Choosing Promotional Items For Your Business
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Who doesn’t love free stuff? The answer is no one, which is why promotional items can be such a great tool for marketing your business. Whether you are preparing for your next trade show, or your town’s next community day, some good promo items are a must for a successful showing. If you do not want to do the typical calendar or pen , and want to choose something a bit more focused and unique, here are some tips to help you pick the right type of items.
Target Market
Sure, you want to reach as many people as possible, but the name of the game is quality, not quantity. What is the point of reaching people who are not as likely to want your products or services? Think carefully about your core demographic. Who most needs or wants your products? Who will benefit most? Who are your ideal clients you want to reach? Once you answer those questions, you will be able to pinpoint the types of items that will hold the greatest appeal.
Choose Something Useful
The idea behind promotional items is getting your brand to sink in the minds of the recipients; you will accomplish this more successfully when choosing items that are useful in everyday life; choose promo items that your clients need. Something like business card magnets, for example, are great, because many people use their fridge to post menus, their children’s chore wheel or other important papers. If you run a gym or yoga studio, re-usable water bottles are a great idea. Stay away from things that are likely to be shoved in a drawer—you want something that will stay visible Avoid items like personalized plastic water bottles or food wrappers—at least as a primary giveaway, since they are going right in the trash.
Remember too, that the item should not only be useful, but that it should reflect your brand and be related to your products and services. Sure, everyone could probably get some good use out of a USB drive, but if you run a sporting goods store, that is probably not the best item.
Quality
Promotional items are meant to reflect your brand, and a cheap item will send the wrong message to the people receiving them. Things like this have very subtle mental effects, and while a person may not consciously make an association between the quality of your promo item and the quality of your business, it will happen on a subconscious level. You likely have some sort of budget to work with, and you do not want to blow all your money on super-fancy giveaways. But, you also do not want to focus on finding the least expensive items you can. It is better to get fewer quality products than tons of junky stuff.
Include the Important Information
You will have limited space on your item, and you want to make sure you have all the most important information about your business easily visible. At the very least, you want a company name and your website. If space permits, a tag line that summarizes your business, and/or your logo is always a good idea. You can also include a phone number or a link to your Facebook page.
Kelli Cooper is a freelance writer who blogs about a variety of marketing topics; she recommends visiting MaverickLabel.com for more information on a variety of labels and related products for your business needs.
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