Why Promotional Products are Good for Branding

When it comes to cost-effective methods of marketing your brand, there are several strategies that you can rely on. One such approach is the use of promotional products. The concept of promotional products isn’t a new one. In fact, it is a tried and tested concept that’s helped even major brands establish themselves within a chosen market.

So, if you’re a business that’s looking to gain that first bit of traction with your brand, using promotional products can be a great way to get things started.

Here are a few statistics to convince you.

• Around 80% of American consumers accept/receive promotional products.
• About 60% of those customers tend to keep these promotional products with them for two years.
• 89% of consumers actually recall the brand that provided them with the product even after two years.
• 85% of consumers tend to continue doing business with a brand that has given them a promotional product.

As you can see from these stats, promotional products do have an impact on the customer and the establishment of a brand. According to a PPAI study, around 94% of consumers remember when they last received a promotional product. The study also found that 83% of consumers prefer to receive promotional products that possess an advertising message. 85% of these consumers continue to engage in business with the said brand.

Here are a few more reasons why promotional products are great for your brand.

Promotional products boost brand recognition

As we’ve already told you, most consumers tend to recognize the brands that provided them with promotional products instantly. Here are a few more stats from an Inkwell study.

• 25% of consumers state that their impression of a brand is more positive after they receive a promotional product.
• 60% of consumers tend to keep promotional products with them for a period of two years.
• 50% of consumers use their promotional products.

It is the desire of every single business out there to establish a positive reputation. However, it can be quite tricky to achieve this. On one side, you need to stand out from the competition. On the other, you need to make sure you stay true to the consumer’s preferences.

One way to overcome these challenges and establish a good reputation is by leveraging promotional products. Promotional products are often retained for use by consumers for extended periods of time, increasing brand exposure each time they’re used.

Promotional products also increase customer loyalty

Customer retention is another key objective for most businesses. As you might already know, retaining existing customers is a far more cost-effective option compared to acquiring new ones. Promotional products are a cost-effective answer to achieving this goal. By handing out promotional products, brands can boost their customer retention rate in a very short time.

However, they need to make sure that their promotional merchandise meets certain quality standards and reflects the brand appropriately. The more “premium” your promotional product is, the better it is for your brand image.

A high-quality product can go a long way toward ensuring customer loyalty. According to a study published in Risinghillmarketing.com, 52% of consumers who received a promotional product chose to stick to the same brand for longer.

So, it would serve you well to make promotional products a key element in your marketing mix. Branded promotional merchandise is one of the best ways to get people talking about your brand.

Take the time to come up with innovative ideas for promotional products. Promotional merchandise should never be something you just hand out. It must be relevant to your business and complement other marketing media, such as print or TV. This is necessary for your marketing campaign to have the intended impact and for your brand to enjoy a better profile.

According to Valeria Aguerri, the Marketing Director/Sales Manager for Orleans Embroidery, popular promotional merchandise is what people find useful. Aguerri believes that the key lies in identifying the perfect product instead of a trinket. It must have relevance and value.

For instance, if you’re a travel company, a good promotional product would be something that is travel specific, like a duffel bag or a toiletry kit. These are perfect examples of “useful” promotional products. Apart from being useful, they would be extremely relevant as well in that they would represent the business and the brand. So, when people use the bag/toiletry kit each time, they are reminded of your brand. This is one very useful way to get customers to stay loyal.

Seasonally appropriate products can also do the trick. For instance, if your business operates in a location that is known for being cold, a jacket with your branding might be a good idea. This is useful, relevant and every time the customer uses it, he/she actually ends up advertising for you.

Promotional products help you stand out from the competition

Promotional products can also help you stand out from the crowd. There is no limit to the kind of products you can put your name on. You can even tailor the product to meet the specific needs of your audience. To put it simply, it’s not that hard to present yourself in a unique manner.

Here are a few ideas.

• Come up with catchphrases that add personality to your brand. Then, incorporate these catchphrases into your products. For instance, a t-shirt with a slogan printed on it.
• Keep looking out for trends and find out if your audience is actively engaged in following these trends. Then, incorporate the latest trend into your promotional product strategy. For instance, if you have a younger audience, they may be into toys such as fidget spinners. So, how about a fidget spinner with your branding on it?
• Don’t stop with one kind of promotional product. Make sure you have a repertoire of such products, especially if you’re catering to more than one demographic/market. Also, make sure there are specific to the demographic/market you’re catering to.

Are you interested in knowing more about establishing your brand? If yes, get in touch with Crafted. We might be able to bring some clarity.