Category: Creator success

In an era where an innocuous TikTok video blows up in a day, finding the recipe for viral success seems like searching for the Holy Grail, but equipped with the right information, your next product launch could be viral in no time.

Merchandise has become a powerful tool for creators to engage with their fans and generate additional revenue streams. 

In this blog, we will explore two key points on how creators can design viral merch: leveraging trending topics and what’s popular, and considering what’s important to their fans. By understanding these aspects, creators can create merch that resonates with their audience and spreads like wildfire.

While going viral isn’t necessarily something that can be controlled, believe it or not, there are some steps you can take to give you (and your merch) the best shot at going viral.

Step 1 – Put Your Spin on What’s Trending:

One effective strategy to create viral merch is by tapping into trending topics, memes, and what’s currently popular. This approach allows creators to ride the wave of existing buzz and capture the attention of a wider audience. Once you find a trending topic, add your own spin to it. Your fans will recognize the trend while feeling tightly connected to your reference that only your fans will understand. 

Here are a few steps to consider:

• Stay in tune with popular culture: Keep a close eye on social media trends, viral challenges, popular memes, and current events. This knowledge will help creators identify relevant topics and themes that can be incorporated into their merch designs.
• Seamlessly blend trends with your brand: It’s crucial to find a balance between incorporating trends and maintaining the essence of your brand. Adapt trending elements to align with your creative style, logo, or catchphrases, ensuring a cohesive and authentic representation.
• Timing is key: Act swiftly when it comes to leveraging trends. Monitor emerging topics and capitalize on them while they’re still at their peak. By staying ahead of the curve, creators can create timely merch that strikes a chord with their fans.

Step 2 Considering What’s Important to Your Fans:

While leveraging trends is important, it’s equally crucial to understand what truly matters to your fans. By creating merch that resonates with their interests, values, and aspirations, creators can foster a deeper connection with their audience. Here are some key points to consider:

• Conduct fan surveys and engage in conversations: Interact with your fans through social media polls, surveys, or direct messages. Ask them about their preferences, favorite moments, or what they’d like to see in your merch. Their input will provide invaluable insights into what will resonate with them.
• Perform social listening: What are fans saying in the comments, are there particular phrases from your content they are going crazy over? Are they directly shouting out for specific merch designs or products? We see this a lot. Responding to community driven merch ideas is a one way ticket to success. Especially if you react quickly, it’s almost like magic for the fans. They asked for it. You delivered. 
• Offer limited editions and exclusivity: Fans appreciate feeling special and part of an exclusive community. Consider releasing limited edition or exclusive merch items that are only available for a short time or to a select group. This creates a sense of urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out), driving fans to grab your merch quickly.

Designing viral merch requires a careful blend of leveraging trends and understanding your fans’ preferences. By incorporating trending topics while maintaining your brand’s identity, and by considering what truly matters to your fans, you can create merch that not only becomes a viral sensation but also strengthens the connection between you and your audience. Remember, the key lies in staying aware of the ever-evolving trends, engaging with your fans, and infusing your unique brand essence into every design. So, go ahead and unleash your creativity to design merch that goes beyond merchandise and becomes a statement of your brand’s impact.

In today’s climate, it’s becoming increasingly more important for creators to collaborate with other brands, influencers and content creators. Why go it alone when working with others might be more fun? And more than that, it’s definitely more effective. But first…

What is content collaboration and what are the benefits?

When two or more people get together and produce content, that’s what we’re referring to as content collaboration. Many content creators work with other brands and creators outside of their circle as a way to mutually build business.

Your collaboration can be an ongoing project, a single post or video, or a series (see more examples below). Doing this is beneficial because it helps your brand get in front of a new audience to expand on the reach you already have.

If the idea of collaboration is new to you, no worries, we’ve got tips on how to pursue it.

Find the best partners for your brand

There are a few important actions you can take here:

• Set goals. Don’t just start asking people if they want to partner up. Really analyze what it is you want to get out of the partnership. What are you trying to accomplish with joint content? Is it increasing your following? Selling more merch? Getting a foothold into a new niche? Once you know your goals, you are at an excellent starting point for finding the best collaborators. 
• Make a list. Think of any and all creators who may be a good fit for those goals you just set. Think of people within your own circle, subject matter experts (inside or outside your niche), influencers you admire, or a company you like to use. 
• Reach out to potential partners. Once you have your list of people, it’s time to reach out. In your initial communication, introduce yourself and your brand and then lay out your goals (be sure to state why these goals are also beneficial to them). Also explain how they can contribute (be clear in your expectations). This initial contact is to gauge their interest in collaborating. Be patient. This step can take time. Here some extra tips:
  • Attend events. Find places where you can network with other creators. These can be influencer-focused events or events within your niche (expos, fan conventions, fitness conventions, the list is endless). 
  • Network locally. Don’t have the time or money to travel? Search for creators in or around where you live. Maybe a creator in your area is looking to grow their channel. Even if this is on a smaller scale, you are creating a network. 
  • Become a fan. Being a content creator can be time-intensive. But don’t let that keep you from being a fan of other creators. Start following other channels. Comment on other creators’ posts. Being a true fan is the best first step in finding someone you want to work with.

Ways to successfully work with others

As we said, there are many types of content you create with a collaborator. Here are just a few broad examples:

• Guest posts. Ideal for creators who post frequently as it gives you twice the firepower when it comes to coming up with new content ideas. Guest posts also bring traffic from the other creator’s audience, too! 
• Guest appearances. For creators that do videos, having another creator make an appearance, either as an interviewee or to participate in your video, is a quick and easy way to collaborate and shake up your routine. 
• Roundups. These are larger gatherings of like-minded people and can help push your reach outside your niche. It helps to include people who are considered by your audience as an authority on a specific topic. 
• Social media takeovers. Let one of your social media platforms get taken over by another creator who then posts from your account on an agreed length of time. This brings their audience over to your account for longer than just one post. Obviously you would only do this with a trusted partner that is aligned with your brand and following a set of predetermined expectations. 
• Giveaways. Definitely a way to get engagement for your brand, but giveaways are also a great opportunity for content collaborations. There are numerous methods of doing this, but two common ways are asking for donations or co-hosting a contest. 
• Podcasts. They’ve grown a lot in popularity in recent years. Find podcasters with small but growing audiences and then reach out to set up appearances. You can promote the podcast on your channels to in turn help grow the podcast’s reach.

How to successfully collaborate 

Once you have found the right partners and decided what types of content you will be collaborating on, it’s best to follow a step-by-step guide through the collaborative process, especially if your partnership will be long term.

• Write a brief. Outline the scope of your partnership, what you’re going for, and what you want to accomplish. By documenting all this, you make it easier for everyone to stay on target. 
• Map out a timeline. What are the tasks required to achieve your goals? We recommend using a collaboration tool (we don’t want to be biased, so google it) to list out the tasks that must be completed before you can execute your content collab successfully. 
• Set deadlines and assign tasks. Once everything is mapped out, start from your launch date (when the content will go live) and work backwards. Set due dates for each task and make sure all participants know what they are responsible for. 
• Remember to balance your focus. Don’t forget to maintain your brand and attend to your current audience. Working with other creators is a balancing act between your collaboration and your regular posting schedule. 
• Stay loyal to your current fans. As you continue to grow your base with new partners, continue to nurture your current audience. If you rebrand just because you’re trying to please a new partner(s), it will be seen as a cash grab by your audience and will have the opposite effect you’re aiming for. You can’t please everyone, but you already know what pleases your base. 

We know this may seem overwhelming as there are many partnership possibilities. But the main goal, regardless of your method, is to cut your efforts in half and double your reach. That’s exciting, isn’t it? Start with a goal and get started!

Why is it so valuable to have a custom domain for your store? Before we dive in…let’s take a step back. What is a custom domain? 

Most every social media campaign has a link leading the user somewhere to do something (usually to buy merch). That link is a web address, or URL. Whether it’s for a promotion, contest, giveaway, or a landing page to promote your mech, a URL is what directs people there. 

A major component of your URL is the domain name. Simply put, a domain name is the unique part of the web address, sandwiched between the necessary parts of https://www and (dot)com. This domain can be random or customized (your name or your brand name).

When driving fans to your business, wouldn’t it be better if your link was purposeful and identifiable to you versus a random string of letters and numbers?

Of course. Still, here are 3 more specific reasons custom domains have value, followed by 4 ways to get the most bang out of your domain:

1. Your BRAND needs to be the first thing seen. Purchasing a domain name is the smartest decision you can make for brand recognition. A custom domain helps promote you and your brand. Website and campaign-building platforms tend to use generic names related to that platform. EX: Your company’s name is Grape Dew. Instead of a generic URL like http://1.www.godaddy.com/123abc, your campaign’s URL might be http://giveaway.Grape-Dew.com/123abc. By seeing the brand name in the URL, customers are associating the name of your brand with the link they are clicking, thereby building in their mind brand consistency and product identity. And for those customers who get confused or tend to be more leary than others, at the very least having a custom domain tells them they are in the right place. Which brings us to:
2. Trust. Unfortunately, we are living in an age where it’s not surprising to hear about this “scam” or that “identity theft,” etc. The inevitable result is reluctancy by potential customers to click on links. If a link is clearly connected to your business, this greatly decreases skepticism. 
3. Make your brand DISCOVERABLE. Here’s a quick rundown just in case you’re unclear: On websites, the root domain is what search engines see. Your search engine optimization (SEO) is greatly improved by having a custom domain, and here’s why: Let’s say a user is searching for something very specific and relevant to your brand, but you have a generic domain. You won’t pop up. However, a custom domain will. The benefits don’t end there. Your site will then become ranked higher. And the more campaigns you run with the same custom domain, the higher your search ranking will be. Every time you run a new campaign with the same domain name you previously used, you now have an even greater chance of being seen at the top of the search results! 

4 ways to get value out of your domain name:

1. Include your Spring store website in the domain name. The value of a domain name comes from the website in the name. Your brand and your Spring store website should be in your custom domain name. When your domain name includes your website, it increases your options on what you can link to and what you can do with your domain name. 
2. Use your Spring custom domain in your custom email address. When you use your domain name in your email address from a custom email account, it doesn’t just advertise your website, it adds to your email address a level of professionalism and makes it easier to send branded communications. You can also manage your custom domain email accounts from your personal email by having them automatically forwarded to your personal email account. 
3. Forward your domain name to social media. You don’t want to keep telling people, “Find me on Twitter” or “Look me up on IG.” Forward your domain name to your social platforms. Ex. Facebook.JohnDoe.com, Twitter.JohnDoe.com, etc. This keeps on brand across the board, all platforms, and all mediums. If you want to know how to forward your domain to socials, each platform has a different set of steps. You will have to google the steps for each one. In the end it’s worth it! 
4. Pick as valuable a domain name as possible. The ideal domain name is determined by you and your brand. Assuming you have a handle on your brand and who your audience is, pick the domain name that will most connect with them and be the most relevant to them, increasing the overall value of your domain. Ex: If you’re a swing dance instructor, Swing-Dance-Instructor.com is better than Dance-Instructor.com, and Dance-Instructor.com is better than Dancer.com, and so on. Get as specific and as relevant to your audience and brand as possible. 

As you can see, brand identity is important and a custom domain name is a major component of that. If you’re a Spring creator, we’ve made it easy to have a custom domain. You can go buy one yourself and connect it to your Spring storefront or you can buy one directly in Spring. So register that custom domain asap and Happy Prospering!

It’s almost time to celebrate mom, which means your fans are looking for ways to celebrate mom, too! Mother’s Day this year is on Sunday, May 14th, and it’s a golden opportunity for creators to capitalize on excess consumer spending. Did you know that according to the National Retail Federation, expected Mother’s Day spending totaled $31.7 billion in 2022, up $3.6 billion from 2021’s record spending! Approximately 84% of U.S. adults are expected to celebrate Mother’s Day, so what are you waiting for? Now is the time to design! 

Create now!

For ideas, think of what moms would shop for themselves and check out our Mother’s Day collection. Some women’s merch favorites include: 

• Women’s Tees
• Women’s Flowy Tanks
• Yoga Pants
• Mugs
• Wine Glasses
• Tote Bags

Add a catchy slogan to capture the sentiment. Sure, “Best Mom Ever” is a good one, but don’t be afraid to get creative. Moms do A LOT! How can we honor all that they do for us? And don’t forget, there are all types of moms, from new moms, grandmothers, step moms, soon-to-be-moms, and even dog moms.

As for color palettes, pink is always a favorite. But you can also capitalize on this Spring’s other trendy colors, like lavender, teal, tangerine, and bright green.

Now that you have some design ideas, here are 5 key ways to boost sales with your Mother’s Day Merch:

1. Don’t wait! Start creating and designing now. It takes a minute to mock up, get products ready, and finally launch. Shipping cut off dates are 04/24/23 for US orders, so you need to promote your merch and give fans enough time to order. Also, here’s a pro tip: create Mother’s Day promo codes and use them when promoting your merch on social to help you boost sales!
2. Order a sample. Another reason you want to create now is so you can order a sample in time to promote special Mother’s Day merch on your socials. Bonus if you can get a mom to wear your merch! 
3. Create promo codes. You definitely want to create Mother’s Day promo codes to drive sales and create a sense of urgency to buy now so fans can get their order before Mother’s Day.. 
4. Get personal. Why is Mother’s Day important to you? How can we celebrate all Moms? Share your experience. Fans relate to real emotions.
5. Repost UGC (user generated content). Encourage your fans to wear your merch and post on their socials. This is an organic way to spread your brand, and it gets more people interested in you and your merch.

Creators can deepen their connection with their fans by promoting merch that honors the role moms have played in their own lives. Happy prospering and HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!

Are you aware 2 billion people are on Instagram every day? Of those users, 130 million use Instagram Shopping and 90% follow a business account. Clearly, Instagram Shopping is a great tool for creators to open an online storefront, tag products in posts, and simplify the process for the customer. 

But what exactly is Instagram Shopping? It’s a feature that allows you to create a digital, shareable catalog of all of your physical products right on Instagram. Conversely, Instagram Shopping allows consumers to learn about and purchase products in a few easy steps. It’s not the way of the future. It’s now. Instagram Shopping is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to selling products on IG. 

Don’t worry, Spring makes this easy. In this blog we’ll show you how to set up Instagram Shopping using Spring’s Integration Tool as well as some tips on how to sell more products via that method, so that you can hit and exceed those sales goals! Let’s get started. 

Set up Instagram Shopping with Spring

When you’re ready, and eligible, you can set up Instagram Shopping through Spring. Here’s what you can do on Spring:

• Manage, track, and create your orders and ad campaigns with Instagram, as well as incorporate the look and vibe of your Spring store. 
• Use our tools that help you promote, sell, and list products on Instagram. 
• Set up a product catalog. Many people don’t like the hassle of doing this, but if you connect through Spring, we’ll automatically import your items. If you want to connect from the Instagram side (if your account is eligible), here are some basic tips on linking Instagram Shopping with Spring:
  • Go to Commerce Manager.
  • Open the Catalog tab and go to Data Sources.
  • Select Add Items, then Use a Partner Platform, then hit next.
  • Select your platform of choice: Spring.
  • Hot tip: Remember to keep catalog maintenance top of mind. Once your catalog is set up, it’s important to maintain it. Always keep product photos updated and hide unavailable items.
• Submit and wait for your account review. (It might take a couple days). 
  • Go to your Instagram profile settings.
  • Tap Sign Up for Instagram Shopping.
  • Follow the steps to submit your account for review.
  • Check the status of your application by visiting Shopping in your Settings.
• Turn on Instagram Shopping. Once approved, connect your product catalog with your Instagram Shop.
  • Go to your Instagram profile settings.
  • Tap Business, then Shopping.
  • Select the product catalog you’d like to connect with.
  • Tap Done.

Instagram Shopping is great but it’s only the beginning. How can you utilize this great tool to increase your sales even more? We got you. 

Tips to sell more products using Instagram Shopping

Here are some tips that will help you get the best results from Instagram Shopping:

• Shoppable Posts. Shoppable Posts allow you to add product tags to your content so customers can purchase. Similar to tagging other users in your posts, Product tags on Instagram tag the products. Your shoppers can then quickly shop your products and click on your tags. 
• Instagram Stories/Product Stickers. Inside your Instagram Stories are Product Stickers. You can tag specific products in Stories, just like tags in posts. Don’t know how to create Instagram Shopping Stories? Here’s how:
  • Use the Stickers function to tag a product in your Instagram Story.
  • Upload or create your content for your story as usual, then hit the sticker icon in the top-right corner. Find the Product sticker, and from there, choose the applicable product from your catalog. (Really cool tip: customize your product sticker to match the colors of your Story)
• Tag Products in Reels. Here’s how: 
  • Create your reel. Then tap Next. 
  • Select a cover image and add a caption. 
  • Tap “Cover” and slide the image at the bottom of the screen.
  • Tap “Tag Products” and select the product(s) or collection you’d like to feature. Then Tap “Done”. Lastly, tap “Share” to publish your reel.
• The Shop Tab. On your profile, the Shop tab is where your visitors can see all the products you’ve tagged in your posts on Instagram. This includes any content that features the products. 
• Collections. You can create and customize collections in your shop to help tell your brand’s story.
• Instagram Checkout. If this is enabled, your customers can purchase directly from Live Shopping, Shopping for Creators, and product launches. Shop Pay will automatically pop up for the customer, making it simple for them to check out. 
• Use the best hashtags. Add as many as you can! Hashtags build brand awareness and get your content to the right people so that you and your products become more discoverable on Instagram. 
• Shopping Ads. You can either build an ad from scratch in Ads Manager or boost a Shoppable post you’ve already created. You can do this using the Instagram Product tags. Simple! If your ads have product tags, you can drive to either your Spring store or Instagram checkout (if you have access). 
• Create Instagram Shopping Guides. Instagram Guides are basically mini blogs that live on the platform. For users with an Instagram Shop, this can be a fantastic way to promote products with an editorial perspective. Think trend reports and gift guides. Here’s how:
  • From your profile, click the plus symbol in the upper right corner, then select Guide. Next, tap Products.
  • Search by account for the product listing you’d like to include. If you’ve saved the product to your wishlist, you can find it there also. Then Select the product you’d like to add and tap Next. You can choose to include multiple posts for a single entry if available. They will be displayed like a carousel.
  • Add your guide title and description. If you would like to use a different cover photo, tap Change Cover Photo. Then double check the pre-populated place name, and edit as needed. If you wish, add a description.
  • Tap Add Products and repeat steps 4–8 until your guide is complete. Then tap Next in the upper right corner. Finally, tap Share.
• Visuals. To increase sales you’ll need high-quality photos and videos. It never hurts to get really good at editing videos or photoshopping photos. Or show your product in action with how-to or proof-of-concept video.
• Share sales and promo codes. It’s always a good idea to offer a time-sensitive incentive to get fans to act quickly. With Spring, creating and managing promo codes is easy.
• User Generated Content (UGM). This is when other users share your merch. Jump on this! They are giving you free advertising and credibility. 
• Always end with a CTA (call to action). “Buy Now.” “Share with a friend.” “Tap the [shopping bag icon] to get yours!” 

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to sell your products on Instagram. Happy prospering! And as always, hit us up anytime with questions at creatorhelp@spri.ng.