T-Shirt Business Blog

Are Your T-shirts in the Search Engines?

2008-07-18T16:04:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you know about a quick tutorial that I
made that will help you to get your t-shirt website ranking higher
in the search engines. This will help you to put your t-shirts in
front of the eyes of people from all over the world who are
interested in your designs! SO it's well worth your time.

Just go to: http://www.understandingseo.com

It's a quick podcast that I recorded to show businesses how to get
good rankings in Google, etc.

Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!

Talk soon!

Establishing Your Brand (Part 2)

2008-06-22T19:29:00.000-07:00

I had a very good question thrown at me about my last post, so I thought it would be useful to many of you. Here it is below:

CHRISTINA SAYS:

Establishing your brand is def. one of the MOST important foundations of your business but what do you do if your weakeness is writing and strength is creativity and design? I am putting together an Eco friendly womens surf skate clothing line that is art based(not cheesy like roxy), and i am lost every time i go to write a business plan or even to explain what my brand is. How do i break this wall down?

HEATH SAYS:

Great question, Christina!

There are many different factors that will make up your brand. Firstly, you need to look at your short term mission, your long-term vision and your personality! What do you want to achieve with your brand, and what are your values?

Secondly, who are your target customers? What do they look like? What clothes do they wear? Where do they hang out? What are their needs, desires, goals, beliefs, habits and culture. Your brand should align with all of these things.

Now, have a think about what you are offering these customers. Will they 'relate' to your designs, will they consider them cool and relevant?

How do you want to position your brand? Some questions you can ask: Is your brand upper-class, medium-class or lower-class? Is it formal or casual? Is it naughty or nice? Is it fun or serious? Is it friendly or aggressive? Is it bold or assertive?

Once you answer these types of questions, you'll notice that the answers are also true for your customers themselves.

What is your 'brand promise'? What are the benefits that customers can expect? You should be leaving your brand's vibe in the mind of every potential customer that you interact with. Make them REMEMBER you by being blatantly clear about your brand. Let it come through in your actions, your words, your brand name, your logo, your website, your emails and in your t-shirts!

A GOOD BRAND STANDS OUT!

Inject your brand with your personality - your expressive characteristics that will breathe life into your brand, making it distinct and unique.

TRY THIS: IMAGINE THAT YOUR BRAND IS A FAMOUS PERSON... WHO WOULD IT BE?

This will help you to clearly identify the characteristics of your brand.

Now that you have started to get closer to establishing your brand, think up a tag line for your business to express your distinctive personality and approach. This should encapsulate your brand in one sentence and will help any new visitors to your website to understand what you are about, right away. Hope this helps, Christina!

Establishing Your Brand

2008-06-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

Your ‘brand’ goes far beyond your t-shirt business name and logo. It is your whole image and the way that you are perceived by your customers. It’s your reputation and it’s the emotions and attitudes that are associated with everything you do, and all that your business stands for.

With a t-shirt business, strong branding is extremely important, because it helps customers to identify what you are about. It will differentiate you from your competitors and, by practicing what you preach, will create a desire within your customers to be associated with your business. They'll want to 'belong' to your brand.

Branding is not just about portraying an image through clever marketing. If you try to portray an image that isn’t true, then your customers will see through that. You really need to find out what you, as a business, are all about. Then, constantly and clearly portray that brand, making sure that your staff, website and product do the same.

Below are some common brand values that I have noticed within the industry;

To make people look fashionable, to promote an adventurous life, to fight for freedom of speech, to make a political statement, to make people laugh, to be innovative, or to portray a particular sub-culture’s values, as in a surf or skate brand.

What is your 'brand'? And what does your t-shirt business stand for?

Putting Physical Evidence into Your T-Shirt Marketing

2008-06-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

Customers are constantly looking for reassurance and this need is amplified online, in the scary, digital world of hackers and scammers. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways that you can help to put your t-shirt customers at ease. As your website is the online representation of your business, high-quality, professional design is extremely important. Your site is usually a new customer’s first experience with your business, and so it’s imperative that you make a lasting impression of trust, security integrity and credibility.

To help with this impression, your site can display such things as ‘behind the scenes’ photos or videos of your business, security icons, trade body memberships, awards, previous client lists, endorsements, testimonials, customer comments, guarantees, money back offers, independent reviews, and pictures of your business featured in physical news articles. Telephone conversations with customers also add to the ‘physical evidence’ component, so make sure that your business is contactable via phone.

Another vital element of t-shirt business websites is to have photographs of your physical t-shirts worn by real people. Too often I see sites that provide only pictures of their printed designs. Not only do customers want to at least see a picture of the actual product before making an order, it’s also important to many, to be able to see what the fit looks like on a human body.

Promotional t-shirt printing businesses can also provide ‘physical evidence’ by posting out potential customers a sample of their previous work.

Take a good look over your website right now, and think about whether you would feel secure ordering through it as a new customer...

Choosing The Right T-Shirt Fit & Quality

2008-05-31T20:30:00.000-07:00

The blank t-shirts that you choose for your business are one of the most important things to consider. This will be your physical product, and your choice will reflect very strongly upon your brand. There are many different types of blank t-shirts to choose from, but your decision should largely be based on your business-type and target market.

Are your customers looking for ethical, sweatshop free t-shirts? Would they prefer the t-shirts to be made within their own country, to be manufactured with organic cotton? To find the answers to these such questions, you need to be able to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Or better still, why not conduct a little bit of market research by asking around your community, taking a look at your competitor’s products or by reading through forum posts within your niche?

You might find that your target market is interested in a loose-fitting tee and is not really concerned about the country of manufacture. The promotional t-shirt printing business that I own targets Australian Rock Bands. Through market research I discovered that my customers prefer a fashionable, fitted style tee shirt. They are generally not concerned about the country of manufacture so long as the product is of relatively good quality and is reasonably priced - because they need to make a profit when selling their t-shirts at gigs. However, if for instance my business was targeting R&B or Hip Hop bands (of which Australia has few), I might find that my customers would prefer a loose fitting t-shirt with large sleeves - a completely different product.

With my vintage-style t-shirt label, it was extremely important that the quality of the t-shirts were at premium level. So although the costs are much higher than my promotional tees - I am targeting a fashion conscious market who values quality. Luckily these customers tend to have high, disposable incomes, and my t-shirts are priced accordingly! Be sure to find out the exact type of t-shirt your customers are interested in before making an order, and you will instantly have an advantage over many of your competitors.

Creating and Portraying A Strong Marketing Message

2008-05-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

I just had some really good questions thrown at me by Andi from BrandResistant.com

I thought it might be helpful to you if I shared the conversation (with Andi's permission of course!). So here it is below:

ANDI SAYS:

"Hey Heath, I checked out your blog and I'm looking forward to more posts on innovative ways of selling. I was wondering if you sell internationally and if you have any particular advice for Aussies on how to compete?"

HEATH SAYS:

"I had a look at your site and love your stuff. What I would recommend to you is to be more blatant with your message. Particularly with your site design. I had to surf around a bit before I got the idea, but it should really be obvious from the first page and really have an impact.

The stronger your message, the more people will be drawn to it. Keep in mind that you know your brand back to front but for a new visitor, you need to almost shock them with the stand you are taking.

Be consistently blatant with ALL your marketing messages and people will begin to take notice of you in a big way."

ANDI SAYS:

"Thanks for your message and for checking out my site...and for the advice, I really appreciate. I started this business on my own and sometimes feel like I am flailing around in the dark if you know what I mean I will update my homepage to be more blatant.

I have priced my items with the minimum profit margin I need to survive. As my t's are sweatshop free, eco-friendly and the business is carbon neutral, I have ethical costs to consider. My concern is that I am unable to compete with the under $20/T market in the US. Do you see this as a problem or is this what you mean by being more blatant about my message?

Thanks again. I truly appreciate you taking the time."

HEATH SAYS:

"Andi, I really believe that if what you stand for is coming across as strong as possible, than the $20 tees in the US wont even be competition. [Because you will be positioning brand in a different market]. I recommend pricing your tees closer to the 30-40 dollar mark and really hit hard your message on the site. Perhaps even a page that explains why you cost more, but list the benefits. If you can effectively reach your target market - I'm sure that they will have no problem paying a little extra for ethical, environmentally friendly products.

I've actually had sales lift after raising my prices. It's all about the way the customer perceives the product (and it's your job to create the perception). In my case, my customers saw my tees as a more premium, high-end t-shirt when I almost doubled the prices.

Another button to press in your marketing messages is Rarity. People always pay more for something that is in limited supply. Perhaps even consider limiting each run and give each t-shirt within each collection a number. eg. 1 of 15, 2 of 15, etc.

Why not list some auctions on eBay using all of this information I'm giving you in the listing and gauge how much people are willing to pay for your stuff. Don't be discouraged though if you don't get any bids - eBay can be very fickle, but you might be suprised.

All the best!"

Clarification About My Customer Service Post

2008-05-30T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hey peeps!

I had someone make a comment about my Customer Service post on t-shirtforums who thought that I was sending my employee on a plane to deliver ONE t-shirt.

So just to clear it up, it was an order of 100 printed tees for a band that needed them in time for an important gig! This band is a valued repeat customer of mine, so it's important to look at the lifetime value of the customer. The real cost at stake was not only all the purchases that they will make in the future (about 2 per year, growing consecutively) but also the damage that could have been caused to my brand's reputation. I target Australian rock bands, who in my opinion are the second biggest net workers (after mothers!).

They share everything with each other, because bands like to help other bands. This could have resulted in a bad name being spread about my business within the industry.

On top of that, I genuinely didn't want to let these guys down, as this gig meant a lot to them!

Hope that clears things up!

If it had been just 1 t-shirt that was later than I had promised, I would have made it up for it by calling them, apologizing and letting them know, then surprising them with a free extra t-shirt.

How To Find the Benefits of Your T-Shirts

2008-05-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

When trying to increase sales of your t-shirt, it's important to know a valuable truth, that people buy into benefits rather than features. They want to know, "What's in it for me?".

As t-shirts are quite simple, they don't have many features, but there's plenty of benefits. You need to think of why people would want each of your designs, what's it going to do for them? What human need will it fulfill?

Take a look at these benefits below:

"Pull the ladies with ease in these tees."
(This benefit presses the 'desire for sex' button.)

"Swan around town like a pimp in this fitted beauty."
(This benefit presses the 'desire for sex, money and power' button.)

"You will make at least 3 friends with this shirt."
(Although it's funny, this benefit presses the 'desire for acceptance' button.)

Now if you don't want go so deep, you can always just have a page on your website or catalog listing the physical product benefits titled, "Why Buy From Us?". The easiest way to find a benefit is to put "which means" right after the feature.

Eg. All Of Our Tees Are:

100% Cotton - which means super comfort and durability.
(This benefit presses the 'pleasure' button.)

Carefully Screen Printed - which means quality reproduction. The design will last the lifetime of the t-shirt with minimal fading!
(This benefit presses the 'save money' button.)

Why not have a look through your own t-shirt designs and find out why people would want to buy them. What are the benefits? How will each t-shirt meet a human desire?

Using eBay in Conjunction With Your Own Site

2008-05-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hey t-shirt people!

I just wanted to share with you a method of using eBay to bring traffic to your own website.

For those of you who already sell your t-shirts on eBay, you'll be aware that it is a great way to find customers from all over the world.

Well, eBay generally doesn't allow external linking to your own website UNLESS you link to a page that contains more information about the specific product that is being auctioned. This is a great opportunity, as it means that you can use eBay traffic to generate more sales on your own website.

Now here is the method:

On your eBay listing, add a hyperlink that says something like; "For More Info & Pictures of This T-shirt, Click Here."

Make sure that it links to a page on your website that has that particular t-shirt displayed, with further information as well as an 'Add To Cart', or 'Purchase Now' button.

Now, to offer an incentive for the eBay visitors to purchase on your own site rather than on eBay, you could have a special price or bonus. eg. 5% Off, or a Free Cap With Purchase.

In addition, somewhere on the product picture in your eBay listing, include your website URL. This will bring even more visitors to your site, who are interested in your t-shirt.

By doing these things, it's possible to sell several of that particular t-shirt with one eBay listing. And remember that when visitors reach your site, they're free to look around at all your other products!

Creating Raving Fans Out Of Your Customers

2008-05-27T20:45:00.000-07:00

Your customers are the most valuable asset of your t-shirt business.

Treat them well and they might buy from you again, treat them like royalty and not only will they be your customer for life - they'll do most of your advertising for you! A satisfied customer might mention you to friends, but a delighted customer will preach your name far and wide.

Even if it means losing a little bit of money to keep your customer delighted - it will be well worth it in the long run. I've had instances where a t-shirt order was late, so I organized an employee to jump on a plane and fly the package out to the customer. Yes, it cost more than the profit I made - but I made my customer's day! This one truth has the power to turn your business into a thriving multi-million dollar company. A customer focused company.

How To Find T-Shirt Design Ideas That Sell

2008-05-27T06:05:00.000-07:00

When starting out in your own t-shirt business, it can be difficult to think up design ideas for your first run of tees. Or maybe you're absolutely buzzing with thousands of concepts, but aren't quite sure where to start...

The t-shirt industry is booming, and because of this, competition is fiercer than ever. As with any business, it's important (before you even think of launching your label) to first find out what the market wants. After all, you don't want to be stuck with a huge stack of tees that you can't seem to sell, even though your friends thought they were the coolest thing since Reebok Pumps.

The Internet gives you an amazing opportunity - the opportunity to find out what is already popular and has mass appeal. Now don't get me wrong. I am not encouraging you to imitate. The last thing this world needs is another 'Vote For Pedro' tee shirt. But what I am saying, is that without a design that appeals to many people, you will struggle to make a profit. Here's what I suggest: once you have thought up a basic concept for your tees, check out these sites below. Each one has a voting section that lists designs according to popularity. This will give you a good idea of what people are already buying.

www.threadless.com
www.designbyhumans.com
www.allmightys.com
www.teetonic.com
www.gorillatank.com

If you plan to target a subculture or niche, then I suggest you skip the above sites and look for something more suited to to your target market. Remember to keep it original. The idea is not to copy someone else's success, but to assess whether people might be interested in your designs.

How To Start A T-Shirt Business

2008-05-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hello! My name is Heath Sanchez and this blog has been set up to share my knowledge of starting and running a t-shirt business. Having successfully launched an indie t-shirt label from scratch, to building up a large following and seeing my creations stocked in boutiques far and wide - I have developed many skills and secrets which I’m sure will help you to start along your own road to t-shirt success.

When I was first starting out, I had loads of questions about all kinds of things from where to find a good blank t-shirt supplier, to how to set up a website to take orders and which methods of printing to use. So through this blog, I will endeavor to answer any questions you may have.

Please feel free to post your comments and if you'd like access to my free videos, reports and emails - just sign up with your email on the right hand side of this site.

All the best!

HEATH