Tees In A Pod: branding tips

Showing posts with label branding tips. Show all posts

Monday, August 9, 2010

Podcast 17: Change the World with Daniel From Skreened (Part 1)

The first part of a two part interview with Daniel Fox from Skreened, a POD provider that is truly different from the rest. In this podcast Daniel answers a variety of probing questions from us four podders about branding, marketing, his hopes for Skreened and aspirations to change the world..It was a philosophical, insiteful and enjoyable interview for us to do and we're sure you'll enjoy it...

We then have some great music from Californian band, Trouble in the Wind, with their track Rising...

And then, after the plucking prowess of Trouble in the Wind, we have the cliffhanger, which you have to listen to.."Come on!"...

Monday, July 12, 2010

Podcast 13: Be Remarkable!

Be remarkable is more than just a throwaway line. It's what you need to do to separate your online store or business from the rest of the pack. In this podcast lucky number 13 you will get some tips on how to brand your business so that it it's not only remarkable but here to stay. Also some awesome May tips will be shared as well as Seo corner in which we will dive into the world of backlinks which can really help get that organic search engine traffic. Ready to be remarkable? Just tune in and listen.

BLOG POSTS REFERENCED IN THIS PODCAST:
Branding For Business

May - Tips Of The Day

Follower the Linker

MENTIONS:

08:14 - Seth Godin

Follow Seth on twitter * Join Seth on Facebook

14:30 - Involver - Complete Brand marketing on Facebook.

16:21 - Amy Sagan - Starzraven
Follow Starzraven on twitter * Join Starzraven on Facebook

16:43 - Henny Fox - UK artist with her song Name In Lights.
Also check out the London band Felix and Fox * Join Henny Fox Music on Facebook

Music suggested by...

16:52 - Jared Thompson - Design Juices
Follow Jared Thompson on twitter * Join Design Juices on Facebook

23:45 - Matt Cutts
Follow Matt Cutts on twitter

Q&A Segment...

24:07 - Bo - Loving This Tee Blog

Follow Loving This Tee on twitter * Join Loving This Tee on Facebook

Mentions within the Q&A... Programs/services used by TIAP for the creation of podcasts:

24:46 - CallGraph

25:21 - Levelator

25:47 - Audacity

25:59 - QDrive

27:12 - Podpean

28:05 - itunes

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

How to Market your Brand - 9 Marketing Tips and Ideas

Marketing, branding, raising brand awareness - its not easy but it is essential to any new brand in any business, t-shirts or otherwise. A few months ago John from J. Benjamin Clothing asked about marketing and branding and the likes so I figured I might as well share them with our Tees in a Pod listers/readers..So, here are my 9 marketing/branding tips - hope they are of some use.

1) Believe In Your Brand
Not so much as a tip I guess but if you don't believe in it then no one else will. As a result of this all subsequent marketing or branding efforts won't be given 100% commitment as you don't believe in them - or, that's how I roll anyway..100% belief will yield 100% conviction, determination and application - all vital traits for brand marketing. It will take time and effort to build your brand, be ready to sweat.

2)Consistency
In everything you do try have a common trend or a link between designs. In slogans, colour choice, logos and images try make it easy for people to recognize them as coming from one source, one brand. Further to using the above consistently use them constantly...anything that you "put out there" ensure that it has something that links it back to you, be it web address, logo, slogan, image, whatever - make sure that if people see it they recognize it and importantly associate it with your brand.

3) Suspense and Intrigue

Build up a bit of mystique or intrigue about your brand. Don't just show your cards from day one but gradually give nuggets of enticing info that arouses curiosity in whoever may view it. We, humans, are curious creatures and are generally drawn to things that we don't know about, that intrigue us, that leave us wondering a bit. For example, Smirnoff Vodka (oh, how we love it) ran a campaign for Smirnoff Mule which just featured a plush looking velvet stage curtain on billboards. WiMax also ran a suspense rousing campaign that honed it on their target market perfectly.

4) Catchy and Memorable

You want to make it easy for the viewer/reader to remember your brand. Use alliteration when writing slogans etc as this rattles around in our inner ear for a bit. Think of all successful brand names/slogans, they rattle around a bit. Prime example would be Coca Cola (um, with some Smirnoff = win). Another way to make things memorable is to make them shocking, get a response from whoever views it, motivate them into looking twice, taking a gasp or ideally, compel them to view your t-shirt designs. Also, the brain has 3 main sections which and a combination of food, sex and danger seem to spark a response from each region. I strongly suggest reading this blog which talks about the 3 regions of the brain and how to influence them - 11 Ways to Influence People Online and Make them Take Action.

5) Stickability
You want your brand to stick around don't you? to be able to persist? Try think big in every aspect of your branding or marketing and invest time in creating things that won't be instantly dated due to surroundings or other. Think of other avenues you can venture down in a bid to expand your brand - hats, scarves, boxer shorts?

6) Be Remarkable
As Seth Godin says be the purple cow, be a bit different, be something remarkable. Its not to dissimilar to being catchy but instead of going for the majority within a society be remarkable to a few who truly relate to your brand, get your brand and you could quite possibly be good buddies with. These people will help you find niches or possibly even create niches for you by getting all of their friends to like your brand. Brand zealots are a rare commodity and should be appreciated and thanked. Ultimately, you want to the purple cow to a few - watch this video.

7) Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM)
Word of mouth marketing is getting people talking about you. Think of what you pass on to your friends? "oh, there is a deal here" or "I got this for free from..." or "you should see this brand, so cool" and 9 times out of 10 you'll act on it, or at least consider it more because it was told to you by a friend.

Some stat I heard stated that there is an 89% conversion rate on word of mouth market versus 12% on standard marketing. So, use competitions and freebies to stimulate some chit chat amongst friends. Another key element of WOMM is managing customer expectations. Customers inherently have an expectation of what they are going to get based on price, what you've said and what they've heard from friends. If you meet their expectations you get a pass grade and nothing really happy. If you fall below what they expect then you will have more than likely lost a customer. If however you exceed their expectations they will talk about you, they'll be happy with the product they have received from you and will be compelled to talk about you. How do you try to exceed your customers expectations?

8) Persistence
Marketing and forming your brands identity and persona will take time. There is no overnight solution (not that I have discovered anyway although I'd love to find one) for building your brands reputation so be persistent. Never miss an opportunity to market your brand but don't overkill it. It goes back to my very first point really, you have to keep applying yourself and promoting and pushing your brand - if you don't do it no one else will..

9) Responsive
Ideally what you want is to get the WOMM machine revved up and in high gear. You then have to be responsive to what gets said. How can you use what is said to further your marketing campaign or branding efforts? What opportunities are to be had by getting in touch with people who mention your brand? What if someone says a negative thing about your brand? Be responsive and thank those who like your brand and give them something to talk about. When receiving negative comments deal with them quickly and in a nice manner - turn the negative into a positive.

And so, there it is, 9 marketing tips and ideas. I'm not a guru by any stretch of the imagination but the above are just some of the things I am aware of and try practice myself. Your thoughts on the above, what your marketing efforts consist of, or any tips/ideas/suggestions are warmly welcomed - knowledge is no burden.

This post was written by Rob from LadyUmbrella ladies t-shirts.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Can a Solo Artist Overcome Their Weaknesses?

In case you didn't know, all of us here at Tees In A Pod love getting your questions!

We dedicate time to Q&A's at the end of each weekly podcast. However, when discussing some questions, we realise there are those that warrant a little more time. A question by Peter Grigoriadis regarding MySpace spawned the blog post by Tim "Is MySpace Dead?", and the following is in response to another great question by From Diane Trujillo (@PandorazBox80 on twitter).

THE QUESTION:
"Tim spoke about focusing on your strengths when deciding how to divy up the workload. What would you suggest for a solo designer who needs to find someone who has the strengths which are your weaknesses in order to have a well-balanced business? Is it even necessary to have a partner to help? Specifically, how do you deal with your weaknesses, especially those that affect necessary aspects of a successful business. For someone who is just starting out with nothing but a vast imagination and a few concrete ideas but no business background or experience, how do you turn that into a successful venture?"

Going it alone is a choice everyone needs to make for themselves. The decision doesn't mean that you can't be successful, however it may mean there will be areas of the industry you'll need to learn about, as well as the need to make some tough choices. It is important to identify behaviour that may weaken your business and identify how you can turn weaknesses into strengths.

By collectively answering this question, our aim is to help anyone who chooses to go the solo path - discarding any and all outsourcing such as enlisting the help of a web developer/programmer or marketing expert.

*****

FROM A POD SHOP CUSTOMIZATION PERSPECTIVE - By Amanda
When I saw that Zazzle was offering store owners the opportunity to customize their stores through "Advanced Store Customization BETA", I wanted to try it, but didn't know how to do it or where to start. After a long process of finding articles, watching YOUtube videos and listening to tutorials about this very topic, I then tried it. Bit by bit I found myself learning how to use CSS and Html. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by it, for it's like another language, but as I took it slowly and made sure to back up my work, I felt more at ease when using it. It was a weakness that I had, but my determination and in not restricting myself, allowed me to grow in this area. It might of taken me longer, than if I had a team to work with, but diving into something with an open mind and in trying something new, eventually become a strength I never knew you had. Weaknesses might just be, undiscovered strengths. If you have the time, explore and try it, for you never know what you might uncover!

*****

FROM A PRODUCT DESIGN PERSPECTIVE - By Manz
Without having a team to collaborate with, there are a few traps one could fall into:

1. You may spend countless hours creating a fast selection of designs, yet you've neglected to make some choices which can result in a curve in the quality of what is available on your store. It's not uncommon to become attached to your work, however you should always try to take a step back and be objective - that could possibly mean purging designs that don't meet the standard of your best seller. While it may be upsetting to think that this work will live out its days on a back-up disk, it's better to accept that and keep what you present to your fans at the highest quality possible. I personally have more design work that's never been seen than what is online and under the scrutiny of the public eye. My philosophy, however, is that nothing is ever wasted - new processes can be learned and better ideas born.

2. While it's important to put you into your work, you must always still acknowledge the demographic you will be marketing to. Just because your favourite colour is pink doesn't mean that colour is appropriate for the design or the customer. Same applies with the use of fonts. Try to always make your decisions based on the relevance to the idea and not just your personal preferences.

3. Without the input of peers/collaborators, you may only develop your concept/design to 80% of its potential. My entire experience in graphic design has involved a development process which has always included feedback from others. By enlisting fresh eyes and a different point of view, you can push your ideas further. If you are a solo artist, a good idea is to use the many social media sites that are out there and ask for feedback. Post a graphic to your Facebook wall or load it up to twitpic. When it comes to obtaining feedback, be specific in what you ask. Do you love or hate the blue used in this design? Do you think the font is right for this design? Etcetera...You get the idea.

*****

FROM A SEO PERSPECTIVE - By Rob

SEO is important to everyone who is selling online. "If you build it, they won't come." or so we said in one of our podcasts. You need to do your best to optimise the traffic to your site. And you need about it from the get go.

When you start building your online presence factor in google into all that you do: - When putting up blog posts link using anchor text
- Make sure your on-site SEO game is in shape
- Actively seek back links to your site from reputable website
- Put out quality SEO friendly content. Content that if it spreads it will benefit your online presence
- Get your robots.txt file in order
- Use social networks to amplify your reach and gain more backlinks.
- Read up on google to try better understand how it "works" (not that anyone fully understands it)..by understanding it (or parts of it) your entire SEO effort will become more coordinated and make sense.

If this area is where you find you're weak, use the resources that are available online - tiap recently started a SEO corner where we hope to draw your attention to the small things that you can do to help your chances of success. If you find the language is still greek to you, directly ask the author for help/clarification. These authors are writing up these post to help those who are interested, so ask, they'll be happy to hear from you and help.

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FROM A NETWORKING PERSPECTIVE - By Manz

As a solo artist/sole trader, you won't have the same luxury of time that competing businesses enjoy. It would be unwise however to think that you don't need to use any of the social media sites available to you for FREE. Having to micro-manage your time may mean that you need to once again make some hard decisions; perhaps choosing ONE social media site that you can pour all of your free time into. Try dating each social media site first and read the TIAP blog post by Amanda, Before You Divorce Social Media, You Need To Be "Engaged".

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FROM A MARKETING/BRANDING PERSPECTIVE - By Tim

When going it alone as a solo artist one important avenue that is overlooked is branding. To build your business from the ground up it is important to even start with a strong name that either defines your products or contains a powerful keyword relating to your products. Knowing which keywords to target and the buying phrases your customers are looking for can really jump start your business or have your business looking at no hits/sales if you choose poorly. An example of targeting buying phrases is instead of targeting the keyword artistic t shirts go after the phrase buy artistic t shirts as if you can get ranked for this you will be looking at a pool of those looking to buy and not browse artistic t shirts.

Another thing to keep in mind is to be as specific as possible. As a solo owner you should specialize in one style or type of shirt or merchandise. Being a jack of all trades and trying to vary your designs from cute to offensive is probably going to be too exhausting for one person to pull off. Instead find a niche that you have an interest in and that others have an interest in buying t shirts or merchandise in and own it. By dominating your niche you should be perceived as one of the only places to go in town for products in that niche and the sales will follow. To dominate in your niche you may want to join forums related to the products you are selling. Make sure to actually participate in the forums with good solid posts and not just push your products. Forum users can easily see through those who are just there to spam versus those that are giving back something to the community while promoting their products.

*****

We hope that helps you Diane and anyone opting to go it alone.

Do you have a question for Tees In A Pod?

Ask us today on the Tees In A Pod Facebook fanpage, or right here in the comments area!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Before You Divorce Social Media, You Need To Be "Engaged"

Some people flirt with social media sites while others are fully committed. Then there are those who wish to never hear the words "I'm tweeting" ever again. Before signing those divorce papers and doing away with social media forever, keep in mind, that it is YOUR potential customers who are using these sites on a daily basis.
Some businesses feel it is essential to use social media sites, such as, Twitter and Facebook, as a part of their marketing strategies, but why? In understanding Social Media and how to use it properly, will help in clarifying it's importance when trying to market your brand online, so lets put those divorce papers away and start from the beginning.

The Date: Getting To Kn

ow Social Media
Searching "Dating" several social media sites can be helpful in how successful your business will be online and off. Don't be afraid of trying out, researching, and/or learning more about each Social Media site, for it is extremely important that you find "the one" your business will stick with.
When the best site is found, it is like entering into a "relationship," which means, you need to get to know it better. Explore what the site offers and feel free to see how other businesses are using it.

For a long time, most people's "type" for finding out "late breaking news," has been television and radio, so it is understandable that in changing what you are use to, can be hard to do. However, customers want to become a part of those businesses that are up-to-date and "with the times". They also want to be involved in those businesses that want to be involved with them. It use to be that customers always came to where the businesses were, but now-a-days, customers want companies to come to where they are, which is most likely on a social media site.
Social media sites, are used to build communities and to connect with people who have similar interests and to share news either about the happenings in our daily lives or about what is happening in the world around us. To be a part of "what's happening," it is wise for your business to be a part of social media. Lets use this blog post as an example, If the decision was made to never have this article posted, then you wouldn't have been given the chance to think about it or the ability to respond to it. Each reader now is able to share their opinions, express their thoughts, ask questions and even expand on this topic. This allows for a discussion to begin, not only with who created the blog post, but with other readers. Think now of your business. If you don't give your customers the opportunity to talk with you, via social media sites, think about all of what you could be possibly missing out on.
It can be difficult to find where to start, since their are many social media sites to choose from. A couple to begin with would be Facebook, for their pages and YouTube, for their traffic. Every business will have their own likes and dislikes while trying to find the social media site they want to use, but should continue in trying to find the one that best suits them. Once you have found the site that works best, you can now start learning the most useful ways to use them; which begins the "Engagement" process.

The Engagement: How To Use Social Media

Every social media site has someone selling something, however, it's the ones who are paying attention and not sitting idly by, that get noticed. When talking to a person, rather then at them, they tend to respond more positively and feel like they are listened to. To break it down, the way in which you communicate will either drive people towards you or away. As a business, it is of high importance that you "engage" with customers by talking with them. This is also a huge change, but effective in getting people interested in your business.
Before social media began, it was about coming up with commercials, banners, and/or ads where you had to talk "at" the customer, but times they are a changing. Although including some of these as part of your marketing strategies, is not necessarily a bad thing, it shouldn't be the only thing your business uses. Customers now expect businesses to talk with them, engage in conversations, to ask for their opinions, and so on. It's not just about listing off what you are selling anymore, it's about getting to know those who you are selling to. In asking questions that customers can relate to, will encourage a response and result in a higher "engagement." Some examples to use may be:

"Pie or Cake?"
"Scary or Funny Movies?"
"What is your favorite color?"
"Which season is your favorite?"

Although some of these may not be related to what you are selling, it will trigger a new way of communicating with your customers and will get your business noticed, which should always be the first goal.
Most people will build up a loyalty to those who want to spend time in getting to know them better. Finding what interests your customers have, can not only help you in deciding on what you need to promote within your business, but will also build a new kind of relationship with whom you are selling to.
Try not to get stuck in a box. Feel free to post fun quotes, thought provoking questions, and reach out to your customers to ask their opinion about what you are selling or other various topics. In having your customers feel like they are a part of your business will keep them coming back to your business. Through engaging with customers and finding more out about them, will make them want to find out more about you, "the company."

Now that you've got your customers attention, you can share with them promotional sales, top selling items, and company news, while still incorporating social interaction. Doing this, helps in reaching the main goal which is to create more sales for your business while keeping your customers happy. Engaging, sharing, and listening to what your customers are saying will make your business stand out more then if you were just pumping out sale pitch. after sale pitch, after sale pitch.
"Engaging" with those who are following, liking, and showing interest in your business is a must! Once you have taken this step, it is time to commit.

The Marriage

: Committing To Social Media
As simple as it sounds, committing to using social media sites may not always be that easy. It is key that when you start talking, engaging, and conversing with your customers, that you continue doing so. In just setting up an account and leaving it, is the wrong way of thinking. When people like your page, follow you, etc. they now want you to take the time to engage with them on an on-going basis. This is where you should start thinking of ways to keep people interested in your business. Creativity, innovation, and hard work is key in keeping anybody happy, including your customers.

Social Media has the word "social" in it for a reason, so try to always continue socializing with those that have connected with you. Update the social media site your business has chosen, on a regular basis. It is very easy to set up an account, engage with those on that site for a couple months and then drop off. Customers will forget about you if you don't "commit" to remembering them.
One great part of this "commitment" is that it is usually FREE, so be sure to incorporate using these sites into your marketing strategies every month. Most of us think, "to make money, you have to spend money", which holds some truth, but sometimes just taking the time to show you care about your customers will incur an even bigger reward.
As with any relationship, expressing patience, determination, passion, and in using communication, keeps it healthy and strong, in committing to giving these to your customers, will have them commit to your business.

As time goes on, even newer social media sites will rear their heads and so it seems, social media is here to stay. Using social media sites properly can help in understanding why they should be used and in how beneficial they truly can be to your business. So, before divorcing social media, allow your business to look into using it as a part of your marketing strategies. Become a part of a "new age" by engaging with customers before signing on that dotted line. In time, your views may change, the relationships with your customers will change, and so will the profits for your business!

It's time now we engage with you! Do you use social media sites to market your business? If no, do you think you will start? Let Teesinapod know by leaving a comment on this post or by visiting us at our Facebook Page. We'd love to know how social media works for you!

Written By: Amanda Ryan, Creature Creations, Personalized Photo Gifts

Thursday, May 6, 2010

How To Use Twitter To Build Your Brand

Twitter is a great way to get exposure for your online brand or store and the best thing about it is all the great connections that can be made for free. When using twitter it is important that you come across as a real person and not just someone that wants to sell a product. This is easy if you enjoy people and enjoy having fun conversations on twitter. The three most important strategies to use for building your brand are using twitter search, starting the conversation to develop strong personal relationships, and be proud of your products.

When marketing on twitter you need to use twitter search. Why? By using twitter search you can find people that are interested in keywords that relate to your online store, thus giving you a targeted list of followers. For example, if you have a Zazzle shop that sells funny t shirts you may want to search for Zazzle, tshirts, funny tshirts etc. Make sure to search for similar stores that sell products similar to yours as well. If you sell graphic tshirts you may want to follow those who are fans of Redbubble or Threadless as an example. When you follow those that are interested in your products or services you need to remember it is a numbers game. Some people are not going to follow you back or will take longer to follow you back. Make sure to give someone a week to return your follow and if it takes longer than that, probably better to unfollow. You can unfollow 200 people in a day, but is not recommend, for that is too many people to unfollow at once in one day.

Secondly, if someone does follow your brand acknowledge them and introduce yourself. It can really go a long way if you @reply someone and thank them for following you. If they reply back, start a conversation about their interests. You should be able to comment on their bio or something on their blog to show them that you took the time to check out their profile. This helps in two ways. First, for those that respond you are likely to make a new friend. People like people who are interested in them. If you expand your conversation you can make a very strong friend or ally. You can develop great friendships and networking relationships with people on twitter that can open new doors even if you never sell them anything from your online store. Making connections with people on twitter is the most valuable thing you can do. Remember, that when marketing on twitter, people buy from those that they know and those that they like. Your number one goal should be coming across as a likable person so being a social butterfly and keeping things light works great on twitter. If your fellow tweeps are thinking of you as a person you are doing it right, if they think of you as a brand you are doing it wrong.

The third thing you need to do on twitter to build your brand is to be proud of your products or merchandise that you are selling. If you make a sale share it with the world and provide hashtags with it so that others who have interests in your product can find it. If someone on twitter buys from you personally @reply them and thank them for buying from you. Follow up with them later to make sure that they are still thrilled with your product and services, to let them know that you care about their opinion. Following up on a sale can lead to that person being a delighted returning customer who brags about your online store or shop to all their friends. The 90/10 rule on twitter is a great way to remember how much to tweet about your own products on twitter. 90 percent of the time you should be engaging with your twitter friends about conversations that have nothing to do with your online store. Talk about movies, sports, or any other common interests you and your new twitter friends have. 10 percent of the time brag about your store, cause hey there is nothing wrong with being proud of all the hard work you did to put the store together and create the products. If you have made friends on twitter they are going to want to share your great news by sometimes even retweeting your accomplishments. The possibilities on twitter are really endless when you can engage your followers and treat them as people and not customers.

Twitter is one of the best ways to market if you learn how to use it effectively and the best thing is, it's free! If you know what to search for on twitter, who to befriend and network with, and what time is appropriate to brag about your products or services, it is almost a guarantee you will succeed on twitter. You can make connections and friendships that are way more important than selling someone an item. Twitter really is all about connections and if you are a light hearted social butterfly who treats people as friends and not customers their really is no limit as to what you can accomplish.

Tim Fox
Soge Shirts, Funny Tees

Friday, March 5, 2010

Tim Fox- Soge Shirts

Hey everyone I'm Tim from Soge shirts funny t shirt shop. My goal is to share with you some insights on how to get your online shop some major buzz once you have some nice products going. I love sharing tips on networking, marketing, and most important getting other people excited about your t shirts.

I remember first starting out in the t-shirt business being very excited, but really having no idea on what steps it would take to get our tshirts noticed. After months and months of running around like a chicken with its head cut off I began to find great tips online, began to learn from other successful online shops, and was able to start forging many mutual beneficial relationships with other shopkeepers.

They say its not what you know, but it is who you know. I'm here to answer the questions of networking that you might have to get the extra edge on your online shopping competition. Social media sites such as facebook and twitter can be key tools to getting your online shop where you want to go. I love social media so I am happy to answer any and all questions you have about it.

Thanks for checking out the blog and like the rest of our awesome gang I am happy to get to know you personally to ensure that your online shop is a success.

"You will never not work, if you learn how to network." -Tim Fox