3 Promotional Tactics for Selling More Band Merch Online

Social media can help you boost sales of online merch, but there's more to marketing your shop than you might guess. Treating your online store more like any other online retailer by using promotional tactics could boost your profits – and the popularity of your shop in general. We've outlined three basic, tried-and-true strategies for online merch sales below. Once implemented, share them on social media. And, of course, as with any sort of discount, be sure to factor in the cost of production to make sure you're not losing money. Consider shipping, too!

1. Timely discounts

The holidays are a given, right? Don't forget to consider specific items for other sales as well, though. If you've got totes, why not offer a back-to-school discount throughout August? Tanks and lightweight T-shirts could be included in a summer special, and hoodies and beanies could work for a January post-holiday deal.

2. Limited-run and online-only specialty items

Music fans are also often fans of collectibles, so highlighting the exclusivity of an item could make it extra enticing for some. You could designate certain items as online only, stressing their limited availability and offering them only through your shop. Tour posters and vinyl test pressings are ideal for this scenario. If you want to go the extra mile, partner with an artist for a small (read: exclusive!) batch of T-shirts or posters. Extra points if the artist has a strong following, of course.

3. Bundles and buy-one-get-one-free deals

Packaging several items together – a seven-inch, T-shirt, and a button, for example – is a great way to offer a slight discount and move inventory faster. Offering a free EP or other lower-cost item with the purchase of a pricier item like an LP also encourages shoppers to load up their virtual carts instead of buying just one item.

[via SonicBids]