All of us have company merchandise. A t-shirt, a polo maybe a pen or a coffee mug. But most of us only have merchandise for our internal employees. Why?
Maybe it's because you don't think anyone would want to buy your company apparel, maybe it's because your designs are lackluster or maybe it's because you don't want to deal with the upkeep.
Well in today's blog I'm going to convince you that you should have an online store and on Thursday, we will be releasing an infographic to tell you exactly how to start one!
Prepare yourself for my sales pitch in 3, 2, 1!
1. It's Low Cost
Okay let's talk dollars and cents, running an online store is pretty cheap! There are a lot of storefront companies (which we'll highlight on Thursday) that can help you for less than $30 a month! Leaving money in your marketing budget to focus on other things!
2. Set It and Forget It
With so many warehousing and print on demand options out there, you can literally set up your store and walk away from it, letting it generate money on its own. Because these third party sites host your products natively, you won't have to worry about bug fixes as you go. Once you pick your process, you'll be ready to rock and roll!
3. Make Money
So will you be able to retire with the money you made on your merchandise alone? Maybe, fingers crossed! But most likely this will diversify your income more than supplement it. However, you may be able to pay for that employee Christmas party that's become a tradition, that lobby renovation you've been wanting or maybe that new piece of machinery that could improve your processes. You never know, but every little bit in a small business counts!
4. Free Advertising
When I was working my first job, I always thought that giving out a shirt was the best piece of free advertising. It did a lot more good being worn around town than being tucked in a closet in a storage room. Every person that walks around with your company merchandise has the potential to see hundreds of people a day. Maybe even engaging in conversation about your awesome design. Just view every customer as a walking billboard!
5. BONUS: You Already Have Friends That Can Help
At Half and Half Creative we are more than happy to curate a line of products for you, talk you through the best online store processes or even set up your storefront. Just reach out and let us know what you're thinking!
As always, if you have any questions, need any design work done or need someone to bounce ideas off of, you can contact us here!