Best Ways to Use Promotional Products

Promotional products are a great way to get your brand name out there and form a positive relationship with potential customers. The products often feel like a gift, and your company’s name on the item will serve as a constant reminder of your generosity, engendering a sense of gratitude. As with any type of marketing, however, the use of promotional products requires foresight and effective strategizing. It’s not as simple simply mass-producing products and doling them out haphazardly. Keep these 6 tips in mind as you develop your own promotional product strategy.

 

Don’t Worry About Linking the Product to Your Business

 

Some business owners think their promotional products have to relate to the services they provide. While a connection doesn’t hurt, it isn’t at all necessary. The most important thing to consider while choosing the products is that the items be something people use on a regular basis. That’s why pens, bags, notebooks, and folders make such excellent choices. Remember, your main objective is simply that people use the products.

 

Use High Quality Materials

 

Your company’s name and logo will be plastered all over your promotional products. This means consumers will associate your brand with the products themselves. This is a good thing (in fact, it’s exactly what you want), but it means you need the products to be of a consistently high quality. If you hand out pens that dry up after the first use, people will associate your company with the crummy pens and the frustration they cause. You need people to think positively of the promotional products so that they form a positive opinion of your business.

 

Go for Variety

 

If you have the means to produce different types of products, then aim for a wide variety. The goal is to have as many people as possible using an item that carries your company’s name. If you make pens, paper, and folders, then you might have plenty of teachers and office workers using your products but not a single landscaper. Aim to create at least one product for every potential customer. If you’ve already got pens, think about shopping bags. Do what you can to spread the focus of your marketing scheme.

 

Use Products for Sponsored Events

 

Once you’ve had your promotional products made, the next step is to distribute them. There are lots of ways to do this, but one of the best is by sponsoring some sort of event. These events should attract quite a few people, and by handing out your promotional products you’ll ensure that they take a little bit of your company home with them. For as long as they use the product, they’ll associate it with the (hopefully positive) experience they had at the event, giving them a two-pronged reason to keep your business on their mind.

 

Hand Products Out Personally

 

Leaving products out on a table makes them seem like old knick-knacks gathered up from a basement. When possible, try to have employees personally hand products out. This adds a level of human interaction to the process, allowing your company to form a personal connection with potential customers. Also, a product that is personally handed to a recipient feels more like a genuine gift, increasing the sense of gratitude and making it more likely that the person will become a customer.

 

Give Extras to Employees

 

There’s no reason extra promotional products should ever rot in storage. Give any leftover materials to employees. Not only will they appreciate the gesture, but they’re also likely to use the products on a regular basis, thereby increasing your brand exposure.

 

Promotional products should form an integral part of your marketing arsenal. They’re fun, practical, and excellent for increasing brand recognition. Now that you know how to make use of promotional products, get out there and make the marketing magic happen.

Alex
 

Alex is a small business blogger with a focus on entrepreneurship and growth. With over 5 years of experience covering the startup and small business landscape, Alex has a reputation for being a knowledgeable, approachable and entrepreneurial-minded blogger. He has a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing small business owners, and is able to provide actionable advice and strategies for success. Alex has interviewed successful entrepreneurs, and covered major small business events such as the Small Business Expo and the Inc. 500|5000 conference. He is also a successful entrepreneur himself, having started and grown several small businesses in different industries.