How to Start Planning Your Promotion to Avoid Costly Mistakes

It’s so easy to fall in love with seeing your logo printed on promotional items. Especially if it’s something really cool or the “hottest” product out right now. Truth is, if you don’t plan, your latest and greatest products will end up in storage cemetery and become costly mistakes.

When using promotional items in your marketing, know there’s more to it than deciding which product to choose. While the product is important because it’s the vehicle that delivers your message, it’s also important to know how to get that message in front of your audience. Knowing this will help you avoid costly mistakes that come from choosing random products to give away.

Avoiding Costly Mistakes

In order to avoid costly mistakes, take the time to map out how you’re going to use the product to achieve a goal before you choose your items. Your goal can be to gain more clients, increase revenue or brand awareness.

Then, create a plan that allows you to track whether you’re at least getting a return on your investment. Once you establish your goals and have created a plan for your promotion and determined how to track your metrics, its time to choose a product.

You can still have your logo on the “trendy” products

If you want to buy the trendy products, great. Rule of thumb is to not spend the money for the sake of having cool products with your logo on them. This can be a costly trap IF you don’t have a purpose for your promotional items before you purchase them, and your marketing budget can take a hit.

To make sure you’re not making a costly mistake, be strategic about your promotion as well as the products you’re using. Spend the money with the intent of getting that money back plus some.

You can achieve your goals by creating a plan

Before you think of purchasing any products, ask yourself:

1. What is the purpose of your promotion?
2. What is your goal?
3. Who is your audience?
4. What are their interests?
5. What is your messaging?
6. How will you get that message in front of your audience?
7. What is your budget?

Once you determine the answers to these questions, you’re already better off than everyone else who purchases promotional items without a plan.

This is because these initial questions will give you a better idea of what products to choose and how to use them. Then, create a clear and concise plan that determines what products to use and to distribute the products.