Marketing your business is a complex process of trial and error. Not every campaign is going to strike gold and result in tons of new sales or customers. In many cases, you have to try out different marketing channels to find the media that will connect with your target audience. Even if you have the perfect channels chosen for maximum exposure, the content of your messaging has to be compelling enough to drive action.
One marketing strategy that is embraced by businesses of all sizes is a promotional product campaign. Promotional products are printed with company information, such as the business name and logo, then given away to customers, employees, or members of the public. When seen by others, these products can lead to greater visibility for the brand.
Investing in branded merchandise is a cost-effective marketing tool because your initial purchase can lead to repeated exposure whenever the items are used by the recipients. Perhaps the most important aspect of this campaign is knowing what products to give away to promote your business.
Common Promotional Products
Using this tool for your marketing efforts is not as simple as buying the items and then giving them away. A good deal of thought and strategy should guide your decision-making. What items are going to be useful for your target audience? Who will you give these items away to for maximum visibility? Where will you give items away? Let’s run through a few examples of common promotional product categories.
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Clothing
Articles of clothing and similar accessories are popular promotional product categories because they can gain high visibility for your brand. When you see a person, one of the first things you will notice is their outfit. Are they wearing a hat? What color is their t-shirt? What kind of pants or shoes do they have on? These items are very noticeable, and therefore represent a great opportunity for businesses to market their brands. T-shirts, sweaters, bucket hats, and other articles of clothing make great giveaways for employees for loyal customers to turn them into brand ambassadors.
Office Supplies
Helpful products that fall under the office supply category are useful for many individuals, whether they work a 9 to 5 or spend all their time raising children at home. Plus, office supplies tend to be on the cheaper end of the spectrum for branded merchandise. You can go really simple by ordering custom pens in bulk, or you can think a little bigger with branded mouse pads.
Health and Wellness Gifts
A company’s values are becoming more important to consumers than in the past. If your brand can demonstrate that you care about the well-being of your employees, your customers, and members of the public, then the perception of your brand can become more positive. Some ideas for health and wellness gifts include reusable water bottles, hand sanitizer containers, stress balls, and journals.
Sports Gear
If your target audience includes sports fans, then branded sports gear can be the perfect idea for a promotional giveaway. You can invest in products like stadium cups, promotional rally towels, custom foam fingers, koozies, stadium cushions, or baseball hats. These items could gain a lot of visibility for your brand in everyday life, especially if the recipient attends a sporting event with thousands of other fans.
Fitness Products
A good portion of your customer base might be interested in fitness, in which case you can meet the needs of potential clients by giving away related products with your branding information. Some ideas for this category include gym bags, drawstring bags, Fitbits, wearable technology devices, fitness tracking tools, and athletic clothing.
Know Your Target Audience
Before you even consider what promotional products to invest in, you should first analyze your target audience. What kind of lifestyles do they lead? What are their hobbies and interests? Where do they spend their free time and their money? The more you know about your customers, the easier it becomes to engage with customers, which can impact your company’s productivity. Promotional products that meet their needs are an ideal strategy for engaging customers and convincing them that your brand is trustworthy. It also proves that you understand their needs. Build your branded merchandise campaign around your target audience to get the best results.
Promotional Products Can Diversify Your Marketing Efforts
Every successful business owner understands that effective marketing requires the use of multiple channels. Audiences do not exist on one platform, which means the ways to communicate with them are numerous. Investing in branded merchandise is just one way to increase visibility for your company, and it can be integrated with other initiatives like social media, email marketing, or a print campaign. The more diverse your marketing efforts, the greater your reach can be.
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