Even with a tiny budget, business promotional products are worth the investment. Not convinced?
Check it out:
- 83% of people enjoy receiving a freebie
- 91% have at least one promo item in their kitchen
- 85% became a customer of a branded giveaway they received.
Those numbers are pretty strong, right? Investing in giveaways for events, trade shows, product launches, or even ‘just because’ is a great way to boost brand awareness.
If you need a little more than these few facts to take to your marketing director to release the budget for promo items, keep reading. They’re gonna love this.
7 Undeniable Benefits of Business Promotional Products
Promotional gifts work for your brand in several ways. Use any (or all) of these top reasons to use branded gifts to persuade the person holding your budget that it is a great business investment.
1. Products Get Used Time and Again
A branded gift isn’t a one-time thing. It’s not going to get lost in the desk drawer in a pile of other business cards.
A handy mug, a stylish bracelet, a t-shirt for the gym: people use branded items all the time. Why pay for something when you’ve already got a freebie item in your drawer/kitchen/office that does the job?
Every time someone reaches for your promotional product to help them in some way, they’ll think about your brand. A logo on a gym bag, for example, is an unobtrusive yet daily reminder about the time the customer interacted with your company.
2. Reach More People with the Same Product
People using your promo gifts all the time means something else: others will see your branding, too.
The bamboo travel mug is seen by everyone on the daily commute. The notepad is witnessed in use during weeks of meetings. Offering useful branded giveaways means your logo and contact details become familiar to those around your customer as well as the person using the item all the time.
Think of the extra real-life impressions you gain from just one promotional item. It’s amazing!
3. Build a Recognizable Brand
Promotional products are a perfect way to build an instantly recognizable brand. Think about some famous brands for a moment: if you removed the words from Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, or United Airlines, people still recognize the company the logo represents.
Establishing such a strong brand is easy when you keep the style cohesive throughout your promotions. Always use the same colors, logo, and fonts when designing promotional products if you want to create a brand people understand at a glance.
It’s not just about color and logo, either: the quality of items you choose to give away will tell customers a lot about how much you value them.
Sticking to a set color palette might feel boring but it’s the way to go if you want people to see a certain Pantone shade and instantly associate it with your company.
4. Create Brand Memorability (Not Just Awareness)
Sure, loads of people will see your logo and become familiar with what you do. But there’s more to it than simply recognizing your brand: you’ll be the go-to choice when they need someone who does what you do.
People keep desk accessories for an average of 14 months. That means that for 14 months, they’ll be looking at your brand several times a week an associate it with their own work. When they need your service, they’ll think of – and go to – you.
5. Boost Loyalty with Existing Customers
Promotional items aren’t just for enticing new clients to use your services. The branded candy at a trade show will draw customers to you, sure, but more selective promotional gifts can be used to boost loyalty.
Sending existing clients gifts as a thank-you for trial sign-ups, their customer anniversary with you, or ‘just because’, will help them feel valued.
Sometimes, all it takes is the offer of an extra gift with their next order to make someone return to you instead of going elsewhere. The gift doesn’t have to be big and expensive, either: small and useful products are more valued to most customers.
This boosts loyalty and encourages them to continue using your product or service instead of shopping with competitors.
6. Exchange Giveaways for Leads
People love getting something for nothing – but they’re also willing to trade if the giveaway is good enough.
Just like a downloadable PDF guide is a great online lead generator, high-value branded items can encourage customer actions too. At trade shows or events, offer free branded chocolate to anyone – but something better if you can gather data from people.
People are more willing to trade their details and gain interest in your company if they think they’re going to get something out of it, too. Offer a branded USB stick in return for a business card, for example, or give a promotional mug to anyone completing a short questionnaire.
7. Make Your Brand Desirable
Promotional gifts are not just about the leads you gain from a direct giveaway. Think about providing a gift that’s so awesome or trend-setting that, when people see others using or wearing it, they just gotta have it too.
Look at the worldwide fitness craze for the Insanity program: only those customers completing the 30 days will receive a free – promotional – t-shirt. People feel pride in themselves and claim the t-shirt, but all they’re really doing is promoting the program to others in their gym.
Employees Need Swag, Too
Business promotional products aren’t just for your customers or to tempt potential clients. Employee swag is a great way to build brand ambassadors in those already dedicated to your company.
Fashionable items always work well for this, as app startup IFTTT discovered with their branded socks. Just like the Insanity t-shirt, the fashionable item becomes desirable. People want to wear it: they want to be your promoter.
Small items like custom rubber bracelets provide a great opportunity to build buy-in from employees as ambassadors. They become a must-have item and, soon enough, other people will want to know how to get one, too.
Find out more about our custom bracelets and how to turn them into the next essential fashion item everyone wants!
