It’s very easy to discount promotional gifts as a thing that ‘everyone else’ does and something that is just not you.
But think again. Used in the right way they can very cleverly create brand awareness and promote your products and services for a long time to come.
Here are a few little ideas on how to choose a promotional giveaway product and avoid some common mistakes.
Choose gifts that reflect your target market and brand
You know a promotional product has worked when people remember your business and think of you the next time they need your services.
We know that these days promotional items come in a huge range of clever, nifty and fun things. But before you get carried away, the first thing to think about when choosing a promotional gift is ‘does it reflect your business and suit your target market‘.
Researching your intended recipient and their ideal promotional gift could take a lot of time. There’s no point giving a pen to someone who only ever works on a computer, for example.
Get it right, and your name, logo or slogan is right where you want it (the forefront of your client's mind). Get it wrong, and your gift will end up forgotten in a bottom drawer.
The promotional gift you give needs to be relevant and appropriate to your target market and reflect your brand.
A top of the line jewelry shop giving away cheap plastic keyrings, for example, will not promote the right image. It may also attract people who just want a key ring, rather than someone looking for a jeweler.
A promotional jewelry storage roll in this example would be comparable in cost, and much more effective in attracting and retaining a quality customer. An option for a mass marketing campaign would be a jewelry cleaning cloth – still on brand, great for the budget and appealing to the general public.
Price point
The next most important element is price. Somehow things always come down to money. The size of your business, what you plan to do with the product and how much your product or service sells for will determine your budget and how many of your chosen gift you need to purchase. Remember, the more you buy the cheaper the price.
Easy to brand
Don’t forget that the product you choose needs to be easy to brand and most importantly, your name or logo needs to be visible and easy to read.
Choose words that resonate with your customers and accurately reflect your business message for the highest impact. And make sure your contact details (web site, phone number) are in a prominent position so potential clients can find you when they need you!
Also, the longer the product can be used for, the longer your business will be promoted for - and at the end of the day your advertising money will have been better spent. Although this does mean you will potentially need to measure the return on your investment over a longer time period.
Find something useful and trendy
Look for a product that is useful and trendy as it will help to leave a positive lasting impression since it will be adding value to the recipient's life.
Despite what we say above about the importance of branding, don't let this impinge on the usefulness of the gift. Your branding can be clear and prominent but also subtle at the same time. The gift could simply have a slogan or a message that reminds people of you.
Keeping branding classy will ensure that the product is used more readily, without triggering any potential cognitive dissonance about using a free gift. Consider too that your product may fall into the hands of someone else. You don't want them to throw it away because it is "just a free gift".
A memorable gift
Unusual promotional gifts are a direct route to the memory bank of your target market. The quirkier, the better!
But truly original products can be hard to spot in a sea of pens and fridge magnets. Our magic beans are as original as they come. They’re unique, unforgettable and can be customised to your individual needs.
When selecting a product, keep it on brand, design it perfectly, and distribute in a smart manner. The intended target must receive the product in a memorable way that instantly captures their attention.
Quality over quantity
Since promotional gifts are generally very cost-effective, it’s often tempting to purchase the cheapest ones available. However, giving up quality for the sake of saving a little money can actually cost you more money in the long run.
Unless your corporate image is based on being the cheapest option around, tacky plastic knickknacks will not offer the right image for your business.
Cheap promotional gifts often look cheap as well, which can damage your brand's reputation. Cheap products are also commonly thrown away, so that is literally money down the drain.
Make sure you order samples first to preview and check that the manufacturing is of a quality that you’d be happy to receive. You really do get what you pay for, and cheap is not always cheerful.
The wow factor
Does ‘bling’, or added sparkle, shine or lustre, suit your market? Can you glam up an otherwise boring or generic promotional product to give it some ‘wow factor’ and make it appeal to the latest viral trends?
Many promotional products, from stylish pens to quirky stubby holders, are available in hot 'trending' variants.
Choose colours and finishes that will appeal to the majority of your clients not just a small subset. And make sure always be careful to choose chic over crass!
Innovative, funky patterns or products that are cutting edge in your industry are also sure to be crowd pleasers. If you can’t afford the latest gizmo, grab your audience's attention with funky shapes of standard promotional products, or a creative logo design to stand out from the pack.
Social media hype
Used the right way, promotional gifts can create a buzz on social media. Print a code for entering an online competition, create a unique hashtag or ask recipients to post photos with their gift to your social media page.
The downfall is that it can be a challenge to manage lots of new and unknown traffic and posters to your page, so having resources (staff) available and assigned to this task is key to keeping the campaign on track.
Navigate The Wide Choice of Promotional Gifts
The wide choice of gifts available on the market is both a positive and a negative. It’s great because there are so many options to choose from (so you can be different from your competitors and memorable to the customer), however having so much choice can be time consuming when looking at catalogues and trying to pick something unique that is cost effective and on brand.
So next time you need a promotional gift, consider personalising a magic bean to your target market. It’s cost effective, unique and memorable!
Check out our custom promotional gifts page to enquire about pricing.