Why Businesses Use Promotional Products For Marketing
Tips on best ways to use them & the best items to giveaway
Effective marketing for business is about understanding consumer behavior. To be an effective marketer, you need to have a sense of who your customer is, who your prospect might be, and what makes them want to buy your service or product. But importantly, given the broad scope of marketing and all the variables that comprise the field, there are always new developments and avenues to pursue. It’s a field of constant adaptation that requires utilizing every tool at your disposal, primarily a tool as valuable as promotional products.
Promotional products, also known as premiums, freebies, or giveaways, foster interest and can be used to get “your foot in the door” in the proverbial sense. If you have ever been to a tradeshow or career expo assembly, you’re likely familiar with seeing branded stress balls, tote bags, or pens sporting some company’s logo. While these items at a cursory glance may feel like nothing more than trinkets and knick-knacks, they’re essential in beginning a potential relationship with prospective clients and customers.
Promotional items can be an effective marketing tool for several reasons:
- Predicting exactly when your customer is ready to buy is difficult. A branded promotional item with your site address or phone number can be used to keep your brand at the forefront of a potential customer’s mind for down the road when they’re ready to decide.
- Promotional items build goodwill. Everybody likes a gift. It makes them feel valued. By ingratiating yourself to the customer, you plant the seeds for a potential client-customer relationship. This makes it harder for a client to write off a business when they’ve developed a rapport.
- Promotional items reinforce your brand image. Whether it is the item itself or the message on the item, premiums are a cost-effective way to be in front of your audience, communicating your value to them.
- Promotional items are multiplicative in nature; the person who receives your premium is likely to expose their friends, family, co-workers, and even strangers to the brand. In turn, there’s more significant potential for them to consider the product or service.
Selecting the right promotional item is key to its effectiveness. Here are four strategies:
Utility
A freebie that is useful to your customer will not only get used – and your brand is seen – but it will be appreciated. Useful examples include a branded tool for tradesmen customers, a logo shot glass for those in the food and beverage industry, a water bottle for outdoorsy types, or branded golf balls for golfers. This last one can be particularly useful when it gets lost and found by yet another prospect!
Placement
The strategy here is to understand where your customer usually is when they are making a purchase decision. Might they be talking about business on the golf course? Branded tees make sense. Perhaps your customer is daydreaming on the beach about how to take their business to the next level? How about a branded mini-cooler? If your prospects are on the phone all day, a mobile phone case with your message will be front and center all the time. Does your customer base travel a lot? A portable battery charger pack bearing your logo will always be seen.
Creative
An effective promotional item does not always have to be rational. Everybody likes a laugh, needs a break, or appreciates creativity for creativity’s sake. A book of jokes, a note pad of funny quotes, a calendar of cute kittens, a compendium of the best Tweets can offer a little respite from the stress of work. Your customers will appreciate it and reward you.
Reinforcing
A promotional item that by its very nature ties in with your business, offer or value proposition is an extraordinary way to connect your brand with your customer. Think about a therapist promoting herself with branded stress balls. Other examples include a dentist offering a toothbrush with every visit or a car repair shop giving away a small adjustable wrench.
For more information about brand promotional items, peruse NH Marketing Solutions. An expert in the field, NH Marketing Solutions, can help your business expand by implementing years of marketing experience.