The reason that promotional products are such great ways to raise brand awareness of a company or product is because they’re essentially free gifts. These items are useful to customers and become a small part of their lives. In this capacity, they continually remind consumers about an organization. This can be a very successful marketing strategy for a company of any size.
It is often important for businesses to consider how they will get their promotional products into customers’ hands. Short of standing on a street corner and handing them to people as they go by, any means is acceptable. However, to be truly memorable and to entice customers to come back and do business with a company, consider the following methods.
Online deals
The internet can be a useful tool for connecting with consumers because it represents a special relationship that a customer has with a company. When online users are offered free gifts through social networking sites or a company blog, it acts as a reward for consistent loyalty to a company. They may also use word-of-mouth to communicate their success to friends and family, which is one of the best ways to spread the word about an organization.
Repeat business
One of the best strategies for retaining and increasing business is to reward loyal customers who do a lot of business with a company. Promotional products are great giveaways for this type of person because they’ll feel as if they’ve earned them. It is important to remember to advertise this fact so that consumers who have only recently discovered a business will be able to visualize themselves in the same situation and will attempt to come more frequently.
Bring a friend
Regular customers may realize that they have exhausted their allotted promotional products and will soon see less incentive to continue doing business with a company. However, they can be tempted to return once more with offers of promotional products or other giveaways they may receive when they bring a new friend in with them. In addition to giving them more of a reason to visit a company, it makes them active ambassadors for a brand. Though they might not spend every waking moment looking for new people to bring, it will always be in the back of their minds when they need to do business with a company in a certain industry.
Very little reason at all
When a company feels that its sales are lagging or if there is a lull in the promotional calendar, it may be time to start a random giveaway. The excuses for one can be very flimsy – choose a strange holiday off of a calendar or celebrate some recent news in a local area or industry. Either way, the important part is getting the promotional products in the hands of customers. The products themselves will do the actual work.