When you think of promotional products, what do you think of? Tchotske’s? Trinkets and Trash? SWAG? Freebies?….How about Advertisements? Sure there are a lot of “junky” promotional products out there that are given away as a “freebie” only to fall apart in the recipients hands – hands that immediately throw the product in the trash. But what about the better quality, low cost, items that are passed out to target audiences to create brand recognition? Let me let you in on a little secret…it all depends on how you use promotional products that determines the level of advertising you can accomplish. How do you get to this level?
Let me tell you: there is, in fact, a proper way to use promotional products that will help you get an actual return on your investment – a cost effective ROI at that! Here are a few tips to help you get started…
- Before purchasing promotional products, come up with a distribution plan – or a promotional plan. This plan should be comprised of your who, what, when, where and why. So, who is your target audience? What objective are you trying to accomplish or what product are you trying to order? When is the deadline for this project, or when would you like to meet your objective, Where are you planning on distributing these items to your target audience (tradeshow, their place of business, sales calls, etc.)? Then, pick your product and ask yourself: Why are we planning on distributing these products to X target audience and why does it make sense in our plan?
- Did you know that there are statistics out there that can tell you which types of audiences like which promotional products? These are tools you can use to find out if your target audience will even hold onto the products (which generates more impressions).
- Once you find out the products you are going to give – find out the best way to get them in the hands of your target audience and execute that plan.
- Make sure you keep track of who you send or give the products to, who responds to your products and who responds to your calls.
- Speaking of calls, make sure you call the prospects you send the products to. Just like any advertisement or mailer, you should definitely make followup calls to your prospects.
Hopefully, these tips have helped you discover a more proper way to execute a strategic advertising campaign with promotional products. For more information, contact a promotional product consultant who will be happy to help you find the right products for your promotional plan.
Creating Memorable Impressions For Your Brand 