Having a special custom t-shirt design for your business puts you in a different category than run of the mill businesses because it shows creativity and demonstrates to customers that you have a vision along with a unique value proposition. Custom business t-shirts are an economical way to brand your business to bring your message to a broad spectrum of potential customers.
When customers wear your logoed t-shirt, it’s an instant endorsement of your services to their friends. Having this kind of endorsement is one of the most powerful persuasive techniques you can use. People trust recommendations from their friends far more than any advertising you can buy. Using a fresh and creative design can help make your business appear more likeable and relevant to younger generations as well.
There’s quite a few ways that custom t-shirts can help to promote your business. One of the most obvious is the mobility of this type of advertisement. People wear t-shirts just about anywhere. They are casual and comfortable and are a staple of anyone’s wardrobe. By its popularity, a t-shirt will be worn to stores, games, concerts, workplaces, gyms, schools, just about anywhere that offers a relaxed environment. Not only do people see your custom t-shirt design once, but the probability that it will be worn multiple times increases the number of impressions this advertisement can generate. This type of repeat visual connection to your businesses message is invaluable to your branding. When designing your business t-shirt with this goal in mind, use bright and bold colors just like you would any other advertisement.
An awesome design for your custom t-shirt can also be a point of discussion. It’s difficult to get people’s attention with traditional advertising because people are bombarded with it on every platform. Using custom business shirts as conversation starters is a smart way to open doors. How valuable would it be you as a business owner for a stranger to approach you and ask about the meaning behind your logo or messaging? It’s the reversal of a cold call. If your design is eye-catching and features an interesting message, you may have the chance to introduce your businesses services or products and hand out your business card for follow up conversations.
T-shirts used as contest giveaways is another way to share your brand. Who doesn’t like free stuff? Giveaways are tremendously popular on social media channels like Facebook. You can ask people to comment on your social media post about the giveaway and this comment will show up to their friends as something they’ve recently reacted to further extending eyes on your business as well as growing your social audience. Be sure to review the rules on social media giveaways.
If you have a list of prospects you’ve wanted to connect with in a meaningful way, try sending them a branded t-shirt to start the conversation. It’s certainly more memorable than an email or a flyer and gives you an excuse to call just to see if they’ve received your gift. When you’re giving something of value away people will be more likely to take your call and at least thank you for the gift. From there, it’s up to you to set a date when you can meet and talk more about your services or products.
Having your staff wear your t-shirts is another way to get your brand more recognition. Not only are they great as uniforms, but coming up with special designs for special occasions keep your message from getting stale. Consider unique designs for business anniversaries, company picnics and outings, or even the Christmas party.
How do you design a shirt that will be effective for promoting your business? It depends on your specific goals. Do you want people to ask questions about the t-shirt? Then provide material that would be conducive to that result like a curious slogan. Some big brand examples of this are the famous, “Got Milk?” The concept was originally designed by an advertising company to increase sales for the California Milk Processor Board. It was a hugely successful campaign and the slogan is still licensed to food and merchandise companies more than two decades later. Another example of a slogan that piques the curiosity is Apple’s “Think Differently.” Even if their logo is instantly recognizable, the slogan by itself invites people to ask the question, “how?”
If you’re looking for pure branding to get people familiar with your logo, make sure your logo is big enough on the t-shirt so that people will be able to make out the details from several feet away. Having your logo very small is not going to help with recognition if they have to squint to make it out. However if you’re including slogans, you’ll need to balance the two so one doesn’t overpower the other.
If you’re repurposing a design that you’ve used in other advertising, make sure to do a mockup of the design before printing. Sometimes a design that looks great on screen or on paper doesn’t translate as well on a t-shirt. In some cases, adjustments can be made to allow your design to effectively be used on all types of advertising included branded t-shirts for business.
The last aspect to take into account is the quality of the t-shirt product. This is particularly important if you’re using if for giveaways. The last thing you want people to do is associate your brand with cheap quality. 100% cotton tees are fantastic for many purposes but a poly blend product will typically feel more high quality.