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.
Yes, seconded Natitown. It is crystal clear to me that marketing is of primary importance, but HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IT EFFECTIVELY??
I know about SEO, and myspace and Ebay...but those elements are, no doubt, only a tiny part of effective marketing. Where do we go to find out more about this vital aspect of the business, please?
It is crystal clear to me that marketing is of primary importance, but HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT IT EFFECTIVELY??
The same way you learn how to design effectively or write effectively or learn about the history of Peru. You go out and find resources, read books, ask specific questions about things that stump you.
There's no quick answer like "just do 1. 2. 3." and you'll be a marketing genius It's a constant learning process and to be effective, it has to be tailored to your specific needs and goals.
Quote:
what if your overwhelming interest is design, and you are genuinely good at it? Are there companies etc that take on people just to design Ts?
I'm sure there are companies that have inhouse designers, but it's a job just like any other job. You would probably need to find a company that is hiring, apply.
Maybe you could find some of those companies at t-shirt tradeshows and try to impress them with a portfolio.
You won't find many companies that will see your design and say: "Can I buy or license that design from you. You just design and I'll take the risk of printing the shirts up and marketing it with my company...you just sit back and make cool designs" It's like your chances of winning the lottery
RE: "You go out and find resources, read books, ask specific questions about things that stump you.
There's no quick answer like "just do 1. 2. 3." and you'll be a marketing genius"
With respect, Rodney, that's a bit patronising. I might be new to the Tshirts game, but I've been around a long time before this! I know it's not a matter of "build it and they will come"!
I've asked a specific question about something that's stumped me - where do you go from square one in terms of marketing? As I said, I know about myspace, Ebay and setting up websites and working on aspects like SEO. So I'm not completely without a clue. BUT - and I ask again for something a little more specific than obvious generalities like "go and read books and find resources" - what sorts of things do experienced and successful Tshirt designers/printers do to market their wares? I'm not asking someone else to take on the responsibility on my behalf...just for a few pointers and ideas that work so I have a starting point for further research.
I'm GUESSING that opening a market stall at a weekend market would be a start, for example, but after that and the myspace/website etc alternatives, I'm out of ideas.
With respect, Rodney, that's a bit patronising. I might be new to the Tshirts game, but I've been around a long time before this! I know it's not a matter of "build it and they will come"!
I honestly wasn't trying to be patronising, but without knowing your background when you post, I have to start from the basics and move from there. I didn't really see a specific question, so I started with the basics.
Quote:
I've asked a specific question about something that's stumped me - where do you go from square one in terms of marketing?
Well, if I was just starting out and I wanted to learn about marketing online, I would probably find a forum or website that talked about online marketing and read all I could. That's what I did when I first started out. I think I started at places like selfpromotion.com, jimworld.com, and that led me to places like webmasterworld.com, and other online resources.
You asked how you go about learning more, and I tried to give you some basics on how people learn more. I don't know of any good specific books, but maybe someone else might have some tips.
Quote:
what sorts of things do experienced and successful Tshirt designers/printers do to market their wares?
Now that's a more specific question that I can give a specific answer to
I've seen everything from advertising in Rolling Stone and other smaller magazines, sponsoring bands, sponsoring websites in their niche (like a place selling baby designs sponsoring a parenting website or newsletter), google adwords, yahoo search marketing (overture), exchanging links with non-competitive, but relevant sites, listing your site with the various niche t-shirt directories and t-shirt marketing sites like buytees.net, t-shirtshopper.com, t-shirtcountdown.com, t-shirtrank.com, advertising on the radio, press releases, donations to charity,making topical designs about current events, etc.
Bascially the idea is to identify your target market and then do whatever you can to get your designs in front of their eyeballs. What searches do they do online, what magazines do they read, what radio shows do they listen to, what newsletters do they read, which websites do they visit, etc. Once you find that out, advertise there.
Quote:
I'm not asking someone else to take on the responsibility on my behalf...just for a few pointers and ideas that work so I have a starting point for further research.
I hope the resources I posted above help as a starting point.
Quote:
I'm GUESSING that opening a market stall at a weekend market would be a start, for example, but after that and the myspace/website etc alternatives, I'm out of ideas.
Above are a few ideas, but the key is knowing your market and then advertising to that market in as many ways as possible to maximize your exposure.
Once you get that theme dialed in, then you may be able to come up with even more creative ways to market yourself.
You can learn a lot from the competition. I go to established T-shirt websites like, VintageVantage and Threadless to find out what they've done. Most of the successful sites have a "News" section where they basically tell you how they're promoting their shirts. I'm still putting things together for my business, but I'm taking what I think will work for me and applying it.
It seems that if you can get into magazines like Rolling Stone, STUFF, or MAXIM, without paying to get in them, then you're on your way.
Re: Top 10 Reasons Why Businesses Fail 
It's a constant learning process and to be effective, it has to be tailored to your specific needs and goals.
