POD merch with a cause: marketing charitable merch on Amazon Merch on Demand

Imagine an e-Commerce market where buying a t-shirt, mug, or tote bag can contribute to the betterment of society. Where sales aren’t just about sporting a logo, but about driving change, fostering empathy, and turning ordinary purchases into extraordinary deeds.

Welcome to charity print-on-demand (POD) merch on Amazon Merch on Demand – a niche where money and humanity meet.

The question is, how can you successfully navigate this innovative venture? How do you create impactful designs and craft a compelling marketing strategy that encourages customers to purchase your products for the right reasons?

Let’s find out.

The charity market on Amazon Merch on Demand

Before we continue with tips and tricks on how to design and promote your charitable merch, it’s worth answering one key question. Do such products sell on Amazon in the first place?

Luckily, finding the answer only takes a few clicks of a button with Merch Informer.

Using the tool’s Cloud module, we performed a quick search on the keyword “charity”. The software displayed only 13 bestselling listings for this keyword, with an average BSR of 389 013. Initially, this data doesn’t signal an exciting market.

However, we noticed that the majority of listings utilize different keywords and phrases to attract users. For instance, some of the dominating ones include “faith”, “Christian”, “church”, “hope”, “Bible”, and “God”.

This reveals that there are other sub-niches in the space. In this case, religious charity causes are the wave creators.

To broaden our understanding, we performed additional searches for related words, such as “donate”.

Here, we uncovered 70 top-performing products, with an average BSR of 165 947. For these listings, some of the popularly used keywords include “organ”, “kidney”, “transplant”, “support”, and “awareness”.

Right off the bat, we can identify a completely different angle to charitable merch.

All of this information enables us to conclude that charitable merch does sell on Amazon. It also helps us see that the market is wide and diverse, featuring multiple causes and sub-niches.

How to market your charitable merch on Amazon

Creating and marketing charitable merch items on Amazon requires careful planning and strategic execution.

Two critical elements that you should focus on (as they directly impact your product’s visibility and conversion rates) are your listing titles and descriptions.

Here’s how you can optimize these elements to maximize your impact.

Listing titles

A well-crafted title can significantly influence shoppers to invest attention and money in your charitable merch designs.

Follow these tips to prepare your titles for the best:

Include essential details

Your title should contain vital information about the product, such as the charity organization’s name, product type, design elements, size, color, and material if applicable.

For instance, “EcoBrand Unisex Save the Forest Hoodie, Organic Cotton, Green, Medium.”

Such a title does not only give out a lot about the product, it also attracts consumers with specific keywords like “forest hoodie”, “save the forest”, “organic”, and more.

Highlight the cause

Since your merch is associated with a cause, make sure to incorporate this into your title. It creates an emotional connection and differentiates your product from others.

Imagine a title like “Hearing loss charity organization. Help someone in need. Piano t-shirt”

This kind of title speaks loud and clear about the charity that stands behind it. Shoppers are immediately informed about the cause through a powerful statement.

Listing descriptions

The product description gives you an opportunity to tell the story behind your product and cause. It’s your chance to connect with the customer on a deeper level.

Describe the product

Provide a detailed description of your product, including materials, design features, and care instructions. Also, explain why these details matter.

If you’re using organic cotton, for instance, inform your customers why it’s eco-friendly.

Keep in mind that the majority of charity-related products are created with special attention to the environment and to fellow humans.

Use bullet points

Amazon shoppers often skim through product descriptions, possibly missing out on vital information. It’s a good practice to use bullet points for key details to make it easy for the customers to read.

Take this opportunity to state the unique selling points of your merch design and share more information about your cause.

Include keywords

Don’t forget to incorporate relevant keywords in your description. Use business intelligence tools like Merch Informer to pick out the most appropriate keywords.

When making your choice, ensure that your keywords have high search volumes and low competition levels. These are the phrases that are easiest to rank for, maximizing your listing’s visibility.

For example, some of the most searched-for terms related to charity include:

• i speak jesus charity gayle
• chavez for charity bracelet
• charity gifts that give back
• charity gifts

Utilizing these in your product descriptions and titles will help you attract the right audience and satisfy an existing demand.

Enhancing your sales strategy with Amazon Ads

Promoting charitable merch on Amazon Merch on Demand can greatly benefit from the strategic use of Amazon Advertising.

If you’re new to Amazon Ads, we encourage you to familiarize yourself using Amazon’s guidelines. However, if you have some experience but are looking to tips related to the charity niche, here’s our advice.

Establish clear goals

First, determine what you want your ads to achieve.

Are you aiming to enhance brand visibility for “OceanSafe pillow cases,”? Or perhaps you want to boost sales for your “Rainforest Rescue Hoodie,” or encourage clicks on your new “Climate Warrior hoodie”?

Having precise, definite goals will guide your campaign.

Choose the appropriate ad type

Amazon provides various ad formats, but for Merch on Demand, consider these two:

• Sponsored Products – perfect for promoting individual items like your “Coral Reef Conservation Tank Top.” These ads appear in search results and on product pages.
• Sponsored Brands – allow you to showcase multiple products under your brand. For example, you can highlight your “EcoWarrior Collection” comprising t-shirts, hoodies, and v-necks, all supporting different environmental causes.

Select relevant keywords

Keywords are the backbone of your ad’s visibility.

Use Amazon’s Keyword Tool and Merch Informer’s Keyword tools to discover keywords related to your product and cause.

If your merch supports ocean conservation, keywords might range from broad terms like “eco-friendly tees” to specific ones like “ocean conservation sweatshirts.”

Incorporate long-tail keywords such as “plastic-free ocean graphic t-shirt” to effectively target your niche audience.

Determine your budget

With Amazon’s cost-per-click model, you bid the maximum amount you’re ready to pay per click on your ad.

Start with a modest budget, say $10/day for your charitable merch designs and adjust based on your ad performance.

Promoting your merch designs outside Amazon

Note that spreading the word about your charitable merch designs isn’t limited to Amazon only.

Collaborating with influencers and other organizations can dramatically expand your product’s reach.

Here’s how you can effectively set up and manage these collaborations.

Identify suitable influencers

Start by identifying influencers whose interests and values align with your charitable cause.

Use platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok to find those that support your mission. For example, if your merch raises awareness about animal welfare, look for influencers who frequently share content about animal rights or have pets.

Tools like BuzzSumo or HypeAuditor can help you analyze influencers’ reach, engagement rate, and audience demographics. This information will help you choose accounts that best connect with your target audience.

Draft a personalized outreach message

Once you’ve identified potential influencers, the next step is to reach out and sell your story.

Craft a bespoke message explaining your mission and how your product supports it. For example, if you sell merchandise that funds ocean cleanup initiatives, tell them about how much of the proceeds from each sale go towards the cause.

Explain why you think a collaboration would be mutually beneficial. Maybe your ‘Clean Ocean Tees’ align perfectly with the content of an influencer who frequently posts about marine conservation.

Propose a collaboration structure

In most cases, influencers will want to know the details of your proposed partnership.

Consider providing a unique affiliate link or a discount code that the influencer can share with their followers. This encourages the influencer’s followers to buy, and it allows you to track the effectiveness of the partnership.

Form partnerships with non-profit organizations

Aligning with non-profit organizations can provide additional promotion for your charitable merch designs on Amazon.

Look for groups that support your cause and see if they’re willing to help you popularize your merch, co-host events, or even collaborate on designs for new items.

In a nutshell

Selling charitable merch designs on Amazon is a great way to raise money for a cause or spread a charity-related message across to a wider audience.

By using Merch Informer as a powerful source of data, you can tailor your designs and optimize your listings for success.

Finally, the promotional opportunities that Amazon offers merged with off-platform marketing strategies are bound to make your designs visible to the world.