Resources on the Topic:Any idea how much money that now famous phrase made for it's creator? Me neither, but I bet is was a LOT. Back in the day, witty one-liners and trendy images made thousands, if not millions for their creators. Some of the best examples that we all know:
-99% of all lawyers give the rest a bad name
-Hang up and Drive
-Keep honking, I'm Reloading
-Stupidity is not a crime, so you are free to go
-Cancer cures smoking
-Hang up and Drive
-Keep honking, I'm Reloading
-Stupidity is not a crime, so you are free to go
-Cancer cures smoking
And this doesn't even include the Jesus fish, the Darwin Jesus fish with legs, the yellow smiley face, or the ribbons for a cause. Think about it, each year in the US, nearly 15 million new cars are sold, and a decent percentage of those cars will be bestowed with at least one bumper sticker before they end up in the junkyard (That average jumps to at least 8 or 9 in Kentucky!). Add in
T-shirts and mugs, and those now famous lines quickly lead to a lot of product sales.Back in the day, entering the bumper sticker, witty T-shirt, or clever mug game was a bit more difficult. It usually required a bulk order, sales through some sort of store, credit card processing, etc. But my friends, that has changed for the better.
Enter Cafepress.com. This website has made it easy. All you need are a one liner, a few minutes on their web site, and a little time marketing your ideas. They handle the rest, creating the product, sales, shipping, and credit card processing. They sell the product, you collect the profits. The beauty is that you can quickly and easily throw your lines on shirts, bumper stickers, mugs, and more. The possibilities are endless!
But before you run over and start cranking out "Buy American" stickers, let's talk a little bit about making your products a success. First, the idea is everything. As you can imagine, with the increased ease of this process, more and more people are entering this world, so you need to be even more creative.
If you want to make a career out of it, your best bet is to focus on current events. Remember the Somali Pirates? How about Octomom? Maybe the Swine Flu? Any idea how many people googled each of these things? Me neither, but I bet it was a LOT. And the beauty is that you can develop your idea and get it up on the web immediately! People googling these topics are likely to stumble upon your products, driving up your sales.Next, let's talk about marketing your products. For starters, you want to develop a great web site. Cafepress allows you to upgrade your store for only $4.99/month. It is definitely worth it. If your site isn't professional, people won't be willing to give you their credit card information. Next, you need to spend some time working on SEO, or search engine optimization. Sites such as Graywolf's SEO Blog can provide you a ton of information on moving your site up the free search results. If you know you have a home run idea, consider using Google Adwords to advertise your site. You will pay per click, but it will really help drive traffic.
It really is that easy! You can have your products up and selling before the day is over. Good luck, and remember, Friends Don't Let Friends Work in a Cube!
Keys to Success:
Be Creative. There is a ton of competition, so you need to be great.
Be Professional. Would you give your credit card info to a random half-ass site?
Market it. Ever heard of Billy Mays? Yeah, Oxyclean is good, but not THAT good.
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