To be successful as a business, you will want to do whatever you can to make your brand stand out from your competition. Custom promotional items are an effective way to promote your company-branded swag.
As a business, you can order these items from companies that will brand them for you, or you can do it yourself with a branding iron that can be particularly effective for decorating wooden or leather items.
Instant Brand Recognition
Brand recognition is important because you want customers and potential customers to immediately identify your products or services when they see your brand on a promotional item.
What do you think of as soon as you see golden arches? You got it – it’s McDonald’s.
Reach a Wider Market
Giving out promotional items to current and potential customers helps spread your brand message and raise your brand awareness.
It is not just the recipient that will see the gift. Others such as co-workers, friends, and family members will also see it.
Consider a businessman who has just attended a conference where he received your branded pen. He might pull that same pen out of his pocket when sitting in his own company weekly meeting or in a co-worker’s office.
Let’s say your company is a local restaurant and it is lunchtime. Might your pen suggest where this businessman and his co-worker eat lunch? You never know. That is the power of branding.
Now consider that same man is out on the town with his friends. Someone asks if anyone has a pen and he takes his out of his pocket, the one from your company. Now your brand has been spread via your pen to others in his office and to his group of friends.
Improve Customer Relationships
Maintaining a good relationship with your current customer goes a long way in increasing the chances of repeat business. Giving away these little gifts keeps your brand in the forefront of your current client’s mind, especially if the item is practical and useful.
In addition, referral marketing is a powerful way to get new customers. You will want to keep your current customers happy so they will recommend you to others.
Your Business Card
Most business people exchange business cards at networking events, private meetings, and conferences. Your business card always has your brand and contact information on it so that others can get in touch with you.
What do most people do with business cards they receive? They might put it in their wallet and then forget about it.
Your promotional items can function in a similar way. Although they won’t have your contact information on them, they will have your brand and can be a constant reminder of what your company offers. This is especially true if they are practical and often-used products like a pen, custom USB drive, or a flashlight.
Cost-Effective
Marketing and promoting your company are vital to your business success. Investing in promotional items can bring a much more effective and cost-efficient return on investment than other forms of marketing and advertising.
Radio, print, and televisions ads are very expensive even though they can be very effective. Relatively speaking, promotional items are considerably less costly, last longer than a typical ad, and can be seen and used by others which helps spread your brand message.
Popular Promotional Products
There are a lot of different promotional products available to choose from such aspens, mugs, bags, magnets, hats, coasters, flashlights, keychains, sports bottles, stress balls, technology items, tote bag, and many more options. The list is endless.
Mugs are good choices because they last a long time and, because most people drink coffee or tea, they will more than likely be used.
The longer your promotional item lasts, the better it is for your company. Why? Because the recipient of your gift will see it more often and the chances of others seeing it grows over time.
To make your brand stand outeven more, you can choose a promotional item that reflects what your company does.
For instance, if you are a travel company, you might want to give out beach towels or other travel-related products. Safety products like flashlights might be a good idea for insurance companies.
Make sure you are taking advantage of promotional items as a marketing tool for your business.