This article was written by Joyce Williams at Zazzle. We’re publishing an entire series of articles in the Lounge from Zazzle. Keep your eyes peeled and check back often! And now for some motivation.
I’d like to welcome you to the Zazzle Educational Series created specifically for Sonicbids members. My name is Joyce Williams and I am Zazzle’s Music Guru. I have been at Zazzle for 2 years helping to develop our music and entertainment strategy. I work with large companies such as MTV, Live Nation, All Access, SonyATV, as well as directly with great brands such as Jason Mraz, Cheap Trick, Rob Thomas, Willie Nelson, The New Pornographers, Paste Magazine, and many others. Prior to landing at Zazzle, I worked for an indie record label for many years, and developed a consulting and management company called MIN Entertainment which built and supported the careers of bands such as Scissors for Lefty, Kid Beyond, Forro in the Dark, Von Iva, and The Ebb & Flow.
Zazzle and Sonicbids have teamed up to make it easy for you to create a merchandise store without laying out any cash in advance. Your band is also a brand, and our goal is to arm you with the tools to expose and monetize your brand as effectively as possible. This is the first of many posts that will help you along as you use Zazzle. We want to make sure to cover the topics that are most helpful for you so if there are specific topics that you’d like to see, you can email sonicbids@zazzle.com or leave a comment on this blog.
As a band selling merch to your fans (we’ll call you a “Seller” throughout these posts), you may use Zazzle in many ways:
- Generate income on your original work (free!)
- Display an unlimited number of products (free!)
- Promote and advertise your original work (free!)
- Manufacture specific products to take on tour and resell (no minimum orders!)
Zazzle’s platform is growing everyday with thousands of new sellers coming on board across various markets – artists, non-profits, entertainment brands, small businesses, corporations, and of course bands! We offer all of our sellers the opportunity to create a web-store absolutely FREE and at zero risk to you. Once your store is created, every time a purchase is made, you will make a nice percentage of each sale. We value each and every new member – big or small – and I welcome you!
Through Zazzle’s easy-to-use storefront creator, you will be able to set up a storefront with a skinned background that you can build to match your own website. You will be able to quickly create all sorts of products such as t-shirts, posters, buttons, stickers, hats, mugs, and even skateboards – all at the touch of a few buttons. To get started, all that you will need is just a few minutes and some creative content such as logos, photographs, and even lyrics – that’s it! With the right tools and understanding, in just a few minutes you can easily make your store that you and your fans will love!
Your first step is to go ahead and start an account here if you don’t yet have one. Once you have started an account, skip over to the next education post, which gives you tips for creating your storefront background and header.
Looking forward to working with you!
Joyce Williams, Zazzle’s Music Guru
