Whether you’re planning to attend a trade show, community gathering or any other event where there will be an opportunity to promote your business, your promotional products are an important ingredient in a successful showing. Like any marketing strategy, simply getting your business out in front of people is not sufficient. You need to do this effectively, and here are some tips for choosing promo products.
Carefully Consider Your Target Audience
This seems so obvious it could go without saying, but it must be addressed because this is something businesses fail to do all the time. They don’t dig deeply enough, and lack a true understanding of their customers. You must carefully consider all elements of this ideal target, and having done that, you will have a much clearer idea of what types of products will make the most impact.
What is the Event?
The exact nature of the event can also help you discern which products might be better choices than others. For example, if you are looking for promo items for a trade show, something that might be of use to the recipient during the actual show could be a great way to go. Attendees will be amassing all sorts of paperwork, brochures and what have you. A tote bag to help them carry it all would be a great idea. When considering the exact event to decide on your promo items, it is also a good idea to think beyond that as well, which brings us to….
Something They Can Use Over the Long-Term
That tote bag is not only great for the trade show, but something the person can continue to use for a long time to come. So, you also want to consider longevity. If you are at a community event for your town, for example, a bottle of water with personalized labels, or candy with personalized wrappers can be a great way to get some exposure because these will be desirable in the moment, but then these items will be thrown in the garbage. So, you wouldn’t want that to be your only items.
Usefulness
Well-chosen promo items are a great way to ‘get into people’s heads’ and keep your products and services top-of-mind. One of the best ways to accomplish this goal is focusing on items that are useful to your customers; you want to give them something that will not just get thrown away. For example, if you’re a software company, credit card flash drives would be an excellent choice. If you have a cosmetics company, a cute little travel make-up bag would be a real winner. Regardless of the type of business you have, you can never really go wrong with pens and calendars, though you might want to make them secondary items with your primary being something super-relevant to your business.
Don’t Cheap Out
Naturally your marketing decisions are going to be guided by cost. You have to carefully consider the potential return on investment when determining how much money is reasonable to spend. You probably don’t have an unlimited budget where you can order whatever you want without regard to how much it costs.
But, it is important not to totally cheap out. If you hand out chintzy-looking promo items, that will paint your business in a bad light. Some people will immediately, and consciously, see this low-quality item as representative of a ‘low-quality’ business, while the effects on others may be a bit more subtle. Either way, it sends a bad message. Focus on quality over quantity.
Give Yourself Enough Time
Depending on the type of product, some promo items can take longer to put together than others. Make sure you start considering this matter at least a few weeks before your planned event, lest you may have to forgo that great idea because the promo items wouldn’t be ready on time.
So, there you have it. Six super-helpful tips to choose promotional items that can make an impact. This is a great opportunity to make your business stand out, so choose carefully.