Merch Marketing For Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

About Merch Marketing For Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

The goal of this show is to help business owners and entrepreneurs use branded merchandise, custom merch, promotional products, and client gifts to build brand awareness, strengthen customer loyalty, stay remembered, and generate revenue. Barbara Hobart, aka The Merch Strategist, has been creating products for more than 30 years. While working as an award-winning television writer and producer, she accidentally invented a product that grew into an international business. Today, she helps businesses create products on purpose—starting with the strategy and taking them from idea through sourcing, production, and delivery. This show will deliver practical merch marketing strategies to help you figure out what to make, when to use it, how to get it made, and how to make sure the money you spend on branded merchandise actually works for your business. If you want to create custom merch but have no idea what to make or where to begin—or you've already spent money on promotional products that didn't create the impact you expected—I'll show you how to fix it! This podcast will provide valuable ideas and strategies for business owners, founders, online coaches, consultants, course creators, community owners, speakers, experts, agencies, and entrepreneurs who want to use physical products to create stronger relationships with the people they serve. If you want to build brand awareness without constantly posting more content or spending more money on ads, strengthen customer loyalty, create better client gifts, turn your expertise into physical products, or use branded merchandise to generate revenue, you're in the right place. This show is for you if you find yourself asking questions like: What kind of merch should I make for my business? How do I create branded merchandise people actually want to keep and use? How do I get custom merch made for my business? How do I choose the right promotional products for my brand? What are the best client gift ideas for my business? When should I give gifts to my clients? How can branded merchandise build brand awareness? How can merch help build and strengthen customer loyalty? How can I use merch to generate revenue for my business? How do I make sure my merch doesn't end up in a junk drawer? How do I turn my expertise, framework, or ideas into a physical product? How do I create merch without ordering hundreds of products? Should I use print-on-demand or custom merchandise? How can my business stand out in a digital world? How can branded merchandise help me stay top of mind with clients and customers? How can I use merch instead of spending more money on ads and constantly creating content? How do I turn branded merchandise from a marketing expense into a brand asset? How do I avoid wasting money on branded products that don't work? What is the difference between Print on Demand and creating custom products? How do I ship products to my clients without holding inventory and not turning my dining room table into a mailing facility?

Publisher

Barbara Hobart, Merch Marketing Strategist

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episode

10 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

8 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   10 Nov 2026

   008: How to Choose the Right Client Gifts: The MADE Framework

   You have a client who's been with you for three years. They renew, they pay on time, and you want to show your appreciation. So you start shopping for gifts before you've decided what the gesture should accomplish. That's how a three-year client ends up with the same gift basket as someone you met last month. In this episode, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, walks you through the MADE Framework, the four-step process she uses to help business owners find opportunities in their business and decide where a physical product can make a difference: Mine: Look at what's already happening with your customers, clients and members to find the opportunity. Audience: Get specific about who's receiving the product and what matters to them. Desired Outcome: Decide what you want them to think, feel, remember or do. Expression: Choose the product, presentation and message that fit, along with the budget, timing and delivery. Using a real-world example of recognizing a marketing agency founder after three years together, you'll see why the MADE Framework isn't a shopping list. It's how you make the important decisions before you spend money. It works for onboarding, membership participation, recognizing achievements, referrals and developing a product to sell. Your exercise: pick one opportunity in your business and work through the four MADE steps. Next episode: five moments in your customer journey where you may be missing chances to strengthen relationships and stay top of mind. ABOUT BARBARA HOBART Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, has spent 30 years helping businesses and entrepreneurs create custom branded products on purpose, from choosing the right product to getting it made for them, which includes sourcing, production and delivery. Need help figuring out what products are right for your business or how to get them sourced, produced and delivered? Visit barbarahobart.com Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention and generating revenue with strategic branded products? Get my free weekly newsletter, Strategic Swag, delivered every Thursday. Tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads and trying to stay remembered online? Join my free community, Get Your Merch Made, and learn how to use merch to build your brand, connect with clients and create products people actually want to keep.

2. 

   3 Nov 2026

   007: How to Build Brand Awareness: Get Noticed AND Be Remembered

   You're posting on LinkedIn, sending newsletters, making videos, maybe even paying for ads, and still struggling to get noticed. You're doing everything right, but so is everyone else. Now AI can produce a month of content in an afternoon, so getting someone's attention isn't the same as getting them to remember you. In this episode, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, explains why the best chance to be remembered often comes after the sale, with the customers, clients and members you already have. You'll hear three examples: a business coach who turns a framework into a tool clients keep using, a real estate agent whose first-night kit shows they paid attention, and an online community that marks member progress with something physical. You'll also get a simple exercise to try this week, the first step of the MADE Framework. Pick one recent client and answer three questions: What did they just accomplish? What will they need next? What would help them keep using what I gave them? AI can help you create more content, but it can't pay attention to your clients for you. Next episode: how to use the MADE Framework to turn that opportunity into a merch strategy for your business. ABOUT BARBARA HOBART (https://barbarahobart.com/) Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, has spent 30 years helping businesses and entrepreneurs create custom branded products on purpose, from choosing the right product to getting it made for them, which includes sourcing, production and delivery. Need help figuring out what products are right for your business or how to get them sourced, produced and delivered? Visit [WEBSITE LINK]. Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention and generating revenue with strategic branded products? Get my free weekly Strategic Swag Newsletter delivered directly to your inbox with completely different content than I share in my podcast. Tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads and trying to stay remembered online? Join my free community, Get Your Merch Made, and learn how to use merch to build your brand, connect with clients, and create products people actually want to keep.

3. 

   27 Oct 2026

   006: The Junk Drawer Test: Is Your Branded Merch Worth Making?

   Before you order branded merchandise, client gifts, or event giveaways, ask yourself: will someone actually want to use and keep this—or are you paying to put your logo in their junk drawer? In this episode of Merch Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, introduces the Junk Drawer Test: a practical way to evaluate a branded product before you spend money getting it made. A notebook can be perfect for a workshop and feel generic as a client thank-you. A tote bag can be useful at an event and fall flat as a premium welcome gift. The product didn't change. The moment did. Learn how to choose strategic merch by asking: Why are we making this product? Does it fit the moment someone receives it? Does it make sense for the person receiving it? Where will it belong in their everyday life? What does it say about our brand? Plus, Barbara shares the logo gut check: if your logo were smaller, would the product still make sense? Whether you're choosing client gifts, member rewards, referral thank-yous, welcome products, or course tools, this episode will help you look beyond the mock-up and evaluate whether your merch has a reason to stay in someone's life. Get The Junk Drawer Test Checklist to avoid wasting money on the wrong merch. ABOUT BARBARA HOBART Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, has spent 30 years helping businesses and entrepreneurs create custom branded products on purpose—from choosing the right product to getting it made for them, which includes sourcing, production, and delivery. Need help figuring out what products are right for your business or how to get them sourced, produced, and delivered? Visit barbarahobart.com. Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention, and generating revenue with strategic branded products? Get my free weekly Strategic Swag newsletter, delivered every Thursday. Tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads, and trying to stay remembered online? Join my free community, Get Your Merch Made, and learn how to use merch to build your brand, connect with clients, and create products people actually want to keep.

4. 

   20 Oct 2026

   005: Print on Demand vs. Custom Merch: How to Get Your Branded Products Made

   Should you use print on demand or custom production to get branded products made for your business? And who handles the inventory, packaging, and shipping—without turning your office into a mailing warehouse? In this episode of Merch Marketing for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, breaks down how to choose the right production method for client gifts, welcome kits, member rewards, event giveaways, and course tools. Drawing on 30 years of creating custom products for clients, Barbara explains when print on demand makes sense, when custom merch gives you more control, and why the decision starts with what you need the product to do. You'll learn: The trade-offs between print on demand and custom production, including upfront costs, product options, and packaging. Why custom products don't automatically require ordering thousands of units. What to check in a product sample before approving production. How drop shipping and fulfillment services can help you avoid storing and mailing everything yourself. Which costs to consider beyond the product price, including setup, packaging, kitting, storage, and delivery. Four questions to answer before choosing how to get your merch made. Whether you're welcoming new clients, rewarding community members, or turning your expertise into a physical product, this episode helps you understand your options—and what you can hand off. Follow the podcast for the next episode: what to ask before you order anything, and why your product needs to pass the Junk Drawer Test. ABOUT BARBARA HOBART Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, has spent 30 years helping businesses and entrepreneurs create custom branded products on purpose—from choosing the right product to getting it made for them which includes sourcing, production, and delivery. Need help figuring out what products are right for your business or how to get them sourced, produced, and delivered? Visit barbarahobart.com Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention, and generating revenue with strategic branded products? Get my free weekly Strategic Swag newsletter, delivered every Thursday. Tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads, and trying to stay remembered online? Join my free community, Get Your Merch Made, and learn how to use merch to build your brand, connect with clients, and create products people actually want to keep. --

5. 

   13 Oct 2026

   004: How to Turn Your Expertise Into a Physical Product: Framework Decks

   In this episode of Merch Marketing for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, explains how your expertise, method, prompts, recipes, artwork, training, or ideas can become a physical product through Framework Decks. If you have ever created a course, workshop, keynote, client process, coaching method, recipe collection, or body of work that people value, this episode shows how that knowledge can become something people hold, use, keep, gift, share, or sell. You'll learn why a Framework Deck is different from a regular branded promo deck. Instead of simply putting your logo on the back of a deck of cards, a Framework Deck uses the cards themselves to carry your ideas, prompts, questions, teaching points, or process. Barbara explains how a 54-card deck can help business owners, coaches, consultants, course creators, speakers, artists, food bloggers, community owners, and entrepreneurs turn what they already know into a strategic branded product that keeps their expertise in use after the course, meeting, keynote, workshop, or client experience ends. Barbara Hobart: Need help figuring out what products are right for your business or how to get them sourced, produced, and delivered? Visit Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist or book a free 15-minute discovery call. Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention, and generating more revenue with strategic branded products? Get my free weekly Strategic Swag newsletter every Thursday. Tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads, and trying to stay remembered online? Join my free community, Get Your Merch Made, and learn how to use merch to build your brand, connect with clients, and create products people actually want to keep.

6. 

   13 Oct 2026

   003: What to Make Before You Make Anything

   In this episode of Merch Marketing for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, explains why the best merch idea usually does not begin in a product catalog. Before choosing a mug, T-shirt, hat, notebook, or any other branded product, you need to look inside your own business and identify the idea, phrase, process, story, tool, or question that is actually worth turning into something physical. You'll learn why the product is not the idea — the product is the container for the idea. Barbara shares how business owners, coaches, consultants, course creators, speakers, community owners, and entrepreneurs can stop copying random merch ideas and start finding product opportunities inside what they already say, teach, ask, repeat, solve, or help their clients understand. This episode shows how strategic branded merchandise starts with what makes your business distinct, so the product feels connected to your brand instead of becoming more forgettable branded stuff. Barbara Hobart: If you need help sourcing products or not sure what products are right for your business, visit Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist (https://barbarahobart.com/) or book a Free 15-minute discovery call. Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention, and generating more revenue, get my FREE weekly Strategic Swag newsletter every Thursday. If you're tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads, and want an easier way to build your brand, connect with clients and potential customers, join my free community Get Your Merch Made.

7. 

   13 Oct 2026

   002: Merch vs. Swag: Why I Call It Strategic Swag

   In this episode of Merch Marketing for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist, explains how to turn branded merchandise from a marketing expense into a brand asset. If you have ever wondered whether custom merch, promotional products, or client gifts are worth the investment, this episode breaks down how the right product can welcome new clients, increase participation, celebrate milestones, encourage referrals, generate revenue, and keep your brand remembered long after the first interaction. You'll learn why effective merch marketing starts with the audience, the business goal, and the moment — not a product catalog. Barbara shares how business owners, coaches, consultants, course creators, speakers, community owners, and entrepreneurs can use strategic branded products to build stronger customer relationships, create memorable client experiences, and bring their brand into the physical world. Barbara Hobart: If you need help sourcing products or not sure what products are right for your business, visit Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist (https://barbarahobart.com/) or book a Free 15-minute discovery call. Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention, and generating more revenue, get my FREE weekly Strategic Swag newsletter every Thursday. If you're tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads, and want an easier way to build your brand, connect with clients and potential customers, join my free community Get Your Merch Made.

8. 

   30 Sept 2026

   001: Introduction to Merch Marketing for Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

   This is the introduction episode for Merch Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners. If you're a business owner, founder, coach, consultant, or entrepreneur looking for smarter ways to build brand awareness, strengthen customer loyalty, and stay top of mind, this podcast is for you. I'll show you how to choose the right branded merch, client gifts, and physical products for your business—and how to get them made without wasting money on products no one wants. Barbara Hobart: If you need help sourcing products or not sure what products are right for your business, visit Barbara Hobart, The Merch Strategist (https://barbarahobart.com/) or book a Free 15-minute discovery call. Want more strategies for creating brand awareness, increasing client retention, and generating more revenue, get my FREE weekly Strategic Swag newsletter every Thursday. If you're tired of constantly posting content, spending $$$ on ads, and want an easier way to build your brand, connect with clients and potential customers, join my free community Get Your Merch Made.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

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