Benefits & Advantages of Promotional Products

There are many reasons why promotional items can be beneficial to your marketing campaign, and building your brand;

• Attract attention and raise awareness towards your brand and organisation; optimising visibility, increasing the level of company recognition and leaving traces of a campaign or message. This attention may come from consumers, clients, other businesses or even the media if the product is unique and newsworthy. Promotional merchandise can help shape a distinctive, memorable and recognisable identity for businesses. It can also influence or alter perceptions, giving the impression that a smaller organisation is in a particularly well established position.
• Promotional merchandise encourages consumers to personalise, connect and interact with a brand and the organisation it represents. The items link a person with a brand in a positive way, a constant reminder of an organisation, and hopefully of a good experience had with that company. Logoed items are great ways for building associations with a particular brand, particularly when companies can tap into the culture of their target audience.

• Create, develop or strengthen relationships with new or existing clients, thereby encouraging customer loyalty and promoting return business. Promotional items help demonstrate to stakeholders that they are important to your organisation and are a great way of saying thank you to valued customers.  They are important for goodwill, increasing affection and strengthening loyalty in customer relationships. Merchandise can also positively influence and motivate business relationships.
• Promotional items typically have a longer physical and mental retention than above-the-line advertising methods. Merchandise has the ability to retain a message in a longer lasting way than many other forms of marketing.  The products will continually reinforce a brand and message without further effort or intervention from that company. When accompanying purchased products or consumables, (particularly those with a short expiration or use-by date), the merchandise and branding message may outlast the product in question, lengthening the opportunity for exposure.

• Promotional items cost less than other advertising methods, particularly when considering the CPI (Cost per Impression) as they are more repetitive in nature, repeatedly displaying the message at no additional cost. Promotional Items, particularly those that are highly usable and visible promote a brand and message to an infinite number of consumers.
• They are cost effective in that they are typically mass printed, and often companies providing the product will also provide product and design expertise at little or no extra cost. Required quantities are usually quite low, meaning businesses can target as few as one hundred valuable clients, keeping within strict budgetary requirements. Branded items can also often be claimed as a tax deduction.

• Promotional products reflect and respond to consumers’ increasing desire for instant gratification. They can cut though other forms of advertising and drive brands to the forefront of consumers’ minds, combining creativity and functionality for maximum effect. Promotional items are a great way to create a buzz around an organisation, product or event, stimulating and encouraging word of mouth and referrals.
• The items have distinct advantages not always available in traditional media. This includes high recall, tangible interaction and positive overall impression of the organisation providing the item.

•  Promotional merchandise can directly target niche markets in a highly effective way, ensuring valid prospects are reached, without the waste associated with traditional media. Merchandise provides a way to speak directly to target markets, and businesses should be able to guarantee a strong reaching of their desired audience.

• Promotional products have a high perceived value and are effective add-ons with sales – often consumers are willing to pay extra for an item if it comes with an incentive such as a promotional gift.

• There is a wide availability of products, easily chosen, shaped, designed and delivered for virtually any situation. They are also easily themed to tie in with marketing campaigns.
•  Promotional items are accessible and easy to order. Increasingly organisations are providing information online, making the decision making and ordering process smooth and efficient. There are many reputable companies who are able to help educate you regarding styles, trends, potential pitfalls, safety and international labour standards, as well as the newest products on the market.  
• There are methods available to measure the impact and effectiveness of promotional items, ensuring companies can see how they are impacting on the bottom line of their business. Promotional merchandise can also help identify what is working in an advertising campaign (establishing a strong relationship often leads to clients giving feedback more honestly and freely), whilst complementing targeted marketing campaigns and other advertising methods. They can also serve as an effective tool for encouraging data collection from stakeholders and conducting market research.

• Improve employee morale and aid staff retention when given to staff within a business. Internal employee rewards can promote company objectives and team spirit, encourage particular behaviours and acknowledge achievements. Motivated employees can boost company productivity, and giving branded gifts to recognise achievement will create good business exposure and promote bonding with employees.
• Help ensure increased traffic to tradeshow booths or corporate promotions and entice, engage and excite show visitors and clients.
• Creative, entertaining and functional way to communicate a message whilst motivating targets and inciting their desire to purchase. The item may incite immediate action; alternatively it will help keep company in the forefront of minds regarding future purchases.
• Consumers will continue to use the product as long as they feel it is useful and practical. They may even pass it along to friends or family when the product has ceased serving a purpose to them.
• They are the only type of advertising likely to be truly welcomed and utilised at a personal level by your customer, probably eliciting a genuine “thank you”.

TIP!

The cost of promotional merchandise may be questioned by inexperienced users, particularly those who see their desired item available at a lower price through retail outlets. However promotional merchandise orders are rarely of the same quantity ordered by retailers. Furthermore, printing on other manufacturers products may be ineffective, poor quality or not possible for legal reasons. Cheap products can end up being quite costly in the long term, and it is important to rely on custom made products that you are proud to have your brand on. Sometimes the freight cost is quite substantial, in extreme circumstances even outweighing the cost of the products.  There are many factors to be aware of when ordering, and the benefits of a well conceived promotional merchandise distribution will far outweigh the cost.