T-shirts are fun little conversation starters. If I’m not wearing something utterly ridiculous (my “I <3 Hot Moms” shirt, for instance… that photo isn’t me, by the way), I’m probably wearing a shirt from a Podcamp or one with a Web 2.0 company’s logo. When it’s the latter, I’m essentially a walking billboard for that particular company. I don’t mind though – hell, I got a free shirt.
You wouldn’t believe how many people have asked, “What’s socialmedian?” or “What’s Strands?” A guy behind the counter at a gas station in Hershey once asked me what BarCamp Harrisburg was. And because I love this stuff, I don’t mind talking a bit about it. Have I sent potential users to any of these sites? I really have no idea. There’s no Google Analytics for real life. The potential is there, though.
So send more shirts out to more people. Don’t just give them away in the Bay Area – send them everywhere. You’ll generate some good will and possibly create an evangelist for your product. If you want an example, look at this post. I was more than happy to link to a few companies and I’ll be more than happy to talk about them in the future to anyone who asks.
How much did it cost them? One t-shirt.
