Promotional Items: Success or Excess?

Promotional Items: Success or Excess?

Promotional products get a mixed response. Some people agree that they can only bring you success and more sales, whereas others believe they are a total waste of time. Which one of these types of people are you?

If you are of the opinion that promotional products are more hassle then they’re worth, read on and hopefully by the end of this article you may have changed your mind and even be thinking about jumping on the bandwagon yourself.

When you look at your surroundings at work and more importantly your desk what do you see?

On my desk I have numerous pens, a post it note pad, a mug on a coaster and a mouse mat amongst many other things. All of these items are promotional items which have been collected over time from different companies and each are promoting their own message or logos. As well as delivering their message, these promotional products are very useful, meaning that I use them on a daily basis without even thinking about it. However if I ever needed to use any of the companies, there contact details are sitting right in front of me ready to call.

Promotional products are excellent business tools as they are a very simple but effective way of promoting your company name whilst giving something back to the customers. With these items both you and the recipient win. You will be marketing your company and boosting sales and the recipient receives a handy and useful gift which can only be a positive thing.

Tight budget? No problem. You can spend as little or as much as you want to on promotional products. There is such a huge variety of promotional merchandise that everyone is bound to find something that suits their taste and fits in with their budget. Frome pens and pencils to hats and umbrellas, the possibilities are endless and just waiting for you to reach out and grab them.

Promotional items have proved a massive success in the world wide corporate industry with businesses of all sizes wanting to get in on the action. From multi billion pound companies who order 10’s of 1000’s of products to small local businesses who may only order a couple of dozen to give out to loyal customers. There’s something for everyone in the promotional merchandise world.

Affordable and Usable Promotional Items

Promoting your business can be expensive work especially if you are thinking about advertising your company on the television or radio. If you are a huge successful company this kind of advertisement may be accessible to you but if you are only a local business with a small turnover you may need to look to other means of promotion.

Using promotional products may be just the solution for you as they can fit in with a tight budget and really help to boost sales. They can be a step in the right direction in terms of business growth and really are a fantastic marketing tool.

So to get you started, lets look at a few popular and affordable items that are top of the promotional charts:

Pens

Pens are definitely one of the best sellers when it comes to promotional goods and are being snapped up all the time by both large and small companies. They come in a range of colours and materials and you’ll be sure to find one whatever your budget or occasion is. The cheaper plastic pens can be given out as gifts at conferences and the metal ball pens can be boxed as a special present for a loyal customer or colleague. So whatever the circumstance pick up a pen as for a budget friendly promotional item.

Mugs

Mugs are a great idea for a promotional gift. There are all sorts of shapes and types of mugs available from ceramic to earthernware depending on what look you are going for. By printing your details or logo on a mug they will be constantly viewed and remembered as they sit on the recipients desk or coffee table.

Keyrings

Keyrings are a very popular promotional item especially when used as a promotional giveaway at an event or conference. This is because they are small and lightweight making them the ideal giveaway as they can be simply put in someone’s pocket or bag. They are a great product for a younger target group as they can be made into all sorts of funky shapes and made out of a range of unusual materials.

Mousemats

Looking for a promotional product that will always be at the end of your client’s fingertips? You’ve found your answer with a mousemat. Mousemat’s come in many different materials and colours and have a large area that you can print your company message or logo on to. In the technology fuelled world we live in today, everyone uses a computer and therefore everyone needs a mousemat. Why not take advantage and get yours today.

All of these products that I have discussed above are high quality but cheap options that will all work as an effective and un-costly way of marketing your company and brand.

Want to show your employee you appreciate them? Choose a promotional gift!

Want to show your employee you appreciate them? Choose a promotional gift!

It is a common mistake that promotional gifts are only used as giveaway’s to potential customers as a means of marketing one’s company and in turn boosting sales and awareness of your brand. This of course is a very popular way of using promotional products, however it is not the only use of them.

There is a growing trend toward using promotional gifts as a way of keeping existing customers and strengthening relationships and ties with them. They can be used to reward a customer’s loyalty to your company perhaps on a special occasion such as Christmas. Promotional gifts can also be given to your employees as a special thanks for the hard work they do and to keep them devoted to working for your company.

Company award events are now very popular so therefore glass awards have become a rather sought after promotional gift. Presenting hard working employees with ‘employee of the year’ awards can really boost morale in the work place and encourage people to work hard in order to reap the benefits.

There are all sorts of slightly more high end promotional products that can be used as individual gifts instead of bulk buying for giveaways. See below for some inspirational ideas:

MP3 Players

Mp3 players are the ideal promotional gift for existing customers. By spending a little more on a product you are showing them that you care and at the same time reminding them why they have remained loyal to your company.

Belgium Truffles

Truffles or chocolates are a great promotional gift to giveaway to employees or customers as a Christmas present. They can be packaged up nicely in a box with your company message printed on it and also who can say no to a chocolate?

Ballpens

Pens are a very popular promotional product and can be great giveaways at an event or show. However higher end pens can also make fantastic presents. These promotional products can be boxed in gift boxes and printed with your company message or logo. A luxurious pen always makes a great corporate gift as they will always be used.

Here are just a few examples of what kind of promotional gifts there are available if you are willing to spend a little more money on certain special customers, employees or business associates. So think out of the box and not only promote your company to potential customers but to your faithful existing customers also. You may be surprised how it can benefit you also.

Promotional Pens

The practicality of promotional pens

When it comes to promotional products, the practicality of the simple pen should not be overlooked. When you think about it, every person in every job or trade needs a pen even if everything they do is computer based, a pen always comes in handy to jot numbers or notes down. When you look at it like this it is easy to see that promotional pens will be a welcome gift to any person of any age in any profession because they are so very practical. Pens are often given away at trade shows and conferences due to the fact they are cheap and easy to transfer and carry but they also make excellent gifts for employees and important clients.

The reason behind the popularity of promotional pens is that they are getting your company message out there and noticed. Every time someone picks up a pen which is as we have discussed quite a lot, your message or logo is being seen and further cementing the idea of your company in other people’s minds without them even realising it. Here’s an example: Someone’s car has broken down and they ask their friend if they know of any mechanics who could fix it. That friend may have been using a promotional pen from a mechanics that they have picked up and you can bet that that will be the first mechanic that pops into his head.

The practicality of the promotional pen remains its best selling point as items such as these will always be used and therefore make great advertising tools for your company. They make fantastic giveaways as every time they are used your brand awareness is increasing.

Another selling point of the pen is their portability. They are so light and small that they can easily be placed into one’s pocket and used in business meetings, at the bank or simply at home when writing a shopping list. On all these occasions, the pen is doing its necessary job and enforcing your brand not only on the owner but also people who ask to borrow the pen or just simply notice it.

However in a sea of pens, you need to make yours noticeable. But how do you do that?

The best way to make your pen stand out is to make it an exciting colour and emblazon a catchy message across it. The message needs to be short and sweet, it needs to give any information that someone may need about your company but in a concise way. You do not want to make the mistake of overloading the pen with information, only the vitals are needed.

Some people worry about using pens as promotional products as they are so easy to lose and therefore seem to be a waste of money. But you have to remember, if a person loses your pen, it will only be picked up and used by someone else therefore passing your me4ssage on to a whole new group of people. With a promotional pen, whatever way you look at it, you can’t lose.