You're an entrepreneur. You have a great idea, and you want to turn it into a successful business. The T-shirt business is ideal for many entrepreneurs because it's easy to start and cheap to operate.
If you're looking forward to starting your own T-Shirt business, there’s never been a better time to Start an online store without inventory. Market your store, grow your business, and don't worry about printing, packaging, and shipping your orders.
Here are a few reasons to start your store without inventory now:
- The eCommerce industry is growing fast
- Apparel items are popular in the global market
- Physical stores are closing
- Starting an eCommerce business is easier than ever
So how do you get customers? Here are 13 T-Shirt Business Business Tips Essential for your Brand Growth:
Create a Brand Statement
The importance of a brand statement cannot be overstated. It's the first thing people see when they visit your website or social media pages, so it needs to be something that clearly communicates what you do and what you stand for—it should also be easy to remember so that people can easily refer back to it if necessary.
In order for your brand statement to work as intended, it should read like this:
"I'm [your name]. I help people [what you do]. I stand for [a value statement about who you are]."
When crafting a brand statement, it's best not to have too many words in your initial sentence. Simplicity is key: just state what you do and what you stand for.
Apply Business Best Practices
Business best practices are essentially the same as common sense, but they’re also a lot more than that. They’re things you should do because they have been shown to work time and again. They are not always easy to implement—and often require an investment of both time and money—but if you want to grow your business, you need to make them part of the way you do business. The most successful businesses all use these same best practices in their operations
Find a Target Audience
Your first step should be to find your target audience. This can be tricky, but try to define who you want to sell your products to and where they are hanging out online.
Once you have discovered who you want as customers, create profiles for them. What do they like? What are their hobbies? How does their lifestyle affect the way they view things and make decisions? Are there any specific events or holidays that would trigger an impulse purchase from this group—like the Christmas shopping season or back-to-school supplies?
When do they shop online most often: on their phones while standing in line at Starbucks or while watching TV at home with a glass of wine after work? Do they follow certain brands on Instagram because those brands speak directly to their interests (and thus help build the brand)? The more detailed this information is, the better off you'll be when creating tailored marketing materials for each member of your target audience in order to reach out successfully!
Keep Your Marketing Simple
Keep your marketing simple. When you’re starting a business, don’t try to be everything to everyone. Don’t try and be the best at everything or the cheapest, or even the most innovative or creative.
Instead, focus on what you do well and do it consistently: for example, if you have a great eye for design, focus on creating shirts that reflect your aesthetic and brand identity; if you have great customer service skills and like interacting with others online, then use social media as your main platform for promoting your products.
Video marketing is a great way to help an online t-shirt business because it allows you to showcase your company in a way that people won't forget. When you think of the word “online t-shirt business,” what do you think of? A big warehouse with boxes stacked high and rows of people working on shirts?
No—you think of the shirts themselves. And that's what video marketing allows you to do: show off your products in their best light.
Generally, getting a professional video developed for your brand can cost you a lot. This is where you can use software like InVideo, to create your own professional-looking brand videos, from the comfort of your home, where you can choose from 5000+ templates to create powerful ads, promos, YouTube videos, intros, and more.
Focus on Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is a great way to get your name out there for your t-shirt business and connect with potential customers. It’s also incredibly affordable and easy to use, thanks in part to the fact that you can target people based on their age, gender, location, and interests.
Social media ads can be very effective because they are so targeted. You will be able to reach exactly the people you want with your ad campaigns—provided that you have built up an audience through social media content marketing beforehand.
Social media advertising is easy (and fun!) to measure, which means that you won’t have any excuse not to spend money on it anymore!
Sell to the Right Customers
The first step in selling to customers is knowing who your target market is. You want to sell to people who are interested in what you have, who will buy from you and be happy with the product or service that you offer.
If you are an online business, then this might mean targeting a specific niche group such as pet owners, so that all of your products cater directly to them.
You should also consider the price point of your products and services: what value do they add? Is there something that makes them special? What other benefits do they bring? If it's a physical product like clothing, then how durable it is or how long-lasting its color will last may be important questions for potential buyers.
Support a Cause with Your Company
If you’re not already doing so, consider supporting a cause with your t-shirt business. Something that is close to your heart. You can also choose to support a cause that is relevant to your business. Or, if you have a favorite charity or organization that you want customers to know about, why not create shirts for them? It’s easy as pie!
We all know how important it is for brands and businesses to give back in some way or another—and there are many different ways in which this can be done: from volunteering at an event for the cause itself (such as Habitat for Humanity), donating money or supplies on their behalf (like sending food donations), raising awareness on social media platforms…the list goes on.
Email Marketing Is Still Relevant
Email marketing is a great way to reach your customers for your new or even en existing t-shirt business, and build relationships with them. It can also help you build brand awareness and drive traffic to your website.
Email marketing has changed significantly over the years, but it's still a good way to connect with customers and grow your business if you put in the time and effort required. Check out the best email marketing tools to get started with Email Marketing for your Business.
Don't Put All of Your Eggs in One Basket
It's important to have a balanced marketing strategy. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. This means that you shouldn't put all of your marketing efforts into one social media platform, advertising channel, or even technique. For example, if you only focus on your t-shirt business' Facebook advertising and never consider other options like sponsored posts on Instagram or Google AdWords for search engine ads, then there is no way for people who don't use Facebook to find out about your business.
In addition to having a balanced social media presence and using multiple channels for advertising (such as Facebook ads), it's essential that you also use different types of content on each platform. The three types we recommend using are:
- Informational content – this gives people tips and advice about running their own business
- Inspirational content – this shows them what it's like being an entrepreneur
- Entertaining/motivational videos – these can be funny videos or just anything entertaining!
Consider Offline Marketing
This may sound counterintuitive, but there is still a lot of value in offline marketing. The question then becomes: how can you use offline marketing to support your online t-shirt business?
The most obvious way is through partnerships with brick-and-mortar stores. When you're ready to open up shop, consider working with local businesses that already have the infrastructure in place for selling shirts—think boutiques and clothing shops, rather than department stores or big box retailers. Even if you don't have an actual storefront yet, partnering with other businesses that do can mean more exposure for both parties involved. If they sell out of their stock early on because of your partnership, consider stocking some of their inventory as well!
You can also take advantage of all the free advertising provided by municipal events—such as festivals and parades—and local organizations like churches or neighborhood groups where people gather regularly. Promote your t-shirt business there. These venues are perfect places for putting up posters or handing out fliers advertising what new designs are coming soon from our artists this month/year so make sure not to miss out on any opportunities!
Offer Incentives to Your Customers
In order to get people excited about your products, you'll want to offer incentives. This can include:
- Free shipping
- A discount on a specific product or quantity
- A discount for a specific time period (e.g., holiday sales)
You can also create special offers around your t-shirt business that are only available in certain locations or demographics. For example, if you have a brick-and-mortar location, you can promote your retail store and give customers an incentive if they visit the store and purchase an item there.
Give People What They Want (in your email marketing)
Give people what they want. Give people what they need. Give people what they love.
And then give them more of that thing that you just gave them by giving them more of the thing that you just gave them, and keep doing it until you've made a lot of money from it! That's the golden rule for email marketing: keep giving your audience more of the stuff they love, and make sure to tell them about it every chance you get!
Be intentional about your T-shirt business marketing.
- Don’t be afraid to try new things.
- Don’t be afraid to fail, it will make you a better person and business owner in the long run.
- Don't be afraid to ask for help or advice from people who know more than you do about something that is holding back your t-shirt business marketing efforts (like Facebook Ads, Instagram, etc). It's better to ask someone who knows what they are talking about than spend hours trying on your own and then waste money on something that doesn't work out as planned!
- Don't be afraid of asking for money (or other resources) if needed as well! Not everyone will give what they can afford but someone always has something extra they could share with those who need it most right now.
Conclusion
The best way to get started with your t-shirt business marketing is by making sure that you're intentional about it. You want to create the right message and the right image for your brand so that people will know exactly what they're getting when they come across it.
In order to do this, you need to spend some time thinking about what kind of person would buy from you and how they would like to be marketed. Once you've done that— and once all of these tips have been implemented—you'll already be well on your way!
