Selling Your Own Merchandise - How to Monetise Your Reach

Selling merchandise as an influencer

Alongside advertising revenue, merchandise is the biggest source of income on social media. It gives users the chance to associate themselves with particular channels or personalities, while at the same time supporting that person financially. Merchandising is becoming increasingly popular, especially for influencers on social media, and it is a great way to generate more income. The foundation for this is often print-on-demand providers, where motifs are submitted and then produced and shipped on demand. In this blog post you will learn how you can design and sell your own merchandise.

Who is it suitable for?

Creating your own merch is worthwhile once you have built up a certain reach online. Whether you are a YouTuber, streamer, or general influencer, as soon as you are in contact with other users and have built up a certain fan base, an investment in merchandising can pay off. At the latest, when the first followers approach you and ask for T-shirts or mugs, you should start thinking about your own online shop.

In the beginning, it only takes a little time to design motifs and upload them to the relevant providers. If you already have a logo that is associated with you and your brand, that is a good start for selling merchandise.

Why is it worthwhile?

There are many advantages to designing your own merch and selling it to your existing followers or fans. Even if you only have a small community, you still have a large number of potential buyers at your disposal, who first and foremost generate income and make you more independent of other sources of revenue.

At the same time, however, merchandising is also a clever and indirect form of advertising. As an influencer, you have probably built up your own brand and want to keep growing your fan base. Most people rely on the algorithm of the particular platform they are active on. But it does not have to stop there - there are many creative ways to advertise. The advantage of merch is that it is actively used and attracts the attention of many people in everyday life. If, for example, one of your followers wears a T-shirt with your logo, others will see it in public and might even search for your account.

Why sell your own merchandise products?

The advantages here are obvious, and from a certain reach onwards you should definitely make use of them to expand your sources of income.

Earning money: No matter how big or small a company is, merch is a major source of income for businesses. After a while, fans of a brand also like to identify with it. That is why merch is so effective. What's more, with print on demand you barely have to invest any money to see results. Your only expenses are the production costs of the products sold. You only pay these once you have already made sales, because the products are only produced once an order comes in.

Increasing awareness: Whether T-shirts, bags, or coffee mugs, merch is a great way to advertise indirectly. Well-crafted and eye-catching logos in particular draw the attention of others. The demand for products also rises with the growing number of fans.

Strengthening the bond with your community: Your fans can identify better with merch and, in most cases, also want to support you financially. This gives them something in return, and through the merch they might even come into contact with other followers of yours.

How to create your own products

The idea of merchandising sounds very appealing, but how much effort does it actually involve for you? With the right planning, this process is surprisingly easy to set up, and you have very little to take care of. With this short step-by-step guide, it should be no problem at all.

1. Create designs: First you need to create designs for a shop, which will later be displayed on the respective products. Here you can give your creativity free rein - perhaps you already have a logo or a lettering you can use. Otherwise, get to grips with image editing yourself or work with an artist, and design the right artwork for your channel or your niche.

2. Build an online shop: You can easily create your own online shop via Shopify and get support from print on demand services like MarketPrint. Specialists are on hand to help you with advice and support and to assist you in setting up your online shop. Make sure the products are of good quality and that there is smooth cooperation between you and your print-on-demand partner. Your designs can then simply be uploaded and printed onto the products.

3. Promote products online: Once the shop is set up, you need to make your followers aware of it. Make various promotional posts and wear your merch yourself, so that your fans get a feel for the design and the comfort.

4. Orders and shipping: Your followers will now hopefully buy some of your products. Your print-on-demand provider takes care of their production and shipping. You don't have to lift a finger here yourself. Your earnings are then offset against the production costs, and you receive a corresponding payout.

Why does it make sense to do POD merch?

Many influencers fall back on print on demand when creating merch. The model offers many advantages and is the best way to get started earning money by selling your own products.

No warehouse needed: One of the great advantages of POD is that you don't need a warehouse yourself. Your provider takes care of storage and the production of the products, so you don't have to rent a hall or store the products in your own home until someone buys them.

Low risk: Financially, POD is the optimal solution. Products are only manufactured once someone actually buys them. So you are not sitting on the stock of a bulk order, but simply wait until someone shows interest in your merch. This not only saves money but is also environmentally friendly and sustainable.

Low effort: Since your POD partner takes care of fulfilment - namely production, packaging, and shipping - you yourself have comparatively little effort. You only need to take care of creating the designs and advertising on your own channels, so that your fans can find your online shop. You do pay a corresponding fee for production, but you have considerably less stress and can continue to focus on your actual work.

Conclusion

Selling your own merchandise offers a lucrative way to monetise your reach on social media. That is why merchandising is becoming increasingly popular, especially among influencers. With the support of a print-on-demand provider like MarketPrint, getting started selling merchandise items is easy, fast, and risk-free.

Get more information here about selling merchandise with MarketPrint!