I think there’s a bit of an impulse to be cheap when it comes to buying swag. Of course you’re worried about costs spiraling, and you’re thinking, well if I’m giving this away for free everyone’s going to take it. Which is true- people will grab pretty much anything that’s free but they’ll probably never use it if you’ve created a uncomfortable shirt just featuring your grainy company logo. Or if they do, it will be in a way you never intended or wanted. For example here are the most common ways people treat a t-shirt they own that they got for free that isn’t quality:

1. Wear it to bed.
2. Wear it to paint.
3. Use it as a cloth for cleaning.
4. Give it away to Goodwill or worse yet, throw it away.

And you know I’m not kidding, because you’ve probably grabbed a lame shirt yourself and ended up doing one of those things.

So if that’s what’s going to happen to you shirt, you probably shouldn’t have even bothered with the investment. What I’m saying is you need to do it right or not at all.

When you do it right by creating a comfortable shirt with a great design that people can relate to, people will love wearing your shirt throughout daily regular life and it will be exposed to a ton of people helping you reach new audiences. For example here are the most common ways people treat a t-shirt they own that they got for free that is quality:

1. They actually wear it out and about, frequently- to work, to a bar, to networking events, to the store, etc.
2. They take pictures wearing it and tweet it because they’re proud of it.
3. They tell their friends about the shirt.
4. Once they’ve worn it through, they might even ask for another shirt.

It’s truly worth putting the time and money into creating a great design and putting it on a quality t-shirt.

Although the Internet has created whole new industries like social networking, what it's best known for is revolutionizing current business models. Amazon completely changed how we shop for books. Google completely changed how we find information. Like these two companies, most other Internet companies simply upgrade a current industry.

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One of my favorite snacks are MoonPies. They’ve been around since 1917 and have grown to become one of the most popular snack foods. Nowadays, over a million MoonPies are produced and sold every day! Over the years, the marketing folks at Chattanooga Bakery have learned a thing or two about creating awareness for their products. A key ingredient seems to be their hardcore merchandise marketing strategy.

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