 Custom imprinted promotional products -- also known as advertising specialties or promotional logo items -- give you more bang for your buck when it comes to branding your business and keeping your web address front and center of their minds.
They're extremely cost-effective and give you a marketing tool with long shelf-life.
The key to using promotional products is the effectiveness and ability to build awareness of your brand over an extended period of time. Compared to other, more risky and costly forms of promotion, you will never get a shelf life like that of a well-thought-out promotional product campaign.
Maybe you've tried direct mail or you've run some print ads -- both necessary and recommended to build your business.
But to create greater awareness and build your brand over an extended period of time (with a small effort on your part), imprinted logo products is something I have to recommend for small business marketing.
Do Promotional Products Really Work?
Custom imprinted promotional products really do give you easy-to-use tools to build brand recognition. They help you, create a winning "buzz" about your business and help people know who you are. You don't need a ton of cash to create the brand recognition you need to explode your profits.
It's as simple as putting your company name right on her countertop.
Or in her office...
On his shirt...
In her purse...
On his head...
Or right in her hands -- every single day.
The idea is to have something with a greater shelf life than the conventional means of contact…such as postcards or business cards.
Do you think your prospect is going to carry around your business card until she's ready to call you? Do you think she’ll remember your name without contact and keeping your personal and business name in front of her?
Not a chance.
How much does it cost to build your business brand with promotional products?
First, promotional products are extremely cost-effective -- sometimes costing just pennies per item.
However, the wrong way to look at imprinted items, or any marketing and promotional effort for that matter, is by looking strictly at the "cost per item."
Instead, find something that fits your upfront spending limit (your budget) and make sure you know how you expect to gain from your promotion.
This "projected gain" will be your Return On Investment, or your "ROI."
In basic mathematical terms, if you spend "X" on a product, you want to be able to estimate what your "Y" is with regards to your "net" sales and profits.
Therefore, just because you've only paid ten cents for a promotional product doesn't mean it was inexpensive. Especially if it failed to grab attention or have a long shelf-life.
On the opposite end, the same goes for spending ten dollars for a particular, high-end promotional product. "Expensive" won't always return a higher ROI.
Which items work best?
When you're trying to find promotional product ideas or come up with any other marketing campaign, of course the first step is to learn as much as you can about your target customer, if you haven’t already.
And although promotional gift items are cost effective and give you a longer branding shelf life – finding the right product comes after figuring out who your customer is and what are her pains, motivations, and goals.
Out of all of the thousands of promotional items available, sometimes the classic items that have been around for a long time work the best. Pens, wearables (t-shirts), mugs and printed item (calendars) have been proven to deliver your message and have much greater shelf lives.
Finally, when choosing the right promotional product, ask yourself the following:
- Will it be well received and appreciated by my target customers or prospects?
- Does it have a high-perceived value?
- Does it give you the consistent exposure you're looking for?
- Will it have a long shelf life?
And most importantly, as with all marketing efforts…is it going to bring me a high ROI?
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