There are multiple ways to monetize your uniform tracker. In this article we will focus on the three most common (and possibly easiest) ways to make money from your content and followers.
Promote products
Using an affiliate marketing network you can earn a set percentage of a sale by leading customers to a specific web page and making a purchase via a custom link. Posting the link on social media is a create way to drive traffic to these links. There are many affiliate networks to join and depending on your content you may want to join a few of them.
We won’t list all the affiliate networks, but here are some key ones that you might find to be beneficial for your uniform tracker/database. You must signup for each organizations affiliate program separately. Search “(blank) affiliate program” on Google to find their signup page. Brands listed below my change affiliate networks after this is posted.
- Impact
- Brands using Impact include Fanatics (including NFL Shop, NBA Store, etc.), Adidas, ESPN+, Cabela’s, Eastbay, Walmart, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Target and more
- ShareASale
- Brands using ShareASale include Reebok, Redbubble, Etsy and many more
- Many brands on Impact started on ShareASale
- Awin
- Brands using Awin include Nike, Under Armour, TicketMaster and more
- Amazon Associates
- eBay Partner Network
All of these affiliate networks offer their own terms and commissions. Please read the terms so you know what you’re signing up for.
Also, please be courteous of other uniform trackers. Don’t promote every new uniform or other merchandise that isn’t related to the team you’re covering just to make a quick buck. For example, if the Oklahoma City Thunder get new uniforms and you cover the Oklahoma State Cowboys, let the Thunder uniform tracker post the affiliate links first. Hopefully everyone will do the same for you if your team gets new uniforms or merchandise.
Put ads on your website
Using Google AdSense you can make money using “pay-per-click”. With AdSense you earn money each time a visitor of your website clicks on an ad. Making money with this program can be difficult if your don’t have enough traffic coming to your site. Hopefully you can at least earn enough to cover the costs of your website domain name and hosting.
You can also use banner ads on your website available through the affiliate marketing networks listed above. With these banner ads you will only earn money if the visitor makes a purchase on the website you direct them to.
Another way to get ad revenue is to reach out to companies directly. This will likely only work with small business. Think of mom-and-pop stores that sell products related to the team you’re covering (ex. university bookstores, memorabilia shops).
Sell your own products
There are two ways you can sell your own products.
Option one, you can literally do every step of selling a product from creating the product yourself to shipping it off to the customer. With this option you will likely need to create a Shopify, Squarespace, WooCommerce (WordPress) or other eCommerce site builder. This option requires a lot of work to setup and carryout, but you can control how much you want to sell the products for.
Secondly, you could use a website that handles everything for you once you create and upload your design. If you’re only looking to sell shirts, hoodie, posters, stickers and other similar items consider using a print-on-demand site. Websites like Redbubble, TeePublic, TeeSpring or Spreadshirt only print your designs on products once the item is sold. These sites handle the processing and shipping so all you have to worry about is promoting your products and getting paid. The biggest downside of this option is that you have little to no control over the cost of the products and you will likely only get a set percentage of the total sale (ex. you might only earn $4 on a $20 t-shirt).