Selecting the right promotional item to give away to customers and clients is an overwhelming task. When you’re about to spend a significant portion of your marketing budget on a custom-branded item, you want to ensure it doesn’t end up in the trash.
Promotional items can be a great way to create a buzz around your brand, bring in new clients, and remind past customers of your business. However, if you’re not putting thought into the promo items you’re selecting, you may end up wasting your money.
If you’re looking to purchase new swag but you want to ensure your customers and clients will actually use your item, here are a few steps you need to take.
Before you begin making any purchases, you need to evaluate what your goals are. Swag and promotional items can be a strong marketing tool in a number of ways. Whether you’re trying to connect with new customers or you’re hoping to secure repeat business, passing out branded freebies can be a great way to do that.
However, you need to consider what you’d truly want to accomplish with the swag you purchase. If you’re hoping to create buzz about your business at a conference or trade show, you’re probably not going to want the same products if you’re hoping to make long-lasting connections with existing clients.
Relate your marketing goals back to your overall business goals. Know what you’d like to achieve through this particular marketing campaign and brainstorm some item ideas that can help you achieve that specific target.
If you need to purchase thousands of the same item, costs can grow rather quickly. In addition to the cost of the item, you also need to remember design and shipping. If you’re looking for a particularly intricate design, this could add a few dollars per product, which adds up pretty fast!
When you’re shopping for your next promo item, you need to be realistic about the budget you’re creating. If you’re not factoring in shipping (and other common add-on costs of promo items - setup charges, etc!), you may find that the items you had planned on purchasing are suddenly out of your budget. Knowing what you’re able to purchase upfront can ensure your marketing campaign runs smoothly.
Relate your budget back to your personal goals and what items may help you become more successful. While handing out free high-quality t-shirts to everyone at a conference may help generate interest in your brand, it can cost you. If you’re working on a budget, opting for smaller items like pens or lanyards may do the trick.
Everyone likes free things. From millennials to C-suite professionals, not many people are going to pass up a free item from a brand they love. However, if you’re not passing out useful promo items that don't fit the needs and daily lives of your target customer, you'll find that your swag is eventually finding its way to the trash.
When you’re trying to find a promo item that fits within your budget, you want to consider when and where your customers are likely to use this product. While millennials love to cover their laptops and tablets with stickers from their favorite brands, older generations aren’t likely to do the same. On the other hand, those business professionals would happily use a travel coffee mug every day.
Understanding the behaviors and needs of your target audience can help you make the right product decision. Before you make a purchase, ask yourself if your target customer would truly use that product, where they would use it, and how often they would use it.
Now that you’ve thought through what you’d like to accomplish, how much you can spend, and who you’d like to target, you’re ready to start looking at the items you may want to customize. However, even once you’ve narrowed down your search, it can still feel overwhelming.
With the massive amounts of promo products out there, it can be difficult to know which will have the most impact. While notebooks, pens, and coffee mugs seem like classics, finding a way to stand out from the crowd can help you retain more attention and bring you a higher return on your investment.
When selecting your item, keep in mind how your customers tend to treat items of that kind. For example, pens seem to frequently become lost or may end up ignored in a cup full of similar items. However,more practical items like coffee mugs or high-quality t-shirts may be used more often.
It’s always important to think through your promotional items before you buy. When you put thought into how the items may be used, you can achieve your marketing goals while staying within your budget.
Use Cubik Promotions when creating promo products your target audience will love. Not sure where to start? Let Cubik do the hard work for you! Contact us today!