4 Ways to Incorporate Promotional Products Into Your Marketing Strategy

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4 Ways to Incorporate Promotional Products Into Your Marketing Strategy
24th February 2020
 
As you kick off your marketing strategy for the coming quarter, don’t forget about the power of promotional products!
 
Did you know that the use of promotional products as a marketing tool can increase the effectiveness of your brand by 44% ? 
 
That’s because these physical items allow you to connect with potential customers in a more impactful way than a social media post or a TV advertisement. Not only do they drastically improve your brand recognition, but they also boost your response rates, provide you will more leads and increase your overall sales. 
 
So what are you waiting for? Here are our top four ways to start incorporating promotional products into your marketing strategy this month:
 
1. Take Your Digital Marketing Into The Real World
 
These days, a marketing strategy usually means a digital marketing strategy. 
 
However, as more and more companies shift all of their efforts to the digital world, they are missing out on the value that comes with a physical piece of advertising, such as promotional products. 
 
Gifting potential customers or existing clients a useful and quality promotional product will make them feel more valued and appreciated as a person, rather than just another number on your email newsletter list. 
 
With this in mind, promotional products are a great way to give your digital marketing strategy a physical boost. Get the best of both worlds by:
 
Adding a layer of augmented reality (AR) to your promotional products. This is a unique way to communicate your brand in a way that feels new and current. Download an AR app to create a 3D logo, a moving message or a video about your company. 
 
Adding a call-to-action on or with your promotional products. For example, encourage customers and clients to create a social media post sharing your promotional product. Or you can simply include your social media name or a branded hashtag and ask the recipient to follow you. 
 
Adding a QR code to your promotional products. Entice customers and clients to interact with your company online by providing a code that when scanned leads to your website, your Instagram, an ongoing digital contest, a special offer or an exciting new video promoting your brand. QR codes work best when printed on something flat, such as this portable power bank (which also helps keep a customer’s phone charged for when they want to scan your code!). 
 
2. Engage With Potential Customers At Corporate Events, Conferences and Trade Shows
 
Looking to connect with customers and clients in the real world? Corporate events, industry conferences and trade shows are the perfect time to reach a large, targeted audience and make an impression that lasts longer than a click. 
 
Giving out promotional products during these events will encourage potential customers to visit your booth and engage with your brand. In fact, trade show participants who gave out promotional items had a whopping 176% increase in traffic compared to those who didn’t. 
 
What’s more, these impressions will actually go home with your potential clients. In other words, promotional products help keep your company on their minds long after the event has ended. 
 
Create lasting impressions for your brand during these real-world events by:
 
Distributing promotional products that are unique or novel. You want to stand out from every other booth at the conference, and, most of all, you want to be the company that people can’t stop talking about. 
 
Including your important company information on your promotional products. Even after people have left the event, they should be able to easily get in touch with you thanks to your product. Think of these products as interesting and useful business cards, and include a website, a phone number or a hashtag. 
 
Creating promotional products that relate to your company and industry. You want to give away something that your target audience will actually relate to and find useful. For example, if you provide cycling products or services, you might want to give away something that can be used on a daily ride, such as this handlebar phone holder . 
 
3. Express Client and Employee Appreciation and Create Brand Ambassador
 
While promotional products are perfect for increasing brand recognition and reaching new customers, they can also be used to recognise the people currently involved with your company. 
 
Personalised and thoughtful gifts help clients feel valued for their business, and help employees feel appreciated for their hard work. Taking the time to recognise these people with a quality promotional product from will encourage them to continue to engage with your company -- and give you better reviews when talking to their connections! 
 
In this way, promotional products can be used to turn your clients and employees into brand ambassadors. As they use branded products, they are representing your company wherever they go. That’s good marketing. 
 
Show your appreciation and increase client and employee loyalty by:
 
Gifting promotional products for annual milestones. These could include holidays, birthdays, work anniversaries or business achievements. 
 
Gifting promotional products that are customised for the individual. For example, give the employee known for their coffee addiction a mug with their name on it for their birthday.
 
Gifting promotional products that make the client or employee feel like a recognised part of the team. This is a great time to use apparel, such as this cosy and cool beanie hat , which can be printed or embroidered with your logo. After all, brand ambassadors should be dressed for success! 
 
4. Provide Incentives For Word-of-Mouth Referrals
 
Referral programmes are essential for any marketing strategy. That’s because customers are more likely to trust the opinions of people who have engaged with your brand than those of a company’s marketing team. 
 
In order to inspire more word-of-mouth referrals, you should start incorporating promotional products into your programme. 
 
No matter how complex or simple your referral programme is, promotional products can act as the perfect incentive for customers to take part. 
 
Here’s how to start incorporating them into your existing programme:
 
Give the referrer a choice of which promotional product they get in exchange for a referral. This is especially effective if your programme has different levels or points involved, as it entices customers with varying tastes. 
 
Send a promotional product that says “thank you.”. If you don’t have a complex referral programme in place, even a simple “thank you” pen or sweet bag will make customers want to refer you again and again. 
 
Give the referrer a promotional product that they really want. No one is going to go out of their way to help your company unless they get something good in return, so this is your chance to splurge a little. One company recommends gifting speakers -- such as this trendy bluetooth speaker -- as a thank you for a customer “speaking well” of your company. 
 
 
Be sure to take your marketing strategy up a notch this March with a few carefully selected promotional products. 
 
To take a closer look at any of the items mentioned in this blog post, or to check out our wider range of promotional products, visit www.inspirepromotionalproducts.ie .