When it comes to promoting your brand and marketing your company, one of the popular ways is to give your clients or customers an item with your company logo and/or name on it. These are called company promotional products, and can include anything from pens and notepads to USB drives and umbrellas – the sky’s the limit.
While it is understandable that some companies might shy away from the (extra) cost of company promotional products, particularly smaller businesses with a slightly stretched budget, the fact is that promotional products can yield high returns in terms of brand recognition and marketing your company, making them worth every penny. The key is to understand the benefits of promotional products, and then choosing the right products to invest in.
Branding
The first and most obvious benefit of distributing company promotional products is branding and marketing. Not only are they an excellent way of getting your brand name out there, but good promotional products that will be kept and used repeatedly by the recipient (more on that later) will reap continued benefits, and their use will also be looked upon as a form of endorsement by co-workers, friends or family.
As an advertising tool, promotional products are definitely more effective than radio, print or other forms of advertising, as the overwhelming volume of advertisements that the average consumer is exposed to these days means that most ads have all become little more than white noise for the average person on the street.
Appreciation
When it comes to boosting staff morale within the company, particularly around Christmas time or perhaps at the end of financial year dinner, companies could do far worse than investing in quality corporate promotional products that they can distribute to their staff. A meaningful gift that is practical and looks great says that their employer hasn’t forgotten about all the hard work they have put in over the past 12 months, and will also go a long way towards incentivising employees as they head into a calendar or financial year.
The same goes for a company’s most loyal clients – what better way to show appreciation for their continued patronage than with a quality gift? Besides conveying a positive, generous image of the company and brand, hopefully ensuring customer loyalty in the months to come, a well-selected corporate promotional product has manifold marketing benefits as well. Think how many more potential customers will be exposed to your brand if your most loyal customers have something tangible in hand to use and share?
Choosing the Right Company Promotional Products to Maximise Your Benefits
When it comes to choosing the right promotional products for a company, there are a few key things to keep in mind in order to maximise the benefits. These include:
1. Think about How the Promotional Product Will Be Useful
Is it Christmas time? Give products that are festive or useful for entertaining. Is summer coming up? Consider gifting pool or beach toys and BBQ accessories. Looking to distribute the products at a conference or event? Some conference organiser essentials include lanyards, bags and satchels, notepads and compendiums, pens, and mints.
2. Think about Reusability
To really maximise the money spent, increase return on investment (ROI) and reinforce your brand beyond that one occasion, choose products that recipients will keep and reuse over and over again. USB drives are a popular option, but do consider items such as mobile device chargers, reusable water bottles (these are also environmentally friendly), sporting items, etc.
3. Think about the Company’s Image
A promotional product says a lot about the company whose name is on it. First impressions count, so make sure promotional product is “dressed to impress” and too good to throw away. Always choose quality over quantity, as the product should represent the brand, uphold the brand’s values, and convey the quality of the service or products offered.
An example of a promotional product that really conveys quality is moleskin notebooks. Far from the regular notebooks that are so widespread as promotional products, a moleskin notebook is a prized possession with a high perceived value – qualities that any company would want to be aligned with.
Some Winning Characteristics of a Company Promotional Product:
Desirable
Memorable
Useful
Reusable
Good quality
Tastefully branded
Tips on Planning and Organising Your Company Promotional Products
Instead of sticking with the same fridge magnets and pens year after year, why not give clients and customers something they will look forward to? By getting ahead of the game and doing a little planning, a company can really elevate the quality and standard of their promotional products. Here’s how:
Plan and survey: Ask staff and loyal clients what they would like to see in a promotional product. This way, companies will find out exactly what they should be investing in.
Budget: Companies need to decide how much they are willing to spend per product. Find the balance between staying within budget and distributing something that the recipients will truly value. Don’t forget to factor in costs such as delivery and wrapping.
Message: For a special touch, add a personalised message to the products that are being distributed to clients and loyal customers, expressing appreciation and thanking them for their patronage. A simple thing like this will really go a long way!
Company promotional products might seem like an added expense, but with careful thought and the right planning, they are always worth the investment. As far as company marketing and advertising campaigns go, promotional products are one of the most cost effective and affordable methods as well.
So don’t be so quick to dismiss them – the next time you’re planning your marketing budget, have a think about what company promotional products can do for your brand.
Check out Marketing.com.au’s directory of Promotional Merchandise Agencies if you’d like further help with organising some promotional merchandise for your business.
Nirelle Bennett is the General Manager of CMS Corporate Merchandise Solutions, a promotional products specialist company with over 20 years of marketing experience across a range of industries including FMCG, SME and professional services. In addition to a solid understanding of the elements essential to building a successful promotional campaign, Nirelle also understands that marketing in this day and age is changing, and she’s always looking to combine creative marketing opportunities with promotional products to ensure the best ROI for her clients.
