# the marketing stage - starting out



## Adam (Mar 21, 2005)

The marketing stage:

Starting a t-shirt business can be a fun and exciting venture. You can wit your business skills and be creative in the process. There are key fundamentals to starting any business, but what is it specifically that you need to know about becoming a t-shirt vendor?

If you are entering the t-shirt market then I guess you have an idea of what type of t-shirt you want to sell. 

For example, are you looking to sell:
A brand name, funny t-shirts with shocking slogans, t-shirts showcasing your art, one-offs personalised t-shirts, blank t-shirts, or even screen printing fulfilment.

There are many different ways of entering the t-shirt world, and when you do you will need to know who, what and where your market is. Marketing isn’t just about advertising your product, it is also covers the research and development stage of launching.

Marketing is such an important stage of the product life cycle because it is the beginning period to whether you succeed or not. Here is a quick list of things to ask yourself right now:
Product
Price
Place (Distribution)
Promotion

By asking yourself the how’s, what’s, and where’s of the above four points you will understand who your market is. 

You will have a product, and that product will cost x amount to produce then you will add on your profit margin. The price you end up at will determine the market sector you are entering into. Not all prices are going to sell well in any market, this is called market toleration. You do not want to out price yourself in your market. This goes for whether you are entering the low end or the top end market, each will have a point at which price will be the factor when buying or not.

We sell bulk t-shirts and experience economies of scale so can offer low prices, and we have to offer low prices to satisfy our market. However a t-shirt vendor selling art apparel will probably not want to sell cheaply as the price will not only diminish their time and effort but also cast a negative image to the consumer.

Knowing how and where you can distribute your product will also determine your market. If you can only deliver your product locally then you are entering the local market. However for a t-shirt business this is not usually the case, t-shirts can be sent internationally. Companies selling bulk orders may only send nationally because the price of shipping will price themselves outside of the market. So knowing how much and where you want to ship to will help you determine exactly what type of person is going to buy your product.

As you can see we haven’t even begun to speak about advertising your product. A common misconception about marketing is that it is all about advertising, as you can see there is a lot of research and development stages until you can reach the promotion stage. 

Hopefully by now you will have prototyped and finalised your product, chosen the market you want to enter and now be looking to tell people about it.

Knowing what type of market you are entering into is going to depict the best way to promote. If you are selling internationally then the Internet is a great way to start. Not only is it relatively inexpensive you are capturing people from many different cultures, and countries.

If you are selling to the local market you may want to advertise in the Yellow Pages, local paper, shops, etc. You may also want to advertise on your vehicle. I believe I was once quoted that 200 people will see your company name in an hour if you are out of the road. So the potential to spread the word is immense.

There are some great places to advertise a t-shirt business on the Internet. Just do a search for t-shirt advertising on Google and you will find a few. Alternatively Google offer a great way to reach potential customers by using their Adwords product.


----------



## ohmy (Sep 15, 2005)

Hello,

Shouldn't you also consider these points:

1. Is there is a need for your products?

2. How will you differentiate yourself from your competitors?

3. What will you compete on?

Now about this,




Adam said:


> However a t-shirt vendor selling art apparel will probably not want to sell cheaply as the price will not only diminish their time and effort but also cast a negative image to the consumer.


Here, the volume or quantity of products that he can reasonably expect to sell during a given period must be taken into account. And this is what greatly determines his price. 




Thanks for the refresher!


--------------------------------------------------
http://www.towardbetterhealth.com/


----------



## ciskoe (Dec 21, 2005)

dude thanks for the insight on the 4p's. man i got a lotta work ahead of me.
but remember the name ProjectBrainSik


----------



## Rand0mH3r0 (Jun 5, 2007)

what if you are entering into around 4 dif markets at once? example: ghetto shirts, biker shirts, rockers/indies, babies


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Rand0mH3r0 said:


> what if you are entering into around 4 dif markets at once? example: ghetto shirts, biker shirts, rockers/indies, babies


What is your specific question about entering those markets?


----------



## K.runk (Nov 8, 2007)

this thread helped a lot man, thank you.


----------



## maddog9022 (Sep 5, 2006)

Rand0mH3r0 said:


> what if you are entering into around 4 dif markets at once? example: ghetto shirts, biker shirts, rockers/indies, babies


 
what is a ghetto shirt?


----------



## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

maddog9022 said:


> what is a ghetto shirt?


Probably a t-shirt that is designed for the demographic of people who live in in "the ghetto" or who want to be associated with it through the clothing they wear.


----------



## kaner (Mar 10, 2007)

^^ great reply i think it emphasized the stupidity many people have when idolizing and using the word ghetto,


----------



## RegularJOE (Oct 26, 2007)

Rand0mH3r0 said:


> what if you are entering into around 4 dif markets at once? example: ghetto shirts, biker shirts, rockers/indies, babies


 I am also curious about this. We have designs that are for all types of markets. Skaters, boarders, musicians, and all kinds of other types. I was wondering how you can effectively target more than one specific market at a time. I am not sure if I ask the question better or not.


----------



## SeasonEnds (Sep 9, 2007)

RegularJOE said:


> I am also curious about this. We have designs that are for all types of markets. Skaters, boarders, musicians, and all kinds of other types. I was wondering how you can effectively target more than one specific market at a time. I am not sure if I ask the question better or not.


Well, just step back and think about what you are saying. This market is similar to mine, so I understand where you are coming from. Skaters, boarders, musicians all generally enjoy music. Just go to some punk, rock, or hardcore shows and start giving out flyers, stickers, shirts etc. Get a few good boarders or musicians to wear your clothes. (I don't mean sponsor them) Go to skate shops, guitar center, etc. Go on tour with bands! Find something that everyone in your market likes.


----------

