In having a business, just like in shirt printing shops, marketing and promotion will always be necessary to increase your orders and boost your sales. We would love to have that notion that people are wanting for more of our shirts. I started my custom shirt printing business from scratch and I have invested time, effort and resources to build it. It is just fitting to make all efforts to market it. So I have tried several ways to promote my customized shirts and there are really good t-shirt giveaway ideas that actually work.

What are the t-shirt promotion ideas that will make your customer’s purchase? The top t-shirt promotion ideas that will help you build more customers are bringing samples for new clients, Facebook t-shirt ads, bundling it with popular products, sponsoring local events, newsletter sending, asking for referrals, and utilizing your website.

Putting effort in your marketing plan for your best t-shirt ads may be quite tricky because you will have to personally test which will work for you, but the effort will definitely pay off. There are actually many ways in promoting your shirt or your brand in public or for your target market, you just have to be picky among the ideas and make sure that it will be feasible for your business and that it will actually work.

The Importance of T-Shirt Promotion

Perhaps you are thinking that having your own shirt printing business will only demand the same amount of time similar to a full-time job. But you know what the reality is? Being a shirt entrepreneur will require you lots of effort and work beyond one 8-hour shift.

Having a shirt business is not just about setting it up and opening your shop. Your hard work in gathering all necessary materials and equipment for your business and the resources you will pour into it will go into nothing if you do not manage and promote your products well.

Marketing and promoting your shirts will essentially bring life to your business because the primary purpose of introducing your products to the market is to gain customers. And gaining customers translate into sales thus making your business profitable.

Any business without marketing and promotions may result in an idle business. Where do you think the sales will come without these efforts? Well, there may be walk-in sales for shops with pop-up stores or personal clients from your personal network.

But these would not be enough to generate the net income you will need to sustain the business. Shelling out some amount in boosting your sales via promotions will definitely be worth the price.

Promoting your shirt through various ways will not only let prospective customers know that you and your products exist, but it will also give them experience. Getting a glimpse of what kind of shirts you offer and the quality of print that they can get.

But is it safe to assume that all promotion ideas will conclude successfully? No. Although all marketing strategies will require hard work to pay off, some will not fit or will not work with your products. So you have to be very picky and consider only those you think will work.

13 T-Shirt Promotion Ideas

Now that you know why marketing and promoting your shirt is necessary, and now that you know what matters most for customers in choosing their shirt choices. it is time to know more about the promotion ideas that may work on your shirt printing and distributing business.

1. Samples For New and Target Clients

Personally, I would always want a sample or test product of anything that is being offered to me. It gives me a sense of trust and confidence in the product that is being offered. It goes the same with the shirt business.

Customers especially those who repetitively order in bulk would rather go for shirt suppliers who provide the samples for them to see first-hand what kind of product is being offered to them. Your effort to provide samples will be meaningful and can definitely sway their decisions.

Bring samples of your shirts to your target customer. Let them see and experience personally the quality of your product that you are repetitively pushing and promoting through your letters of intents.

It is your chance to please the prospect customers. Bring samples even for the most expensive choice because they would not risk venturing into something that they are not sure of. Present to them and impress them with your products.

2. Host An Online Contest

How many hours do you spend binge scrolling through your social media accounts? I am pretty sure that these accounts aren’t only used to connect with your friends, but you also use them in checking things out.

That is the reason why businesses shift to social media for promotions. These platforms offer the best conditions for efficient and fast advertising. With its effective audience targeting tool, you can easily reach out to your prospect customers.

And since almost everybody is in social media, why not launch an online contest that you will host through your social media pages and accounts? Create an interesting promo that gives participants a chance to win something – including your shirt.

Make a promo that may be related to your brand or line of shirt’s theme such as shirt design contests. Prepare an interesting set of prizes because this alone will help you spread the promo and your brand in the social media world organically.

Gain support from participants who will likely spread the word and put effort because they will not only win the prize, they will also earn social credibility with their friends.

3. Bundle It With Popular Products

Awesomely designed shirts made with comfortable materials are perfect pairs with popular products for promotions. What other better way than having a free walking advertisement through the shirts you have bundled with a popular product?

Including a company shirt with the promotion bundle of a new or flagship product of a brand will not only serve as a freebie to customers but an additional marketing outlet as well. Make sure to have it designed well and make it a wearable item so that your effort would not go to waste.

If you are eyeing to bundle your shirt with a brand that is not licensed under you or related to you, make sure to secure all necessary agreements before using their brand in your promotion campaign. We do not want legal issues, right?

4. Sponsor Local Events

Events gather a group of different people in one specific venue. And a highly anticipated local event also means maximum exposure for your brand and your products. So keep an eye on local events and keep in touch with organizers as soon as you knew about it.

Being one of the sponsors of an event gives people an overview of your brand and your products while putting you in a respected position. And the people who are anticipating for the event will even have the positive feelings about your brand making the gathering possible.

Make the most out of an event. Make sure to secure permissions from the event organizers about your intention to include giving out of free shirts during the course of the gathering. This kind of souvenirs will surely be a hit.

As much as possible, distribute awesomely designed event shirts before the start of the event because there will be a big chance that the attendees will wear your shirt and that will be a great advantage for your brand. You will have walking ads all throughout the venue during the whole course of the event.

5. Send Newsletters

While everybody is busy with their works, most people get updates online – it may be through social media or through email. And take advantage of that because email is one way to build a bigger set of audience.

One way or another, I am pretty sure that you have known about a promo or an event or anything that interests you through a newsletter feature that has been sent through your email. While social media dominates the Internet, email is still a powerful channel for your promotions.

Gather all the email addresses entered on your website and even those provided through emails and other previous transactions. Continuously grown these email leads because you will be able to utilize these on full potential.

These email addresses will serve as the recipient of your newsletter. Keep it interesting and include promos and announcements for them to keep up with your brand. Include links to your social media accounts for maximum exposure.

6. Gather Referrals

Once or twice, or a few more times, you have known about a product or about anything through a referral. These are the word of mouth that is often more powerful than plain advertising campaigns because it is also often a testimony of their experience.

While there are many ways of gathering referrals, the first people to ask for are your satisfied customers. It is as simple as asking while providing them a copy of your business card for contact references.

These satisfied customers can easily convince personal connections who are in need of your products because of their first hand satisfying experience with you, your business, and your products. It will be them who will have to convince their network to engage business with you.

All you have to do is secure the transaction and deliver the products. It is as easy as that. But you may also tap other means in gathering referrals. It may also be through your friends, family or close connections.

Ask them for referrals and who knows, they might know someone who is in need of such service or shirt supplier.

7. Utilize Your Website

Having a website for your brand creates the first layer of trust and confidence with your prospective customers because they know that you actually exist and they will know details about your business and possible store or office locations.

Create and launch your website and make sure all your social media pages will point them to it. Optimize it for search engines so you will appear in the top list once they search for shirt suppliers. Let the Internet know that you exist, and as much as possible, make it responsive.

A responsive site will please customers who are into mobile browsing. Work your way to the top of the Google search list to make your existence matter. Use your website well in terms of data gathering, possible order page, updated details about your shirts, and even promos.

8. Guerilla Marketing

As the name implies, Guerilla marketing refers to advertising strategies that are out of the box and diverts from the typical promotional ideas. This promotion idea will require much thinking and creativity because you will create it out of nothing.

Did you know that even though it diverts from the typical effective promotion ideas, a well planned and successful guerrilla marketing tactic can make a big impact? If done right, your strategy will not only give you short term success because it may also attract press coverage.

Also, it will create buzzes through word of mouth advertising. And if you are lucky enough that your unique tactic will work and be successful, you will not only be able to sell shirts but you will also be able to establish your brand in the marketing industry.

9. Press Release

Do you have something about your brand and your shirts that are newsworthy; anything like amazing promotions, landmark partnerships or anything else that may catch the interest of a wider scope of the audience?

Then write down a press release statement and send it to local publishers of newspapers and magazines, TV stations, radio stations, and bloggers. Not all may take up your story but if in case someone will, then this media coverage is free public exposure,

Master the arts of public relations and build a relationship with the media. Try to reach out to bloggers who are in the same niche as yours. Send them samples of your products, who knows, this may only be the cost of wide media coverage.

10. Designs That Matter: Pop Culture, Unity, Statement

Of course, your design will still be the most that will matter. It is not all about creating custom prints based on your customer’s request. You have to create your own sets of designs too – designs that matters and are popular but not so mainstream.

Do you have any design in mind? Let me help you with this – create awesome artwork that taps into pop culture, unity designs and statements that are relatable. Create connections with customers through your unique designs.

Customers are very into designs that connect with their experience or favorites without being so mainstream. Besides, if they want to go for the usual, then they will just settle for the existing and established brands which mass produce shirts of the same designs.

It pays to know about what is in, what is trending, and what people will love. The Internet and your experience will be your tool in discovering things that connect with a greater audience.

11. Tap Inactive Customers

Do you have regular customers who suddenly become inactive? There are probably two reasons why they stopped ordering from you or having business with you. One is that they found better deals from competitors, the other is that they are simply inactive and need less of your shirts.

Nonetheless, you can still renew ties with them. Renew your business relationship with them and make them feel that you value their transactions with them by sending them free shirts and some catalog of upcoming designs or promotional offers that might interest them.

This personalized approach will not only boost the chance of retaining them as your regular customer but will also make them thinks twice about getting the service or products of your competitor.

12. Partner With Membership Organizations

If you think that having external partnerships in business is just a waste of time and just make things complicated, then you may have to think twice.

Partnerships do not only make your brand more worthy of trust and confidence but will also build networks and possible customers.

Go seek membership organizations in your locality because these groups are composed of established people who may have strong local influence. Build a good relationship with them by providing free organization shirts especially on special occasions that matter to them.

Your promotion pitch will make a mark on them and will remind the organization and its members about your business and that referring you to their own networks will be much appreciated.

13. Niche audiences and activities

One of the best things about creating customized shirts is that you can tap niche audiences and activities. But be picky as well, make sure to go for niches that have many followings so that once you create a design for them, a wider possible set of customers is along the way.

Seek for a client base in your locality, clients like dog lovers. Pitch them a good design that will wow them and then offer making their group’s shirt with your logo as the official maker. These may also result in referrals and repeat orders for the same group or their own personal crowds.

Go find for trends that you can benefit and create unique designs for them. Check for their shirt style preferences so that you can create a more personal approach.

What Matters In A Shirt?

What do you think makes the shirt hold its reign as a must-have fashion item? Well, shirts have long been a fashion staple because of its simplicity and appeal. Although being a basic wardrobe, shirts have their own qualities that matter for users.

It’s color, its silhouette, its fabrication – these are the factors that matter in choosing a shirt aside from its design. These factors are being considered by customers before purchasing a shirt so it better come to your attention just in case you need some guidelines in creating your own line.

Shirt Colors

The color of a shirt says many things about the wearer – personality, mood, and motif. Nonetheless, there are colors which are topping the color charts as influenced by fashion influencers and it generally affects the choices of many customers.

Would you wear a shirt that reflects the color of the year? Or would you let the fashion trend influence your personal color choices? If you are don’t, believe it or not, fashion trends and colors of the year matter in the shirt business.

Most if not all people are quite easily swayed by the influences of trends because we want to belong and be updated on what is in or what is not.

Color choices also depend on the personality and mood of the customer. There are people who limit their choices to their preferred range of colors only because it fits their personality and their personal style.

But whatever the reason behind the choice of color of each and every customer, there are hue ranges that are here to remain and to reign supreme over all others. Neutral tones are always preferred and remain high in demand because it matches the most style and works well on most occasions.

Shirt Form

I am quite sure you are aware that back then, we only have straight cut shirts for all genders, right? Well, the time has evolved and now we have more kinds of shirts fits and cuts that are applicable to different genders and personal choices.

The shirt’s form or its silhouette is another factor being considered by customers aside from color choices. Just like you, everyone is looking for shirts that are both comfortable and flattering to wear.

The current trend is comfort in fashion that is why customers are looking for shirts that are made of soft and cool fabrics and perfectly matches their body frame. Design should not compromise comfort, and comfort should not compromise style.

Shirt Fabrications

When buying shirts, do you often check the labels for its fabric composition? Or do you feel the fabric before trying it on? Well, in keeping with customer’s demand for quality and comfort, it is necessary to check on the materials of shirts you produce or source.

Your shirt’s high-end materials will help you with targeting meticulous customers who are not necessarily into expensive premium fabrics but are into high-quality fabric blends. These apply not only to casual or street wear but also to performance shirts too.

For example, modal fibers are being used in producing shirts because its fibers are twice as soft as cotton and are fabricated using an environment-friendly CO2 neutral process. For performance tees, poly-cotton blends are now being used instead of the usual poly fabrics.

Choosing the Right Promotion Strategy For Your Shirt

Again, not all promotion ideas might work for your shirt printing business but all presented ideas are generally safe ideas that you may tap and reinvent. Review your brand and its design and find the perfect promotional strategies for you.

Check the versatility of your printing capabilities, the efficiency of producing samples in bulk in relatively short production time, simplicity of project implementation, the appeal of your strategy, and of course some ROI analysis formula that you will run after the campaign.

You do not have to run several campaigns at the same time, but doing such will also do no harm as long as everything is well executed and well implemented. Monitoring will definitely matter so take time to choose the right campaign for you. Choose what you think is the best for your brand and make sure that all aspects will be executed and monitored well.

T-Shirt Promotion Ideas That Your Customers Can’t Get Enough Of