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All of us have our own list of things we like to do, whether it be our favorite brands, foods, movies, or artists. In fact, we love them so much that we want their logo, name, or photo printed on our t-shirts, also buy their prints, and surround ourselves with the things we love.
It’s all down to pop culture, which has produced thousands of iconic t-shirts, bumper stickers, and posters that have entered the collective consciousness and earned millions of dollars for those who made them.
Consequently, custom merchandise becomes a business opportunity and a trend for everyone, from Gen X to Gen z. As a result, traditional methods of selling custom merchandise have become difficult as it requires considerable time to source products and negotiates with suppliers (a challenge that distributors face).
Therefore, Disney, Marvel, and Joker outsource their merchandise operations. They just don’t want to handle logistics or other headaches. As a result, they are happy to sell merchandising licenses to third parties.
We have witnessed the closures of top retailers like Sears, JCPenney, and Tie Track. It’s clear that influencers, artists, and small eCommerce companies need an easier way to sell their custom merchandise without exposing themselves to financial risk and logistic problems.
The process of creating custom merchandise is time-consuming, and unfortunately, it doesn’t end once the merchandise is ready. Launching and promoting the merchandise are also important. Regardless of whether you have the best product or service, if you don’t market it well, you’ll have trouble earning money or even miss out on opportunities.
In this blog post, we will discuss how you can get your custom products in front of those who want to buy them. We will look at not only how to drive traffic to your site, but also how to integrate marketing strategies between your online business and your offline business so you can maximize the potential of both.
1. Focus on Product Quality & Demand
One of the most important factors in custom merchandise is product quality. Customers will always value quality products. We will always choose quality over price if you ask us.
The point is that, while this is not a direct way to promote your print-on-demand store, you still need to focus on quality. It would be frustrating to have someone order a tee or hoodie from you and then be disappointed by the quality. They will do more than leave negative reviews on the website; they will also complain about your brand to their friends, family, and loved ones to prevent them from buying from you.
Think of yourself as a retailer who sells hoodies and someone buys them from you and ends up satisfied with its quality, causing them to revisit. The situation will remain the same, except that now they will talk well of your brands and help you promote your custom merchandise to gain traction.
It is crucial to master this concept in a world where it is difficult to predict what customers will love. Using this tweak, you can win your customers’ hearts and get them to skyrocket your sales.
2. Make sure your store is optimized for mobile devices
Revenue from mobile eCommerce accounted for 45% of total U.S. eCommerce revenues in 2020. The following numbers show the importance of optimizing your eCommerce store for mobile devices. This means that when someone is using their smartphone or tablet, they should be able to access your website without any delay.
Even if you’re still convinced that there aren’t enough mobile-friendly themes, the issue can be addressed relatively easily if you’re using a platform like Magento or Shopify. A Magento eCommerce development company can help you build your website from scratch and make sure you’re able to use multiple mobile-friendly themes.
A mobile app might be too expensive for you, but you can still create a website and ensure that both mobile and desktop users have no trouble accessing the pages and ordering the merchandise they need. At the same time, it also helps you to maintain order and save your time on adding different integrations each day.
3. Keep an eye on SEO and Try PPC
Online businesses would be nowhere without SEO, and it is therefore a necessity to keep in mind. Among your marketing strategies, search engine optimization should always be your top priority. Organic traffic is crucial to your store’s success since people who find it via search engines have the intent to purchase your merchandise after typing keywords. You will only be able to do that if you have properly optimized your store or website.
If you are not familiar with SEO, hire someone who is and let them handle the juggernaut. If you do not see organic traffic on your site for a few months, do not panic. SEO takes time to work.
If you want immediate results, you may also want to consider PPC marketing as an alternative to SEO. Rather than pay for impressions, you pay for clicks. Consider using Google AdWords for creating PPC campaigns and launching ads that will show up for prospective customers. Your ad copy will be more persuasive if it has a good hook, which in turn will increase website traffic.
Note: If you encounter “FAKE SEO” strategists who claim they will be able to get you results within a week or a month, simply avoid them, and do not take them seriously. That’s why they’re useless!
4. Make use of Social media and connect with Micro-influencers
Both individuals and businesses have grown to rely on social media. With millions of active users on the most popular social media platforms, it’s no wonder that so many brands use social media as a primary marketing channel.
Utilize social media and promote different groups to make the most of it. Also, don’t limit yourself to a single platform because there are many popular platforms you can use to promote your store. All you need to do is a right push to end up on your website and to see what you have available.
In addition, you can partner with micro-influencers to promote your brand and store. Nothing implies that they are less valuable if you have the right people. As a matter of fact, they are more affordable and have a higher engagement rate.
The fact that micro-influencers are wearing your merchandise and giving it a detail should redirect some people to your store where they can purchase the same clothes or other products.
Ending Up
At the end of the day, your promotional strategies are more important than your merchandise. You have already learned how to successfully and effectively promote your custom merchandise. You can do it if you follow these tips!
Do you need help marketing your custom merchandise? M-connect Media can help you. We have an in-house eCommerce consulting team with eCommerce experts and certified Magento developers. Our team can help you design your store in a way that will increase traffic and engagement. For more information, reach out to us.
