How to Market Yourself Using Promotional Products

It’s always good to know about who you are targeting.  You may be simply targeting current customer seeking repeat business in which case you should know a bit about what they want and what might impress them.

Or you may be targeting new potential business in which case you need to do some research first.

Being able to describe your target audience in one sentence is a good way of proving you with essential information about them.

Customer profiling is great because you will find many trends within your customer base and its important to be able to use these to your advantage.  Start by writing down who you want to target and why, then develop this into the goal and characteristics of them.

Once you have a clearer idea of who your target audience is you will be able to better understand what they want.  If you are looking at environmental charities as a potential new client then an eco-friendly item will work well for example.

I wouldn’t go into too much depth with this for the purpose of promotional products but its useful to give you insight into what will suit them and how you can best meet their goals and expectations.

• Budget – how much do you have to spend.  Marketing budgets are often limited and although there are very some inexpensive options for promotional items you need to choose an effective option that also meets you intended outcomes.
• Intended outcome – you need to consider what you want to achieve.  Do you want a mass product to send to all possible customers?  A gift for existing customers?  And what are you trying to achieve – a pen will get passed around a lot whereas a mouse mat will often remain on one fixed desk.  Or t-shirts for staff will give you exposure at events or out in the community.  Think about what you want to achieve and how you can achieve this.
• Campaign – if the item is part of a campaign you need to have a consistent theme running through the campaign to make it easily identifiable.  If it’s just a general marketing campaign then you need to consider the branding of it and whether it fits in with your businesses objective.  A high end corporate business giving away fluffy bugs might not be as effective as paying extra for a high end product such as a high class pen or a leather bound diary.
• Target Audience – Who are you targeting?  Different items impress different people and whatever item you choose needs to not only reflect the branding of your business but also the customer you are trying to target.  Your item needs to be an extension of you brand and it should be something customers want to keep.   Only you know your customers well enough to know what they want, and if you don’t then you need to get researching!
• Fun or serious?  For the most part keeping promotional items fun and innovative is the way to go.  For a taxi firm, a stress ball in the shape of a taxi is a fun and interesting way to go and is an item that is unlikely to be thrown away.  And try to go for something that little bit different, stand out from the crowd and make your promotional products last in customers minds.

Marketing campaigns should be well timed.  If you have a host of marketing information you want to get out into the community you need to plan the timing of each item to co-ordinate with each other.  You also need to consider the time of the year you want to attract potential new business.

You don’t want to be doing a bulk mail out during December when post is delayed and then most business will shut down for a 2 week period.

You could also time campaign to various events through the year – the Olympics would be a good example – giving out some sports based promotional items prior to the Olympics would create brand awareness and play on a well hyped event.

• Trade shows and conventions are a great way of engaging potential customers but you are in a room with your competition.  If your products are to be given out here they need to be different and appealing.  You need to be able to use these promotional products to draw people in, something new and exciting.
• Mailing are still an effective way to get in touch or keep in touch with people.  You need to consider the cost of postage and packaging and who you will target.  Many letters not marked to a direct person will not reach the intended recipient.  There are many postable items such as desk calendar, oyster card holders and pens.
• Reception desk freebies.  Some companies choose to keep a supply of promotional items on their reception desk to give away to people entering the office.  This will spread the word to people already engaged but will not provide an opportunity to target new customers.
• Events and parties.  This type of event is a great way of getting interested customers in the same place at the same time so is a great place to give away some freebies.  Consider who will be there and what you could give away that will get people excited.  Giving exclusive discounts will entice people to the event then the customers are all yours to do what they want with.

• They’re long lasting – unlike the traditional flyer, promotional products such as stress balls and pens are not likely to be thrown away.  Paper is now a more unconventional method of spreading the word, instead you want something that people will keep to create a means of long term engagement with your target audience.
• They’re creative – or they can be.  With more and more promotional products becoming available on the market, this means of advertising can provide a different way of connecting with customers.  What about herb planters with your business logo on – this is something different to your regular items and provides the opportunity for your business to be sitting on someone’s desk or windowsill for a long period of time.
• They’re inexpensive – well compared to a TV commercial or newspaper marketing.  You can find many very cheap ways to advertise yourself on a promotional product such as pens.  These can be brought for next to nothing but used effectively they can spread the word and give you a powerful marketing tool.
• They provide brand exposure.  A traditional leaflet will get a quick glance then more than likely get tossed on the bin.  A branded mug though for example will get repeated brand exposure with a range of people coming into contact with the item over a period of time.