Discuss the fun task of marketing a t-shirt shop. Where to advertise, local marketing tips, word of mouth, press releases, search engine marketing, keyword advertising, magazines, etc.
Im going to have a bunch of shirt printed for both men and women with our logo design on it, and give them out to people that have shopped at our store, local hot spots (gyms, stores, etc.), High school students, bands, etc.
I'm doing this very thing myself. The ROI is great. Why, you ask? It's simple psychology. Being humans, we enjoy reciprocity. If we've received something free from someone who was extremely personable and friendly, we tend to reciprocate our emotions and/or actions. Think about it: if someone were to stop you walking down the street one day and offered you a free car (implying that the car was brand new and perfectly fine), would you tell people?
That is the point. I know I gave a hyperbolically inflated example, but you get the idea.
I would think it would be a good idea to use the same quality of product you would be selling. That way they don't get the idea that you're selling a lower quality product than you really are. Going with the previous example, if a Mercedes dealer was giving away Hyundais, that wouldn't make much sense. It still might be a fine car, but it's not the same thing.
That's my view on it anyway, I've only had a limited experience with giving away my product, but plan to do more of it as I expand.
I am going to start handing out free shirts as well when I launch my brand. The ROI IS great. People seem to hate the idea of giving away product, but if you compare it to almost any form of advertising or marketing, the cost is lower and the outcome is usually better. It does require you to carefully plan on who you are giving product to, but this should be the case anyway. Same as advertising, you have to plan ahead.
But yes, it does seem to return to your brand in a noticable way. Hey, people love free gear.
T-Shirt Marketing Tips - FREE Shirts 
