Tips For Choosing The Best Promotional Products For Your Brand

June 14, 2021 David Marié

Choosing unique promotional products for your company can be challenging. Here are pointers to help you pick the best one.

In this article:

Consider Who the Recipient Is
Do Your Research
Durability and Usability are Key
Uniquely Tailor Your Giveaways
Plan Accordingly
Set a Budget
Figure Out Your Distribution Method
Consider the Timing of the Distribution of Your Product
Check the Materials and Branding Requirements of the Items

9 Tips To Follow For The Best Promotional Products

What are Promotional Products? Promotional products is merchandise branded with the company’s or business’s logo, and distributed for free to promote the company or business to potential and current customers.

1. Consider Who the Recipient Is

It’s important to think about your customers. Ask questions to learn more about them and get an idea of which items to give them, such as:

Gender
Age
Income
Interest
Job

Once you’ve gotten that information, think of a product they can use in their everyday life.

2. Do Your Research

You have near unlimited choices for corporate promotional products, which can make picking one seem like an insurmountable task.

Try getting inspiration from popular products with high success rates. Check out studies and statistics to help you decide on an approach to pinpoint what product you need.

An example:

In this study sponsored by the Promotional Products Association International, researchers discovered that promotional products topped the list of advertising methods that elicited an action among all generations. This means giving out promotional products is more effective at encouraging audiences of all ages to perform an action than mobile, broadcast, print, and even online forms of advertisements?

If you’re thinking about what items to give away, here are the top five product categories that sold the most that year, according to the study:

Wearables (e.g. apparel, accessories) — 35.8%
Drinkware (e.g. water bottles, drinkware accessories) — 8.4%
Writing (e.g. pens, notebooks) — 6.6%
Travel (e.g. bags) — 6.3%
Technology (e.g. USBs and power banks) — 5.6%

3. Durability and Usability are Key

Promotional products are key to many marketing strategies because they are a great way to reach a wider audience. When your promotional products become a part of your customer’s routine, your company has the potential of being seen by new people, which can help spark interest in your business or service.

Two essential things you need to consider when choosing promotional products include durability and usability. You’ll want to give recipients a product that they will use now, and can use for a long time.

Here are some easy tips to help give your products staying power:

Get wearable products, like apparel and accessories, because these can literally go places. To make it more attractive and increase chances that they will wear it, try going for a more subtle, soft-sell approach by using stylish typography or graphics instead of splashing a giant logo, brand name, and your contact details on it.
Consider the environment because your objective is to make sure customers keep your promotional product as long as possible. What industry are you marketing to and what items will they appreciate to help them succeed in this industry? In this day and age, tech-related items are a safe bet for various industries and audiences because of how rampant the use of technology is.
Go for utility and try to solve everyday problems in a customer’s life. For example, if it rains a lot in the area then giving them a raincoat or umbrella with your company colours and logo on it will be a huge hit. Additionally, they’re essentially going to be walking advertisements whenever and wherever they use your product.

4. Uniquely Tailor Your Giveaways

A lot of businesses pick products that appeal to them but are forgettable to the customers. You need a way to stand out from the competition.

One way to achieve attention for your business is to give away products that relate to your company or business. Here are some ideas:

If your company is practicing green marketing and is aligned with environmental causes, go for environment-friendly products or those that encourage people to become green warriors in their own right. Some examples include notepads made of recycled paper, wooden USBs made from wood sourced from responsibly-managed forests, or reusable bottles and tumblers that will encourage people to cut down on buying plastic bottles or one-time use coffee cups.
If you’re a printing company, show off your expertise by printing creative messages and designs on promotional apparel.
In the real estate or auto industry? Go for a key-shaped USB, which can promote your product, while providing top-of-mind awareness for your company.

The bottom line is to pick a product that represents your company appropriately and creatively.

5. Plan Accordingly

One of the most overlooked factors in planning for promotional products is time. While some products can be ordered and received in a week, most orders need about one or two weeks to complete, and some need even more time.

It’s important to give yourself and your supplier enough time for production and delivery. Plot your timeline starting with your final event (distribution of promotional products), then discuss with your supplier on how feasible it is to achieve your targets on time.

Remember, different items require different production and delivery times. Always communicate this with your supplier beforehand to avoid issues later on as the deadline draws near.

Here at Promotional Drives, we offer a 6-day turnaround period, and a rush delivery service of 3-4 days. We also offer a 100% refund if we miss your deadline.

6. Set a Budget

When it comes to producing promotional products, it can be tempting to go for the cheap promotional items. However, focusing too much on price can lead to giving items that aren’t relevant to your recipient, which could only end up in the trash or forgotten in a drawer somewhere.

Additionally, some lower-priced items don’t deliver on quality. Nobody wants to be aligned with a faulty or flimsy product because this will also affect your brand image.

Even though you saved money, your investment just goes to waste this way. Setting a realistic budget that matches quality and quantity is important for your brand’s reputation.

7. Figure Out Your Distribution Method

Promotional products are only effective if you get them in your customer’s hands. There are plenty of ways to give out your products, but certain products work better for certain distribution plans.

Here are a few examples to give you an idea of products and distribution.

Calendars and magnets are lightweight and flat and can be great for direct mail promotions.
Bulkier items such as tumblers and apparel are best given in trade shows with a matching tote bag to carry them.

It’s important to consider what you’re giving and making sure that the product is appropriate for the event.

8. Consider the Timing of the Distribution of Your Product

Timing is crucial when it comes to achieving success in a promotional product campaign, and it’s important to match items with the season. Statistics show that small to medium-sized businesses gain 20%-40% of their yearly income come from the holidays.

You don’t want to give a sweater in the summer because customers won’t be using it for months, and may forget they actually have it. Instead, give the sweater as temperatures drop to increase chances they’ll use it right away.

9. Check the Materials and Branding Requirements of the Items

The usual ways to brand items include printing and engraving. Different items are made from different materials, which will affect which branding method will be used.

How does this affect you? Some branding methods last longer. Also, if you want to ensure that all aspects of your promotional items are eco-friendly, you have to check everything, from materials to processes involved in making them.

There are plenty of factors to consider when it comes to promotional products for your company. Make sure to take the time to research your clients, trends, and statistics to get the best one. Factors like budget, season, and usability are things to consider to help you stand out from the competition.

Finally, beware of inexpensive business promotional items — they may not break the bank, but they can break easily, which can tarnish your company’s reputation in the consumer’s eyes.

If you’re looking into having custom USBs for your business, feel free to contact us so we can talk about the best options for your purpose and budget.

Are you looking to incorporate promotional items in your strategy? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments section below.