Promotional merchandise holds a unique place in the marketing funnel. Its versatile ability to get your message in front of the right people is less wasteful than other classic marketing tactics such as leaflet dropping and business cards. If you do it right your brand and message could be in front of your prospects at just the right time to remind them to get in touch or make the decision to convert.
Promotional merchandise falls roughly into three categories: giveaways, corporate gifts and clothing. The giveaways cover all those items you might pass to potential clients at your trade shows, events and meetings from branded USB’s and pens to stress balls and lanyards. Corporate gifts cover those higher quality items that you might want to give to valued clients to say thank you for their business and for building a lasting relationship with you and your company. Finally, corporate clothing is a great way to not only take your brand with you wherever they go but gives your team something that is useful, high quality and looks great!
That being said, there are a number of additional concepts to bear in mind in order to succeed with promotional merchandise marketing:
Always know which group you are targeting. If your audience is environmentally conscious for example then you might want to research the best in reusable and recyclable goodies. Sustainability is hugely important to businesses and companies. Don’t ignore their specific touch points.
Never send out promotional items with half-finished, dated or poor quality messaging. No matter the value of the product it represents you, your brand and your business. Never let your message be anything less than exceptional.
We all have budgets. Don’t skimp but don’t throw your money away either. If you know your audience make sure you qualify your leads. If you’re buying corporate gifts for Christmas, qualify your customers. Don’t give a £100 voucher to a client who might be spending millions and similarly don’t give it to the customer who only spent £100. Customers and clients appreciate value but don’t go too far.
When you’ve decided to use promotional products to boost your sales it’s always tempting to start giving them away as soon as they arrive but wait. Trust us. You know your sales funnel better than anyone. Make sure your potential leads get the right messaging at the right time in their journey. Pens are a great constant reminder to clients throughout their journey but not everything is suitable. Don’t give too much too soon.
Finally remember to tie everything back to your return on investment. Your investment in jackets for the team won’t be measured in leads generated but what’s the value to you of your brand impression. On the other hand those Americano Mugs helped remind four new clients to give you a call.
Making sure you partner with a company who has experience in providing the best and most relevant range of promotional products currently on the market is just one step in your new product marketing journey. Give us a call now and we can help you choose what’s right for your market.
