Marketing Monday - Useful Promotional Products
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Over the weekend, I took advantage of the boys being away and did some cleaning out in their toy boxes. In the bottom of the boxes I came across a pile of promotional products - stress balls, Frisbee’s, yo-yo’s and similar toys that I had picked up at various expos, networking events, and other places I can’t remember where.
I am an advocate of promotional products, especially if you are putting things in goodie bags at events as it’s always better to have “stuff” than paper that will just be thrown away.
Added to the collection in the bottom of the boys toy boxes, I have a collection of mugs and pens from different companies. These don’t end up in the toy box - they get used.
Which brings me to the point of this post. If you are creating promotional products for your business, create something that is useful and will get used. This way your logo or message is not ending up in the bottom of a toy box!
Some ideas for useful products are mugs, pens and magnets, although it is possible to have too many magnets on the fridge.
When choosing something, think about your target market and what they will use. From one company, we were given some great sun hats. They are too small for my head, but perfect for my kids. When out and about, those are the hats we use all the time! One of my favourite mugs is a promotional mug I won at a networking event. And I LOVE my pen from Tilda Virtual Services, though my Dad pinches it!
So, when you are deciding on something to create as a promotional product, put some thought into it and come up with something that is useful.
PS, it is also possible to have too many of the eco shopping bags!
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3 Comments
July 19th, 2010 at 8:31 am
Great article.
One of the reasons i have ceased to have promotional items created is because of how many items are discarded, let alone the paper that causes more waste. There is also the issue of the quality of many of the items. I am looking around for a great promotional item that isn’t another magnet, hat, tee or stress ball. I realised how much waste and clutter promotional items can generate. So my quest is to find an eco-friendly & useful promotional item to promote my business.
July 19th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Very good points Bron. That’s one of the reasons I love pens, especially good quality ones. I use them all the time & it saves me having to buy them
July 19th, 2010 at 8:57 pm
Pens, mugs, caps etc can be great, but eventually you reach the point of saturation - you should see our pen holder! (Also see note above about reusable bags - if it doesn’t tuck in my handbag, I’m not interested.)
When looking for promotional items, I recommend you choose something that ties in with your business and fits your brand image as closely as possible. Promotional items are notorious for their bad design and poor manufacturing quality, so if your brand is more upmarket, be careful. A cheap pen that breaks on the first use can undo other efforts building your brand’s image. If you business is even vaguely eco, keep that in mind too, and avoid mass-produced plastic throw-aways.
Ideally, a promotional item should make your brand memorable… it should say something about how your business could meet a new contact’s needs, or be viewed as a reward by existing customers. Things that make your customers’ lives easier, are useful, entertaining or will be loved by their kids for a long time to come (preferably if you sell kids stuff) are worth pursuing.
Producing promotional items can be an expensive exercise, so make sure you’re getting good bang for buck. That said, there are plenty of good ways to promote your business inexpensively with a little thought and effort.
And keep in mind, actual samples of your product may be a better way to spend your promotional budget.
My personal favourites I have received (and use):
- A small photo frame, subtly embossed with a magazine’s name (came as a free gift with purchase)
- To Do Lists, complete with suggestions tied to the brand’s marketing campaign
- Sticky notes and A5 notepads
- Reusable stationery such as greeting cards, gift tags & postcards. Spread your name around…
- Tea towels and a Christmas ham bag with the cutest graphics (from a graphic design company) (NB. these were gifts for customers rather than a showbag giveaway)
Have fun…