You’ve studied the best practices in content marketing. You’ve taken your brand and logo to levels you’ve never thought of before. COVID-19 has no doubt forced you to rethink many strategies, but have you forgotten one small yet important branding opportunity? How have you branded your tchotchkes for your clients?

In case you’ve never heard the term before a tchotchke (choch-key), according to Wikipedia, is “a small bauble or miscellaneous item. It can also refer to free promotional items dispensed at trade shows, conventions, and similar large events.” While trade shows, conventions, job fairs, and large events are on hold, promotional items are still one of many essential parts of your branding. They can be included as a thank you gift for a customer’s order, as a token of appreciation for a client, or used to help with your brand’s exposure.

But how do you brand them? What’s the best way to do so? If you’re unsure how to brand tchotchkes for your clients and which ones are the most successful, here is everything you need to know.

Choosing the Right One

Putting some thought and effort into choosing the right promotional item for customers, clients or potential customers is just as important as branding them. You don’t want your brand on an item that is immediately forgotten about, or worse, tossed out because it wasn’t useful. An item that is extremely useful tends to get noticed and stick with the customer. There are some key factors to keep in mind before choosing tchotchkes.

1. What can be done with the item right now or later when it is in a customer’s home? How much value does this add to someone’s existence? Is it easy to use, does it add convenience in some way?
2. How much would the item cost in a store? Is it something that someone would purchase for its usefulness or at the very least, be an impulse buy? Something that has financial value in some way will garner attention.
3. Is it unique? Unique items tend to stand out amidst the sea of pens, notepads, and keychains.
4. Will it be for business use or personal use? If you want to brand tchotchkes for business use, how will it improve work productivity or someone’s job? If it’s personal use, how does it contribute to making their life easier?
5. Do you know your audience? What is your customer demographic? What is your ideal client?

An ideal client is someone who reflects your brand’s values. To determine this, you’ll need to dig deep and reflect surprisingly on yourself. What makes you tick? How do you live your day-to-day life? What is it about your brand or product that is unique and how does it fit with your target audience? In such a competitive marketplace today, it’s essential to find a niche to fit your business model instead of attempting to cater to everyone. For example, if your company and brand are electronics would you give out branded grocery bags? You want your name and brand on items that are front and center on either the desks or electronics items of people who purchase electronics.

Whether you need to write this all down or know it off the top of your head, these features can all combine to create a promotional item that will not only get your company noticed but potentially a new customer or solidify the loyalty of a return customer.

Don’t Cut Corners

Once you’ve firmly grasped what your target audience will be, the next step is deciding on what promotional item you’ll be branding and how to brand it. And this is the difficult part because if you don’t have the budget for promotional items or tchotchkes, it’s best to skip this for now. Why? Because cheap tchotchkes that don’t look professionally branded will harm your business in multiple ways, not help it. If it’s too cheap it may fall apart or break which harms your brand’s image. Second, no one wants their brand or logo misprinted, looking pixelated or off-kilter. Third, your target audience will assume you did not care enough and gave your very least. Last, your tchotchkes may end up immediately in the trash or tossed, which essentially just sends your hard-earned marketing budget and money straight to the trash.

• If you don’t have the budget for tchotchkes or promotional items, set some aside. Set budget goals to ensure you don’t pick an item that is so cheaply made it is a waste of your money and gives the wrong impression to your customers.
• Don’t choose the cheapest brand merchandising company. Do as much research into finding a company to help you brand your tchotchkes as you did with figuring out your target audience. Make sure they are reputable offering only the highest quality made items with exceptional printing technology.

Make an Impact

1. Choose the right promotional items that make sense for your business as well as your target audience. Make sure the items are useful.
2. Don’t cut corners and go cheap. If you can’t afford any promotional items, save up for good quality items to make the best impression to customers or potential customers.
3. Use a professional, reputable, well-reviewed design group that offers high-quality goods with exceptional printing techniques.
4. Give promotional items to those you believe deserve it. Those who are loyal customers signed up to receive subscription newsletters, follow and support on social media, listening to your video pitch, and so on. Make the item impactful for both you and your customers.

There’s no need to rush in deciding what tchotchkes you need and no need to scramble to try and offering a little bit of everything to everyone. By putting thought and effort into how to brand tchotchkes for your clients, choosing the right ones, and ensuring they are quality items you make a surprisingly large impact not only on your client but on your brand and business.