Merchandise businesses are getting more and more in-demand these days. With people being more fanatical about certain stuff or niche, it can be a profitable way to earn money without having to capitalize a lot of money. If you have a knack for designing and you also have some sort of an inclination toward music, you can consider starting a music-themed merchandise business.
How To Get Started
One of the challenges that startups encounter when building a merch business is deciding on what their target product or niche will be. But since you’ve already decided that you’re going for a music-themed market, you might just be one step ahead and you can now focus more on other essential steps in setting it up.
Here are the other essential steps to take when starting your own music-themed merch business:
- Find A Supplier
For small businesses that don’t intend to take out loans or big investments for their brand, you can venture into a print-on-demand strategy in the merch business. In this process, you’ll work with a supplier instead of creating and manufacturing all the products on your own. You’re bypassing not only the investment but also the time in making the products and more importantly, the risks involved when running a business.
Your print-on-demand supplier will take care of printing all the merch that you’ll be offering to your customers. Customized products are available in a wide variety, ranging from t-shirts to tote bags, hats, mugs, hoodies, sweatshirts, and more. You get to design your own merch and have them printed through the supplier. Most print-on-demand services don’t have a minimum number of purchases so you don’t need to worry if you’re thinking of doing a pre-order basis where you don’t place an order unless there’s a confirmed buyer for it.
You can check out more ideas here if you’re looking for a print-on-demand supplier for your merch business, particularly t-shirts.
- Make A List Of Your Target Products
What type of merch will you be selling? Since you have music-themed products in mind, you need to make a list of what kind of products will you be offering in your business. Do you already know what items will be easier to market? Or do you plan on offering a variety of everything to eventually identify which of them will be getting a stronger audience?
The decision will be entirely up to you. If you’ve decided to go for a print-on-demand service, that’s even better because you won’t have to invest a large capital just so you can offer different products.
- Create Or Decide On Your Brand Logo
Even if you’re just a new and small online business, your brand will look more professional if you have a logo for all your products. If you have a background or some knowledge about designing and creating a logo, you can go ahead and create one for your business. Just keep in mind that since you’ll be offering music-themed merchandise, you may also want to incorporate that when coming up with a brand logo.
Think of a color palette that you want to dominantly appear in your logo and possibly in all your products, as well. If you don’t have a business name yet, this is also the time to pick one. Make sure the brand name and the logo will both have a certain ring to them to make them stand out from other brands and logos of the same business type.
- Get A Professional Website
You’ll also need to have a professional website where customers can directly place their orders and pay for them. Aside from having a platform to sell your merch, a website can also play an essential role in building brand awareness through content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO). A webpage also eliminates unnecessary waiting on your buyers’ end. It’s more practical than ordering via a social media business page wherein you’ll need to manually process everything including the details of their orders and payment.
- Be Visible And Relevant
Having a website for your brand isn’t enough—you also need to ramp up your online relevance and visibility. Create a business page on social media platforms where you can communicate and engage with your audience. Whenever you post something, may it be a photo, a video, or a simple announcement, make sure to use catchy captions and a friendly tone to set the mood. Each time a fan or a follower of your page comments on any of your posts, take time to reply and let them know that you’re always monitoring the account. That way, they’ll know that you’re active and very eager to answer their inquiries.
- Set Up Flexible And Secure Payment Methods
With the rise of e-commerce, consumers have also modified the way they pay for goods. You need to adapt to such modifications in a way that your buyers will feel confident knowing that their orders can be processed and paid without too much hassle on their part. You have to stay updated on what payment modes are more preferred by the majority of your customers. Consider setting up diverse payment methods in the forms of credit and debit cards, digital wallets such as PayPal, and even cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
- Stay True To Your Chosen Theme Or Niche
The moment your business starts picking up and building its own fan base, your customers expect you to be stable and to continue offering music-themed merchandise. Keep in mind that this is what they’ve come to know your brand for. If you’re thinking of adding new products or switching to another niche or product type, think twice first and weigh the pros and cons. There’s nothing wrong with adding versatility to your brand as long as your loyal customers are aware and ready for it.
Conclusion
Setting up a music-themed merchandise business can be less arduous than you may think it is. The key is to know the essential steps to take to make sure that the process will be more seamless and that there’ll be more room for profit even when you don’t have a lot of starting capital to work around with.
To get you started, find a reliable supplier that can provide you with the items you want to offer. Of course, you have to identify which type of products will make the cut for your business. You’ll also need to have your brand logo, a professional website, and establish a strong online presence. Don’t forget to set up flexible and secure payment options. Lastly, be consistent with the theme you’re offering so as to build a more loyal customer base.
