How to Promote My Dog with Promotional Products

When it comes down to buying promotional products, some people might not realize that it takes some strategic planning.  More often than not, most companies decide to go the safe route by passing out a more common promotional item.  This may not work for most companies because of the risk of blending in with other companies who are promoting themselves with the same promotional items.  To solve this, try to get your creative juices flowing when it comes to buying promotional products. Do this by picking useful items that are relevant to your industry or promotional event.  Take a look at this hypothetical case study where we show you how to promote my dog, Bella, with promotional products.

Meet Bella.  She is a 6 year old Pomeranian who just started a new dog walking company.  She recently launched her business’ Facebook page and is looking for a way to generate some offline buzz about it.  Bella will also be exhibiting at an industry trade show and will be needing some creative ideas to make it a success.  Her main goals are to have attendees show up at her booth during the trade show and to direct more traffic to her Facebook page to ultimately get more “likes”.

Let’s begin with the trade show Bella will be exhibiting.  Instead of handing out the most popular items like pens, notepads and bags, Bella would like to stand out from her competitors.  So, in order to make her booth a “must see”, a mailer could be sent out in advance to expected or registered attendees with the first of a two part gift included.  The mailer would explain that in order to receive the second part of the gift the recipient must bring the first part to her trade show booth.

Since her target market includes both pet owners and pets, providing a gift that can be enjoyed by both is a must. Therefore, we suggest that Bella send out a beautiful dog collar imprinted with her company’s name and logo.  When attendees arrive at her booth, they will receive a matching leash as promised in the mailer. For unexpected attendees that arrive at the booth without the collar, a logoed light up dog tag will be given as a gift to promote safe, night time walks.

To knock out two birds with one stone, Bella could use her trade show opportunity to receive highly targeted Facebook likes.  For example, Bella can give out custom bottled water to all attendees who show up at her booth (what dog isn’t thirsty after a long walk?).  This bottle will have her logo imprinted on the label, along with a QR code that will take attendees directly to her Facebook page for them to “like” it on the spot.

By picking relevant items related to her industry and event, Bella can create a more targeted marketing plan to accomplish her goals.  The most important part of her plan is using promotional products as incentives to pique the interest of consumers who are ready to use dog walking services.  Picking relative items also helps her stay away from blending in with others in her industry.