The Print-on-Demand industry is no longer a new concept to people. However, during the Covid pandemic, POD brands have skyrocketed in popularity, thanks to the boost from social media. So what impact did social media have on this industry, precisely?
That question and more will be answered by an industry expert, Sandra Richter - Market Research expert of the leading POD brand Lion King Shirt. Through her lens, you will discover how digital platforms helped POD brands achieve exponential growth.
Harnessing Viral Potential On Social Channels
1. Riding The Trends For Timely Content
For aspiring POD brands, it would be unwise not to take advantage of social media’s viral nature. According to Richter, many brands often remix trending news or meme formats to create their own unique, hilarious content. By riding the waves of the trend, POD brands can capitalize on what is already popular and spark engagement for their company.
The brands also collaborate with influencers who are currently dominating social platforms. The costs may be great, but the returns are totally worth it. The collaborations often include giving free products to the followers, which leads to exponential reach growth and conversion.
2. Capitalizing On Shareable Content
Richter notes that POD brands will leverage user-generated social content like unboxings, product reviews, and style photos. This organic peer promotion and word-of-mouth marketing converts audiences powerfully, while building trust through authenticity. Moreover, the hashtag challenges and viral meme campaigns provide far-reaching exposure at very low costs. If they are done right, viral campaigns take on a life of their own.
Thanks to social platforms, many POD T-shirt designs can be promoted
Cultivating Brand Loyalty and Community
1. Entertain The Masses With Fun And Games
Sandra Richter Writes with Passion and Precision for the POD Market, and she understands exactly how POD brands expand their influence online. They create social contests, hashtag games, and link-in-bio quizzes to keep followers actively engaged with the brand.
For example, a POD T-shirt company can announce a “Wear It Your Own Way” hashtag challenge, in which the users post selfies of themselves wearing the brand’s products, in exchange for other perks. This organic content can promote many best-selling T-shirts, as well as deepen the customers’ bond with the company.
2. Making Friends With The Buyers
Most of the POD brands have an entire marketing team, so they can be consistent with their social content. They can interact and answer customer questions on a daily basis, fostering open communication and relationships with the brand.
There are also behind-the-scenes content, which makes audiences feel like insiders, building greater emotional investment and positive brand sentiment by showing craftsmanship.
Thanks to online surveys, POD brands can know what buyers are after
Testing And Validating Concepts
1. Gauging Reactions To Proposed Designs
Social media is where people tend to reveal their most honest, unfiltered opinions, which they are often too embarrassed or scared to express in real life. The POD brands have used that to their advantage, by sharing their concept art and prototypes on social channels. Thanks to the instant comments and feedback from their audience, the brands will have another chance to rethink a design's viability.
2. Assessing Performance Data For Real-Time Pivots
Of course, any business requires data to survive, including POD T-shirt brands. According to Richter, Lion King Shirt consistently analyzes social engagement to decide whether or not a design should be canceled. For example, Facebook/Instagram advertising allows the brand to accurately target niche demographics, and test if the T-shirt design has a high conversion rate.
3. Polls And Questions Reveal Preferences
One of the most straightforward ways for POD brands to utilize social media is to create public polls and Q&A sessions. This way, consumers can directly guide the brand’s product development. Richter said that large-scale surveys on Facebook can help the brands determine the prices and packaging strategies before launch.
Wrapping Up
Thanks to the findings of Sandra Richter, you now understand how social media provided invaluable tools that enabled the POD industry’s massive growth. The POD brands have cleverly leveraged digital platforms to build intimate brand connections while remaining on the pulse of evolving consumer trends. Their digital mastery will ensure further success.
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