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As part of your business plan, you’ll also want to develop your marketing plan. Who is your customer? What market do you want to cater to? The options are almost limitless. Of course, to be successful, you’ll want to set your sights on one or two particular markets and direct your efforts toward those.
For how many people there are in the world, there's about triple that many ideas when it comes to marketing. So how do you figure out what is best for you?
Start with what you are trying to sell, what kind of group will be selling your products to, age, race, religion, sex and about a thousand other factors will come into play. It may seem overwhelming but it's not. Do your research and find out what your clients are like. Once you are able to read them, you'll be on your way to becoming a marketing success.
There's not a month in a year where the embroidery business slows down so you've got to be prepared and be ready to market for that season:
- January: White sale, ski equipment, sweaters, turtlenecks, winter wear
- February: Valentine's Day
- March: St. Patrick's Day, Easter wear, baby items
- April: Luggage promotion, canvas bags, team uniforms, school fund Raisers.
- May: Mother's Day, robes, aprons
- June: Graduation, wedding, Father's Day (men's shirt and tie Monogramming)
- July: Beach wear, towels, terry robes
- August: Back-to-school, totes, backs packs, school jackets, baseball hats
- September: School and church fund raisers
- October: Halloween
- November: Linens for Thanksgiving and the Holidays
- December: Christmas and Hanukkah gifts
Marketing Ideas
- Donate your services to charity fund-raisers. Charity fund-raisers often include auctions and raffles. This is a great way for you to give to your community and get great publicity. The organization will usually include your company name, address and phone number in their program in exchange for your donation. Check newspapers or the Chamber of Commerce for upcoming fund-raisers.
- Have stories printed about you Write a story about your business or have someone do it for you. Then find a newspaper or magazine that is willing to publish your story. Linking your story to a newsworthy topic will help get it published.
Give away free specialty gifts. Giving away free specialty gifts with your business name, logo, photo, phone number or web site is a simple way for you to be memorable to others.- Serve on an Association Committee. You not only meet key people but you will develop relationships with them which is how you grow your credibility. Remember it is not how many contacts you have but the impression those people have of you. Taking on responsibility and following through puts you in a class above others. You will be someone that others will feel confident sending business to.
- Create your Advocate list. Notice who thinks highly of you. Which friends, clients, associates think you are great? These people will be great referral sources for you because they believe in you. Explain to each of them how they can send you business. Be sure to stay in touch with them at least every thirty days. Call them, send them a note, have lunch with them or send them business.
- Call, mail or email the top 20% of your customers an irresistible offer for an immediate cash bonus.
- Shift the emphasis of your website from a sales tool, to a vehicle to begin a relationship with your potential customers. You do this by offering valuable free information or products in return for their contact details.
- Make sure that all of your Marketing copy is a personal communication to the person reading it talking about their needs and desires, rather than a dull description of you and your business.
- If you haven't done so already, test pay per click advertising. It's revolutionizing Marketing and could revolutionize your business.
- Test a change in the headline on your advertising. It's one of the key differences that can increase response.
Focus on a specialized market
Every one of us has some sort of hobby or passion that absorbs a good amount of our free time (and sometimes it absorbs some of our not-so-free time). Try to tap into the marketplace for your passion or hobby. Some examples of good vertical markets would be – boat enthusiasts, horse enthusiasts, bikers, hunters, fishermen, any type of youth sports groups, dog shows, the list goes on and on. If you are involved in any of these pursuits (or some similar type pursuit) check out the opportunities to attend and set up a booth at one of their events.
A custom garment printed on demand will garner a much higher selling price than a generic event garment. If your window to sell is very limited, consider creating a couple of generic sample custom prints and take orders for the garments, promising a quick turn around time. Shirts at events like these can often sell for $25, $30 or even more, calculate the price of a priority mail envelope into the pricing and drop the prints into the mail the next day. Have your customers fill out the envelope so there are no address issues.
Include DTG samples in every order of apparel that you sell
If you already have an apparel decoration business, you already have a potential customer base for your new DTG printed garments. Whenever you deliver or ship an order to a customer, be sure to include a sample shirt printed on your DTG printer. It’s a good idea to print with your DTG everyday anyway, so why not develop a sample t-shirt that shows the quality you can print and offers ideas for reasons to have shirts DTG printed – such as – family reunions, golf tournaments, charity events, baby births, milestone birthdays (Lordy, Lordy, Look Who’s 40!) etc. A white t-shirt printed with a typical image may cost you $1.50 - $2.00, and you need to run the printer anyway! This is a great way to “harvest” more income from your existing customer base, while providing your customers with an exciting new product.
Use their logo from a business card or website to generate a quick, custom sample
If your business model is more business to business (B2B) – like promotional products companies – then a slightly different approach will work. Invest in one of the inexpensive business card scanners (they are available for less than $150) and simply pick up business cards from prospective clients and generate a custom shirt with their logo on it and bring it in to them. This is a great ice breaker and can very easily open doors for you, maybe for even more business other than just your direct to garment printer. With a little cleanup you may also be able to pull this feat off from potential customers’ websites (be aware that most web graphics are only 72 DPI – so you may need to do a bit of software magic!).
Evaluate the t-shirts that you have purchased in the past
Take some time and lay out the t-shirts from your “t-shirt drawer” onto your bed. Look at the shirts and try to remember where, when and why you purchased them. In most cases, t-shirts are an “impulse” item. No one wakes up in the morning and says to themselves or herself that they are going to go down to the Wal-Mart and buy a t-shirt with “fill in the blank” on it. More than likely, you are going to be walking through the Wal-Mart and see that shirt with “fill in the blank” on it and decide to buy the t-shirt. By evaluating your own t-shirt buying habits you can get some insight into the reasons that folks buy them, which will help you to better market your DTG output. (By the way, make sure to put the t-shirts back into the drawer or your spouse will not be happy!)
The Secret is: you have to show them some output to generate interest!