If you’re not using branded promotional products in your advertising campaign, you’re missing out on a powerful marketing tool. Giving away promotional items is a surefire way to draw attention and increase awareness of your brand. By associating your business with a reliable brand image, you give customers something concrete that they can trust. Below are just a few advantages of using promotional products to establish your brand.
Reaches a Wide Audience
The best way to reach a wide and diverse audience is to invest in a variety of different advertising tools. It’s easy to find promotional items that reflect the purpose of your business as well as the message of your brand, but you should also take your customer base into consideration. If you’re marketing to the general public, basic home and office items are best. For specific subsets such as IT techs, it makes more sense to invest in specialized items like branded USB drives. Getting specific with your advertising makes customers feel like you know them and opens the door for future communications that translate into sales.
Builds Recognition
Customers are more likely to keep promotional giveaway items than they are business cards, pamphlets and other printed materials. Choosing products such as pens, mouse pads and mugs keeps your brand visible on a daily basis. Portable items such as tote bags can become mobile advertisements that bring your brand message to an even wider audience. The more exposure a that customers get, the more likely they are to think of your company the next time they need a product or service you offer.
Improves Customer Response
An advertising campaign is only effective if it works to grow your business. The statistics don’t lie: promotional products generate markedly higher customer response than other forms of advertising. This includes providing contact information, generating referrals and making purchases. Repeat orders also increase with the use of branded items. Such tangible results make it easy to measure how well your promotional campaign is working and whether or not you need to make adjustments to bring in more businesses.
Lowers Marketing Costs
No matter what the size of your business, you want to make the most of your advertising budget. Investing in promotional giveaways gives you a greater return on each impression than other traditional methods. That’s good news if you’re looking to increase the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns. A single branded item may be seen by dozens or even hundreds of people depending on the type of item and how long a customer holds onto it. With some products costing less than a quarter a piece, that’s a hefty return on your investment.
Establishes a Positive Reputation
Giving customers something they can use establishes your business as friendly and helpful. When people associate positive experiences with your brand, it helps build trust. Trustworthy businesses get word of mouth advertising from satisfied customers and draw existing customers back to make repeat purchases, an effect that grows over time.
Abi is a marketer, interested in everything marketing. She writes for promotional merchandise specialists Fluid Branding, click here to view their full range of items.
Image credit: Woodlands Ad Agency on Flickr