How to: Step up Holiday Marketing with Promotional Products
If you saw our last post Getting more bang for your buck when buying Holiday gifts for clients and employees then you know that’s it’s not too late to order branded products for this holiday season. Aside from being great gifts for employees and coworkers, promotional products are one of the best ways to step up your marketing efforts before last minute shoppers hit the stores.
According to a study done by researchers at Louisiana State University and Glenrich Business Studies for the Promotional Products Association International 1000 participants preferred advertising via promotional products to print, television, and internet advertising. Promotional products were ranked highest in memorability and likelihood to generate repeat business, among other things.
There are a few simple steps which you should keep in mind when making the decision to purchase promotional products.
1. Define your goals
It’s important to think about what you want to accomplish ahead of time. Do you want to attract new customers? Increase brand recognition? Give a gift to loyal customers? Deciding this ahead of time will make it easier to create a strategy that will actually accomplish your goals.
2. Plan out a strategy
Who do you want to end up with your branded product in order to accomplish your goals? What is the best way to find these people and distribute your product? Asking questions like these will help maximize the return on the money you invest in promotional products.
3. Choose a product
In most cases you want to try and choose a product that is relevant to your brand, but more importantly you want a product that provides value to your customers. Remember the study from earlier? People are more likely to hold on to products if they are provided actual value. If you are giving a gift to only certain clients or customers, consider something more expensive and not branded, such as a holiday gift basket.
4. Place the order
Well, duh. But there are still some things to keep in mind when placing your order. First, since the holiday shopping season is coming to an end, it’s important to note there are companies who can still provide a 24-48 hour turn around. Second, although there are tons of promotional product companies out there, only a handful work with multiple distributors to find the best deals for you. Finally, choose a company that has a fully e-commerce capable website for around the clock order processing, and a real team of staff that you can talk to.
5. Execute your plan
Dig up that plan we talked about and set it into action. As time goes on you may find that your strategy needs to be adjusted. Maybe you’re giving away products to too many people and wasting money. Maybe you’re missing out on new customers by limiting your giveaways. Either way, in most promotions, especially the first time running one, its going to be necessary to take a step back, evaluate, and make changes.
Using promotional products doesn’t have to be difficult, in fact it can be a fun experience. If you’re new to it get your feet wet by starting off with a small budget, and getting a feel for how your brand can use promotional products. If you’ve used them before, think about how you can refine your strategy to better accomplish your goals.
That’s it for now, but please let us know any tips you have for using promotional products in the comments.
