Lately, in addition to a huge number of individuals, more and more brands are also deciding to launch their own line of products, which they then give away to their loyal customers, fans or even sell online. Selling your own merch brings three solutions in one: promoting your brand, strengthening your connection with your followers and raising funds for your next project!
Whether you're a musician, an artist, or you run a brand, this guide will help you design and sell premium merchandise that your fans will love and that will bring you more visibility and reputation in addition to profits.
Below we will share some tips on how to frame the whole idea around the launch of your merch products, how to properly promote the products and how to successfully sell them, so that in the end it is a win for both the customer and you.
How to design your merchandise?
1. Clarify your brand identity
Do you have a recognizable brand identity? If you've been marketing for a while, you probably have it, but if you're just starting out, you may still be developing it. In any case, it's worth thinking about what makes your brand unique. This will help you clarify your vision and overall aesthetic and ensure that your merch designs accurately reflect your brand.
2. Understand what your audience wants
Now that you've established your brand identity, it's time to focus on your audience and get to know them better! Your audience for your custom merch is your followers, fans, supporters or customers. While you may think you already have a good understanding of your audience, creating merch they'll truly love requires a deep understanding of who they are and what they want.
Start with the following questions:
- Who should buy your custom merch?
- Where and how do you typically interact with this audience?
- What do they appreciate about you and your work?
- Are there any motifs, jokes or phrases that your audience loves and would like to see on your merch?
After answering these questions, you can directly ask your audience for their opinion. For example; Create polls on Instagram and encourage your target audience to answer questions in Instagram Stories.
3. Create your design and choose your products
Now comes the really fun part! Using what you've learned about your audience and your goals to create custom merch, you can start conceptualizing and creating drafts. Consider some best practices to guide your merch designs:
- Consider the styles and colors of the materials you want to create.
- Play with different color combinations and fonts to create contrasting elements that complete your design.
- Explore current design trends for inspiration.
- Use existing merchandise as a starting point.
Above all, it's important to take the time to fully perfect your custom merch designs. Precisely crafted designs will bring big results when your campaign is launched!
At Euro-T, we also offer the aforementioned services when creating a design and connecting the entire brand identity. Our designers prepare a unique design for you and make your story attractive to potential buyers. As specialists in the field of promotional materials, we always advise the client which products would be the most suitable and successful for a certain campaign/event/action.
How to promote your Merchandise?
Once you've finalized your merch design, selected your products, and decided on the best way to market your t-shirts, it's time to launch and promote your campaign! Try to promote your merch in a way that engages your followers and creates a lot of interest and excitement for your merch. Here are our tips:
- Make accessibility easier
Using simple links that prioritize the user experience will make it easy for your followers to directly access your merch store. We recommend using a bio link tool like Linktree to link your profile across all platforms.
- Use scheduled posts
Plan posts on different social networks according to a clear pattern: beginning, middle and end. For example, if you plan to sell your merch for a limited time, promote it before it starts, then again in the middle of the campaign and finally right before the end to encourage last minute purchases.
- Create engaging visuals
Use eye-catching visuals and mockups to promote your merch. Include photos of yourself (or friends, family, etc.) in your merch after ordering a few pieces through Euro-T. If your store offers different styles of clothing, showcase those different looks.
- Diverse content
Be careful that your merch promotion doesn't become too repetitive or too intrusive. Find ways to incorporate your merch into your regular content and posts. Wear your merch in your YouTube videos, share customer photos on Instagram Stories or on your main page, create a TikTok showing how to style your merch, etc.
- Launch targeted ads
If you have a larger budget, consider investing in targeted ads to help reach a wider audience. Make sure you use targeted ads strategically by focusing on the platforms your followers use regularly and where you interact with them the most.
- Encourage engagement with your followers
The biggest advantage of social media as a promotional tool is that your audience can visibly and directly engage with the campaign in real time. Get your followers involved and encourage them to spread the word about your merch on their profiles, especially if they've already made a purchase.
These are just a few tips on how to achieve your goals and create a recognizable brand by launching your merch. As experts in the field of innovative promotion, we help our clients with such campaigns with our "out of the box" ideas. Together we review the market and already established campaigns, we have a creative meeting on the topic of product development and possible activations. Throughout the entire process, we work in harmony with the client and look for the best solutions together.
Are you in the phase of looking for ideas for the perfect promotion and establishment of your brand?