One thing that separates the idea of starting a t-shirt selling business is the fact that it’s a low investment opportunity that can eventually turn out to be incredibly lucrative. Most importantly, for those who hold self-validation high on the pyramid of motifs, it completely depends on your skill and creativity. Here, we’re not just talking about your ability to create a best-selling design but also about your knack to market and sell this design. The simplest way to do so is on social media, which is why so many t-shirt selling businesses either start or put a heavy emphasis on this field. Here are several tips to help you out and give you a competitive edge.
Social media-friendly design
The first thing you need to understand is the fact that the design of your t-shirt greatly depends on your target audience. When you take into consideration that the target demographic that you have in mind also determines social networks that you’re about to use, you’ll see that one step inevitably leads to another. Once you have these two things out of the way, you need to start coming up with your t-shirt design idea. This is something that can be done in just a couple of hours, even if this is your first time.
Product-friendly platforms
In theory, all platforms are product-friendly, however, some platforms are particularly great for the sales of clothing items, especially platforms like Instagram or Pinterest. This is due to the fact that, on these platforms, the image is a standard and predominant format, meaning that it provides a potential buyer with a catalog-like experience. This alone gives one a tad stronger incentive to buy since these mental connections make a strong case in your favor.
Making an Instagram purchase
The developers behind Instagram are more than aware of its e-commerce potential, which is why they’ve made Instagram shopping so incredibly user-friendly. The best thing about this is the fact that your audience has the ability to make the purchase without ever leaving the app. This is also incredibly pragmatic, seeing as how you can showcase these t-shirts on the same platforms where you’re selling them.
This helps you avoid the risk of losing momentum and failing to capitalize on the concept of impulse buying. While some may see this as an underhanded practice, the fact is that it’s one of the strongest sales tools that you have available. Along the way, it might be worth your while to learn a thing or two about Instagram marketing.
Professional photography
The quality of the t-shirt and the quality of the print may not matter if the photo that you upload appears… well, too shabby. The problem with this entire ordeal lies in the fact that professional photography tends to be quite pricey, while these shirts usually don’t have that great of a market value. This means that people automatically assume that this might not give such a great ROI. However, this is a completely wrong perspective on this matter. If you decide to go with screen printed t-shirts in bulk and pay for the photography, when you split the cost per sold item, you’ll see that the return is more than worth all of it.
Ghost mannequin
You also need to try out different styles of photography. Sure, putting a t-shirt onto a real model might seem like a great idea, however, there might be one more efficient method to do so. We’re of course talking about the ghost mannequin technique. This way, you’re avoiding the use of model altogether and presenting a piece of clothing (in this scenario a t-shirt) in a position that it would assume when worn by the observer. Needless to say, this enhances the immersion, which greatly benefits your sales. Keep in mind, however, that you should read a bit on this subject, due to the fact that creating a quality ghost mannequin photography is no short of an art.
Remember that this is a business
Sure, some designs may be particularly dear or important to you personally, however, when the sales of your t-shirts are in question, you need to start seeing this as a business. This leads you to one, seemingly simple, yet, an incredibly tough task of not allowing your personal beliefs to cause your t-shirt business to fail. The most important thing to mention here is the fact that this tip is universal for all types of retail businesses.
Don’t underestimate Facebook
No matter how hard we focused on Instagram in this post, the fact remains that Facebook is still the most profitable market by so many different metrics. This is why it’s not to be underestimated under any circumstances. The most efficient two things to do in order to fully exploit it to your benefit is to utilize targeted ads and join Facebook groups that your target demographic frequently visits. In this way, you can mingle with them in an organic and low-key manner, even gather some feedback that could potentially help you drive your brand forward.
At the very end, properly using social media can make or break your t-shirt selling business, which is why this is a task that you need to approach with caution. Still, instead of dreading the potential missed opportunity, you need to place a focus on potential gains and an amazing ROI. With the above-listed seven tips on your side, you stand a great chance of fully capitalizing on this notion.