How to Make T-Shirts That Sell

Businesses are always looking for something to help with marketing. Selling your brand is ever important in a world with the seemingly endless competition. In this article, we will describe you, how to make t-shirts that sell.

Lots of companies turn to digital marketing, and it’s no surprise. I’ve certainly stepped foot in the murky waters of Internet marketing.

That’s not to say digital marketing isn’t an effective strategy too, but rather that we shouldn’t forget there are other strategies out there.

Sometimes, getting people’s attention is easier when you’re advertising during their day-to-day lives, in person.

So how do you make that happen? Simple, branded t-shirts. I’ve realized that branded t-shirts make an excellent marketing tool without being too obtrusive.

The shirts make it possible to get your branding message in front of people without it looking like traditional advertising. Someone sees a cool shirt and subconsciously associates it with your brand.

To help you get started with your own marketing efforts, I’m bringing you my guide on how to make t-shirts that sell people on your brand.

How to Make T-Shirts That Sell: Determine Your Market

As with any marketing strategy, knowing how to make t-shirts that sell first revolves around knowing the market you’re selling to. After all, you need to know what your customers want.

Your initial t-shirt design will largely depend on what type of market you’re targeting. Obviously, a record store’s t-shirt design will look different than an office building’s.

I’ve learned that narrowing your business’s demographics also helps. Your business might have more than one demographic that purchases your products.

If you’re a larger company, you might need several t-shirt lines. Though for the purposes of this exercise, choose one demographic and stick to them.

Younger people typically enjoy flashier designs, while the older market will appreciate something subdued they can wear around town without standing out.

Your Brand Image

Once you’ve determined your market, the next step is solidifying what direction you’re trying to take your brand image. This is crucial, as it’s the basis for your eventual design.

I’ve seen brands go many ways over the years, and just because you go in a non-traditional direction doesn’t mean it won’t work.

For instance, brands selling relatively mundane products can put out t-shirts that are vibrant and full of color. Just because your product is hip, doesn’t mean your shirts can’t be.

When deciding how to make t-shirts that sell, knowing how you’d like to portray your brand is very important.

All in all, I’d recommend sticking with your current marketing strategy. T-shirts make excellent supplementary marketing but should fit in line with your current strategy.

You don’t want to confuse the general public about which way your branding is headed. They should see the shirts and think, “Oh, that’s so and so brand I saw online yesterday!”

Choosing a T-Shirt Color

T-shirt color is vital to actually selling your shirts. Over the years I’ve come to learn that people just aren’t that daring when it comes to shirt colors.

The fact is people like neutral colors. This means lots of black, gray, and navy blue shirts. That’s fine, but something worth remembering.

Yes, white shirts do sell well, but that’s only because white is the typical undershirt color. People don’t usually wear white t-shirts as their day-to-day shirt.

Knowing this little fact is important to understanding how to make t-shirts that sell. After all, the shirt color is the backbone of your design. If people don’t like the color, to begin with, they won’t buy your shirts.

It’s also important to note that you shouldn’t give people many color choices. Overwhelming people can lead to them simply deciding not to buy a shirt.

Some choice is good, but too much choice makes the buying process a chore.

Designing The Logo

Your logo is the centerpiece of any t-shirt. I’ve seen plenty of logos come and go, from in your face fonts, to small, dull text. What works, is something in between.

The best logos use bold font and easy to read designs. You want people to easily see your branding from far away. If they have to get close to read the shirt, it won’t sell.

Why do you ask? Because people aren’t buying branded t-shirts for no one to read them. Your customers want something that looks “cool” enough for others to see.

Giving your logo depth is a great way to make it “pop.” Keep your design simple, but don’t fear to add something in the background that will make your design stand out.

Background designs make your foreground branding “pop” off the t-shirt and catch people’s attention. Attention-grabbing equals sales.

However, don’t go too overboard with your “popping.” You don’t want to create something so in your face that people feel self-conscious wearing the shirt.

You also should avoid pastel colors on your logo. These might look like they help stand out, but in reality, they make the branding hard to read from far distances.

Making Sure the Price is Right

The final step on how to make t-shirts that sell is choosing the right price. Obviously, you’ll need to make money on the shirts, but that doesn’t mean you should shoot for enormous profit margins.

Keep your shirts in the $20 to $30 range. This ensures people won’t get scared off by the price, you’ll make money, and the shirts will come off as “premium.”

Though if you’re going to keep in that price range, you’ll need the supplier to do it. After doing the math myself, it turns out that physical t-shirt printing and heat press machines save money over high-tech options.

Using either machine choice to manufacture your own t-shirts is an excellent way to save on overhead costs and keep the shirts priced to sell.

Remember, people are buying these shirts because they either like the logo or are interested in supporting their favorite brand.

You need to keep the price reasonable for people to make those snap decision purchases to become a walking advertisement.

If you’re in the market to learn more about physical t-shirt printing and heat press machines, get in contact with me. I’d be glad to discuss what machine is best for you, and why.