If you’re looking for a way to boost your brand impact, then you’ve come to the right place. You should know that promotional products are still a thing, even if we’re growing more and more inclined to the digital world.
Promo products are effective tools for brand recall that your customers or prospective customers will appreciate in the long run. But that’s only if you find promo products that fit most, if not all of these 6 criteria.
- Useful
Customers usually love promo products because of two things: they’re free and they’re pretty useful. Think of knick-knacks that your customers will actually be able to use in their daily lives. If you’re a tech company, then a flash drive with at least 16 GB of capacity would be good. If you’re a clothing store, then you might want to be interested in handing out coupons with a considerable discount or freebie. Just be intentional about it.
- Durable
A study conducted by the Advertising Specialty Institute learned that people usually keep promo products with them for around 8 months before disposing of. This means that it’s better if you buy promo products that would last for at least that amount of time. This means that it’s not really advisable for you to use perishables for your promo products.
Remember, what you want to accomplish is brand recall and how are you going to do that with a basket of fruits or a box of cookies that could be gone in less than a week?
- Right Size
Promo items shouldn’t just be durable or useful, but they should be just about the right size, too. This means that you have to keep in mind how your customers are going to take home your promo products and if there will be a chance that they might just lose it on the way home. In this case, your best bet would be to stamp your brand onto a free tote bag, am I right?
- Uniqueness
The idea of giving out freebies isn’t something new. So you might want to think of refreshing ways you can insert brand recall in promotional products. Companies are handing out free samples. The rest are just giving free bags or perhaps a t-shirt to lucky customers. How about you? What kind of promo product do you think would fit all the criteria above and still be unique? You don’t have to answer that question now. Just brainstorm with your team.
- Fits your brand
No matter how unique your promo idea is, let me give one last bit of advice before giving it the green light: Make sure it fits your brand! A community gym should not be handing out free cookies. A startup tech company should not suddenly give away free succulents.
The best promotional product that can advertise your brand must be in line with your brand. In this case, a gym could give free and personalized protein shakers, while that tech company is better off sending free mouse pads than plants.
- Timely
Another consideration you might want to think about is whether or not your promo product fits the needs of people at this point in time. For example, cafes give out free upsize of hot beverages during winter, while book stores start stocking up on promotional pens and notebooks during the start of the semester. This way, you will be able to fit the usability criteria, too!
If you think about it, now that we’re in a global pandemic, promotion items like hand sanitizers would surely come in handy! Your customers will thank you for it and they’d probably reuse that bottle for a refill, too.
Promotion has always been a key component of the marketing mix. So whether you’re introducing a new product or not, it’s important to continuously think of ways you can promote your brand to your target market.
But please remember: Consistency will make or break a successful promotional campaign. There are no shortcuts, just pure and honest work.
