# The 5 best ways to market t-shirts



## Frazmand

Can we try and get together the 5 best methods to promote a t-shirt firm. They have to be low cost, easy to achieve and most important - success rate.

My top 5 for marketing would be:

1. T-shirts blogs - they need t-shirt companies, we need them.
2. Advertising on low cost sites.
3. Getting promotional material such as badges or stickers.
4. Myspace.
5. Spamming .

What are you top 5 methods, can you explain how successful they have been for you?


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## D3c0Y

1. Word of Mouth
2. mySpace
3. Blogs
4. mySpace
5. mySpace

So far right now, our biggest sale referral is mySpace. mySpace is sorta hit and miss for some people but I just think it's all in the technique.

Participate in everything "mySpace" i.e post bulletins, comment people, etc. etc.

We also post band discounts and coupon codes as a sort of "mySpace Exclusive" sale to create hype. We also post bulletins stating only certain designs will be release on myspace bulletins to purchase.

Word of mouth helps too but it just depends on who you know. LOL

I would put down Google Adwords as well but that is never low cost. LOL!


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## AustinJeff

D3c0Y said:


> So far right now, our biggest sale referral is mySpace.


Have you used Facebook? I'm getting ready to give it a try and am looking for some feedback.


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## rejoice

Using proper keywords that are indexed... so if it is a 'fear and loathing in las vegas' t-shirt... then make sure people can find your t-shirt through an organic google or google images search.


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## D3c0Y

AustinJeff said:


> Have you used Facebook? I'm getting ready to give it a try and am looking for some feedback.


We do have a Facebook, but rarely use it. 

I just haven't had the time to really dig into it and utilize all it's aspects.

Another reason we don't really use it is because most of our friends who have a myspace also have a face book, and we kinda feel that it would be redundant for our existing customers, new customers, on the other hand, is a different story.


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## ekyrock1

I don't understand how the whole Blog thing works for advertising?


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## Frazmand

The blog thing works cos T-shirt lovers check out the t-shirt blogs. Its basically a place where the industry and the customers can come together.


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## xaltair

Anyone knows of any famous t-shirt bloggers?


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## Frazmand

tshirt : iloveyourtshirt : t-shirt blog is a very large blog. They made a post about my site and I got around 100 referrals from it. Unfortunately not many sales but at least it got the name out.

Another blog is The Extrovert run by a friend of mine.


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## authenticboricua

Any other blogs out there?


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## Frazmand

Another two are:

The Daily Tee

Tcritic - The Daily T-Shirt Blog About T-Shirts


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## MiNGLED

Haven't had a great deal of success with Myspace, too much spam, people wanting to have the most 'friends'. Will start trying with Facebook in the very near future. If anyone else has had good or bad experiences with it I'd live to know.


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## authenticboricua

beware of facebook, they frown upon "businesses" advertising.


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## AustinJeff

authenticboricua said:


> beware of facebook, they frown upon "businesses" advertising.


Not anymore. Facebook Business Solutions.


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## authenticboricua

good call Jeff. Cheers.


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## Rodney

1. Be Unique. Do something different. Have an angle.

2. Know your market.

3. Advertise in front of your market in many ways (search engines, offline ads, banners, newsletters, links, word of mouth, flyers, press releases, sponsorships, giveaways. be creative)

4. Make sure your site is both search engine and people friendly.

5. Never stop finding new ways to market your products and get people seeing your stuff. As cliche as it sounds, think outside the box.


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## Mymil

authenticboricua said:


> Any other blogs out there?


I happen to write one, but I won't link it here because that's against the rules (but it is in my signature). If you don't like mine, there are a bunch of others in my blogroll that I consider to be the best and most consistent t-shirt blogs currently. And they cater to different types of t-shirts, so make sure you look at a bunch of them. I'll pm you a link to an article I wrote about how to get a t-shirt blog to write you up.

But Rodney's tips are right on!


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## rejoice

I did mention quiet a few t-shirt bloggers in one of my posts

My blog isn't a t-shirt blog but I do blog about my t-shirt's to let the people know about my new designs... just easy for me to keep things rolling.


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## PeterPromo

Just check the t-shirt blogs section of this site: Streetwear-Websites.com :: Streetwear Websites and Resources

Getting listed on sites like the one I mentioned above will bring you also more traffic and help your search engine ranking. If you want to get listed in directories just make sure you pick the right ones and not just "link dumbs".

A link dumb directory is a directory that has not much text and basically just links to various sites.


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## Robin

We dont sell t-shirts ready made...we are a custom shop and what has worked for us

#1 Networking and networking events
#2 Teaching current customers about our product and what we can do for them
#3 Specific direct mailings (no postcards, flyers etc)
#4 Banners and sidewalk signs, frequently changed outside the shop
#5 Give aways...I was at a networking meeting and one of the women mentioned how ugly all the new shopping bags were for the grocery stores. So I made some pretty flowery bags, and gave them away at the next speednetworking meeting. It worked, I was remembered as the "bag lady"  The point is......I was remembered, and so was my business.

Best of all, like Rodney says........Think outside the box! Dont be afraid to think big, and outrageous either. 

We have a brand new blog, and have had a facebook account for about 2 months, its too early to tell if its working for us. I dont bother with myspace, simply because I have a bugger of a time getting anything to work in there.


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## PeterPromo

In essence promoting t-shirt sites is like promoting every other site online (and that is/was my job since a couple of years).

Be remarkable. If you jumped into creating your brand without sitting down and thinking a lot about your unique selling point aka what makes you different you will have it way harder to be remarkable.

Compared to amount of online user and how the habbits of most people will change in the coming years you are still early in this game and have good chances to make something out of it. But the idea got to be right and if possible unique. Can't find a unique idea or you are already too far down the road to change? Give your theme and brand a different twist and never compete on price.

In the long run everyone who wants to compete on prices will have to face extremely strong competition that doesn't need to make as much money with each shirt than you have to. Focus on improving the perceived value of your brand that people believe it is worth buying from you.

Another major mistake many people do is that they fix for ages on their site instead of spending time promoting it. Yeah of course your site got to look professional but that cool flash gimmick and the innovative skip button you just built for your flash mp3 player won't make you more money. Sign up for google analytics and get to know the behaviour of your customers on your site. You can follow their click paths and also set up some paths and monitor on which point people "drop off" aka leave your site or the path. Think about reasons and try to improve it.

A great looking site is not much worth if they don't make people buy and if you don't have people coming to it. If you get many people to your site and it looks ugly and unprofessional you loose credibility and that's why people won't buy. If you get people to your site, your site looks great but the usability sucks you won't make money either because people drop off at some point.


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## colourmefunky

thank you peterpromo for the info and tips
if there is anything i can help with please dont hold back just kick it to me ill catch it


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## colourmefunky

nice link >> dobizo.com


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## PeterPromo

Dobizo is so so in my opinion. Its a good starting point without doubt but doesn't offer much more than that imo. Not many "advanced" topics on there. I like sites like Fashion-Incubator or Fashion News | Apparel News | Apparelnews.net


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## comingup

does anyone have a good link or info on facebook marketing? thanks if someone could help out


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## rejoice

All I do is link to my blog from my facebook account... and I have a facebook widget on my blog... I think it makes it more personal and puts a face behind the company... ideas... t-shirts...


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## Robin

rejoice said:


> All I do is link to my blog from my facebook account... and I have a facebook widget on my blog... I think it makes it more personal and puts a face behind the company... ideas... t-shirts...


Hiya Jacob, what is a facebook widget and how do I get one? If its what I think it is, Ive been trying for days to find it, and figure out how to get it on my blog.


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## ottawayb

Anybody ever incorporate a banner, that a registered customer can put on their myspace page, that keeps track of when someone clicks through the banner, buys a shirt and then provide credit to the registered customer who has the banner on their myspace? I thought it might be a good marketing tool to provide incentive to people to advertise your site.


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## Rodney

ottawayb said:


> Anybody ever incorporate a banner, that a registered customer can put on their myspace page, that keeps track of when someone clicks through the banner, buys a shirt and then provide credit to the registered customer who has the banner on their myspace? I thought it might be a good marketing tool to provide incentive to people to advertise your site.


Yep, that's called an affiliate program. There are companies that can manage it for you or there is software you can install on your site to handle the tracking.


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## D3c0Y

ottawayb said:


> Anybody ever incorporate a banner, that a registered customer can put on their myspace page, that keeps track of when someone clicks through the banner, buys a shirt and then provide credit to the registered customer who has the banner on their myspace? I thought it might be a good marketing tool to provide incentive to people to advertise your site.



We use one too. It says " I Support Rutes Clothing ". We have a trackable link that shows how many clicks and sales that it generates, we can also attach a coupon to the link.


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## queerrep

Rodney said:


> Yep, that's called an affiliate program. There are companies that can manage it for you or there is software you can install on your site to handle the tracking.


... and that's my only marketing tool. I get 90% of my sales through affiliates. Unfortunately affiliate links are not permitted on MySpace.


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## sunmits

#1 word to mouth is the best advertising with results ie sales not just hits

#2 events = going to events that have a large target market like concerts carnivals etc and setting up booths or sponsoring them etc.

#3 Facebook = we were recently featured in the wall street journal for using facebook if you google rootsgear you should see the link to the article ... check out the website too comments are always appreciated.


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## ottawayb

D3c0Y said:


> We use one too. It says " I Support Rutes Clothing ". We have a trackable link that shows how many clicks and sales that it generates, we can also attach a coupon to the link.


That is awesome. Did you creat the trackable link yourself? Do you manage the information in a database yourself? I would like to do something like that, but I am not sure where to begin.


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## billm75

My marketing plan is basic and simple as my funds don't allow for any kind of media blitz.

I'm trying to get listed with some tshirt blogs/directories.
I've given away a bunch of shirts in return for word of mouth advertising


That's pretty much it, call it a "soft-opening" as I've just now launched my retail site today. It will, however, get more involved as I get more samples created and published and a few sales start coming in.


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## D3c0Y

ottawayb said:


> That is awesome. Did you creat the trackable link yourself? Do you manage the information in a database yourself? I would like to do something like that, but I am not sure where to begin.



Actually, there is a feature included in our hosting, we're using Yahoo Small Buss. Solutions and I'm pretty sure there's something available like that elsewhere. Another cool feature we use a lot is that you can track coupon sales. We use it to see which coupon code name works the best.


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## cancelledbyrequest

1). Clothing Company Website (That includes myspace)
2). Give out Free Items (Clothes, etc)
3). Merge with a movie production company and a record label (They will work wonders)
4). Get alot of fylers (5000 or more) and give you friends and tell them to spread the word.
5). Stay Original and Unique. (Price is also a big factor)


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## SoloStampede

the 5 best ways to market is a persons best kept secret.


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## Frazmand

Solo you big scrooge.


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## SoloStampede

hehehe, sorry couldn't help myself.


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## vctradingcubao

In my case, having a good location for a brick&mortar retail store is the best (#1) form of marketing. People can see see the business (what you can do), and they can physically inspect the products. Next to that (#2) is the way you talk to customers, and the way you handle their orders, requests, delivery time, etc. I consider these 2 as my major marketing efforts. You automatically generate word of mouth (#3) by being good at these 2 points. All the the other marketing efforts are secondary, but of course, they help as well.
#4. Having a website, blogs, etc., and a nice business card (where you write the answers to customers inquiries)
#5. Wrapping our vehicles with vinyl stickers promoting the business
#6. Giving away shirts during Christmas, etc.; stickers, button pins with every purchase, etc.


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## Dennis Ayers

Frazmand said:


> Another two are:
> 
> The Daily Tee
> 
> Tcritic - The Daily T-Shirt Blog About T-Shirts


another one is tshirtdigest.com - serving up the best t-shirt sites on the web


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## Robin

vctradingcubao said:


> #6. Giving away shirts during Christmas, etc.; stickers, button pins with every purchase, etc.


We gave out totes with our info on them with almost every purchase.


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## rrobinlive

Facebook is pretty good it allows you to build a product page and that way you can put as much about your product as you want. Also you can put up pics, videos, and all that stuff. It also provides you with statistics on visits everyday. From there you can network with others on facebook, I set mine up and it is working pretty well so farhttp://stcloudstate.facebook.com/profile.php?id=7103072493


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## pharaohspyramid

queerrep said:


> ... and that's my only marketing tool. I get 90% of my sales through affiliates. Unfortunately affiliate links are not permitted on MySpace.



All of these are really good guys and gals. Has anyone had success with trading links?


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## AustinJeff

pharaohspyramid said:


> All of these are really good guys and gals. Has anyone had success with trading links?


Google now penalizes for reciprocal links. So you would have to get a _lo_t of traffic from the link to make up for the loss in search engine placement.


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## cancelledbyrequest

1). Myspace
2). Facebook
3). Website
4). Metacafe
5). Flyers


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## hideyourarms

I wrote up a list of 65 t-shirt blogs a while back that I think might be helpful to this discussion.

I've looked through the rules and still can't decide if I can post the link or not so instead I'll just copy-and-paste the list, it's pretty long but I think it keeps me on the correct side of the mods. I've cut out the blogs that are corporate (which you wouldn't be able to market to), the ones which haven't been updated for ages (if no ones writing them you won't get posted there), and my own (to comply with the rules).
Addicteed - Streetwear-style designs rule the roost here. (:: addic[tee]d :: Fresh Tee Guideâ„¢)
Fantastic Blognanza - Also a clothing line, but they rarely put their own stuff onto their blog. (Fantastic Blognanza! We Blog Indie Tees)
 Funky Duds - (funky duds)
 Indie Threads - Also a social network. (www.indie-threads.com/)
 T-shirts Around the Internet - A blog about t-shirts… around.. the Internet. (T-shirts Around the Internet)
 T-shirt Junkies - “A new T-shirt fix. Everyday” Last updated July 27th 2007. make me a sandwich T-Shirts Reviewed at T-Shirt Junkies.com - a new t-shirt fix everyday
 Tee Shirt Blog - French language blog, but we can all enjoy the picutres! (Tee Shirt Blog)
 The Daily Tee - A tee every day, even on weekends. (The Daily Tee)
 Tjunction - A blog all about coupon codes, deals and bargains from online clothes stores. (T Junction — Tshirt coupons, T-shirt discount codes, Tshirt sales and T-shirt special offers - Updated Daily!!)
 Troundup - Great tee picks. (Troundup - The T-shirt Lover’s Blog)
 Preshrunk - Not updated as much as I’d like, but always great tee choices. (Preshrunk)
 Tcritic - More popular than me, boo hoo hoo. (Tcritic - The Daily T-Shirt Blog About T-Shirts)
 TEEES - Has been a bit quiet recently, but Nico has a great eye for designs. (TEEES - a guide to short sleeves)
 iloveyourtshirt - They have a regular edited blog, and a user-submitted one of tee pictures with their purchase links. (tshirt : iloveyourtshirt : t-shirt blog)
 shirt2 - Blog and store directory (shirt² · news · shirtshop database · shirtblog blog · we love shirts shirts tees tee t-shirts tshirts)
 shirtspotting - German language tee blog, good selections. (shirtspotting.wordpress.com)
 T-Shirt Island - Rangga’s thoughts on the tee industry, also covers tee news. (Tshirt Island: Discovering T-shirt ideas)
 Tshirt Freak - Blog written by prolific tee designer, Olli Rudi. ((tshirtfreak.blogspot.com))
 Shirt Snob - One for the ladies. (Shirt Snob - T-shirts, nice shirts, tank tops, couture tops, and more.)
 Death By Tshirt - Some excellent tee choices make this blog worth checking out. (Death By Tshirt - a blog devoted to t-shirt love)
 Tee Galleree - Great tee picks, shame about the standard looking wordpress template. (Tee Galleree)
 Selekkt - Higher-end looking designs that aren’t necessarily at higher-end prices, they’ve got the eye for great designs. (selekkt.com)
 Tee Lovers - Cool picks. TeeLovers.net | t-shirt blog
 The dog house - These guys know good design. (dog-inthehouse.blogspot.com)
 ThreadBanger - Telling you how to go DIY with your tees (and other garments) (www.threadbanger.com)
 ThreadChat - Last updated in June, mainly focused at marketing your t-shirt store. (Untitled Document)
 communiteeuk - They always list the location of the brands they’re looking at, which is unusual. (communiteeuk.blogspot.com
 compete - tee - tion - Taking niche-ness to the next level by only blogging about t-shirt design competitions. (compete-tee-tion.blogspot.com)
 HipHipUK - Sporadic industry thoughts, and tee picks from a Spreadshirt (EU) employee. (hiphipuk.co.uk)
 embassy of tees - A rather varied selection, in both style and quality. (Embassy of Tees)
 militant geek - Tees for geeks, presumably picked by a geek. (militantgeek.com)
 shirtlog - offers the unusual option of shopping by colour. (shirtlog.com)
 tshirtreview - This writer actually criticizes tees, which is good to see. (tshirtreview.com)
 so many shirts and only one body - A selection of shirts that beats the expectations laid down by the domain name. (shirtonme.blogspot.com)
 t*fodder - No words, just tees. (tfodder.com)
 t-shirt watch - According to Alexa, this might be the most popular tee blog. Good if you want to see various celebs wearing tees. (tshirtwatch.com)
 omg tees - Solid tee picks. (OMG Tees - Tshirt Blog)
 the t-shirt blog - Topical tees aren’t really my thing, but this blog seems to love them. (The T-Shirt Blog)
 tshirt enterpreneur online - This site could help you get your line off the ground. (tshirtentrepreneur.com)
 t-shirt alert - An Aussie-centric tee blog, bonza! tshirtalert.com
 planeta t-shirts - Spanish-language tee blog. (Planeta T-Shirts)
 shirtgods - Fairly geeky shirts. (ShirtGods)
 t-shirt fiend - Solid selection of topical and funny tees. (T-shirt Fiend)
 t-shirt anarchy - Not available at the moment, but I’m pretty sure this is a tee blog. (www.tshirtanarchy.com)
 tschitoushop - It’s all French, I have no idea what’s going on! (Tschitoushop le Web 2.0 autrement)
 viste adecuadamente - Spanish-language, they know what they’re talking about. (Viste Adecuadamente: camisetas, moda, chapas ...)
 we love tshirt - Very, very cool logo. (welovetshirt.com: Wear to love. Love to wear.)
 Custom T-Shirt talk - Lots of industry chatter, which is more fun than it sounds. (Custom T-Shirt Talk)
 Mr-TShirt Blog - A distinct lack of pitying of fools on this blog. (Mr-TShirt)
 The Secret Life of Tees - This guy knows good tees, when he updates. (The Secret Life of Tees)
That isn't all of the tee blogs out there, but its a pretty decent selection.


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## skust

Sorry, I don't understand how you would use Facebook or Myspace to market your t shirts. Would you get a page and what would you put on it?

thanks


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## Sharp21

You can post ads in facebook now, or start a group that has a link to your site.
S.


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## Waneye Tedd

I've just started a facebook page, so no idea of how useful it is, but you dont set up a group, you can set up a business page, and people becomes fans of your company instead of friends like a normal facebook account, you get a break down of page visits, and supposably when you get to the 10 fan mark you get details on the demographic of companies fanbase


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## larominaedesigns

AustinJeff said:


> Have you used Facebook? I'm getting ready to give it a try and am looking for some feedback.


 

I wouldn't use Facebook! I had the worse experience with them. Your best bet would be myspace! They're great!!


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## cancelledbyrequest

larominaedesigns said:


> I wouldn't use Facebook! I had the worse experience with them. Your best bet would be myspace! They're great!!


Yep myspace is awesomeeeeee


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## richardrocks

I've been writing our own blog for about 1,5 years. Besides being able to put loads of information on returns, color separations, new products, customers that we are really proud of etc. on the net, it also gets us nice returns on Google searches. 

Recently I blogged on a (new) popular term just to see how well it would rank us. We came up 2nd.

although our blog is in Dutch, I am happy to write blog posts about t-shirt (or merch-related) blogs or sites that contain loads of information. I would appreciate a post in return... Our blog can be found through the link in my sig (have fun looking at the pics and wondering how our funny language would sound  )

As for my top 5 marketing instruments;

1) advertising online
2) word of mouth* (note below)
3) plain good old fashion real life networking
4) our blog 
5) myspace


As for the word of mouth, we always print loads of flyers and some additional items (a lanyard, a pen, whatever, as long as it has our logo on it) to ship with EVERY order or sample package. Even if 95% of the receivers throw the flyers away; at a cost of about $ 100 per 5000 flyers, the ROI is always okay.


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## dandmo

with blogs do you just send the owner of the blog information about yourself?


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## richardrocks

It's always better to send a useable story. For instance; for the designers we work with I created "Designer reports", they send me a short bio and some pics of different artwork they created.


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## SpotMatrix

The internet as a marketing tool appears to be the focus of conversation but I like to network. I've been working 3 months on one potential customer (not full time of course). If I get the deal I stand at making well into the 6 digits for the year from them alone. But I'm not stopping there. I'm developing other relationships with owners of car dealerships and bankers (fundraisers are big here). There alot of work involved but I have no doubt that I will reap the benefits. Sure there will be wasted effort. Make 100 phones calls and only make 2 sales. Well then... make 200 phone calls to get 4! As for the Web, there's nothing wrong with a focusing all your efforts on a good website if your target customers are teens(hopefully with jobs), but I would rather branch out my efforts to all possible venues for self promotion. As well as the internet, also participate in events selling or printing shirts from a booth and fundraisers and other volunteer work. Get visible. The guy down the street when asked, "Bob's Tee's? yeah I know them. They can do your stuff real good". Provide free shirts to a good cause.... " 'STEWED PRUNES on WHEELS for the ELDERLY' shirts donated by Bob's Tees". Now your a pillar of the community. It's a proven fact that people buy products or services from companies they recognize over the one they don't, regardless of the quality of the product. It based on a perceived trust. Sales is not just "Getting the word out". Before and after sales support is important too. Show your company is caring, professional and trustworthy. I won't rule out return business and referrals. My customers trust in me and the value I provide are paramount to staying in business. I was told by people in the car industry that "Meet and Greet" is 90% of the effort to getting to the final sale. Again it's all about trust and the comfort your customer feels when dealing with you. Many people would rather pay more for a better product and knowing that they are being looked after right. Word of mouth is a powerful sales tool because it places the buyers trust in you even before they meet you or buy your product.
I'm far far far from being an expert by any means but so far I think the future looks bright. I'm here to learn how to think outside my box.


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## leylowe

Mymil said:


> I happen to write one, but I won't link it here because that's against the rules (but it is in my signature). If you don't like mine, there are a bunch of others in my blogroll that I consider to be the best and most consistent t-shirt blogs currently. And they cater to different types of t-shirts, so make sure you look at a bunch of them. I'll pm you a link to an article I wrote about how to get a t-shirt blog to write you up.
> 
> But Rodney's tips are right on!


I would LOVE to read your article!


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## vctradingcubao

leylowe said:


> I would LOVE to read your article!


Plus 1 on that!


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## vcam6

Has anyone tried second life? I have seen news stories about this. It is 3D virtual world. I think it is like myspace and WOW mixed. I hear bands that want to promote there music have virtual concerts. i think you can also open virtual stores.

Noe


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## tyty0207

yeah its pretty wack actually. i saw something on g4 and they said that the average person is only on it 12 minutes a month.


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## queerrep

vcam6 said:


> Has anyone tried second life? I have seen news stories about this. It is 3D virtual world. I think it is like myspace and WOW mixed. I hear bands that want to promote there music have virtual concerts. i think you can also open virtual stores.
> 
> Noe


I signed up for Second Life a couple of years ago, but after a few weeks I realized if I didn't quit playing I wouldn't have a first life and couldn't pay my bills.  But I've heard stories of people making a good living through the virtual stores and exchanging Lindens – which is the currency used.


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## mikky

hi Michael in the house. Owner of roots clothing.


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## InYourFace

Know of a good and reliable source for 100% organic cotton or 100% organic cotton/bamboo or cot/hemp t-shirts? We are new in business. We have over 100 politically incorrect, environmental, spiritual, etc, designs we've created. We prefer to use the organic fabrics for obvious reasons. Yes, we are Earth Lovers. We like to practice what we preach. We are wide open to any all suggestions.


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## Mymil

leylowe said:


> I would LOVE to read your article!


You can read the article in full, originally from my blog, here on T-Shirt Forums: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-marketing/t29995.html

Hope people find it helpful!


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## sunrise

I might suggest the following.

First get yourself a good analytic tool (google makes a pretty easy one to use) and get the code imbedded in your website.

Then try all the the suggestions mentioned in this forum. It dosn't take long to see the results of who landed on your page from where. *(this is very important)*

You might also try:

1)* Viral marketing*

Viral marketing facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily through a self-replicating viral process.
Good examples of viral marketing campaigns are "will it blend", "Stanley Fubar", and shaveeverywhere.com.

2) *SEO (Search Enging Optimization)* 

In a nutshell

*On the page* 
- Optimization and coding standards
- Relevent content, keyword phrases and cross-links

*Off the Page*
- Link buliding strategy 

*Social Media Marketing:*

Ask youself. "Where are your customers"?

Flickr, Facebook, Fotolog, Gala On-line, Buzznet, Cyworld, BlackPlanet, MyBlogLog, Meetin, Linkedin, Meetup.com, MyYearbook, MySpace, Student.com...*and list goes on and on.*

*Know and understand your market. Your customers-where do they live on-line.*
your objectives - what do you want to achieve
your competitors - where do they interact on-line.
your brand - how do they interact with it.

*Identify.*

Understand the dynamics of a community before particiapting in it!
Select only the social medias and communities that provide reach to your potential customers and that fit with your brand *(impact by association).*
*-Find the influencers and interact* 

*Respond proactively to customer and peer feedback*

*- *Positive or negative comments are all feedback
- Respond quickly, be human and follow up
- Be Open to Suggestions and ready to adjust
- Don't promote...be authentic, transparent, helpful, participative, conistent, and current

*Askyour competitor! how he markets his site (you might be surprised)* Everybody likes talking about themselves!

Monitor your efforts, adjust course when needed; but *give it time.*

Whew...............Quick Gimmie a soapbox!


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## tyty0207

That was a good read. That's stuff everyone needs to contemplate.


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## Buechee

I'm working on that. I don't have a top 5. I have somethings I'm trying out. Has of now my top is click-thru progams.


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## Buechee

Now after I went back and read this entire post, I'd say I do have a few more spots to promote in. I'll have to do more research too. I would like to thank you all, but I don't want to go back and click thanks on each and everyone of you.


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## Wringer Tee

I have been using facebook and have see some traction, no sales for it yet tough.


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## teamspacepirate

Craigslist is a great way to get your shirts out locally


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## brand resistant

I have been using Google adwords for about a month now and I am getting good visitor numbers, I won't know about ROI for another couple of months. I was wondering if anyone had success with facebook ads and for those of you that use t-shirt blogs did you approach the blogger and request a review? Cheers.


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## OfftheLedge

For those out there with eBay stores as well, how well is that working for you? What kind of traffic are you getting through eBay? I'm considering setting one up, but I wanted to check in with existing users first to get some experiences and comments on how it's working for you. Thanks for any info you have on that!


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## teamspacepirate

I've never had a good ROI on Google Adwords... but others speak well of it. Google is a tough one, Adwords had $800 million in fraudulent hits last year, that's a lot of clicks. 

For general exposure purposes I like Project Wonderful. Project Wonderful

try out, GetYouOutThere.com - Establishing Your Web Presence

a good marketing resource


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## Rodney

OfftheLedge said:


> For those out there with eBay stores as well, how well is that working for you? What kind of traffic are you getting through eBay? I'm considering setting one up, but I wanted to check in with existing users first to get some experiences and comments on how it's working for you. Thanks for any info you have on that!


You should start a new topic for your new question (or use the search box at the top of the page to see what kind of answers have already been posted about eBay )


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## OfftheLedge

Thanks! I took a link at some of the other previously started threads. Found the response to eBay stores a bit less positive than I was hoping. Alas, more research to be done.


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## guest29928

This list is great-- thank you for posting!


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## DirectSupply

Hi Guys!

I read through the whole thread.. wow great info!..

How about collaborating with a local established or up-incoming artist.. its a a win win situation your brand gets promotion and so does the artist. 

Or what about an art school, holding a t shirt design contest for a limited edition print shirt with proceeds going to the establishment. The brand is associated with a great cause, you get your name out there and reach your target market.

Or hosting or sponsoring an event like at an art gallery or at a club. I know here in Southern California there are more than a handful of club nights sponsored by Tshirt brands ie: Obey, DimMak, Diamond,10 Deep etc..

But if you're going to spend money on marketing make sure the results are track-able!


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## JandSbodysurfing

Can you explain the hit or miss nature of MySpace? and can you offer any advice on successful MySpace marketing?
Thank you. James


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## brand resistant

DirectSupply said:


> Or what about an art school, holding a t shirt design contest for a limited edition print shirt with proceeds going to the establishment. The brand is associated with a great cause, you get your name out there and reach your target market.


What a great idea. I live in coastal arts region with a number of great schools. This could be really effective for me. Thanks.


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## Dyne Clothing

I plan on going with DIY guerrilla marketing


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## coachbaldwin

Give Free Samples


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## mcmartii

Robin said:


> We dont sell t-shirts ready made...we are a custom shop and what has worked for us
> 
> #1 Networking and networking events
> #2 Teaching current customers about our product and what we can do for them
> #3 Specific direct mailings (no postcards, flyers etc)
> #4 Banners and sidewalk signs, frequently changed outside the shop
> #5 Give aways...I was at a networking meeting and one of the women mentioned how ugly all the new shopping bags were for the grocery stores. So I made some pretty flowery bags, and gave them away at the next speednetworking meeting. It worked, I was remembered as the "bag lady"  The point is......I was remembered, and so was my business.
> 
> Best of all, like Rodney says........Think outside the box! Dont be afraid to think big, and outrageous either.
> 
> We have a brand new blog, and have had a facebook account for about 2 months, its too early to tell if its working for us. I dont bother with myspace, simply because I have a bugger of a time getting anything to work in there.


I'm curious - What's the issue with Postcards being sent to potential buyers/retailers? It's actually one of the methods I had considered in opening the dialog with retailers...

Thanks in advance.


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## try change

Has anyone had any success with using Direct Mail Marketing via a cataloge?


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## stinky12

Great advice by SpotMatrix on page 4, Seems people here are looking for an online magic bullet. 
Can't say there's isn't one but for those of you who have to pay the rent and feed a family full time
here are some of my thoughts:
-Selling one shirt at a time starting out is a *%@! so the idea is to make quantity sales with a 
decent profit per shirt....right!
To do this you need to be able to create artwork that appeals to the customer standing in front
of you (by the way I'm no artist) because artwork sells shirts to who ever you choose or chooses you as your market.
-Secondly, the sexy effects and complicated printing processes will only garner higher customer prices which will reduce the quantity people will want to buy, so this is not a great idea for creating a dependable profit margin.
-Thirdly, you want to sell to people who will probably need more of the same or modified artwork design
at a later date (ie: next year, next event, etc...) This will build a repeat customer which is the point of being
in business. 
I would shoot myself if I had to look for new customers to sustain even my modest existence everytime I wanted
a new sale.

Now, I'm sure this is not very sexy but for those that need it I hope this helps... This is the meat and potatoes of
basic printing business for income if that's what you're after.

My 5 best ways to market:
Earnest Prayer
Word of mouth
Artwork
Great service
Hard work


God bless you!


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## dsmithhi

authenticboricua said:


> beware of facebook, they frown upon "businesses" advertising.


 
Facebook- Perhaps set up a business Facebook page and post events...like some cool shirt you designed for a specific event. You A) help the event and B) market your shirt & other stuff at the same time.


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## Dante2004

AustinJeff said:


> Have you used Facebook? I'm getting ready to give it a try and am looking for some feedback.


This sounds funny. The post was from 2007...so in context, it makes sense. But reading it today...lol

They were going to experiement and "try" facebook as an alternative to myspace.

Today...what is myspace?!?


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## TRENZZA

1. Social Media
2. Sponsorship
3. Acquire a marketing list of potential boutiques & retail stores
4. Website (SEO & PPC)
5. Events & Tradeshows


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## dkae

authenticboricua said:


> Any other blogs out there?


i am the trend is one i've been liking lately...


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## angi0916

1. Wearing Them
2. Word of Mouth
3. Direct Mail
4. Facebook
5. MySpace


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## WholesalePrint

Quality will always we number one


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## starchild

WholesalePrint said:


> Quality will always we number one


How do we interpret quality on the internet?

This interpretation is dictated by our marketing message.


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## Savant23

What exactly do you mean by press releases? Sorry if its a dumb question, i tend to overthink things lol


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## WholesalePrint

Maerketing is alwys essential but quality is priceless. For example we don't really advertise but last week a woman call from Denver cause her screenprinter brother in law from alaskd. Recommended us . That being said we don't have customers in in Alaska.


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## KalistR

We primarily use Facebook...the rate of growth of our fan base is coming along pretty good. The advertising tools available allows us to really target in on our market. In fact, I'm posting now because I noticed this topic on Facebook, being that I'm a fan of T-Shirt Forums.com


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## phazenix

My top 5 would be:
1. i use facebook for major online selling.. i think facebook work depend on your target market, fortunately it work here
2. website
3. blackberry messenger and blackberry group 
4. affilate or reseller program.. 
5. discount program


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## chosenmachine

AustinJeff said:


> Have you used Facebook? I'm getting ready to give it a try and am looking for some feedback.


thats funny reading that statement now in 2010


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## GN

AustinJeff said:


> Have you used Facebook? I'm getting ready to give it a try and am looking for some feedback.


I am from the future and Yes, I would say facebook is essential


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## Jfny

Dont spam.. no one likes spamming. Cheapens your product.


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## thetrillest

GN said:


> I am from the future and Yes, I would say facebook is essential


hahaha if you would have only said that 4 yrs ago....


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## Paperplates

A great marketing campaign consist of a balanced level of three major sources in today's age:

1. Word to Mouth
2. Internet Presence
3. Brand Strength. 

All three should be stirred and mixed to have a successful campaign. 

ps-Don't be afraid of change


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## TatteredTees

you do have to watch out i used there create an add and recieve 50.00 credit and what they failed to tell you is once you hit the buttonb to start creating an add it creates it doesnt give you the option to confirm what youre creating and to me it looked like they charge 10.00 per add created. so me being new to it i accidently created 3 adds before i got my final add all together and loaded onto fb. so needless to say out of the 50.00 i used 40 of it on creating 3 dummy adds i didnt know was there and didnt realize they were there till i got a payment out of my account for 30 dollars and i did research and it showed that 2 of the adds were being clicked on and ya. but other than that i ran it for 5 days and about 400 people seen the my add went to my page and liked it or whatnot but the thing with fb is do people know they can trust you if they send you payment. i got 4 sales for custom work and future service orders but that also came from spamming facebook as well. hope this is some insight for you and not just me rambling on


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## Epic Media

Anyone else tried kickstarter??? 

look a this !Monstros Apparel by Justin — Kickstarter


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## TatteredTees

Is that the one where people pledge for you and you have to meet a certain goal to get the money??


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## DNR Clothing

Face has been good to us really,about 60% of our sales come from facebook, and we use facebook ads as well.


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## STZREEK

How do you market on myspace?


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## ryan barker

you don't. 

anyone trying out google+? 

maybe i missed it, but how exactly does one go about marketing on FB? i see things like, '60% of our sales are from FB,' but that doesn't tell me anything....


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## addapparel

teamspacepirate said:


> Craigslist is a great way to get your shirts out locally


How did you us CL as in what section how did you word it and what not I tried this but my ad was taken down. Thanks


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## mindhippy

I dont know if this is something people use..but what about a street team? Essentially they will just aiding in more traditional promotional ways... But if you start a team, even composed of friends in different areas (states or perhaps countries), if they are in your target market they can get customers. I've heard of some people using celebrities, like getting them to wear the shirt and taking a pic, then featuring it on their site. Maybe even your "neighborhood" celebrity. (But I can see how that can backfire)

Lastly, fashion shows, or if your an artist...try to get featured in an art gallery because if many people like your art you can probably get them to buy your shirts.


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## dotcom

ryan barker said:


> anyone trying out google+?


I love Googe+. I have already seen a huge increase in interaction on Google+.


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## besquared

honestly i been struggling with correct marketing for my brand. i have already made a decision not to spam or solicit facebook or twitter. i have seen other shirt brands do that, and people are smarter than that now. you have to take a moment and understand if you were to see a different brand advertise "hey follow me on twitter" or "check out my website" how incline are you to do just that? this approach becomes 1 dimensional, getting hits for the sake of getting hits, but it builds no strong fan base. i had to think outside the box and understood what would peek my interest if i saw it.
i created a campaign project that involved all of my local friends, to turn them into my models, and my online street team that was launched on 01/01/2012. i created a huge presence in parts of bay area because it was something different and new. and even to people who saw my brand for the first time, the project seemed very involved, verse a standard "follow me" status updates
the details i have for my campaign at my side Be Squared Clothing (blog 01/23/12) --- and you could see all of the pictures that were uploaded at Be Squared | Facebook


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## ryan barker

as i see it, the advantage with facebook is it links to your main site and vice versa. FB can be a proxy for a proper blog, too. 

i'm going to check out your links, tony. hope your marketing strategy works! 

i think that's just it ~ you have to understand your market in order to market to them and have effective advertising. for instance, if i was selling sweatshirts to the octogenarian set, i probably wouldn't do it on facebook. that's not to say i wouldn't have a presence there as people will always buy grandma a gift, but grandma herself generally doesn't like to purchase on line, and when she does it's from a store she knows. (besides, grandmas like embroidery on their sweatshirts, and i don't do that, lol.)


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## ryan barker

i really liked your design, i thought the 'b2e _______' was very clever.


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## Yevgeniya

ekyrock1 said:


> I don't understand how the whole Blog thing works for advertising?


Blogs can make you more credible and offer news while showing off your work...Many uses...inset pics, video and get found on searches!


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## epictalentjc

1. A good website, with good images, excellent product descriptions (SEO), with an easy and familiar purchase flow, and with free shipping if possible. https://www.kichink.com/stores/baked-brothers
2. Having an Instagram Business with beautiful pictures, mockups, user generated content, and more than a thousand followers for added business credibility. https://www.instagram.com/thebakedbrothers/
3. Having a Facebook Page account with beautiful pictures, mockups, user generated content, more than a thousand followers, and positive reviews for added credibility. https://www.facebook.com/thebakedbrothers
4. Influencer marketing and partnering with other related business on your niche. https://www.instagram.com/nativo.kush/ 
5. Paid ads, 80% Instagram, 20% Facebook featuring discounts and free shipping special promos.


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## kevincook

1) Google Keyword Ranking
2) Blog
3) AdWords
4) Facebook 
5) Instagram


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