Promotional Products Tips & Ideas

Tradeshows
Have something to give away at tradeshows and other special events to get more attention from attendees.

Icebreakers
When cold calling or approaching new people, your salespeople might be much better received if they have a gift to give away.

Reward Employees
Promotional products can be used as sales incentives for your own employees or just to boost pride in your company.

Reward Referrals
You can also use promotional gifts to show your appreciation to a client for referring a new client to your company.

Some tips when using promotional products to promote your business:

1) Give them something that will last.
Something that is used over and over again creates a longer lasting impression than something disposable that will only be seen once and thrown away.

2) Give people something they want.
If they don't want it, they won't use it, and there is less exposure to your brand. Consider your target audience.

3) Personalization can make a gifted item seem more special
Some items can have someone's name also imprinted on it in addition to your logo to show an extra degree of gratitude.

4) Quality is more important that quantity.
Consider ordering a small quantity of something nicer, and target a smaller group to make better use of your budget. Remember thousands of pens with your logo on it don't do you any good if they are sitting in a box in a closet.

5) Give out items that relate to your business.
If your business has to do with computers, give out USB drives or mousepads. An air-conditioning company could give out personal fans. Just about anything you can imagine can have a logo put on it. Find creative and unique items.

--Statistics--

Respondents preferred advertising through a promotional product to the television ad in terms of their:
- Positive attitudes toward the ad (41% to 18%),
- Positive attitude toward the product (20% to 16%),
- Message credibility (54% to 33%)
- Purchase intent (25% to 17%)
- Referral value (26% to 16%)
A 2006 Study by Louisiana State University and University of Texas at San Antonio


Effectiveness of Promotional Products at Tradeshows
- 71.6% of attendees who received a promotional product remembered the name of the company that gave them the product
- 76.3% of attendees had a favorable attitude toward the company that gave them the product
A 2003 Study by Georgia Southern University


Impact, Exposure and Influence of Promotional Products Reach:
- 71% of business travelers randomly surveyed at DFW Airport reported receiving a promotional product in the last 12 months
- 33.7% of this group had the item on their person - a coveted location for advertising
Recall:
- 76.1% of participants could recall the name of the advertiser on the promotional product that they received in the past 12 months
- In comparison only 53.5% of participants could recall the name of an advertiser they had seen in a magazine or newspaper in the previous week.
Impression of the Advertiser
- 52% of participants in the study did business with the advertiser after receiving the promotional product.
Of those who had not done business with the advertiser that gave them the product, almost half stated that they were more likely to do business with the company that gave them the item
- 52.1% of participants reported having a more favorable impression of the advertiser since receiving the item.
Frequency of Exposure/Lower Cost Per Impression
- 73% of those who used the promotional product that they had received stated that they used it at least once a week
- 45.2% used it at least once a day
The greater the frequency of exposure, the lower the cost per impression
Repeated Exposure
- 55% of participants generally kept their promotional products for more than a year.
- 22% of participants kept the promotional product that they had received for at least six months.
Why Keep the Promotional Product
- 75.4% of those who received a promotional product stated that they thought the item was useful
- 20.2% kept the promotional product because they thought it was attractive
A 2004 Study by L.J Market Research