In a crowded market, your personal brand might just be your strongest competitive edge.
It was a half year project, helping a client build her own apparel brand—from shaping the brand message to crafting the marketing strategy and executing it across channels.
We didn’t aim to target the entire population of China. We knew our limitations—especially in terms of budget, team size, and brand maturity. So we started small, focusing on the city we are based in, tapping into communities we knew well: people who shared the same hobbies, tastes, and importantly, had the buying power to support a niche brand.
For the first batch of products, we didn’t expect significant sales. It was still the brand education phase. We ran campaigns on Xiaohongshu (RED), seeded products to KOLs, organized offline community events, and worked to build awareness and credibility from the ground up.
Later, as my personal plans shifted, I didn’t continue with the brand’s next stage. But reflecting on the experience, a few key takeaways stick with me:
- Building a brand is incredibly hard.
The market is oversaturated, attention spans are short, and consumer expectations are high. Unless you have massive funding to burn on advertising and influencer deals, growth takes time—and even with funding, we’ve seen big brands fail. So if you’re starting out, the key is patience. And focus. Stay rooted in a niche market that you understand deeply. - A strong brand helps sell—but your personal brand matters more.
I was highly recommending that client to start her own channel, coz in the early stages, people often buy into the founder before the product. Your vision, values, taste, and story can be the most powerful driver of brand trust and loyalty. Especially for independent brands, personal branding isn’t optional—it’s a growth engine.
Until next time,
Hongyu & the WeClick Team
Click. Communicate. Connect with China.
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