2 - From Freebies to Fans - How to Make Your Merch Work For You!
From Freebies to Fans: How to Make Your Merch Work for You!
Merchandise is far from slapping your logo onto a t-shirt and hoping that people wear it - because if we're honest, most of us don't have a brand that this applies to - we certainly don't! Instead, it should be viewed and used as a powerful marketing tool and a potential revenue stream for your business.
But how do you go from giving away freebies to making those very same people your fans?
Time to delve in!
Step 1 - Choose Merchandise That Aligns with Your Brand!
You are probably bored of hearing me say this - because it is the number 1 thing that I go on about - but it is because it is the most important! Your merch should be an extension of your brand - not just the cheapest thing that you can get with your logo on it.
Ask yourself:
Does this item reflect my brand values? Or does it speak to my secondary messaging?
Will my audience use this product?
Is it unique enough to stand out?
If you answer no to these questions - then you shouldn't be using that particular product!
Step 2 - Start with Strategic Freebies
We know the good old saying - "You have to spend money to make money" - and this can be said with merch as well! If you want to attract the right client or customer into your world, then you can use merchandise to do just that!
And there are different ways of doing it:
Grow your email list - offer something to them for signing up to your email list
Boost social media engagement - giving something to your top contributors on a weekly/monthly basis to encourage interaction
In person events - having something on brand to hand out to new people that you have had a genuine interaction with at an event to encourage them to take the next step with you
If your freebies serve a purpose, then you can turn them into an amazing lead generator.
Step 3 - Create Limited Edition or Exclusive Items
We all know what it's like when we see there is only 10 of something - if it is something that we like - we need to be the person that gets it! I am currently on a waitlist to drive 4 hours away to hug a Highland Cow and have afternoon tea there - trying to book into this place feels exclusive and it means I have set an alarm on my phone to get in - I will hug that cow!
The same can be said with our merch - if you release a limited edition and only have a certain number of pieces available throughout different times of the year, or at events only - it means you drive that appeal for exclusivity! And who doesn't want to be on the inside of the club!
Turn your Audience into Walking Billboards
You want your audience to be speaking about you in rooms you aren't in - even when they are not using words!
It is important to know your audience and what they want to wear - what excites them? What will they want to wear when they are not at your event?
A list of ideas to consider for this are:
Jumpers
T-shirts
Hats
Jewellery
Badges
Bags
Laptop cases
Remember, what ever one you go for - it needs to be relevant to your brand - but the design NEEDS to be something your audience are going to want to wear. Then you can even think about QR codes - but that is for another blog!
Step 5 - Sell Smart - Make it Easy to Buy
If you make it difficult, then people will loose interest. You need to make the product something that they want to have - and something that is easy for them to find and buy.
E-Commerce store - this can be one that you manage yourself together with the inventory or one that a company will manage on your behalf (cough cough - let's chat!)
A physical store - if you are location based, have it on display so they can bring it to you and pay
Upsell - you could have it as an upsell for your existing product range - this works even better if what they are buying is relevant. E.g - you have a dedicated notebook for a specific course, when they check out with the course, they can choose to add the notebook into their basket as well.
Convenience = more sales. Don't make it hard for people to buy from you.
With everything you do - track your metrics!
Try a few different ways and track what is working for you. Can you see an increase in (insert chosen strategy here) since doing this. If yes, double down. If no, what can you change?
If merchandise is done right, then it doesn't end up costing you anything at all - because your ROI will always be greater!
Want to find out how you can implement this into your business?
Jump on a call with one of our team!
