What's All The Hype About Promotional Products In Marketing?

Promotional Products Rock

They say the best things in life are free. Your customers would probably agree. What better way to show your customers appreciation than rewarding them for their loyalty with free and useful products? By acknowledging the relationship between your company and your customers, you are strengthening the bonds that lead to increased traffic and an increase in sales.

If you’re the owner of a business, you’re also in the business of earning back what you have invested. While it may seem as if you are taking a loss by giving away free merchandise, you are actually gaining so much more. It’s all about meeting the needs of your consumers. In a recent study, statistics showed:

• 94% of the consumers polled recalled receiving a promotional product from a business they previously purchased from
• 76.2% were able to name the specific product, advertiser and message
• 83% said they enjoyed receiving this type of merchandise

What Type of Products?

Just because a product is free does not mean it should be underwhelming. Some simple yet valuable items your company can give out are apparel, travel and leisure accessories, tech items, tech tools and office supplies. The goal is for each product to be neat and useful, not fancy.

How to Get Started

AlphaGraphics has everything you need to begin your promotional product campaign. We provide a complete line of custom-printed promotional items. We also offer state-of-the-art digital printing, brand development and integrated marketing for your campaign. You can bring your logo into AlphaGraphics and work with our team to decide which promotional items are best for your organization. This allows for more creativity and structure for what you want and what your customers need.

Personalizing your promotional products is very important to help your customers remember you.

Customers enjoying the product need to remember who gave it to them and why they should continue using your business. AlphaGraphics has many different ways you can promote your company with your chosen promotional products, including: embroidery, silk screening, embossing/debossing, laser engraving, die-sublimation and more.

Promotional Strategies

There are a variety of ways to effectively get your point across through promotional products:

1. Pick items that are reusable or re-giftable. Give them something that can be used over and over. This helps them recognize the consistency of your company in their lives. They can also be a great present if the customer feels so inclined to give it to someone who may enjoy it more.
2. Outfit your employees in branded clothing. Your employees are the first people that your customers will meet. Use branded clothing that is attractive in color and in style.
3. Give out two promotional items to one customer. If your customers truly enjoy your products, they are more likely to spread that joy to others. Encourage them to give the second item to a friend or family member who might be interested in your business.
4. Be relevant. A magnet or a key chain may come in handy or maybe a mousepad or flash drive. The product needs to be useful and remind the customer of who they should be doing business with.
5. Be creative. Remember you are giving these out for free to your customers! The customer does not want something boring. When it comes to branding, use catchy tag lines or simple logos. The more discreet, the more likely the customer is to understand the message you are sending. The more fun, the more likely the customer is to use the product again and again.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Using promotional products may seem like a lot of work, but the return on your investment will surely outshine what you put in. Your customers will feel appreciated and even more inclined to continue doing business with your company. By following the strategies provided, your company will begin to thrive in regard to customer service as well as in an increase in sales. Contact us or come into our store to take a look at our catalogs of promotional products and let us help you plan you next promotional product campaign.