Marketing has evolved over the years and changes its form in multiple ways. No matter wherever we look, we see some sort of advertisements or marketing campaigns. Whether it is TV or radio ads, ads in magazines and newspaper, social media ads, online banners, sponsored ads, it seems that they are never-ending and they are present everywhere. The growing competition has created an environment of marketing all-around of us.
And still, the traditional form of marketing and advertising like promotional products, are still used by a large number of businesses on a regular basis. Many of the people might assume that this is a lost form of marketing, but the reality is quite different. The opposite holds today, and it is claimed by various studies that promotional products are still an effective way of marketing a business and its products and services.
So, the question arises that why a business should release a promotional product. Well, these products allow the people and potential customers to see the brand and then associate with it. They recognize the brand whenever they go shopping, and this is the most important aspect of using advertising gifts. People who become aware of a business brand tends to purchase the product of that business which leads to increase in lead generation and sales.
Well, a promotion product must also present the company well enough. It also makes sense, but it remains to be the key step for these promotional products. Often businesses chose the least expensive product to cut the costs incurred, and somehow they settle for poorly made and low-quality advertising products, and it fails to work the way it is anticipated. It can, however, do more damage to the brand of the company rather than any good. Even though these items are free items, the recipients will be disheartened and become upset in case they don’t receive a good product which doesn’t work right and is cheaply made. That is why it is quite crucial to have the promotional products to represent the business well. Not only these items should be useful to the recipients but also relevant to the brand. It should also be of good quality which essentially signifies the quality of the products and services of the business.
Another question that arises in the mind of marketers is what type of or which promotional item should they use to market their business. Well, it depends on the type of the business as well as the budget. Both these factors influence the type of marketing giveaways that should be opted for.
When it comes to industries like IT companies, the best products are IT related products such as USB drives, power banks, laptop sleeves etc. In case of regular financial services and other services which has more stationary based working, notepads, pens, personalized mugs, etc. are a good choice. When it comes to marketing companies, business bags, business card holders, etc. are the perfect items. In case of fitness and lifestyle businesses, t-shirts, caps, swear bands etc. are the right choice. So, it is dependent on the type of the business when it comes to selecting the right promotional product.
While these are among few the most common items, you can always be inventive and innovative when it comes to giving out promotional products. It is, in fact, more often that inventive promotional products are more successful in branding and marketing of a business.
Another thing that needs to be kept in mind is the niche that you are trying to target. For instance, cheap personalized pens and notepads are great if you are targeting offices and corporate niches. However, you need to make sure that these products aren’t “overbranded” and should be more subtle as well as actively used so that they are used for often which makes them more effective.
When it comes to distribution of these items, there are many instances and events that you can give these items. In case you are trying to catch the attention of a potential client or any customer, sending them the free gift is a great idea as they are more likely to pay heed and attention to your business as well as the brand if you have made sincere efforts in sending them something. Another occasion is you could also distribute them in trade shows, or an open day or in case you don’t find any occasion, pick a date and distribute in public. You will be quite surprised to see the attention people give to free stuff which will earn you the recognition of the brand and raise the curiosity of the people. People often make a queue around the distributors to collect branded products and watch the even with quite some curiosity, and this helps you in building a good reputation of your brand. So, you can also organize a tradeshow to giveaways these promotional products.
The next question that marketers often have is that if this method is easy to implement. Well, there are many outlets which are present which not only stock but also provide a cheap collection of personalized products which you can buy and distribute as promotional products. It is a great idea for any small business, especially when it has a small budget, to set a trial of few items and check the efficiency of the effort. This way it can determine which product is the most successful one and also get the best return on investment. If this process is executed with care and the right strategy, the promotional product marketing strategy can turn out to be a great success as well as highly rewarding, both in terms of sales as well as revenue. It will also create the brand’s awareness and reputation of the business. So, it is recommended that the business shouldn’t rush into it and consider all the options and find the best product which can help establish its brand within its budget.
Choosing to use marketing gifts to advertise and market the business is certainly a great way of promotion of a business. In order to be more impactful as well as effective with this particular type of advertising, it is essential to follow three essential keys to success in order to achieve efficient branding using these promotional products. The first rule when it comes to using branded merchandise is that the product should be useful to the recipient. The recipient should be able to use the product on a daily basis which reminds him of the business.
The second rule is that promotional product should be relevant to the business. For instance, when it comes to fitness business, custom imprints like T-shirts are the best giveaways. The third rule is that the product should represent the business well. It should deliver the message of the business with efficiency. When promotional products meet these criteria, they can be used by the recipient for a long time and also leave a positive influence on them. These products can then leave a good impression of the business and make them more inclined towards using the products or services of the business.
