Distributing promotional products can be an extremely effective and low-cost marketing strategy. People love receiving gifts and there is research to back it up. Sageworld.com found that 89% of people could remember the brand that gave them a promotional product for up to two years afterwards. This number is so much higher than any other marketing tactic. 

The key to creating a memorable branded item that customers will love and keep for years lies in creating a unique and useful branded product. 

Define What You Want to Achieve with Your Promotional Products

Do you want to increase brand awareness and attract new customers? Do you want to reward your loyal customers and employees? Do you want to show off your brand at a trade show? Knowing the purpose of your promotional products will greatly help you narrow down on which items you want to select as your branded merchandise. 

Tip: use low-cost branded items for non-customers and high-quality promotional products for repeat customers or those likely to purchase. 

Research Your Competitors’ Promotional Products

Researching your competitors’ business merchandise strategy will allow you to get some ideas and understand what worked and what didn’t work for your competitors.

Know Your Customers and Try to Assess Their Needs

Do your customers travel a lot? If so, they might be grateful for products like travel kits that make their travel a little easier. Are your customers of a certain age group? Do your customers spend a lot of time outdoors? Are your customers technology-savvy? Knowing your customer will help you determine which promotional items they might use. 

Choose Useful and Relevant Products Based on Those Needs

It is important to note that all custom branded merchandise affect your company’s image. Distributing cheap badly designed promotional products that break easily will reflect poorly on your image. You want to make sure that your brand is associated with quality, relevance and usefulness.