For Promotional T-Shirts, Look for the “Wear Out” Factor
Chances are pretty good that virtually everyone reading this has at least one promotional T-shirt. As consumers, we like them and hang on to our favorites for a long time–and wear them “out and around” frequently. That means that as a business owner you should love them too. Those T-shirts take your brand more places than you or your traditional advertising ever could.
But T-shirts are far from “same old, same old” these days. And today I’m going to talk about some ways to use them that will help ensure your company’s promotional T-shirts become “favorites” for those who receive them.
How Popular Are Promotional T-Shirts?
Well, Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) asked consumers about them in its 2019 Ad Impression Study, and learned some interesting things:
- 80% of consumers own promotional t-shirts
- Promo t-shirts are kept an average of 14 months.
- 63% of consumers keep them for over a year
- 47% keep them for 2 years or longer
A couple of other stats from the survey show why they are popular with businesses.
- A promotional t-shirt will generate 3,400 impressions through its lifetime
- That means if a t-shirt costs $7, the cost-per-impression (CPI) is about 2/10 of a cent
What Makes a Promo T-shirt a “Keeper”?
Easy: comfort, quality, great looks, and a unique, interesting design. And the very best ones don’t spend much time in the drawer. That’s why I’m proud to tell you about Superior’s incredible T-shirt resources. We have more than 2,000 print and promotional partnerships across the United States.
But one of our very favorites is T-shirt Tycoon. Their range of styles, materials, designs and added-value extras help ensure that your promotional T-shirts will stick around, get lots of wear and introduce your business to many new prospects.
5 Terrific Ways to Use Promotional T’s to Tee Up Sales
Check out these unique new twists from our partner, T-Shirt Tycoon, on the “typical’ promotional t-shirt. They’ll make yours anything but.
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Belly Bands
An interesting new add-on for high-end or standard quality t-shirts. Add a custom band that contains a unique “redeemable” promotional offer the leads straight to YOU! Example: “After the game, show this belly band for a FREE TACO at __________.”
It’s a win-win. They get a “keeper” t-shirt, you get a quick promotional payback on the effort. And you both get to enjoy extra fun with the added attention it generates!
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Private Label
That t-shirt label contains a lot of information about the shirt. But with one little twist, it can also say plenty about you, your company and how much you value your prospect. Add a “private” label that displays your company name, logo, etc. instead of the same label thousands of other shirts carry.
It’s the difference between “they bought a ton of these and gave me one” and “they made this for me.” That’s a more personal and engaging thought. Not to mention the fact that they’ll see that company name and appreciate you all over again every time they put it on!
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Butterwash
This isn’t a t-shirt, it’s an experience! One of the options available through our partnership with T-shirt Tycoon is “Butterwash” technology. It enhances the softness of a material by many multiples and makes every garment feel several quality levels higher. The feel alone will make the “go-to” choice when it’s time to get dressed. And that softness will never wash out. But there’s another big benefit.
The “Butterwash” process takes all the shrinkage out. That means the shirt fits great the first time and feels the same way after every wash. Your recipients get softness that stays and a fit that’s forever. Those are the things that matter. (Besides great looks, of course, and you know we take care of that.)
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Semi-Custom Options
But “butterwash” is only one of many different add-ons you can choose to make your promotional t-shirt stand out. Some involve the printing possibilities, and other the garment itself.
Print Techniques. Almost too many to list. Different colors, different places to put them. Foil/metallic, glitter, reflective, wet gel, and glow-in-the-dark. Add touches of embroidery, flocking, leather, 3D effects and more. It’s almost easier to list what we can’t do. (Maybe not – I can’t think of any.)
Garment Alterations. Plenty in this category, too. Think custom stitching, acid and mineral washed, PMS color-matched, and more. Want pockets? Sure – they can be the same color, a different color, printed over, peek-a-boo or color block.
The point is, you don’t have to start from scratch in making your choice, but you have plenty of chances to make your t-shirt truly your own.
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Go Fully Custom
Of course, if you want to start from scratch…we are experienced and comfortable with totally custom projects. That’s where the creativity and marketing impact can really cut loose.
We’ll work with you to make some preliminary decisions on materials, costs and delivery requirements, then help you finalize a design that will jump out of the closet. (That is if your prospect is ever willing to put it away in the first place.)
One Great Way to Get It Done
Work with Superior, of course. With our resources and expertise, we make it easy for you to create the t-shirt that is a perfect match for your business objectives. We can help you set up an online company store to handle the ordering and fulfillment of the t-shirts and any other promotional items. A company store streamlines the process and controls the costs, automatically.
We’ve been doing that for businesses since about 1923. How effective are we? Well, we’ve just earned our fourth consecutive Best of Print and Digital award thanks to pleased customers. And we’re ISO certified. (I’ll wager not too many T-shirt sources can claim that.)
So contact Superior for help in creating an effective promotional t-shirt that will generate the promotional return you’re after. If you want a shirt that will excite your customers and prospects, you need a great trick up your sleeve (or sleeveless): Superior.
