As your musical influence grows, you want your band to get more recognition and more income. One of the best ways to accomplish both goals is to design screen-printed T-shirts your fans must have. Increase your merchandise sales this way by following these 3 strategies:
1) Design T-shirts people will talk about.
When you brainstorm for new ideas for your T-shirt designs, think of the songs and performance moments your audiences love. Is there a favorite line that everyone in the crowd will yell out during a particular song? Put that line on a T-shirt.
Does the band take controversial stances on political or social issues? Create memes and characters that express your band's philosophy in a bold way. You may offend a lot of people, but your die-hard fans will buy up "shocking" T-shirt designs faster than you can have them printed.
2) Print up a variety of shirt styles.
If you only offer mens' T-shirts, you're missing out on a lot of sales. Female fans have become spoiled by the availability of tank tops and fitted tees that are more attractive-looking on the female figure. No longer will women be swallowed whole by billowing band shirts.
Select styles for women in a variety of sizes, too. Men may not mind choosing between "large" and "extra large," but you should provide female fans with the full gamut of sizes, from petite to 3XX. This will ensure the highest sales of your women's clothing line. The feminine fan will appreciate your thoughtfulness, and is far more likely to justify a shirt purchase if it's made in "her size."
3) Always have a mix of new and evergreen merchandise.
It's wise to have special-event shirts printed up, whether you're on a special tour or at a well-known music festival. T-shirts featuring new album art, recent band photos and current video shots will keep your merchandise selection fresh. Remember, if your die-hard fans already have all of the T-shirts you carry, there's no incentive for them to add to their collections.
Keep a supply of evergreen shirts on hand to sell at all of your events. These are simpler designs, devoid of any specific date, album or event, that will represent your band on any occasion. You may choose a design using only your band logo, or select a graphic that people associate with your band, or have shirts screen-printed with classic portraits of band members. The idea is to have a mix of new and standard merchandise so that old and new fans will be inspired to wear your designs and promote your band.
For more information, check out companies such as Absolute Screen Printing.
