How to Make and Sell Your Own Merch in 2023

adminMarch 13, 2023

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As a creator or business, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing an army of fans show up to support your brand.

Such fans are a blessing. And if you want to strengthen the bond you’ve forged with them, making and selling merch should be at the top of your list of priorities.

Reading: How to create a merch website

Merch (short for merchandise) gives your fans the opportunity to be with you to get in touch and advertise their devotion to anyone who is paying attention.

Whether it’s a t-shirt, backpack, poster or coffee mug, merch makes your brand a part of people’s lives while creating a new revenue stream through product sales.

So where do you start and how do you get your merch to different audiences?

Sell merch under a sub-brand versus your own brand

When creating your merch strategy, you have the option to decide whether you want to launch a sub-brand or sell under your existing brand.

A sub-brand allows you to target an audience beyond your existing products and content. Even if sales are small at first, you’re laying the groundwork for a standalone brand that will complement the growth of your core business.

Famed YouTuber-turned-pro boxer-turned Logan Paul practices this strategy by selling clothes underneath a Sub-brand named Maverick Clothing.

Merch-Example-Influencer

Alternatively, leverage your existing brand by incorporating your merch into your content. For example, you can integrate products into the posts shared on your Instagram feed, tagging items to make the posts shoppable.

How to create your own custom merch

Creating merch can be as simple as putting your brand’s logo on a t-shirt. But there’s a systematic approach you can take to produce merch that resonates with your brand’s current audience—and even some customers you haven’t reached yet:

1. Learn about your audience

The first step is to analyze how fans typically interact with your brand. Are they most active on Twitter, Instagram or TikTok? If you typically get engagements on TikTok, you can assume that the bulk of your following is made up of Millennials and Gen Z.

You can then design merch for this audience based on their characteristics and shopping habits. Even better, why not ask them what they would actually buy? You can poll them via Instagram Stories, Facebook groups, or even email if they’re on your list.

Asking your audience for feedback also has the benefit of making them feel as if they were part of the process and the merch you eventually create.

create and sell your own merch: steps

2. Gather Cool Merch Ideas

Now that you have an idea of what your fans want, you can proceed to create merch that appeals to their tastes. At this stage, your creative skills will determine how successful you are at producing merch people love. While it’s possible to get a foothold just by selling hoodies and t-shirts, creating and selling unique merch is a great way to freshen things up and stand out from the crowd.

Some merch ideas:

Tote bags: Both functional and practical in the age of banned plastic bags.
Notebooks: Ideal for creative or professional followers.
Blanks and Throws: For cozy relaxation at home.
Patches and Stickers: Let fans show their support wherever they go.
Keychains: Affordable to manufacture and convenient for your followers.
Tank tops: A great option for your audience to wear during the warmer months.
Coffee mugs: Give your followers a fun way to start their day to start with your brand in mind.
Phone Cases: Help people secure their devices while strengthening your brand.

3. Design and mock your products

This is where it gets exciting. Designing your merch is a great way to exercise your creative impulses while still creating something your audience will love. Visit sites like 99Designs and Dribbble for ideas and inspiration.

When it comes to the actual design, you can use software like Adobe Photoshop to create your graphics. The tool allows you to incorporate vectors into your design, which are required for screen printing and embroidery. However, they have a learning curve and may not be the best option for those with busy schedules.

Fortunately, you can always hire a merchandise designer from Upwork or Fiverr. But if you go down this path, remember this tip:

Create a mood board. Mood boards are filled with curated inspiration, examples, and references to help you to lift your spirits Designers get a head start on your merch.
Explain clearly what you want. Communicate what you’re looking for as clearly as possible, and use subsequent revisions see with your designer to improve the finished product.
Provide context. Share your user profiles so your designer understands what type of client they are designing for. Offering brand guidelines can also help the designer create relevant merch.

Once you have your designs, use a print-on-demand app like Printful to create mockup versions of your products create. You can share these models with your fans and ask for feedback. This allows you to validate your merch ideas while also engaging your fans in the process.

Mockups of Merchandise with Printful

4. Find a manufacturer or print-on-demand partner

Once your designs are complete, you can start thinking about how you will actually produce your merchandise. Popular options include:

Print on Demand. This strategy allows you to automate production, shipping and fulfillment with minimal risk and cost to your brand. The downside is that you have limited products and customization options depending on the provider you choose.

Create from scratch. You can find a manufacturer for the specific merchandise you want to sell, share the design with them, and have the product made. Of course, this option offers more flexibility to create exactly the article you have in mind. But it’s capital intensive and requires more work on your part.

If you choose the print-on-demand option, Shopify integrates with several popular print-on-demand services. While each service has its own catalog of products, you can generally create phone cases, sweatpants, and other popular merchandise. The best part is that most of the services work on the dropshipping model, which means they only charge for the products when a customer orders.

Nevertheless, it’s always good to check the quality before you start selling. Images and typography may look one way on your computer screen but may look different in person. You can order samples of the merchandise you are interested in to check its quality before promoting it to your audience.

How to sell your merchandise

Now that you’ve made your merch, it’s time to introduce it to your existing fans and new customers. Below we share some marketing strategies you can use to generate interest in your merchandise.

Note: Try a strategy or two, then compare the results to determine the ideal promotion method for your merchandise.

1. Generate word of mouth

Assuming you already have a following, word of mouth will be your most effective promotional tool. You can generate word of mouth by encouraging your audience to promote your brand by showcasing themselves with your products.

The easiest way is to run a social media contest, asking people to try your products and tag you in their feedback. In return, you can offer a prize that your audience would find valuable, e.g. B. free shipping or early access to new products.

You can even create a branded hashtag that they can use for the stories and images they upload with your merch. This helps you gather all activity related to your competition in one place, making it easy to track participation and results.

Promote your merchandise by word of mouth

2. Leverage Your Existing Channels

While word of mouth is one of the best ways to generate excitement about your merchandise, it’s only one option. You can also improve your chances of selling by using the different channels that exist to reach customers.

If you have a merch store on Shopify, you can easily sell your items by integrating your store , whenever your followers live. Below are some of the channels you can explore:

YouTube: Share links to your merchandise items in your info cards or in the video description with a call-to -Action at the end of your video.
Instagram: Tag your merch in your stories and posts and point your followers to your Instagram shop if you have one set up.
Buy button: If you have a blog or website outside of your merch store, you can embed your collections or merch there as well.

3. Sell on marketplaces

If you want to reach a larger audience, consider listing your products on a merchandise marketplace.

A merchandise marketplace is an e-commerce platform Website curating products from various creators. Some charge a listing fee, while others operate on a commission basis, charging a fee for every sale they bring to you. Sites like Represent, Hello Merch, and MerchNow are some marketplaces where you can showcase your products alongside other creators.

Before you create an offer, be sure to check the rules and regulations of the marketplace you’re on want to sell . Most merchandise websites have their own terms and conditions for what types of products you can sell.Going through this information will also help you understand how commissions work and what percentage of the total sale price is paid to the seller.

Buy and Sell Merchandise Marketplaces

4. Retarget your existing audience

Retargeting allows you to promote merchandise to your existing audience based on certain criteria, such as: B. whether they have already made a purchase or follow your Facebook page. You can create retargeting ads on many digital platforms, including Google, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook.

To start retargeting, install your desired platform’s advertising pixel on your website (this is how it’s done for Facebook). Some platforms also accept customer emails to build an audience of fans for retargeting. Once you have a custom audience, you can retarget them with ads featuring your merch to drive engagement and sales.

Give them something to talk about

Good merchandise comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be functional or just cool to look at. No matter what merchandise you connect with your audience for, consider who they are, what they like about your brand, and what items they might be most interested in.

If you have the right merchandise -Selecting items, you’re not only giving your fans something to remember and support – you’re also increasing awareness of your brand and constantly generating new revenue.

Everyone wins.