Printful Presents

How toLaunch

Your T-shirtStore

We took the confusion outand turned it into a few,

easy, step-by-step portions.

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The Bare Essentials of Launching Your OnlineStore

How to Add Products and Make them LookAwesome

How to Make your First Sale

The Basics of Social Media Marketing

How to Stay Motivated as an Online Store Owner

Moving Past the Basics of Ecommerce

What are you waiting for?

Table of Contents-

Congrats!

You've made the decision to build your side hustle and get an online t-shirtbrand going.

That's awesome! We're going to help you through the process of creatingand launching your online store, from the very beginning.

We'll be going over the bare essentials of getting a store up and running.

You could tweak your store endlessly before you could consider it “perfect".We're here to tell you that it doesn't have to be perfect to be launched - ithas to be functional.

The Bare Essentials ofLaunching Your OnlineStoreHere you'll discover how to create a sellable design, print files, anecommerce platform and payment gateways.

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Because in reality, you only need 3 things to launch your online store:

A design for your apparelThe store itselfA way to accept payments

So let's go ahead and take a closer look at each of these.

1. A design for your productYou'll agree that it makes sense to have this as the starting point, as the

idea for your design is the fundamental building block to your entire online

store.

It will set the mood, define your audience, determine your direction andyour theme. To decide on your design, you should be asking yourself thesequestions:

Who is going to be interested in this design?Will the target market want to pay for this?What is your added value?How are you different from your competitors?

That being said, you don't have to reinvent the wheel, you just have to makeit a bit better, a bit more interesting, slightly different...you get the idea.

There are plenty of things you can create that sell great online. Take a lookat these examples:

Oh hello, sugar!

"Oh hello, sugar!" does a great job at offering quirky, fun designs in a simpleway.

If you take a look at the rest of their designs, you'll see that they're acombination of typography and simple visuals, just the thing you'd like tosee on your daily cup of coffee.

Why it works: it speaks to people and says truths out loud that are spot-on.

In addition to being a great message that speaks to people, mostimportantly it's simple. It's not a crazy design, and you don't need to haveincredible design skills to make something like this come true.

Startup Vitamins

An ecommerce store that sells inspiring business quotes geared towardsentrepreneurs. With bite-sized tidbits of inspiration, these posters havebecome a hit in many startup offices. Everyone loves quotes, especiallynicely designed ones.

Why it works: it inspires entrepreneurs who are always looking for businessadvice.

Turning the idea into a print file

Once you have an idea for your design, you need to put it together in aprintable format - this we call a print file. In order for your design to beprinted, you have to submit the image itself in the correct dimensions andmatching the guidelines. Guidelines for each product can be found undereach product name and under the “Guidelines" tab of the Products &Pricing section.

Tools to create print files yourself

The most popular tools to create print files hands down are AdobePhotoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Though both come at a pretty fee, and notalways is viable for someone just getting their hands wet with design andecommerce.

If this is the route you've decided to go, make sure not to miss our Youtubevideos of Printful tutorials on how to edit print files in Photoshop andIllustrator.

Luckily, there are alternative platforms that are free to use and do the samebasic things:

GIMP - open source and a program you download, available on Mac,Windows, LinuxPixlr - an image editor that you can use in your browser

Tools to get help creating print files

If you want to hand it over to a professional, there are plenty of places youcan look. Here are a few of them:

Freelancer - describe your job and designers from around the world willbegin to offer you their prices.Fiverr - find a designer whose aesthetic matches yours and book themfor a gig. Keep in mind - as my mother has always said, you get what youpay for.99designs - describe the task, write how much you're willing to pay for it,and designers will upload their custom designs for you. Whichever youchoose gets the money.Printful Design services - you can request Printful's in-house designers toput together your design for you. The benefit of this is knowing that yourprint files will always match the guidelines perfectly.

Creating mockup images

Once you've got your design and your print file, you'll want to place it on aproduct so that you can put the image in your website to show people whatit'll look like.

Printful mockup images - download blank mockup images to which youcan add your design, usually done through Photoshop or IllustratorPrintful's mockup generator - easy to use, just upload your design andyou've got it!

Sample orders - create your own product images by ordering samples (at20% off with free shipping)Printful Ecommerce photography - we'll print your product, take photosin our studio, send you the images digitally and your printed products inthe mail.

There are many external resources that can also help you with findingdifferent blank mockup images. Check out A Better Lemonade Stand'scomprehensive list of the best t-shirt and mockup generators if you'relooking for more options.

2. The storeOnce you've got your design and print file ready, you have to set up yourdigital real estate. Setting up a store will allow people to find you and makeorders, which can then be automatically printed and shipped by Printful.

Choosing your platformThere are many ecommerce platforms to choose from. We suggest usingone of the more popular ones that also integrate with Printful seamlessly.Here's a full list of the pro's and con's of all of the Printful platforms.

There are a few elements to take into consideration when you're choosingyour platform, like whether or not you want to have a platform with amonthly fee, if you would rather have a free platform, but manage thingslike hosting yourself (which is another expense altogether).

In short, to set up as fast as possible, you'll want to choose a hosted option,one that doesn't require a personal server.

Other platforms would require your own hosting, which, though may resultin a smaller monthly cost, you'd still have to deal with additional techelements as well as paying for the hosting service in itself.

Using your own domain

The majority of ecommerce platforms will give you a free domain name, likewww.mystore.bigcartel.com. If you want to personalize your store, you'llhave to buy a domain. When you buy a domain, you buy the access to it fora certain period of time, usually a minimum of 1 year. You can then attachthat domain to your store (each platform will have its own process, you'llcertainly be able to find it in the FAQ).

Places you can buy a domain:

SedoGoDaddyNameCheap

Other platforms will let you buy a domain name within the platform itself,such as Wordpress.

To .com or to be creative?

As more and more websites surface every day, the more the domain namesare taken. If you're vying for a .com name, you might need to get creative,as most one-word domains are unavailable. You can also choose to endyour domain with .io, .biz, .info and so many more. There have been plentyof services that have been successful without the .com ending,(https://www.intercom.com/, http://media.io/, http://bit.ly).

Though this is a personal decision, for a first-timer it may be beneficial toopt for a .com domain. It will increase the chance of people finding yourstore, as all they'd have to do is remember the name. Otherwise, you'd haveto have very strong marketing in order to engrain the non-traditionaldomain ending.

3. Payment GatewaysIt's possible the ecommerce platform you choose will already have its ownpayment processor built in (for example Shopify stores come with Paypal ifyou're in the USA or Canada, or Shopify Payments if you're in Canada). Ifnot, easily the fastest setup is done with Paypal for Business, which lets youaccept both Paypal and Credit/Debit cards. You can check which paymentgateways are accessible in which country, check out this concise page theShopify made with payment gateways by country.

Popular payment gateways include:

StripePaypalBraintree

Note: It's very important to test your payment gateway when it's been setup. If it turns out you're unable to make payments, then there was no pointin launching the store! You can always cancel a payment, so don't worryabout making tests.

Bonus: A Printful ConnectionThe last step to getting your store up and running with Printful is byhooking it all up. If you're using one of the platforms that Prinful integrateswith, all you have to do is click on Connect" under the platform when you goto your Printful “Stores" section. You'll have to create a Printful account todo that.

If you're using Shopify, WooCommerce, Storenvy, BigCommerce, Tictail,Ecwid, Amazon, Etsy, or Weebly, we suggest you use the "Add" function topublish products directly to your store. Go to Stores and then click "Add",you'll be prompted to choose the product you want to sell, upload yourprint file, and then publish it directly to your store.

If you're using any other platform that Printful integrates with, you'll have tosync the different products in order to connect them and make sure thatorders that are made on your online store go through to Printful.

First, add the products you want to sell on your online store. Then go tothe Printful Stores->Connect section and connect your store.You'll then see all of the products that you had added to your store inyour Printful page. Sync each product by uploading the print file andchoosing which size/model/color of product you want the design printedon.

Your store is now up and running!With these four steps you've successfully created a basic online store,

congrats! In the upcoming chapters we'll be going over different elementsthat will help you launch your store into success mode.

Now that you have your store up and running, we'll walk you through howto fine-tune it, starting with your products. In this second chapter of ourbook, you'll learn how to add products to your store and make them lookawesome.

1. How to Add Products to Your StoreThe process of adding products to your store is different with everyplatform. For more information about how Printful integrates with each ofthe platforms, check out this Printful YouTube playlist.

Shopify, WooCommerce, Storenvy, BigCommerce,Tictail, Ecwid, Weebly, EtsyThese platforms have a product generator that pushes new productsstraight to your store. Which means that instead of adding new products toyour store manually and then syncing them all with Printful, you can log in

How to Add Products andMake them Look Awesome

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to your Printful account and create products that are automatically addedto your store.

This is how it works:1. Go to “Stores" in your dashboard and click “Add." You'll be promptedwith a box that looks like this:

2. Click on the product you want to add, and choose the specific model.

3. Upload your print file, and select your color and size variants (you canpick several at a time). You can also adjust the size and placement of yourgraphic.

4. When you're satisfied with how it looks, click the button “Proceed tomockups" to pick which file format you'd like to upload for your mockupimage. Next, click "Proceed to description"

5. On the Description page, edit your product name and description (moreon that later), and click "Proceed to pricing".

6. Decide on your retail price and profit, and once you're satisfied, publishthe product to your store!

AmazonAlthough adding products to your Amazon store happens through Printful’spush generator, this advanced and technically dense integration will requiremore input from you than the integrations discussed above. When addingproducts, you’ll need to take into account a set of rules and guidelines onAmazon’s side.

For a step-by-step guide of pushing products to your Amazon store, watchthis YouTube tutorial and make sure to read this blog post on the key thingsto bear in mind when integrating your Amazon account with Printful.

Gumroad, Big CartelYou'll have to add the products to your store first and then manually syncthem with Printful. It's a bit different for every platform, but these are themain steps:

1. Connect your store with Printful if you haven't already.

2. Add a product through your store's platform.

3. On Printful, go to Stores -> Sync. If you don't see any products on thatpage, then hit refresh.

4. Click the "Edit" button. This is where you'll select the product and uploadthe print file and mockup for each variant (size, color)

5. Since it can be time consuming syncing products with a lot of variants,you can opt to sync as orders come in. So, when an order comes in for aproduct that isn't synced yet, it'll go on hold until you sync it.

ShipStationThis is a third party app that lets you integrate with platforms that don'tintegrate directly with Printful, such as eBay and Squarespace. It’sessentially a middleman between Printful and the platform you’ve chosen.You’ll be adding products to your storefront and manually syncing them asorders roll in from ShipStation.

Maintaining your store via ShipStation will require a bit of technical know-

how. You can read more about setting up ShipStation here.

And there you have it! Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for ourother video tutorials with even more detailed step-by-step instructions.

Extra resources:Check out your platform's FAQ section where you'll find specific info onhow to set up products.If you're still not confident about adding new products, you can alwaysget in touch with our customer service team and let them help you solveyour problems. Shoot them an email or start a chat.Post a question on our Printful Insiders Facebook group. Other Printfulusers have probably had the same questions and experiences, and theycan help!Want to expand your store with non-Printful products and keep all yourbusiness in one place? Check out our Warehousing & Fulfillment service!

2. How to Create Awesome Product PhotosIt's not enough to post your products and leave it at that – you have to sellthem to your customers who don't get to see your cool stuff in person. It'syour job to show them through awesome product photos and descriptions.

Our mockup generator is a useful tool not only for us to better understandhow you want your product to look, but also to show your customers howyour product looks.

However, good product photos are critical, and you need to go beyond abasic mockup photo.

Airbnb started offering professional photos of their bookings. The results?Properties with high-quality photos get twice as many bookings and bringin an average of $1,025 per month. Part of this is of course the addedsecurity, knowing that an Airbnb photographer has checked the place out.But, part of it is the photography.

The same goes for stuff you're selling on the internet.

So, here are some basics of product photography.

1. Use action shots: this is applicable to apparel products. It's good to showsimple, photos of just the clothing, but try to include a few of how theyactually look on real people. It gives a better idea of how the product fits,and creates a visual of what your customers expect to see for themselves.Here's how Startup Vitamins does it:

If you have multiple apparel products, you can create a styled productphoto. Give some other style tips for wearing your product, and addexamples of looks that customers will want to emulate.

2. Use a simple background: you want your product to be the main focus,not everything going on around it. If you're taking product shots, werecommend a white background. It's safe and simple, and with the rightlighting, camera settings, and a touch of editing, it's relatively easy to makeit look professional.

That's not to say you can't have any other background. Sometimes anornate, staged backdrop helps tell the story of your product and yourcustomers can see themselves in the photo. These are a couple of theproduct shots for dishware at CB2 with beautifully staged tables.

3. Zoom in: is there a particular detail you want to draw attention to?Include a zoomed in photo of it. This gives your customers a better idea ofhow your product looks, and it shows off intricate details of your design.

Extra resources:This Shopify guide has everything you need to know if you want to DIYyour product photos. You'll find tips on how to set up a background,which camera settings to use, how to edit photos, and more.If you'd rather leave it to a pro, Printful's Ecommerce Photography teamcan snap high-res shots of your products and send them to you, ready toupload to your store.

3. How to Write Awesome ProductDescriptionsSo, you're showing your products in their best light and giving yourcustomers a clear visual of what they're looking at. Now you need to usekiller copy to persuade customers to hit that “buy" button.

Product descriptions are also important to create your brand's voice andtone. All of your messaging, from landing pages, to emails, to productdescriptions, sets the tone for your brand's personality. How do you want tocommunicate with customers? Are you funny and playful, or more seriousand to the point?

It'll take some time, practice, and testing to write killer product descriptions,but here are a few tips to get started.

1. Be specific: include a size guide with measurements to help customersdecide on which size they need to buy. What kind of fabric is it made outof? If you're selling a poster, what kind of paper is it? You want to includesome practical details to help your customers learn more about what theywant to buy.

2. Be creative: while you should include informative details about yourproducts, you shouldn't be boring. Veer away from generic write ups andget creative. Instead of flat-out writing that your product is “high-quality,"describe the reasons why. The fact that it's high-quality is implied.

This example from David's Tea doesn't directly say this blend is delicious.Instead, it describes the taste using decadent words that evoke tons ofimagery and taste.

3. Be aware of your audience: who are you writing for and what kind oflanguage appeals to them? Never forget the customer journey – putyourself in their shoes and figure out what you need to tell them to makethem buy your stuff.

4. Tell your story: do you have a story behind your product? Share it in thedescription. It adds more personality and a human element to your store.Take this example from vainags.com – it sells apparel with the design of atraditional Latvian headdress and the product description talks about itshistory.

5. Use keywords: this will help people find you on search engines. Whatkeywords would people most likely use to find your products? For example,a search for “Men's short sleeve pineapple print sublimation t-shirt," mightnot be a popular search term. “Pineapple print shirt" might be more likely.

Bam! You Created Some Awesome ProductsSo what happens after your products are lookin' awesome? You still haveto figure out how to get your store in front of people and generate sales.This is what we'll be covering next, so stay tuned!

Extra resources:This Printful blog post, this one from Kissmetrics and this one fromShopify go over more examples and tips on how to write productdescriptions that sell.You can always use Printful's product descriptions for your store if you'renot sure where to get started! They're a helpful resource, but werecommend you personalize your product descriptions and write in your

Once you've got your store set up, your design thought out, and are armedwith conviction and optimism, you set out to make your first sale.

Bear in mind that the money won't just start rolling in as soon as youpublish your store. Your first sales will be a result of hard work andpersistence - very important words when starting an online store!

There are a few ways you can boost your store's first sales, while neitherGoogle nor the world know you exist yet.

Here's what we'll cover:

Utilizing your own networkUnderstanding your users and where to find themGuest posting and sharing your storeCompetitions, giveaways, deals

How to Make your FirstSaleA list of resources that'll help you snag that first sale.

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Pro tip: Start building up your email list now, even if you feel likeit's too early! Email drives the most traffic online, and will be oneof your most powerful sales tools down the road.

1. Utilize your existing networkYour initial springboard will be your friends and family, the people whosupport you unconditionally and genuinely want to see you succeed. Youshould keep in mind that overdoing it with your personal network can bemore of a hindrance than a help, so avoid spamming them.

Post to your personal social network accounts

Use your own social networks to spread the news! Your connections will beinterested to see what you've been up to.

What you stand to gain:

You get feedbackIf they like it, they might order for themselvesYou can gently ask for a share, to say that it would be appreciated ifthey could pass on the good word

Send a mass email to your friends and family outlining how they can help

Send out a branded email to those in your address book that are interestedin you. The content would be similar to your social media posts, but hereyou have more freedom to explain the meaning of your new store, wherethe idea came from and what it means to you.

You can let them know that shares would be appreciated and prompt themto follow your social media accounts to get a steady stream of news aboutyour new products. More importantly, you can encourage them to sign upto your newsletter if they're interested in hearing future news about yournew brand.

This will give you your first building blocks for your email list, which willbecome one of your most powerful sales tools.

2. Figure out who your users are and wherethey hang outBefore you can sell a product to a person, you have to figure out what kindof person you're selling to. Who is the kind of person who would want tobuy your product?

All too often online store owners try to target “everyone", because theythink so highly of their product that everyone should be interested in it. Butin reality, by targeting everyone, you end up doing such a shallow job thatyou end up targeting no one.

There are two main strategies to use to try to uncover who your targetaudience is. One is to ask around, interview people and ask them if they'dbe interested in your product. Another strategy is to imagine buyerpersonas who you think would be interested in your product.

Some steps that you can do right now to uncover your target audience:

Learn from your competition Who are they selling to? You can bestealthy and follow their followers on social media accountsAsk your network what they think and learn which friends are moreinterested in your products than others. Ask them if/why they would buyyour productKeep it small The smaller the audience, the easier it will be to targetthem. Always think how you could make the target market even smaller

Here's a guide to creating buyer personas made by Shopify.

Forums

The internet is a vast place and there's a specific niche forum out there forpractically any group. Once you know who you're targeting, you have tosearch for where they hang out online.

Whether it's a popular forum like Reddit, or if they enjoy reading particularblog posts and such, then you know where to approach them. Even themost obscure niche will have their space, all it takes is a little searching.

Some forums to start with:

Reddit - the front page of the internet. Search here first for relevantsubreddits about your niche. When in doubt, the subredditr/entrepreneur is a pretty good place to start, andr/shutupandtakemymoney is also an accepted place to share links withcool stuff you're sellingHacker News - Y Combinator - a forum for tech topicsT-shirt forums - where people from all over the world talk abouteverything related to t-shirt productionPrintful Insiders Facebook Group - a great place to start to get supportand help

Things you can and should be doing on forums:

Getting involved in conversations about topics that are relevant to yourproductSharing your experienceAsking questions to more experienced people in the niche

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that there are also non-technical demographicgroups. In that case, your target audience may not have their own spotonline, and you might want to consider offline marketing options.

Influencers - outreach, blog postsAnother way to get the word out about your product is by accessingalready existing audiences. Say there's a blogger that writes about yourniche that has several thousand social media followers. That would be aperson who you'd want to get involved with to consider a possiblecollaboration.

Some ways to interact with an influencer just as you're getting started:

Interview them. Create a blog postWrite a blog post mentioning others in your industry with more followers.Tweet to them that you featured them, and then they might retweet yourpostWhen you have a rapport with them, ask for a review of your product.

Ideally, you want to get in front of that influencer's audience. You can find afew influencers in your industry and niche, and start talking to all of them.

Some may be more receptive than others, and you will encounter a greatdeal of rejection. But don't let that dishearten you, get up and keep going!Persistence is key.

3. Share your storyTalk about guerilla marketing.

Once you've figured out who you're targeting and where to find them, youcan start telling them your story.

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to sell your brand. By creatinga human connection, your potential buyers will be more inclined to buyfrom you.

Think about what you're making and why you're making it. Then thinkabout the medium that you could use to convey that message. Is that ashared blog post? Is it posting a longer post on a relevant Reddit thread? Isit posting a video on YouTube and sharing it? Is it posting to an existingblog? A wonderful example is the story behind the Life is Good brand.Though Business Insider possibly won't pick you up right away, be sure toexplore other, more accessible platforms to share your story.

One powerful method is to find an online (or physical!) publication that hasa larger readership that your network, and write an article about your storyfor them to post.

For example, mindbodygreen often publishes personal success stories on

their page, and The Daily Muse publish, in addition to other formats, opinionpieces on work, millenials, carreers, personal fulfillment, and more. This iscalled guest posting. Check out this Ultimate Guide to Guest Posting formore info on how to make that happen.

4. Competitions, giveaways, dealsCompetitions & giveawaysOne of the easiest ways to generate quick social media buzz about yourproduct (and even increased traffic to your store), is by hosting acompetition or giveaway. Offer up a sample of your product in return for aform of engagement - be it liking your page, sharing your post, etc.

Competitions can range from asking your followers to share your post, tocomment something, to suggest a name for an upcoming product, anythingyou want.

Make the most of the competition and giveaway by collecting the emails ofthe people who enter (for example, by using a popup box on your store toannounce the giveaway and to collect entries). Send a coupon with adiscount to those who didn't win the giveaway to stimulate even moresales.

DealsWhen you've built up traffic to your store, you'd benefit from running a fewdeals. For example highlighting a particularly cool product by putting it onsale.

This is when that email list comes in particularly handy. You're lettingpeople who have already said they're interested in your brand know thatthere's a sale on products they might like.

One of the most effective forms of marketing is email marketing, so makesure to take advantage of it as often as possible.

Pro tip: We've noticed that a particularly successful way toproduct buys is to offer a discount code right at the beginning of

entering your store. That way your visitors begin browsing yourproducts already with the knowledge that any purchase wouldbe discounted.

Prepare for the fightThis is only the beginning. The process will require persistence, constantlyeducating yourself about the latest trends, tools and opportunities to grow.Once you get that first sale, you'll feel the thrill of ecommerce. Use thatenergy to propel yourself forward and to keep developing your store.

Extra resources:Shopify's 52 chapter guide to making your first 50 sales7 step guide to running contests9 Facebook contest ideasDiscovering your target audience

Getting the word out about your store takes constant work and often it'llfeel like an uphill battle, especially if you're starting out. It'll take time andtests to pinpoint the right strategy, and trends change quickly in the worldof social media, so it's important to be be ready to adapt.

To get started, we'll do an overview of social media and go over some basicmarketing ideas for your ecommerce store.

Which Social Media Sites are Your CustomersUsing?When it comes to social media marketing, you don't want to spreadyourself too thin. Focus on select social media platforms where you canpost quality content that'll reach your target audience. There's no point in

The Basics of Social MediaMarketingWhich platforms to choose and how to make the most of them.

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spending time and resources on a platform if your customers aren't there.

Before you sign up for every social media channel available, research whereyour target audience is spending their time.

Follow your competition. Who are they following? Who is following them?Examining a direct competitor's customer base gives you a good idea ofwho you should be targeting. And chances are good that you would alsoperform well on platforms where they're seeing engagement.

Analyze your buyer personas (see the previous chapter). When you'vefigured out who your likely customers are, do some research on the socialmedia platforms they're using. Some platforms are particularly popular withspecific demographics.

Ask your customers. Find the right moment in the buyer experience to sendout an email or survey to ask on which social network it's best to connect. Ifyou want to be more indirect, ask them where they heard about you.

Where are your customers talking? Use Google Alerts or Mention to keeptabs on your industry keywords or your competitors. Set up an alert toreceive notifications whenever your competitor is mentioned, and payattention to which platforms come up the most.

Pro tip: There's a difference between users and active users. Justbecause a lot of your customers are on one social mediaplatform doesn't mean they're actively using it. For example,according to The Next Web, 5.5-11.2% of Facebook accounts arefake.

Tools:

Google Alerts track mentions of your brand and industry news

Social Media Best PracticesOnce you've narrowed down which social media platforms get the mostengagement from your audience, it's time to think of a strategy. What kindof content do you want to post? How will you engage with followers? How

frequently will you post?

Each platform has its nuances and strengths. However, there are some bestpractices that apply to the main platforms and should be taken intoaccount across the board.

Consistency. When you sign up with a social media platform, keep yourposts and tone consistent. Customers will get used to your voice andschedule, so keep it predictable for them.

Engagement times. Figure out which times of day get the mostengagement. You want to post at an optimal time that gets the mosteyeballs.

Insight tools. Some platforms have tools that help you understand howyour profile and posts are performing (Facebook Insights, Twitter Analytics,etc.). Use them to help optimize your content and timing.

Your profile page. Make sure your “About me" description is accurate andconsistent across all platforms. Where possible, include a link to your store.

Profile and header photo. Upload profile and header photos that areconsistent with your brand and make sure they adhere to each platform'sdimensions.

Tools:

Canva to create visual social media postsHootsuite or Buffer to schedule social media postsUnsplash and Pexels for all your stock photo needs

The Big 4: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,PinterestThere are tons of social media platforms to choose from these days, andthese are some of the more common ones - it's definitely not an exhaustivelist.

It's OK to stray away from the major sites and focus more on nichecommunities. Again, it depends on your target audience and where theyhang out.

Facebook

This is the one platform that every business should be using and manyalready are – Facebook boasts more than 60 million active small businesspages. With over 1 billion Facebook users engaging with the site on a dailybasis, there's plenty of room for you to interact.

1. Facebook is a key place for people to search for your business, so makesure your page looks awesome and your posts are interesting. Link to yourwebsite in the “About" section, encourage customers to leave reviews, andadd a call to action button at the top of your page (e.g. "Shop Now").

2. Creating the ideal Facebook post is a challenge. Typically posts withphotos generate 53% more likes and 104% more comments than text-onlyposts, and the optimal word length is 40 characters. This makes for a greatway to share photos of your products with a short introductory blurb.

3. Organic (unpaid) Facebook posts don't get as much reach as manybusinesses would like. So it's important to figure out what time works bestand which posts get the most engagement for your network. Generally,engagement is highest on Thursdays, Fridays and in the early afternoon.

4. The most useful part about Facebook is the unique data it collects aboutits users. Businesses can use this data to create Facebook Ads with the bestpossible engagement. Advertising on Facebook is a topic that deserves aseparate ebook, so we recommend this blog post as a starting point.

Tools: Nosto to create Facebook retargeting ads

Twitter

With its character limit and quick pace, Twitter is the platform to engage inconversation with your followers. 60% of its 200 million active users loginon mobile at least once a month and most people use it on the go. Themain thing to remember about Twitter is that it's a fast-paced platform.Your Tweets will be seen on your follower's feeds, but only for a momentbefore someone else Tweets something.

1. Tweets with images get more engagement than text-only tweets. 5xmore engagement, to be precise. The optimal word count is between 70 and100 characters, or "medium length."

2. Use hashtags (the # symbol) to create more reach for your posts. Whenpeople search for that hashtag, your post will appear on that list. Tweetswith hashtags get twice as much engagement as Tweets without hashtags.Search for hashtags that are trending, and incorporate them in your Tweets(this tip also applies to Facebook, Instagram, and all other platforms thatuse hashtags).

3. Twitter is mostly used on the go, like during commutes or breaks betweenmeetings. Optimal post times would be during typical rush-hour times,during lunch breaks, and on weekends.

Tools

Tweriod to figure out when is the best time to make posts.Twubs to discover and follow popular hashtags

Instagram

Content with visuals gets the most shares, so a platform that focuses onphotos is bound to be popular, right? Correct! Instagram engagement istypically 58 times higher than Facebook.

1. The biggest downside to Instagram is you can only include outward linksin your bio, not in your regular photos and posts. So this means you'll haveto get creative with engaging customers and sending them to your store.

2. This is the place to post photos of your products, but don't post regularwhite-background product shots. This is where you get creative. Postphotos of your products in a real-world setting, or post outfit inspirations.

3. Use filters to make your photos look more professional and visuallyappealing, but beware of which filters are more popular. Filters thatemphasize warmth typically see more engagement (think Valencia orMayfair).

4. Use Instagram Stories to create temporary promotional or behind-the-scenes content to build brand awareness and make your profile morepersonal.

Tools

Repost to re-post your customers' photosIconosquare for Instagram account analytics

Pinterest

2 million people pin products per day, and 93% of people use it to plan theirpurchases. Pinterest is powerful in driving sales and it's growing inpopularity. Its male audience has grown more than 50% year-over-year, soyou can reach a bigger demographic.

1. Add a Pin button to your products so that Pinterest users can easily pinyour products to their boards. Make sure it automatically pulls a qualityimage and a description between 200-300 characters.

2. When creating a board for your business, don't just pin product photoswith a white background. Like Instagram, visuals are key here. Imagesgenerally perform better when they're lighter, taller, and don't include anypeople.

3. Don't only pin your own products – create curated boards with stuff youraudience will like. Definitely create boards with your products, but createother boards that are go well with your store's style and brand. Tip: thinkseasonally, like a board for spring fashion tips when the weather startsgetting warmer.

Basic Marketing Tips for Ecommerce StoresThe realm of marketing is vast, and it goes well beyond social media. Thereis a lot to absorb, and for newbies to the ecommerce market, we suggest

using as many resources as you can to learn more. Read up on blogs, listento podcasts, and do your own experiments to stay current and figure outwhat works for your store. Start with these tips:

Email Marketing

The most direct way to reach your customers is through email, and the sky'sthe limit to what you can send – from special deals to abandoned cartreminders. Whatever the topic, make sure you send emails your customerswill actually want to open by writing killer subject lines. This is tough tomaster, but it's critical. Nobody wants to open an email with a boringsubject line. Run A/B tests to see what works best, and make sure that titlesare short enough to be read in full on mobile.

Remember that you're not the only one vying for the attention of yourcustomers. They likely get tons of other emails from companies hoping fortheir business. You need to send valuable emails – no spam. If yourcustomers trust you and know they'll get some value out of your emails,they're more likely to open them.

Contests and giveaways

Promoting contests on social media helps spread the word about yourbrand. Create a promotion that involves people sharing a particularhashtag, or tagging friends. As an example, create a Valentine's Daycontest where if you share your promotion with a friend, you're bothentered to win a discount code or some free stuff. You want somethingthat's easy to share, with a prize that customers will love.

Social proof

Consumers are more likely to trust other consumers more than they trustbrands. While word-of-mouth recommendations are the most effective,adding testimonials or reviews to your store and social media sites can alsobe effective. Encourage your customers to share their good experiencesand post photos of your products to your social media pages.

Analyze and ExperimentNone of these efforts make a difference if you don't know how you're

performing. Set some benchmarks and monitor the effectiveness of yourposts, emails, and contests. It'll take time to figure out your niche and whatworks, so don't get discouraged. Keep experimenting.

Extra Resources:Printful Blog – How to Create Effective Facebook Ads on a $50 budgetKissmetrics Blog – Which Social Media Accounts Matter and WhyHubspot Blog – The Ultimate Cheat Sheet of Photo & Image SizeAdweek – What are the Best Times to Post on Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram?

As an entrepreneur it's typical to lose steam after the excitement of startinga new project. People are often found to dwindle in their enthusiasm, andthen the project eventually fizzles out. This is so common in humanmotivation - even look at new year's resolutions - 25% of new year'sresolutions don't even make it past the first week, let alone become lastinghabits.

Needless to say, you won't make your dream of online entrepreneurshipcome true if you stop working at it after a week goes by.

Here are the two principles to live by to make sure you never veer off track:

Crafting consistencyMental contrasting

How to Stay Motivated asan Online Store OwnerThe journey of an entrepreneur is a lonely road. Here you'lldiscover methods to keep your spirits high, avoid burnout, andbalance the highs and the lows.

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We've outlined methods to implement these two principles, and with them,your motivation will never become the breaking factor of yourentrepreneurial fantasies.

When you do something for fun, you're more likely follow through due to theincrease in dopamine levels in your brain. For that reason people are ableto follow habits like going to play sports for health, rather than keeping upwith going to the gym.

Make sure you find fun in what you're doing. However not all tasks aroundentrepreneurship are fun. And if you rely solely on the fun method, you'rebound to run out of that elusive motivation. You need other methods tokeep going when things get serious.

Use these principles to avoid the motivation slump altogether.

Principle: Crafting ConsistencyCrafting consistency is the method of creating habits of consistentlyfulfilling certain tasks, because the biggest part of online stores isperseverance. Motivation is an exhaustible resource, here are some ways tocombat the natural occurrence of losing steam on your way to your goal.

Success is the sum of small actions that compile to make you great. Just byshowing up every day, putting in a bit of effort, by the end of the year you'llhave 365 elements of effort put into your store.

The essential lesson here is that putting in the work is key. You won't startmiraculously bringing in the traffic and dough as soon as you click the“publish" button on your store. The result of the store is entirely up to youand what you do afterwards.

Follow through - especially when passion failsDon't fall for the “do what you're passionate about" advice. Of course,passion is helpful. But don't think that your business isn't successfulbecause you're missing passion. Your business isn't successful becauseyou're not working at it.

Complete the task that you set out to do. The drops of water are what alter

rivers and rocks, not one big event.

What will separate you from the rest of the aspiring entrepreneurs is yourwillingness to do the sometimes mind-numbingly boring or unpleasant tasksof trudging through the mud to get to the goal.

Method: SMART goalsSMART is a results-based form of goal setting. Not only does this mean thatyou end up seeing concrete results and improving your feeling ofmomentum, but you'll be actually making physical development towardsyour goals.

Set SMART goals:

Specific: Clearly defined goals get accomplished, vague hopes becomeforgotten.Measurable: Give the task a quantitative measure, so that you can say with

certainty whether or not the goal is achieved.Attainable: Think big, but keep it attainable.Relevant: Set goals that further you, your business and your purpose.Time-bound: Set yourself a deadline for re-evaluation.

Here are a few smart goals we think would be great for ecommerce storesin their first month of existence:

Build your email list to 25 people in 30 days

Specific: We know exactly what we have to do. It isn't a vague goal like“become profitable".Measurable: It's a concrete number that we know we can check on.Attainable: 25 is totally realistic. You probably have 25 friends who wouldbe able to sign up.Relevant: Email is crucial to the success of your business and likely will drivethe majority of your sales, and profitability is the long-term goal here.Time-bound: We gave you a month's time.

Other ideas include:

Generate 3 sales in your first monthObtain one backlink from a blogger in your industry by the end of nextmonthIn the next hour, brainstorm 3 topics you could blog aboutToday, write a three-paragraph-long product description for your best-selling product outlining its best qualities

Work in sprints

Energy is a resource that rises and wanes throughout the day, week, month.You can't over-exert yourself, otherwise what's left over won't be enoughfor the next day.

In a study two years ago, I found that the ideal work-break ratio was 52minutes of work followed by a 17 minute break. The idea being that whenyou sit down at your computer, you work meticulously at a dedicated task.But when that sprint is done, you leave your computer altogether for the 17minutes.

Work according to a schedule

Don't let motivation dictate when you work on your store. Your motivationwill wane. Make a schedule and stick to it, regardless of your level ofmotivation. Set a schedule for yourself that you know you have to follow.The average of your consistent work will build up to become your results.

Principle: Mental ContrastingMental contrasting postulates that thinking through the obstacles on yourway to success is the best way to motivate yourself, thinking about howyour behavior impacts the reachability of your goal.

Many people advocate visualizing their success. Like imagining your perfectslam dunk before making it happen. However, research done by GabrielleOettingen shows that people visualizing their dreams didn't not lead to anincrease in motivation to make it happen. She found that actually theopposite was true.

Simply by visualizing their dreams, the objects of the study becamecomplacent and less invigorated to reach their goals, as they had trickedtheir minds into believing they had already achieved it.

However, visualizing your goals as well as visualizing all of the likely

obstacles along the way increases motivation of achieving success as wellas improved results, ranging from test results to successful romanticencounters.

The underlying psychology being that once you're aware of your possiblefuture, you become better equipped to deal with the challenges ahead, andthe encountered challenges will not affect your motivation, because theywere anticipated for ahead of time. By using the WOOP method describedbelow, you'll already know the steps you need to take to overcome thosechallenges.

Method: WOOPUse the WOOP method to be able to effectively implement the principle ofmental contrasting.

Wish: what you want to achieve - ex. your first order, 10 order/month, etc.Outcome: imagining the best outcome, your Paypal account a little bitfuller, how wonderful you'll feel, etc.Obstacle: identify the barriers to running your successful store, write themdown. Make an action plan to get through every one of them. When youforesee barriers, they'll be less likely to get you down.Plan: draft an action plan for how you're going to combat each one ofthose obstacles.

To help you out, here are some likely barriers that a burgeoning store mightcome across; low traffic to your site, low conversion, technical difficultiessetting up, finding your target audience/market niche, and more.

Other ways to keep your head in the gameImplement Accountability

Tell people about your idea. Don't just launch it and keep it to yourself. Tellyour friends, family, acquaintances. When you say your goals out loudthere's a 42% higher chance they'll materialize. Telling others about yourgoals verbally, by posting about them on Facebook or starting a blog willkeep you accountable.

The people you're sharing with will ask you about how you're doing, andyou'll intrinsically want to please them (we're all humans). That will be anadded stimulus to finish what you started - to not let them down.

Get Enough Sleep

It's equally important to get enough sleep - whatever that means for you. Ifyou're low on Z's, you'll be less able to combat bad habits - like putting offfiguring out that new store theme, or sending out an email.

Make habits and plan for obstaclesFrom this we can draw the conclusion that the key to running a successfulstore even when your motivation has dipped, is creating habits andplanning for obstacles. With these you'll be able to function and grow youronline store without draining your willpower, as well as set yourself up forthe best possible go-getting mindset.

So grab a pen and paper (or nowadays - open a Google doc), and startimplementing those methods!

You did it! You've reached the final chapter of How to Launch your T-shirtStore, armed with the information and tools you need to get yourecommerce store started and thriving.

We hope this becomes more than a short-lived experiment – we want yourstore to grow and for you to genuinely enjoy running it.

If you want to stay dedicated to your online store, it's important to keeplearning and experimenting. There's a whole world of tools you'll beinterested in exploring down the line, things like pop-ups and abandonedcart emails.

So for the conclusion of this ebook, we're going to leave you with someresources to help continue your path of knowledge and to stay informed of

Moving Past the Basics ofEcommerceNow that you've made it through the basics, it's time to addressthe next steps: paid advertising, ongoing education, and gettinginvolved in the ecommerce community.

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ecommerce trends.

1. Blogs you should readThe Printful BlogWe regularly publish posts about the ecommerce industry and give generaladvice on running an online store. Example: The Hidden Costs of Self-Hosted Ecommerce Platforms.

The big advantage you get with Printful's blog, is you also get tons of tipsthat apply specifically to your Printful integration. So you can read aboutecommerce in general, and understand how Printful is connected. Example:4 Printful Tools that Put Your Brand First.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get our latest blog posts straightto your inbox!

Your ecommerce platform's blogDoes the ecommerce platform you use have a blog? If so, that's definitelysomething you should be reading. These blogs not only cover general infoabout ecommerce, but also include tons of tips about their platform.

We highly recommend the Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Ecwid,and Big Cartel blogs, where both users and non-users will find helpful info. Ifyou're using any other tools or plugins, read up on their blogs too every nowand then.

A Better Lemonade StandRichard Lazazzera's A Better Lemonade Stand blog is all about running anonline business. Whether you're just starting out or have gained sometraction, you'll find some helpful info here. Start by reading How toBulletproof Your Online Business – everything you need to know to protectyour business from potential problems.

Kissmetrics Blog

This blog is specifically about online marketing, and it usually covers moreadvanced topics. It's a good one when you're more comfortable in theonline space. You'll find topics on paid advertising, social media monitoring,responsive email design, and much more.

2. Forums for discussionThe Printful Insiders Facebook GroupThis is a community specifically for Printful users. It's a space where you candiscuss strategies, ask for advice, and share your knowledge with othersthat are running their business with Printful.

T-Shirt ForumThis forum is great if you're selling t-shirts. You can literally discuss anythingthat relates to t-shirt sales: pricing strategy, design help, printing methods.Whatever question you have, you'll find an answer here.

RedditReddit is the proclaimed “front page of the internet," and with 250 millionusers, there's no shortage of discussion or interesting content. No matterhow niche your interests, you can find the community/subreddit that suitsyour needs.

For ecommerce retailers, we recommend subscribing to /r/ecommerce,/r/smallbusiness, /r/askmarketing, /r/startups, and /r/tshirt.

QuoraQuora is a forum where you can ask questions and get answers from peoplewho know what they're talking about. Post your question/comment and geta handful of answers from knowledgeable people.

3. Free guides to downloadGoogle's SEO Starter GuideIf you want to learn more about SEO, this is your place to start. Google'sSEO Starter Guide is a great way to acquaint yourself with the basics. Learnabout terminology, how to improve your site, how to write copy and uploadpictures that are search-engine optimized, and more.

MailChimp's Guide to Email MarketingMailChimp is a great tool for sending emails. It's user-friendly and intuitive,and you can create professional-looking emails to send to your customersin minutes.

But, they also have a guide to email marketing. Learn how to plan an emailcampaign, how the HTML code works, how to test your emails, and more.

4. Webinars/conferences/classes you shouldattendReading independently and chatting in forums is definitely worth your time.But sometimes it's best to connect with professionals face-to-face. Take alook at what's going on in your area – conferences, classes, meetups, etc.Be sure to check out our blog for a list of a few events happening this year.

Webinars are also a good alternative if you want to learn something newfrom an expert but lack the means to attend an in-person class or event.PracticalEcommerce is a good place to start – they regularly offer free

webinars.

Meet your ecommerce goalsNo matter what goals you made for yourself and your online store, be it toget your toes wet, or put your store on the path to ecommerce domination,we hope you meet it. Keep experimenting and learning, and don't forgetthat the Printful team is here if you ever have a question. Best of luck!

What are youwaiting for?

Now that you know the basic oflaunching and running a successfulonline store, why not try your hand

out it?

It's totally free, no upfront costs.

TRY ITOUT

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