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Choosing the Most Effective Promotional Products for Your Business

Hosting a presentation at an upcoming trade-show? 

A common tip is to give promotional items like shirts or pens. They can help boost brand awareness and hopefully increase ROI too. 

But, this is only if they are as effective as some people claim. 

How do you know which items to give away? Which items click with your audiences and which ones are likely to stay hidden away atop a basement shelf?

There’s no need to fret; we’re here to help you figure this out. Read on below for our tips to pick the most effective promotional products:

Have a Specific Goal

Don’t give free promotional products without first defining specific goals. Do you want these items to boost brand awareness or focus on building customer loyalty? Are these items meant to create positive word-of-mouth or to clandestinely boost traffic to your social media pages?

Having a goal can affect which items to give away and what kind of branding to print on them. Items meant to boost digital marketing efforts, for example, should have your company website or social media URLs printed on them. Items meant to showcase loyalty should be bigger, wearable and have the logo front and center.

Focus on Functional Items

Did you know that the top promotional items are writing instruments, wearable items like a shirt or lanyard, bags, and USB drives? 

While they all seem like different kinds of items, these aren’t random choices. The one thing all these items have in common is the fact they serve a functional purpose. People young and old can use these items on a daily basis. 

Take for example the Lanyard Factory custom lanyard. This is a great item to give out because most people need it. Students can use it for their school ID and employees need it at the workplace.

Pens are great too, especially when you consider how often people lend pens to others. That habit of lending or giving away pens means more people get to see your brand.

Functional items serve that purpose; people use them more instead of keeping them on a shelf. This keeps your brand out in the open, for more eyes to see.

Know Your Target Demographic

The most effective promotional products are the ones that cater to your audience. Make sure to study first what kind of demographic your next event focuses on.

Are you at a trade-show with a lot of professional businessmen attending? If so, why not give out items they need like business pens, USB drives, or calendars? If you’re giving away promo items for established customers, give items that help them showcase their loyalty like shirts, hats, or tote bags.

You can also twist this idea and give out items based on your target location. If the trade-show is outdoors on a summer day, why not give umbrellas or hats? There’s a higher guarantee that people will use them and appreciate their value, therefore further appreciating your brand.

Longevity and Durability Matter

Do not give business promotional items that don’t last long. The longer and more durable the items are, the more effective they become.

Shirts, for example, can last at least a year or two. This means the recipient will wear it multiple times a year, exposing your brand to the people they come across. 

Pens and USB drives can last a few months too. They’re also durable, which means they won’t break even when they go through multiple hands. Remember that people lend or give away pens and USB drives, which means their durability reflects your company’s dedication to excellence and customer care.

Relevance to Your Brand

You should also consider how relevant some items are to your brand. Think about the connection between these items and your products or services. Make sure there isn’t a big disparity between these elements.

A digital marketing company, for example, can give away USB drives or laptop sleeves. Companies that sell office supplies can instead focus on giving away pens or lanyards. 

This strategy in picking items also boost brand retention. When someone needs a new USB drive, they’ll remember the one with your brand and then recall that you sell USB flash drives too. They’re more likely to turn to you when they need to buy a new one instead of searching online for another shop.

Set a Budget

Did you go through the five factors above? If you did, you should have a list of potential promotional products that people can use, that cater to your niche, are relevant to your brand, and last long. The next part is to narrow down your choices by a few limiting factors.

The first factor is your budget. Cross out promotional items that cost too much, at least for now. Focus on promotional marketing items your company can afford.

However, don’t throw away the more expensive ideas. If you can’t afford to give away hundreds of yearly planners or branded styluses, keep those ideas. You might be able to afford the cost for these items later down the road and use that opportunity to wow your audience.

Monitor Your Success

The next limiting factor is your success rate. Every time you give away promotional items, monitor how your brand performs in the months that follow. Keep track of elements like brand mentions on social media, how often people search your brand on Google, how many site visits you now get, and any effect on sales.

Monitoring can help you determine which promo items boosted your brand and which ones did nothing. Tracking the data can also help you discover which items clicked more with specific audiences and which items they preferred. Now you can make informed decisions to make sure your next batch of promotional items is more effective.

Take Advantage of the Most Effective Promotional Products!

Follow these tips and you’ll have the most effective promotional products ready for the next big event. Don’t give in to the craze and simply give out whatever is affordable or popular to hand out. Use these tips to make informed choices that can help you boost your brand and see an increase in sales.

But why stop researching here? We have a ton of more guides for you to discover so feel free to check them out today!