These days, the commercial markets are so crowded with promotional gimmicks, zany selling points, and pleas for customers to ‘Look over here!’ and ‘Buy this one!’ that it’s no wonder shoppers have a hard time distinguishing the great opportunities from the distinctly average. If you want your brand to make an impact, however, you have to find a way to introduce some consistency and trust.
The key to both of these things is presence. You need to be seen and remembered and the only way to do that is to maintain exposure. In other words, if your brand is out of sight, you can assume that it is definitely out of mind too. Whether it’s promo posters, flyers, billboard advertisements, or branded freebies and giveaways; your customers should always be aware of what you’re up to, what you’re offering, and why they need it.
This guide to some of the most creative ways to use promotional products will help you maximise brand exposure.
Choose the Right Products
The first step is a simple one. You have to decide what type of products offer the most value to your customers. Choosing the right promotional products is important whether you’re giving them away for free or not, because the aim should be to pick items with a long lifespan. A good example of this is something like a branded pen or calendar; an item that a person will naturally keep around their home for an extended period of time.
Target for the Environment
No, this doesn’t mean that all of your promotional products have to meet rigid sustainability criteria. Environmental targeting is a way to link up branded items with the circumstances and spaces that customers use to access your business. So, a simple example of this would be distributing mouse mats or flash drives to shoppers who make most of their purchases via your online store.
Always Go for Extended Shelf Life
There are all kinds of things that customers love to be surprised with. Pens, mouse mats, mugs, calendars, t-shirts, and bookmarks are all popular choices. Even things that are very cheap to produce, like post it notes, are welcomed with a smile because they are useful and practical. However, before you go ahead with manufacturing plans, it is worth thinking about whether you could adapt your idea to give it more longevity. For instance, instead of a disposable pen, you could offer a pen holder.
Encourage Sharing
While the notion of ‘regifting’ can sound a little strange, it is actually a very popular marketing technique and it is used all the time. Before being bought out by Amazon, entertainment provider LoveFilm used this method on a regular basis. Around the holidays, it would send special discounts and bonuses to existing customers, alongside vouchers for a free trial. Regifting – even if it’s just sending out two branded pens instead of one – is an effective way to double exposure without extra cost.
Make It Personal
One of the most powerful marketing strategies is personalisation. If you give a customer an item with their name on it, they stop being a number and become a valued contributor. This is exactly how they’ll see it, because showing your loyal fans that you know who they are encourages them to respond with commitment to the brand. The extra expense is negligible, particularly if the impact of your promotional efforts can be doubled or even quadrupled.
Learning to Plan Ahead for Future Success
You should get into the habit of planning out your promotional products in advance. That way, you can carry out market research to find out which items customers consider the most valuable and which freebies and goodies have the longest lifespan. It is important to remember that cost isn’t everything. A calendar may cost just pence to make but it has the potential to keep a customer active and exposed to the brand for a whole year.
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