Discuss the fun task of marketing a t-shirt shop. Where to advertise, link building, word of mouth, press releases, search engine marketing, keyword advertising, magazines, etc.
Anyone can get an off brand product for cheap, but when giving things away the implied value of a brand name helps. This sony stick isnt your standard bulky plastic USB. You should google it.
If you're concerned about the implied value of a brand name, why not have your own brand name imprinted on a very nice looking USB stick? You can have this done for very little $$ by almost any promotional products provider.
Either way, paying retail price for a promotional giveaway item is ridiculous, no matter how cheap it is or what the brand name is. You should be getting it at wholesale.
Mark is really doing it right by offering an affordable item that will "click" with his customers, something unique and special that they will actually keep and use.
Either way, paying retail price for a promotional giveaway item is ridiculous, no matter how cheap it is or what the brand name is. You should be getting it at wholesale.
I only mentioned retail price. That is not what my cost was.
As far as the content goes, I am a designer and have plenty of items that would be on there that are branded. I am in the process of getting more exclusive content on there.
As far as the content goes, I am a designer and have plenty of items that would be on there that are branded. I am in the process of getting more exclusive content on there.
The other thing to consider is how much value this adds, versus how much value a nicely produced CD would add. Obviously the CD doesn't have the same wow factor, but at a considerably lower price, it might still edge out in front.
I suppose you could do both: USB stick to the first X customers, CDs to the rest.
It would take a considerable amount of effort and cost to do the CD's for all other customers. The USB stick will take no time to load, cost nearly nothing and I feel will drive people to be the first to purchase. I do not feel offering people the same content will work in the way I have planned.
Just to keep adding to this thread with "tips" on little extras that you can include with your product:
I found a really nice little extra is a nicely worded thank you note.
Not the generic ones that sound like they came from a template. "Thank you for shopping at our store. We appreciate your business. If you have any questions...blah blah blah".
Write something really unique and in your own voice. Make it funny. Make it real.
It's amazing how people react to something like that included in their package.
This isn't my original idea I was just very impressed with the "transactional emails" and "thank you notes" from my purchase from cdbaby.com, I just had to try it. And it works. It helps to make you memorable.
You may want to change it up every now and then if you have a lot of repeat customers.
Just to keep adding to this thread with "tips" on little extras that you can include with your product:
I found a really nice little extra is a nicely worded thank you note.
Not the generic ones that sound like they came from a template. "Thank you for shopping at our store. We appreciate your business. If you have any questions...blah blah blah".
Write something really unique and in your own voice. Make it funny. Make it real.
It's amazing how people react to something like that included in their package.
This isn't my original idea I was just very impressed with the "transactional emails" and "thank you notes" from my purchase from cdbaby.com, I just had to try it. And it works. It helps to make you memorable.
You may want to change it up every now and then if you have a lot of repeat customers.
Can you show an example of one you wrote yourself?
Was this just some text on plain paper, handwritten or...?
I have a coffee roaster and I use to send a little sample of fresh roasted coffee, then I figured out that the coffee aroma sticks with the shirt ,so now I add some special tea that you can't get at most stores.
Can you show an example of one you wrote yourself?
Was this just some text on plain paper, handwritten or...?
No, not hand written at all. Just the regular packing slip that you print out to go with each order.
Most shopping carts allow you to customize that text that gets printed out, I'm just suggesting that you give it a unique voice.
I can give you an example of the CDBABY text here:
Quote:
"Your CDs have been gently taken from our CD Baby shelves with sterilized contamination-free gloves and placed onto a satin pillow.
A team of 50 employees inspected your CDs and polished them to make sure they were in the best possible condition before mailing.
Our packing specialist from Japan lit a candle and a hush fell over the crowd as he put your CDs into the finest gold-lined box that money can buy.
We all had a wonderful celebration afterwards and the whole party marched down the street to the post office where the entire town of Portland waved 'Bon Voyage!' to your package, on its way to you, in our private CD Baby jet on this day, Sunday, November 18th.
I hope you had a wonderful time shopping at CD Baby. We sure did.
Your picture is on our wall as 'Customer of the Year.' We're all exhausted but can't wait for you to come back to CDBABY.COM!!
I did something like this when I made a custom product for a forum...they were shipping out in december so I had a small note inside that said "Thanks for your purchase. Please enjoy your enclosed free gift from me. Merry Xmas" with my signature. Then I attached free stickers relating to forum I was doing this for. I just used a handwriting type font for the note but you could just write a note in your own handwriting and then scan it in and print multiple copies on a sheet and cut them down...may look more personal that way, but I have horrible handwriting lol.
yea haha that is a really great note thats a good idea to cause it adds a little something to your business :P.
haha for me i was thinking of having a goodie bag it would have two stickers one for yourself and one to give to a friend it would also have two pins that would do the same :P i was also thinking of putting like an action figure or some toy from the past in there that would remind my target market of their childhood. haha thats easy to cause you can go to a garage sale and find old action figures and cards for $25 each
OK so these are just kinda some rough ideas but do you think some people would get upset at these notes??
"Congratulations
It has been such a pleasure doing business with you that we have decided to refund 100% of your purchase price. We held a company wide meeting to debate the best way to get your refund back to you and in the end we settled on what we felt was the most economically feasible method in light of the recent rise in fuel costs. Your refund has been placed in a bottle along with a note addressed to you and tossed out to sea. Please be sure to check for it next time you are at the beach. Allow 7-10 working days for delivery."
My other idea is to have stickers with my web address on them made and then place a few of them in the box attached to a note reading:
"Important Warning Please Read:
Attached you will find 5 special stickers. DO NOT throw away or let these stickers just sit around your house. You must pass these stickers on to 5 of your friends. If you fail to pass these stickers on then the first time you wear your shirt it will begin to shrink around your body constricting blood flow thus leading to unconsciousness and possible brain damage. The last person to ignore this warning now sits in a padded room all day watching re-runs of 3 stooges. You have been warned.
Jaycen, lol Clever. However I wouldn't use those letters just in case an anal customer decides to use it against you some how. Lawsuits are so common, I don't think you'd want to take that chance. "IM SUING YOU!! I waited at the beach for my refund for 10 days and I was struck with a coconut and passed out." lol who knows......
I always through in a sticker, and a discount coupon for their next purchase.
__________________ Daniel Slatkin, SBE Multi-Media, LLC Fulfilling Fulfillment with free web store included. SlightlySick University The polar opposite of Higher Education!!
Re: Little extras with your product 
I was just very impressed with the "transactional emails" and "thank you notes" from my purchase from cdbaby.com, I just had to try it. And it works. It helps to make you memorable.
Daniel Slatkin, 
