Companies of all sizes and industries need to be on a lookout for inexpensive and effective promotional methods. That’s the only way to stay competitive in a growing market and make your business noticeable with competition rising.
One of the ways of doing this is to start rallying on promotional products instead of business cards. A well-chosen promotional product can make business partners notice and remember your business and that’s what a small company needs more than anything.
Disadvantages of business cards
Business cards are useful tools and they have been around forever precisely because companies need them for the simple purpose they accomplish. They can fit in a wallet and they contain the basic contact information needed to contact your company.
However, this is where their utility ends. It’s a promotional tool best suited to the analog world. It can’t contain your website (in any meaningful way), it can’t be updated and it can’t lead to your social media and portfolio, which is especially useless to those who need to showcase their work before signing on a new client.
Promotional products work
Some tend to believe that promotional products may appear to be cheap and something that would be used by a small-scale business. It’s a mistake to think so, since it’s a technique used by almost all businesses and it’s proven that they work.
Research shows that 65 percent of users tend to give promotional products away. This may sound like a bad statistic, since they are not using the products your company has created, however, that’s the whole point of using these products. They are changing hands and a lot of people get to see your logo and information printed on the products.
Utility
Business cards can’t be used for anything else but conveying the information about your business. That means that those who want to contact you need to find the card to do so. On the other hand, promotional items can be used for other purposes and that makes your logo pop up in unexpected places.
For instance, 50 percent of businesses tend to use pens to promote their work. When bought in bulk and when considered how many people can actually see the pen – this is inexpensive promotion.
The products stay with you longer
Every business needs to compete with a ton of others working in their field and area. That’s why it’s important to choose a promotional tool that will stay with the customers longer and possibly one they will talk about outside of work.
In this regard, promotional products are a much better option than business cards. As much as 68 percent of recipients say that they remember the products they’ve received in the last 12 months. Items such as shirts with a clever tagline are especially useful when it comes to customer retention.
Companies appreciate them
In the end, what’s most important is how the companies react to the promotional products that they receive. Having information about the company that has sent them is one thing but turning this connection into business deals and profit is something completely different.
Business cards simply don’t mean anything when it comes to making an impression on your potential customer and clients. At least 85 companies say that they would likely do business with a company that has taken the time to create a good promotional product. This means a lot to a company that’s new to the market and needs to make new contacts.
Presentation matters
It isn’t enough to have good and memorable promotional products. For the products to achieve the full effect they need to be presented in an effective way and in a manner that speaks to needs and interest of the company you’re trying to win over.
This can be something as simple as creating a presentation about your business and sending it on the USB drive with your logo and site imprinted on it. You can also try something more elaborate, depending on how much money you have to spend.
Promotional products are a much better option for business marketing than business cards. They are both more effective and less expensive.
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