Seize the Moment: Take Every Opportunity to Market Your Business

Something that Elon University taught me is that every second of the day is a branding and growth opportunity. I know every college has merch, and a lot of it, but I truly don’t know if as many students at other universities wear their merch as much as students at Elon do. I swear you couldn’t walk into a building without seeing at least 5-10 students wearing or using something that said Elon, and you’re probably thinking, Rece, why are you writing a blog about your alma mater’s merch?

Merch Should Be One of The First Steps of Launching Your Business

When I started my business, one of the first things I did was design my business cards. Some might think that writing a contract or setting your prices should be the absolute first thing to do. However, there is no need for any of those things if you don’t have actual clients. Once you start getting those clients, then those other steps come into play. However, please understand that in no way am I saying that you should postpone other efforts until you get a client (because I certainly didn’t), but no business is an actual business until it gets business.

Even though I did not have all of the details of my business sorted out, pretty much the second my business cards came, I started handing them out. I gave them to family and friends. I gave them to the guy that detailed my car. I gave them to random people that worked at random businesses I walked into because at the end of the day, all exposure is good exposure even if it does not lead to immediate results. 

Any Merch is Advantageous Merch

I have always been a big fan of merch. I wore Elon University merch even before I started there. My sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, encouraged all members to wear Alpha Chi merch on Wednesdays as a part of their PACE awareness campaign. It’s the easiest and most economical way to advertise yourself, so when for Christmas, I was given a tote bag with my logo on it, I took that and ran. All other of my tote bags were cast aside, and now I only use my branded one.

That tote bag has gone to the grocery store, to work, to Boston, to Elon, even to Costa Rica and the Canary Islands. I have had a few people around the world ask about the logo/bag because it’s obviously not a common logo like Nike, Adidas, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. Even if those people don’t end up becoming clients, it’s still free and easy awareness because they might tell someone who might end up reaching out. 

So as cringy or silly as it may feel to make merch for a newly opened and operating business, do it, because it’s the best free advertisement that you will ever get! You can start with stickers for your computer or a pen you use to sign receipts. Just because something is small doesn’t mean it is insignificant!