The merchandise for artists –such as musicians, illustrators or photographers– it is a great option to give visibility and attract new followers who become customers. This promotional strategy directly influences anyone’s purchasing decision, whether at an event or in an online store.
Are you an artist and want to promote your work so that more people know you? An alternative to achieve this —with very good results— is the merchandise; a marketing strategy that drives sales for musicians, illustrators or photographers.
If you are looking to monetize your talent, reach new markets and start increasing your income, you have come to the right place. The following guide will give you the basics to successfully promote yourself in the digital world and in any event you have.
Let the journey begin! 😎
What is merchandise?
The merchandise is a marketing strategy that aims to promote products at a point of sale –and outside of it– to increase a brand’s positioning, inventory turnover, and revenue.
Initially, it focused solely on points of sale, but over time it was extended to events and recently, With the birth of new technologies, it came to ecommerce and social networks.
In a nutshell, the merchandise It is a set of techniques that will help you capture potential customers and directly influence people’s purchase decision.
What is the merchandising for?
To understand the importance of merchandise in a brand we can think of a shopping center. In that place, visitors have a large number of options for products and services, but they need motivation to choose between one and the other. That’s where this technique comes in.
Its main objectives are:
- Attract potential customers.
- Position a brand.
- Influencing purchasing decisions.
- Support the launch of a product.
- Know the interests of your customers.
Attract potential customers
If you want to capture the attention of new people, this technique is what you need. Imagine that your band will have a concert with other musicians and there will be people in the audience who have never heard you; if you take promotional items with you –such as t-shirts or pins– and you place them strategically at the event –with good lighting and bright colors–, they will automatically come to meet you.
Position a brand
Do not forget that in addition to being an artist, you are also a brand. If you are looking to gain ground against other people who do the same as you, work on a strategy merchandise striking that brings you closer to your followers and customers.
Influencing purchase decisions
To explain this point, let’s think of a hypermarket like El Palacio de Hierro. Here, visitors have a range of possibilities to choose similar products, but if they receive relevant information about a product or find it located in a specific place –thanks to the merchandise–the chances of choosing one in particular increase.
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Support a product launch
Continuing with the story of a musical group, Let’s take a discus throw as an example. To spread it, a great alternative is to have promotional merchandise with the cover of the new material or a special edition with a single; This way you will attract attention and have the possibility of having more sales during the premiere.
Know the interests of your customers
There is no better way to get to know your customers and have a lasting relationship with them than with the merchandise. With this technique you will give it the importance it deserves and you will make it feel valued.
Advantages of merchandising for artists
For a musician, illustrator, photographer, etc. can publicize his talent, he must work on a marketing strategy that promotes his talent. Therefore, I share a list with the advantages of merchandise for artists:
- The value of your brand will increase.
- You will have a better relationship with your fans.
- You have the opportunity to increase your income.
- Improve your presence at events
- You can rotate your inventory.
The value of your brand will increase
When you have a greater connection with your followers, your reputation automatically increases. Let’s be honest, you always fondly remember an artist who made you feel special during an event or with one of their items. Good experiences = higher sales.
You will have a better relationship with your fans
The closer you are to them the better. Your fans are the cornerstone of your work. Listen to them, take advantage of the comments you receive during the events and convert all that feedback in a great growth opportunity.
You have the opportunity to increase your income
What everyone is looking for, right? By correctly using this technique and attracting new followers, your income can increase considerably by investing little.
Improve your presence at events
Showing your talent at an event is the most important showcase you have. Lean on merchandising to create a unique experience and be remembered for a long time!
You can rotate your inventory
If you have a piece of work –be it an album, photographs or illustrations– that has been occupying a space in a warehouse for a long time, you can use it as promotional merchandise. You will not need an additional investment and you will free yourself from them.
Types of merchandise
Since you know what he is merchandise, what it is for and the advantages it provides to artists, the time has come to discover the types that exist. I anticipate that this will help you start your imagination so that the promotional ideas flow like water.
- visual merchandising
- digital merchandising
- seduction merchandising
- product merchandising
- Omnichannel merchandising
visual merchandising
Eye love is born. The merchandise Visual refers to the activities used to showcase a product and display all of its features. To achieve this, you can rely on a combination of colors, adequate lighting and even images with a striking design.
💡Tip: warm colors – yellows and reds – arouse the interest of consumers. Use them whenever you can to be more likely to buy from you.
digital merchandising
This type of merchandise It came with the growth of the internet and should not be confused with advertising on social media or Google.
It encompasses all promotional efforts to showcase a product or servicefrom or promotions for a limited time in an online store, to recommendations made by influencers on social networks.
💡Tip: Internet users do not welcome invasive messages. I recommend you be subtle and rely on tools to create specific messages or promotions that highlight the characteristics of your products.
seduction merchandising
The merchandise of seduction can be applied perfectly during an event since the main objective is create an atmosphere in which people feel comfortable and attracted to the products and directly influence their purchase decision.
It is similar to the visual one, with the difference that free product trials or service demonstrations are included here.
product merchandising
This type of merchandising refers to all promotional activities to boost the sale of a product, both in online stores and in traditional points of sale.
As an artist, one of the options to apply this technique is to have an online store with a unique design and striking photos. To achieve this, without the need for advanced technical knowledge, you can rely on platforms such as .
Omnichannel merchandising
The objective of this technique is to offer the same experience in all points of contact with the client (online and physical store) without any distinction.
💡Tip: if you have an event where you can get someone’s email, feel free to do so! This way you can share special promotions or discount codes.
Merchandising: examples for artists
If you got here, you already have a complete panorama on the merchandise and I’m sure you already want to apply it to boost your work.
To help you get inspired, I will share some examples that you can put into practice to capture the attention of many people, from the digital world to the events you have in the coming weeks.
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- Offer t-shirts and sweatshirts at your events.
- Personalize quality items.
- Promote your products on social networks.
- Create a series of collectible items.
- Don’t forget home office accessories.
- Give a sustainable touch to your work.
- Pet gifts always work.
- Stickers, patches and pins to take your brand everywhere.
Create an online store
The first step to boost your talent is to have an online store. This platform, in addition to being a showcase to promote your next events, It will be a great alternative to offer your products easily.
If you think that having one implies a complicated process or that you need to be an expert in programming, I tell you that it is not.
With Tiendanube you can in a few minutes and start selling on the internet without intermediaries; with a simple setup you will be able to receive payments with cards, deposits in convenience stores and make shipments to all of Mexico.
Offer t-shirts and sweatshirts at your events
T-shirts, sweatshirts and even hats are a great option to start spreading your work at events and, of course, in your online store.
If you have a concert at the door, you can have each member of the band wear your designs (just like Iron Maiden) and have someone from your team downstage offering these clothes and other accessories.
Personalize quality items
The key to having a merchandise successful is to offer quality articles. There is no point in customizing an inexpensive shirt that after several uses begins to look old.
Before investing, compare prices and suppliers. It is always good to bet on good quality accessories and prints to convey confidence to your future customers.
Promote your products on social media
Social networks are very important to communicate your talent. To be successful, design a publishing plan focused on reaching the people who can consume your work.
To help you take the first steps in this digital field, we share our website where you will find templates for Instagram, a calendar so that you always have in mind the most important dates of the year, among other very useful materials.
Create a series of collectible items
Collectible items are a great opportunity to increase your sales quickly and create a closer relationship with your audience.
To achieve better results, you can seek an alliance with other entrepreneurs to reach more people or create special lines for certain dates of the year, for…
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