How a Small Business Can Increase Sales with Promotional Products

Meet Charlie.  Charlie owns a small (hypothetical) coffee and shop called “Charlie’s Coffee & Cookie Shoppe”.  He has been brainstorming ideas on how to reach out to more customers and generate more business.  So, he searches the internet for ideas.  After looking around for a little bit, Charlie comes across the Antina Promotions website.  After reading about how their company loves to help customers grow their business, Charlie gives Antina a call.  

He explains to Antina that he wants to run a fun promotion to increase sales for his business.  After asking Charlie questions about his business and his current and previous marketing plans.  After talking to Charlie, we find out that his main clientele are corporate business people who stop in before and after work and sometimes they stop in for lunch.

So, we suggest to Charlie that he chooses to give away a promotional product and a coupon for a free cookie with a purchase of a coffee when they bring the promotional item into his coffee shop.  This promotional item can be given to both current clients and prospective clients. Here are the steps we recommend for him:

1. Figure out your promotion

Since most of his clients are business people, we suggest to send a stress reliever shaped in a to-go cup with a coupon for a free cookie when they purchase their coffee and present the stress reliever.

2. Let current clients know about the promotion

For clients who are signed up for Charlie’s newsletter as well as his followers on social media, Charlie can send out an announcement in the next newsletter or post saying he will be running a promotion where they can receive a free gift if they complete a customer satisfaction survey and provide their mailing address so he can send their free gift (the stress reliever).  This way he can get two birds with one stone: 1. figuring out how his business is doing 2. Extending his promotion to current customers to show appreciation for their business.

For prospective clients, Charlie can mail the stress relievers out to his target audience in creative packaging that will stand out from all the other mail his customers may receive.

Another idea Charlie can use to create awareness for his business is to go to the local office parks and pass out the stress relievers and coupons to the employees to cover both his prospective and current customer base.

3. Measure Results

Charlie can measure his results by the number of customers that show up with their coffee shaped coffee mug.

If Charlie follows these steps, he will surely see an increase in sales as well as new customers coming through his doors.  As a bonus, when his baristas provide a friendly service, Charlie’s customers won’t wait to come back to Charlie’s Cookie and Coffee Shoppe.