How to use promotional products effectively

By Kirsty Kinloch
20th July 2020

Ever since their first documented use back in 1789 – when George Washington used commemorative pins to celebrate being elected as the first US president – brands, organizations and media personalities alike have used promotional products for a range of reasons:

To increase brand awareness
To improve audiences perceptions
To support marketing campaigns
To launch new products
To promote exhibitions and events

And there’s a reason they’ve been used for so long. Because, when you use them properly, they’ll work wonders for your business. So, to help you get the most out of them, in this post we’re going to talk you through how to use promotional products effectively.

Let’s get to it!

Keep your target audience in mind

Imagine trying to sell cream cakes at a fitness & nutrition event – it’s probably not going to go down that well. The reason? Because they’re totally the wrong target audience for that sort of food.

It’s the same with your promotional items – you need to make sure you choose products your target audience is actually interested in. So, if you’re a tech company, things like flash drives, portable keyboards and USB hubs will do well.

Make them remarkable!

As mentioned before, there are lots of reasons to use promotional products. But, the overarching goal is usually the same – you want to get people interested in your business and spreading the word.

To do this, you’ll need to choose products that are worth talking about – products that are remarkable – ie. people remark on them! While everyday branded merchandise has it’s place, if you’re looking to seriously generate a buzz, you’ll want to try something more innovative.

These double-backed notebooks are a great example. They’re not something you see every day and that really helps grab attention and get people talking.

Usefulness is key

Many of us already have way too much stuff cluttering our homes, cupboards and storage spaces, so any old branded tat just won’t cut it if you really want to get the most out of your promotional products.

This is why we always recommend that our clients choose a useful item – something their audience is actually going to get some value out of each and every day. Here are a few great examples that most audiences will find useful:

It’s all about the quality

Always remember – with any promotional products or branded merchandise – it’s your brand in their hands. The quality of the products you’re handing out reflects how your audience perceives you.

If you choose poor quality products, with blurry labels and poor craftsmanship, it’s not going to leave a very good impression of your brand. Choose something well-built, with detailed printing on, and your audience is much more likely to have a positive association with you.

Integrate promotional products with marketing campaigns

Social media and digital news outlets are great ways to further increase your brand awareness. And, if you get it right, you can utilise these channels to make your promotional product giveaways even more effective.

As an example, you could encourage users to post a selfie with your promotional t-shirt to Instagram and ask them to use a hashtag relevant to a marketing campaign you’re running. This then has a snowball effect, where you’re now visible to each user’s unique audience. It’s almost like free advertising!

Wrap-up

There you have it 5 ways to make your promotional product giveaways even more effective. If you’re stuck on ideas, make sure to have a browse around the website – there’s plenty of inspiration to be found within our ideas pages.

Alternatively, you can always get in touch with the team directly, they’ll be happy to use their years of experience to provide guidance and advice on what would work best for your audience and goals.