A 4 tip guide on How to Get More Customers for Your Screen Printing & DTG Printing Business.
Attracting more customers for your screen printing and direct-to-garment (DTG) printing business might just be one of the most important things for you. Expanding your customer base and getting new customers is how you grow your business, and who wouldn't want that? By attracting new customers, you are bringing in new lifeblood for your printing business. Since winning more customers is so important, here are four (4) business tips that all screen printers and DTG printers can use as a guide as a way to attracting new customers.
1. Review Your Website Periodically
Having a website is an absolute necessity. Chances are you already have a website. If not, stop whatever you are doing and make one right now. There are a lot of website design companies that can help you make a great looking website. At a minimum, your website should describe the items you sell, provide your location and a way to get a hold of you. Make sure to list your email and a phone number. Do you offer your customers the choice to text you? If so, let them know. People are becoming more comfortable with texting for business purposes. If that is how your customers want to communicate, let them.
Potential customers also like to know who and what is behind the scenes, so try adding an About Us page to humanize your company. Let them know why you got into garment printing, how you operate and what your core values as a company are. People can get shirts printed anywhere, tell a compelling story about why they should choose you instead of the competition.
Assuming you already have a website, when was the last time it was updated? If you cannot remember, it is time for a refresh. Try adding more information, new pictures, or even an updated listing if you offer more services now. Do not forget about the ancillary items you offer, like heat applied vinyl, sublimation, or face mask printing. Keeping your website up to date is a great way to let customers know all the things you can provide them.
2. Talk to ALL of Your Contacts
The best customers and most loyal fans are likely those you personally know and have a relationship with. This can be anyone with shared interests or with whom you do group activities. Reach out to family members, teammates, former co-workers, members of your church. You should feel comfortable reaching out to them. Since you already share a connection, it will not be an awkward thing. If you haven’t talked to them in a little while, this is a great way to re-connect, catch up and let them know about your printing business.
Outreach can also include social media. Post on FaceBook, Instagram and any other platform you use. People follow you because they want to know what is going on in your life, so let them know. Chances are they will want to support you. And if they don’t have any immediate needs, your friends always act as the best reference.
This might be a good time to start an emailing list. Add an option to your website to sign up for a list where they can get updates on any new products your are selling, or a sale you might be promoting. Sometimes, prospects who are not ready to buy something, but are interested for a future purchase might join that list. This is an oppertune way to keep them interested in you by sending email marketing campagins to them.
3. Get More Reviews
Speaking of referrals, try and improve your reviews online. Potential customers are crowd sourcing and looking at what others say online is usually the first step. Get everyone you know to leave you good reviews on popular review sites like Google, FaceBook and Yelp. This will help increase your web presence. Plus, people like knowing that others had a positive experience with you. Encourage all of your current customers to give you a 5-star review. Simply start asking those who you have recently done a job for if they wouldn't mind sharing their experience with others.
4. Try Paid Advertising
Getting more customers directly relates to how many people know about you. You will notice that the previous tips all relate to increasing awareness of your screen printing and DTG business. While those steps are free, they also mainly rely on others. If you really want to get your business promoted, think about paid advertising.
There are many different ways to advertise your shop. Should you do a print ad in a local newspaper or magazine? What about a FaceBook or Instagram ad? Should you invest in Google Ads? There are a lot of different choices. Figuring out which one makes the most sense for you depends on the clients you are trying to reach. Think about where your potential customers are looking? If they are using social media, try that. If you think there are a lot of potential customers reading a weekly local newspaper, try there.
Since advertising can be expensive, you should think about how to get the most return for your money. As you plan your budget, think about how much you are willing to spend to get a customer. For example, if a FaceBook advertisement costs $100 and you attract 2 new customers, it “costs” you $50 to get each of those customers. Determining whether that was worth it or not depends on many different factors, including your profit margins, items you sold them and whether they will be a repeat customer.
In Conclusion
Using these four tips will help you get more customers by expanding who knows about you. Having a strong online presence will help ensure they find you. Once they do, your positive reviews and word of mouth references will provide your customers with confidence that your shop is the best choice for them. What are you waiting for? Get started on growing your business.
