As any business owner knows firsthand, getting the word out about your business is always a top priority. Without a plan in place, your business could be lost in the sea of competition in an already heavily saturated market. This is where promotional products come in to save your business from obscurity. You can’t just slap your logo on a product and hope for the best. Here are a few tips on how to use promotional products effectively to help make the most of this important business tool.

1. Target an audience

When it comes to how to use promotional products effectively, one of the most important strategies is to know your target audience. It isn’t super effective to simply order a bunch of random branded items without taking into consideration your customer base and their interests. You should consider the type of business you operate in terms of the target customer for your specific services or goods and then anticipate what branded items would work well for their lives.

For example, if you own an outdoor gear shop, you already know your targeted audience likes spending time outdoors so creating branded items in that realm would be better suited to business than creating technology or office-related branded products. If your business is something with a more general customer base and less on the niche side, you will need to choose a target audience not through interest but other means. For instance, maybe you choose to target a specific age group your company is lacking in such as college students or young professionals. The bottom line is that you absolutely need a target audience for a successful outcome.

2. Perfect the logo/message

There is no point in targeting an audience and starting a promotional plan if your logo isn’t quite ready. You should make sure your logo colors and font are exactly the way they should be and that it stays consistent with the other branded items or displays in your company. You should also take the time to make sure any contact information is updated before getting started. You don’t want to start a great promotional push and have outdated contact information so your new customers can’t even get in touch!

3. Start from the inside out

Your staff is a good place to start when thinking about branded products. A good idea is to create a few branded items that are more general such as shirts, mugs, pens, or bags, and then use them internally as giveaways for the staff. This can help you show appreciation to the team and also help you work out any kinks before giving the next batch of products to customers.

4. Don’t ignore existing customers

Another important thing to keep in mind on how to use promotional products effectively is to keep your existing customers a part of the fun. Too many companies start looking to expand their reach and leave their existing customers out in the cold. Make sure that whatever your plan is in terms of promotional items, it reaches both new customers and existing customers. After all, your existing customers offer repeat business which is crucial for the success of any company.

5. Make a plan before ordering

It is important to have some basic information before placing the order for promotional items. You should use this time to narrow down the types of products best suited to the target audience and your company, as well as how many of each item you project needing for the duration of the promotional campaign. This will help with figuring out the costs of such a project.

6. Choose high quality products with a professional appearance

The products you choose for a promotional campaign need to be of the highest quality. Since this may be the first time a potential customer comes in contact with your company, setting the right first impression is key. No one wants to receive a promotional item that is flimsy, breaks easily, or sloppily made. It will reflect poorly on your company to give out promotional items of substandard quality. Make sure you choose high quality products and a company capable of creating a high quality branded image for the best results.

7. Use your sales team

While promotional items are great for in-store giveaways or targeted events, they are also a great tool for your sales team. Giving potential customers a free water bottle or pen may not close the deal, but it will definitely keep the name of your company in their mind each time they use the item which could eventually result in future business. Your sales team is often the first representative for the company so making sure they have a few of the promotional items as incentives is a great part of a larger plan.

If you want to get started on finding the right branded items for your next campaign, give us a call at 1-833-978-0076.