Our pre-order template is not only there to help you maximize your profits by printing only the exact number of sales collected, but also to enable you to offer your customers the uneven quality of screen printing. Playing with the limited duration of campaigns has many advantages when it comes to promoting and selling your products, so to make sure it’s a success, here are a few steps you can take to be efficient and manage it all without wasting too much energy.
Before going online
Before anything else, you need to think about which design to print. Need some inspiration? Don’t hesitate to browse our store and those of our many collaborators to get a better idea of what’s out there, what’s not so out there, and what would make you stand out from the crowd. At this stage, it’s also important to take note of several factors that will impact your profit margin.
1. The printing method
To get the most out of screen printing, it’s best to use as few colors and as few locations on the garment as possible, to reduce installation costs. Each color represents 1 frame ($15) and 1 film ($15) respectively. So, to keep the odds in your favor and easily cover production costs, we generally recommend designs ranging from 1 to 3 colors with 1 or 2 different locations.
In comparison, DTG (direct to garment) is widely used by our competitors, who offer a print-on-demand model, but the process is more expensive and of lower quality.
By printing en masse, screen printing gives you an exponential profit margin that increases in stages as your number of sales rises, so it’s better for your wallet!
2. Type of garment and fabric
It’s hard to go wrong with a t-shirt, as it’s the least expensive and most popular piece of clothing of all. However, depending on the season and trends, you could also opt for a hoodie, sweatshirt, or long-sleeved sweater. We also offer the option of going for eco-responsible fabric and local manufacturing. Local clothing is 5 times more expensive than a Gildan t-shirt. So adjust your selling price accordingly.
3. Garment color
The actual color of the fabric does not affect the price of the garment. However, if you choose a dark fabric, we will be forced to add a background layer underneath your illustration to ensure that the colors stand out well. This background layer is then counted as an additional color (1 film and 1 frame more) to your design, which will slightly increase your price.
4. Offer customers a good variety of products.
Nothing prevents you from offering the same design on different products/colors as long as the imprint color remains the same on all pieces. If the imprint color changes from one piece to another, additional costs will be incurred and retained at the end of the campaign.
Once all this has been taken into account, contact us to send your design file in the best possible quality. We’ll prepare a mock-up to help you visualize your final product and get your approval. Once the mock-up has been approved, you’ll need to draw up an advertising campaign plan on social networks.
Don’t know where to start? No problem! We’re here to help you every step of the way.
Effectively promote a campaign on your social networks
1. Before the start of the campaign
The most important thing before launching a pre-sales campaign is to generate excitement among your customers. We send you a sample and a mock-up of your product so that you can create content to easily share with your audience throughout the campaign. Whether through photo shoots, illustrations or even videos, the aim is to put your creations front and center and let your art speak for itself. We recommend that you make an initial post to let people know that you’re up to something, without necessarily saying what it is. People like to feel involved and will undoubtedly want to know what’s coming next.
2. The day of the launch
Your subscribers are ready for the big news, so don’t make them wait too long. Show them what your product looks like in the flesh. Take a photo of yourself or a friend wearing it to help people imagine how they would look wearing it. It’s important at this stage to put the link to your product in your bio and give as much detail about it as possible. Don’t forget to mention the exact time and place they’ll be able to pre-order, as well as the duration of the pre-sale and the production and shipping period. You can also talk about the story behind your creation and your artistic approach. We also recommend that you make an announcement 1 or 2 days before the start date to warn your audience. Even if there’s no exact science behind the social media algorithm, try to be strategic by posting at the right times to ensure maximum visibility.
3. Campaign environment
The pre-order got off to a strong start and the reception of your product seems to have been very positive, but as is often the case towards the middle of a campaign, a slight loss of momentum begins to set in. Potential customers go through a multi-stage process before finally taking action. It’s therefore imperative to stay present on your networks, throughout the pre-order period, by publishing varied and engaging content. Instagram and Facebook stories are excellent to remedy this. We also recommend publishing your best photo, close-up or illustration midway through the campaign, to boost sales without feeling like you’re overwhelming your audience with content that has no impact.
4. A few days before the end of the campaign
Take advantage of the fact that the campaign is coming to an end soon to create a sense of urgency among your audience and drum up some last-minute sales. Make it very clear that if people haven’t bought yet, it’s now or never. It might be a good idea to put a countdown timer in a story to let them know how much time is left, or use key phrases like “only 24 hours left” or “last chance” in a post to get your audience to react while remaining authentic.
5. End of campaign
Once the campaign is over, all orders will be produced and dispatched within 3 to 5 days. This is the time to thank the people who have supported you, but also to gather their comments and take stock of the highs and lows of your campaign. Take the time to look at which publications performed best, and whether the selling price and duration seemed to work well for you and your audience. Use your data to do even better in your next campaign, and if you’re not satisfied, there’s nothing to stop you running the same campaign more than once.