the easiest marketing you're not doing: wear your merch

One of the easiest things you can do as a business owner is grab your logo, put it on some shirts and hats, and wear it everywhere you go.

That's it. That's the whole strategy. And barely anyone does it.

If you've got kids, wear it to school drop-off. Wear it to the shops. Wear it to the gym. Everywhere you go, you should be in your merch.

why it works: in-person impressions

When you think about impressions online, it's about how many times your content lands in front of someone. It's not a view — it's the potential to become one. The more times something falls in front of a person, the more chances it has to land.

Now flip that to real life. How many people see you out in public on a normal day? Probably way more than you'd think. Every one of those is an impression for your business — if you're wearing your brand.

And if what you're wearing actually looks good, even better. Extra points if it's got your website on it, because people notice that. When people notice the same thing over and over, it gets repetitive. When it gets repetitive, they get curious. And when people get curious, that's when they go home and search you up.

So one of the easiest things you can do — that almost nobody does for some reason — is wear your merch everywhere you go.

the part everyone skips: your website

Here's where it falls apart for a lot of businesses. Someone gets curious, searches you up, and there's nothing there. Or there's a site that looks nice but does nothing.

Websites are underrated right now. Most people aren't thinking about them — they're focused on social media engagement, which is fine. But with the way AI is moving, having a website matters more than it has in years.

And it's not just about having one. It's about having one that's:

• Responsive — works properly on a phone, not just a desktop.
• Fast — loads quick, doesn't make people wait.
• Built with the right content — so it actually answers what people are searching for.

There are so many sites out there that look great, then you run a speed test and they fail half of it. And if your site isn't optimised for AI search, AI isn't going to recommend you at all. That's a problem that's only getting bigger.

I'll break down what makes a good, fast, AI-ready website in another post.

the bottom line

For now, if you're not already doing it, the simplest move you can make is to wear your merch everywhere. It's literally the easiest thing on this list, it costs you almost nothing, and it quietly does the work every single day.

Put your logo on a shirt. Add your website. Wear it out the door.