If you’re a business owner, having your own merch or merchandise can give you a lot of benefits. It helps promote your business through name recall and increases customer retention.
High customer retention makes your customers tend to return, continue to buy, and support your business. Even better, you can also earn from merch and make them part of your goods and items to sell.
There’s a variety of merch you can make for your brand. It bears your business name, logo, and slogan. The common merch are:
- T-shirts
- Mugs
- Key chains
- Pens
- Bags or pouches
- Notebooks
First on this article is how to make your business merch. Creating your merch is more than putting your logo on the item. It has to have an appeal so people will find value in it and buy it. Here are 4 steps to make your own merch:
1. Know your audience
You have to understand who your customers are. Learn what they like or need. For example, if you’re a coffee shop that usually caters to customers of the older generation, you can offer mugs. However, if you notice that you seem to have more younger customers or students, a tumbler is more appealing.
2. Research cool merch ideas
Make your merch appealing but brainstorming and researching online. There are tons of merch ideas you can try. Just make sure it’s appropriate to your audience or target market.
3. Come up with a design
Designing your merch can be a bit tricky, especially if you’re not into arts or designs. You can commission a design or you can try and make your own. Just make sure to stick to your branding, font, color scheme, etc. There are many software apps like Canva or Dribble to get you started.
4. Find a manufacturer
Once you’re settled with your design, it’s time to see them on your merch. Look for a manufacturer that can best print and produce your merch. Research and make sure it can produce the best quality.
Now that you have your merch. It’s time to sell them. Here are some tips to sell your business merch:
Make noise
Your merch should not just be ordinary items or else they will become items that will collect dust on your racks. Promote them well and make them topics of discussion. A good merch is something that people will talk about. Your customers will be intrigued and will be willing to purchase your merch.
When posting online, use witty captions. Engage your customers in conversation about your designs, merch, and brand.
Sell on marketplaces and other digital platforms
It’s not enough that you customers can buy your merch while at you store. It’s best that you also promote it online and other marketplaces. Post about it on Facebook, Instagram, group pages, and other e-commerce platforms. If you have your own website or social media accounts, make sure to regularly post about it.
There are also platforms such as Hello Merch where you can post your merch alongside other creators. If you have enough budget, you can also pay for influencers or ads to promote your merch. You may have to shell out money for promotion, but keep in mind that you’re not just selling the merch but also marketing your business. So, it’ll still be a win-win solution.
The next time you’re thinking of a creative way to boost your brand, try to make and sell merch. They are cost-effective way of promoting and marketing your products.
For more business tips, you can read tips on how to generate more cash flow and how to avoid bankruptcy.
