Custom T-shirts and Your Brand Identity

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If you are building a brand, you are building a story. Custom printed apparel can be a big part of your success. For years we all focused our marketing efforts on website and digital algorithms. Marketers are starting to realize that to properly build brand loyalty, we need to engage our customers with a story and a consistent image, not just a flashy website that ranks well.  Your company’s story needs to be reinforced across multiple platforms. Custom clothing is an easy way to get your brand’s story into the hands and closets of your target audience.

T-shirts have been a big part of the success of brands for decades. We often forget this when we plan our marketing budget. Think back a few years… Star Wars t-shirts from the 70’s or 80’s are still being replicated because they had such an amazing positive impact on the star wars brand. Dukes of Hazard t-shirts and even Coca Cola t-shirts. These all tell a story and contribute to a brand awareness that doesn’t just sell your product, it creates brand loyalty and tells a story that your customers want in on.

Branding is not just for the big guys

You may think this applies only to major brands that everyone knows and not your small local brand, but you are wrong. We have a customer that makes boat propellers. They have only one location in one city and a small niche market selling only to boaters. But they came up with a really great slogan and a logo that appeals to their customers and tells a story – “Screwing boaters since 1998”.  Why is this effective? Well for a number of reasons. First of all, only real boaters know that a propeller is actually called a screw. So it puts the wearer in a unique club of official boating. Secondly, it’s clever and sarcastic. It targets there market perfectly and the t-shirt has been a huge hit. People buy them year after year and then wear them around the marina. This is perfect branding for this propeller company. Sarcastic and exclusive is exactly their customer and now they have little billboard walking around marinas all over town. This is the exact place that new customers would be found, and best of all, they made money selling the shirt!

Branding can be immediately profitable

Branding your company with custom t-shirt printing is a smart way to MAKE money on your marketing. You don’t always have to give it away. If your company prides itself on quality and high-end merchandise, then you should stay on the brand and NOT give away cheap white t-shirts. You should offer really high-end merchandise at value prices. Your customers will appreciate the great quality and then associate good quality and value with your company and the goods or service you are actually trying to sell.

T-shirts and Sweatshirts can carry your message all over the globe

The other great thing about custom printing t-shirts is that these t-shirts travel. We Canadians like to travel, especially in the winter. We like to go somewhere warm and walk around in t-shirts.  Even if your company only services Canada, when a fellow Canadian sees a person walking on the beach wearing a t-shirt that advertises a Canadian brand they remember it. They say hi, they ask where they are from, they mention the shirt. Your brand has just become a strong memory from an encounter in another country. Wow, you must be successful if I remember this brand from my trip to Mexico. Your brand can go almost anywhere when it’s printed on a t-shirt or a sweatshirt.

The artwork and the t-shirt style need to match your story

Don’t go off-brand when you are creating your t-shirt. You need to make sure that the artwork, and the message and the style of shirt match your brand.  If you are advertising a gym, you need to have nice shirts that would fit a workout. Not thick sweaty t-shirts. If you are selling beauty products, make sure you have stylish ladies t-shirts. The artwork needs to match too. If your clients are professionals don’t make a shirt with low-brow humor or swear words on it – although this idea might be perfect if you are marketing to a gym full of bodybuilders.  If your product matches your message it’s much more likely to translate into a successful venture.

Custom Clothing can help you win!

T-shirts printed with your message or logo can be effective tools to get your message across to potential customers. Just make sure that the product you create is on point with the message of your brand. When there is continuity across all of your marketing and your image, your custom clothing can be a powerful tool and greatly assist you in your business success. Give us a call or send us a message. The staff at GetBold are very knowledgeable when it comes to helping you translate your message onto a t-shirt or hat or sweatshirt. We have been doing this for a long time and we know what works. Come by our showroom in North Vancouver and see our vast selection of blank apparel, or visit our very informative website catalog.  Let GetBold help you get bold!