If you haven’t got a shirt, hat or jacket with your brand’s logo, you’re missing out on a powerful and affordable marketing opportunity.
When it comes to marketing, a lot of entrepreneurs focus only 
on swinging for the fences and hitting a home run. This usually ends up in a lot of expensive, often ineffective, marketing efforts such as TV commercials and magazine ads.
While these types of marketing endeavors are sometimes called for, a smart entrepreneur will know that the biggest solution isn’t always the best one. In today’s ad-choked media environment, sometimes simpler, more direct marketing efforts yield the best results.
Here’s a simple exercise to illustrate what I mean. Next time you’re at the mall, take a moment to look around at what everybody is wearing. Count how many shirts you see with brands like Nike, Adidas, GAP and other popular bands on TV and movies.
You’ve just been marketed to—many times over.
At the end of the day, you and your employees have got to wear clothes, so why not put them to work marketing your product or service? It’s an easy win for your company, and in some instances, such as at networking events and conferences, corporate clothing will help you stand out in a sea of suits. I’ll give you some examples to show you what I mean.
Walking Advertisements
At one conference that had roughly two thousand attendees, four employees from 1-800-GOT-JUNK? wore a shirt with a huge corporate logo on the back. They stood out so much that many people thought there were at least twenty people walking around because they saw the logos so often amid the masses of suit jackets.
A
t South by Southwest, startups have even been known to pay people to wear their T-shirts and walk around the venue, which instantly builds a brand army.
Organizers of fundraising races hand out T-shirts branded with the charity and sponsors of the event. Runners proudly wear these shirts and are free, walking billboards for these brands.
Why do companies do this? Simple. It’s cheap, effective and creates a tribe of devoted fans and employees who become brand ambassadors everywhere they go in the community. It’s a small investment for more business.
Working Overtime
One of our clients built their brand using logo apparel. Every employee was issued 6 dress shirts, 3 polos, and a jacket. The shirts are high-quality Brooks Brother’s dress shirts that are all light blue with a logo over the pocket. Their business was building permit expediting so at any given time there would be three, four or more employees waiting in line at city hall. They garnered the attention of potential clients and built a multi-million dollar business.
You can even put your clothing to work while you’re not wearing. While sitting in a chair, place your jacket over the back so the logo faces out. The point is simple, every opportunity is a marketing opportunity if you’re paying attention and thinking outside the box. And some of the best marketing opportunities are cheap, easy, and fun. So, start dressing in your brand today.