3 Signs Your Company is Using the Wrong Promotional Product
Promotional products and give-a-ways attendees receive from an event are always getting a bad rap. The problem isn’t exactly the promotional products; it’s the decision making surrounding these promotions. Sometimes just taking a few minutes to put yourself in the recipient’s position can help you make the right move.
Here are three signs that your company has chosen the wrong promotional product:
Sign #1: “This is not very useful.”
Many times, you will choose a product simply to ‘have something to put into the bag.’ It’s far worse to choose something meaningless than to offer nothing at all. Pens that don’t work and bags that fall apart go right in the garbage and that’s how quickly the recipient will forget you too! Or worse, what they will remember you by.
While staying within your budget is important, use that money the best way you can to purchase the best quality products. It’s often better for you to hold back and save the money for the next event, thereby increasing your budget. Your company will get more recognition for providing something that attracts consumer attention.
Solution: Take the time to look for quality within your budget. Don’t settle for junk just to have something. Order samples and seek opinions from your existing customers. As a general rule: If you wouldn’t bring it home to your spouse or mother don’t use it to promote your company.
Sign #2: “What’s an address book?”
Ask teenagers how an old-school Rolodex works and they’re likely to give you a blank stare. But ask them to find the phone number of a restaurant and they’ll use their phone to find it in seconds.
Make sure that your give-a-way fits the demographic you’re trying to reach. You wouldn’t bring foam fingers to a golf tournament just as you shouldn’t hand out a paper weight to a group of millennials. A promotional product that is completely out of touch with your demographic will do more harm than not converting any customers; they will push customers away. Make sure that you have determined what your target audience actually wants, not what you think they want.
Solution: Imagine the world from your audience’s point of view. If you’re not sure, ask them. College students, high school students, veterans, and even different genders may all have different interests, thus different promotional items would be applicable to pique interest.
Sign #3: “Perfect for the bottom drawer”
So often, we will come from home an event with something we don’t need. A handful of pens, a shirt that is obnoxiously ‘salesy’, or a drawstring backpack that hurts to wear. Many times, when making the decision about what to give away as promotional products, we don’t consider how long we expect someone to use it. If it’s a calendar, it’s shelf life is one year. However if it’s a pen, a day or maybe two before they lose it.
Solution: Make sure that you think long-term. Look for items that are great quality and useful for every day use. There aren’t many products like this, but promotional headwear is a great example. A great baseball cap is much less likely to be thrown away than a pen or a magnet.
Promotional headwear is a great example of ongoing marketing that should be applied to your next promotion.
● Good quality ball caps can last for years
● Your logo is visible to everyone and at eye level
● The ROI lasts as long as the integrity of the headwear
● The right logo or style can create a demand for the product itself
The attraction of an event or promotion should be the content itself. But it’s creative swag that can promote your company’s brand, product, or even jog an attendee’s memory of the message you were endorsing.
Browse our products online and request a quick quote to have us design an effective new promotional product for your company!