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The Ultimate Guide to Promotional Products

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The Ultimate Guide to Promotional Products

The Ultimate Guide to Promotional Products

Promotional products have been a part of American enterprise for over 200 years, beginning with buttons for political campaigns and quickly rising to prominence as advertising tools for businesses. Today, promotional products are a global industry in and of themselves. Branded giveaway items and sales support products are inexpensive and extremely effective as a marketing channel. It’s true that tracking the effectiveness of a promotional products campaign can be more speculative than tracking the performance of, say, a Facebook or Google ad. However, for the low cost of entry, the right promotional products can have a big impact on your brand recognition, memorability, and marketing integration efforts, especially in localized markets.

Think of promotional products as an avenue for passive, subtle, subconscious brand exposure. Have you ever heard of a drip campaign in marketing? It’s when you send a series of short communications (usually emails) at timed intervals that slowly get to an offer or idea. Like a leaky faucet, they “drip” a little brand exposure with every step. Branded promotional products also give a subtle reminder of the brand each time they’re used (or even just seen in a glance). The also have the advantage of being physical rather than virtual – your customers can’t hold an email in their hand in the same way they would a useful accessory!

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The key phrase here is “choosing the right promotional products.” With so many options ranging from pens and bags to tools and trinkets, how does one go about choosing the right products as part of an overall marketing strategy? Luckily, that’s what this article is all about! Choosing promotional giveaway items that are relevant to the customer and unlikely to get tossed aside is simple once you are clear about your budget and who your target market is – specifically.

Know Your Budget & Time Frame

It may seem like a given, but it’s important that you choose a product that will provide the maximum returns for your business. That means thinking about how many pieces you can get within your budget. For instance, these Bamboo Harvest Pens are $1.04 each, with a minimum order of 250 pens – for a total of $260 for 250 pens. Compare that with the classic Bic Clic Stic, which is $.78 per pen with a minimum order of 300 ($234 total). So, if you opted for the Bic instead of the bamboo pen, you would save $26 AND get an additional 50 pens compared to 250. Now, price aside, the higher priced bamboo pen might make more sense for certain companies and certain marketing campaigns. This leads us to the next and most important factor in choosing your promotional products – knowing who your target audience is! But first, a quick note on time frame. Some products simply take longer to produce, and lead times can vary from days to months depending on several factors. Make sure you are clear about how long production is expected to take. 

Know Your Audience

Much like a speaker will alter his or her message depending on with whom they are speaking, or like a band playing a concert will tailor their set list to the demands of the crowd, businesses must clearly define who they intend to reach with their promotional product campaign. This allows the business to both control the outflow of promotional products, as well as to tailor the product to the specific customer segment. For instance, a company that specializes in garden tools might know their target audience is interested in DIY and tends to be rather handy. Knowing this, they might choose a branded multi-tool or portable flashlight over something techy like a USB flash drive. Knowing who you intend to reach and what they might be interested in can be a critical part of our final tip:

Think Longevity!

To truly maximize what promotional products can do for your business, choose products that are not only relevant to your target audience, but are also useful to them! This can lead to a promotional product campaign with a reach that spans years!  This is not to say that products that are consumable or disposable cannot be effective – they can be extremely effective for the right audience, in the right situation. However, if we’re thinking in terms of maximizing our return on investment, choosing products that will stand the test of time can provide years of brand exposure – and often these products can even change hands and reach even more people. For instance, a car dealership provides copies of the customer’s purchase paperwork after the transaction. These documents usually remain in the glove compartment for the life of the car – even with multiple owners! This car dealer might choose a nice looking full-color document folder for their promotional product, and rightly so! Their name, logo, and contact information will provide subtle reminders every time the glove compartment is opened!

Beginning a promotional products campaign for your business can be a little daunting. There are SO many product options and varying price points, you may find it overwhelming to pick the perfect product. But by following our simple guidelines, you can quickly begin to narrow down your list to products that maximize your budget, are relevant to your audience, and are likely to be in service for a long time. GPP’s expert Sales Team has specialized in promotional products and point-of-sales advertising since 1974. If you need help choosing the perfect promotional product, call GPP today!

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