The Benefits of Using Promotional Products for your Business
Promotional products are a powerful tool to increase your brand recognition, generate leads, and ingratiate your business to consumers. What may appear as a “simple branded tote, mug, or T-shirt” is actually a highly strategic and effective advertising strategy. To be clear, this isn’t just “stuff”, but tools to help your business stay relevant in the consumer’s mind, and to grow. Doing the right research and knowing your customer goes a long way in an effective promotional products campaign.
I will discuss some of the biggest benefits to using promotional products, including answering a few key questions, such as;
1) How many people can you actually reach with promotional products?
2) How long do promotional products actually stick around?
3) What do promotional products cost?
4) Do consumers even like promotional products?
And the biggest of all;
5) Do promotional products translate into actual business?
1) Promotional Products reach a WIDE NET of consumers and have REAL staying power!
It is estimated that 8 in 10 consumers own between 1 and 10 promotional products; and that 50% of people use a promotional product daily, unlike other forms of advertising, such as TV commercials and billboards.
One of the greatest benefits of promotional products is their staying power; they live alongside the consumer, such as the branded mug or pen, or the magnet on the fridge, calendar in the office or USB in the briefcase etc. They serve a useful function in the consumers’ lives that other forms of advertising does not do.
But do they have “staying power”?? And the answer is YES! Studies show a mere 15% throw promotional products away after receiving them. The other 85%?? They either keep them or pass them along to someone else - extending your brand reach!
Cha Ching!
2) They have a decent Life Span in the consumers’ lives
The lifespan of promotional products depends on the type of item, but on average they are kept for about 7 months. Here are a few popular items and their lifespans;
Outerwear: 16 months
Umbrellas: 14 months
T-Shirts: 14 months
Drinkware: 12 months
Bags: 11 months
Headwear: 10 months
Pens: 9 months
These numbers are GREAT! And it gets better, not only do consumers keep them for about 1 year but 63% pass them along after using them! Your Brand recognition only continues to stretch into more areas of the marketplace.
3) Which Promotional Products are seen the MOST in the marketplace you ask?
It only stands to reason that some promotional products will be used more than others and harness the most impressions to a wider scope of consumers. For instance Outerwear and T-shirts provide the most exposure in the marketplace over bags and pens and even headwear. But not by far, the cost sometimes of the outwear can be higher than a pen or bag and be seen and used by many people.
4) Pairing Promotional products with your Industry
Some promotional products fit better into certain Industries than others, here I have listed a few that have been popular to the specific industry;
Education: pens, journals, water bottles, wearables, backpacks, lunch bags
Fitness: water bottles, T-shirts, Hoodies, lanyards, stickers, backpacks/bags, towels, sports gear
Hospitality: pens, note pads, mugs, coasters, backpacks/bags, umbrellas, hand sanitizers, robes, uniforms
Construction: pens, hats/toques, hoodies/outerwear, gloves, safety apparel, stickers, travel mugs
Consumers should be able to make the connection of the product to your brand. It should be useful and valuable to your target customer, just like your business.
5) Don’t be fooled…Consumers LIKE Promotional Products!
It’s no secret people enjoy receiving gifts, which is what a promotional product is - a gift to consumers in a bid to win them over and hopefully gain their business, trust and loyalty. A promotional item that is valuable to a person’s life - something they can use and/or enjoy, like a To-Go Tumbler- are appreciated by consumers!
So…..DO PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS bring in ACTUAL Business you ask???
Yes.
They Increase Brand Recognition and are a powerful tool for generating leads. Consumers will think of your company when they are in need of a product or service without having you breathing down their neck. They are a goldmine for your marketing strategy. They are integrated into consumers’ lives daily whereas a commercial will last 30 seconds (if the person even watches it), but a calendar is seen daily, a pen used often and a mug sipped from regularly! They are effective!
So the time is NOW to implement some promotional swag into your marketing strategy. Call me today to chat about some of the cool and trending items we can incorporate into your marketing strategy!