Up Everyone

So I've been approached by several marketing agents who wants to help market my brand. Marketing can get really expensive and sometimes I'm nervous about paying $500+ for marketing. 

What are some things that the agents do when they market your brand? My main focus is getting results = sales, more website visits, more followers on social media. How long does it take for these things to happen?

Rise Above Sneakers x Apparel


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## mustangFWL (Feb 27, 2012)

What are they saying they will do for you for your money?


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## binki (Jul 16, 2006)

That 500 is probably monthly. We don't do that because we figure we need 20 times return on the top line.


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## MarStephenson761 (Sep 19, 2011)

Is this for an agent that peddles your brand to retailers? or an online marketing program that tries for direct sales results?




RiseAboveSxA said:


> What's Up Everyone
> 
> So I've been approached by several marketing agents who wants to help market my brand. Marketing can get really expensive and sometimes I'm nervous about paying $500+ for marketing.
> 
> ...


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## Stefano (Aug 5, 2013)

RiseAboveSxA said:


> What's Up Everyone
> 
> So I've been approached by several marketing agents who wants to help market my brand. Marketing can get really expensive and sometimes I'm nervous about paying $500+ for marketing.
> 
> ...


You should really investigate what they are going to do for you, how they will do it, for how long, from where, etc. One business I know paid for "marketing" and an off shore firm mass spammed every address they had, continuously. I don't think that created a favorable image for his company or product.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

People approaching you are there to sell _you_ something.

If you are going to hire outside marketing services, I suggest figuring out what you want to accomplish (more web hits, wholesale distribution to retail stores, etc) and then find some firm that does that--preferably one where you can check first hand what some of their customers have to say about them.

PS I just looked at your site again, but unlike last time, this time I actually put something in the cart and went partway through the checkout process. Pretty slick, overall. Though I didn't see a way to empty my cart (there was a heading named "Remove" but nothing to click; I'm running Opera 12.7), so lest you think you lost a sale for some unknown reason, that was just me testing how it worked. I plan to use the same sort of PayPal setup when I turn on my site.


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## TeeHunter (Jul 20, 2014)

Don't! Simply don't, unless you're selling over $5k+ t-shirts/mo.
It's easy to fall in the trap and assume it will get you to a magical place where t-shirts are bought every second etc. and trust me when I say this because we actually work with some large clothing brands and we do their marketing. It's okay to buy an ad on t-shirtforum or a blog post etc. as in a one-time something relative small that doesn't break the pocket, otherwise do it yourself. Start guerilla-marketing style.

Paying an agency (or just an agent for that matter) at the early stages is certainly a flop unless you can sustain it for months to come, and I assume you'd want some results in the first 90 days or so.

Just my thoughts,
-Sergiu


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## MrBrianJRoberts (Jul 20, 2014)

RiseAboveSxA said:


> What's Up Everyone
> 
> So I've been approached by several marketing agents who wants to help market my brand. Marketing can get really expensive and sometimes I'm nervous about paying $500+ for marketing.
> 
> ...


Most outside 'marketers' are selling a pipe dream, nothing else - so I would steer clear. 

Since it's YOUR brand nobody is in a more powerful position to market it then YOU, yourself. 

The only reason you would need help with marketing is if you aren't sure who your core demographic is or who your ideal retailers and target market are. That's a big no-no. Hiring an outside marketer would be like a prescription drug: treating a particular symptom but not the underlying cause. 

So here's how to figure that all out. Ask yourself the following: 

Does your brand reflect your own personal style? If so, where do you shop locally? Online? Who do you chill with that does the same? BAM! That is your market. So as an example, if you shop at some dope boutique across town and occasionally order off a site like Karmaloop, pitch to your local shop first then hit up Karmaloop's Kazbah site. 

Follow people on social networks who follow retailers like that. Hang out in forums where people who'd like your product hang out at (off top I'm thinking: Hypebeast Forums, NikeTalk, etc.). 

Build relationships (90%) and occasionally plug your product (10%). 

What media sites do you check out? 

Email smaller sites a look book (borrow a friends camera and make it a dope one) and include a few sentences on why your stuff is dope, different and why their audience would love it. Then scale up to bigger sites citing the smaller sites as social proof (proof that other people support you)

That's the exact formula we used to get on Hypebeast and do 200+ social media shares, 20000+ page views in A DAY, $20,000+ revenue in a month, etc)

And you know what say about advice? Don't ask if you won't use it and don't give it if you you don't do! 

Good luck and hope that helps!


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## RiseAboveSxA (Apr 17, 2014)

MrBrianJRoberts said:


> Most outside 'marketers' are selling a pipe dream, nothing else - so I would steer clear.
> 
> Since it's YOUR brand nobody is in a more powerful position to market it then YOU, yourself.
> 
> ...


Thanks Brian, 

The site I use most is Hypebeast, I need to make a NikeTalk account. Are there any other sites I can use? 

What do you mean when you say "plug your product"? Is this like giving out free stuff for promotional reasons? 

I'm working on my lookbook right now. I had one that wasn't the best so I took it down but I'm about to repost a upgraded one.


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## MrBrianJRoberts (Jul 20, 2014)

RiseAboveSxA said:


> Thanks Brian,
> 
> The site I use most is Hypebeast, I need to make a NikeTalk account. Are there any other sites I can use?
> 
> ...


That's good. Keep quality control strict on all imagery, it's everything. Not too sure as far as other forums. Google similar brands and just add 'forum' to the end of your search query and see what pops up. And 'by plug your product' I mean actually mentioning you have a brand, your products, etc.

People aren't receptive to hard selling so only mention it when it adds value. Otherwise you'll come off like a spammer and that's a bad look for the brand. As an example, you know when people are on every comment thread like "YO I GOT A BRAND IT'S HOTBRAND.COM"

That's a bad look times a hundred.


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