PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS – THE PAST, THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

Promotional Products! Do they really have a place in the 21st Century? While you may think that they’re old news & in a world where social media has taken the marketing industry by storm for some business owners, they are probably the last century’s marketing tool, therefore, dismissing promotional merchandise isn’t a far-fetched conclusion. However, this would be so far from the truth. Sure, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are amazing platforms and yes, they allow you to reach a much bigger audience than any other means of marketing. But your impact can be fleeting, the next post replacing you in the thoughts of your audience, meaning your impact has departed as quick as it arrived. Enter a well-placed promotional product, it’s a perfected means of promotion. Social media might be hard to navigate to some. On the other hand, promotional products are easy to figure out. Tactile brand marketing gives you a chance to leave a long-lasting impression. Of course, an ad on Facebook will reach a significant number of people. However, chances are, your ad will be glanced at, skimmed over or even missed completely. The situation is much different with promotional products. A product put in your hand is never ignored, nor is it ever declined. Therefore, it seems that the benefits of promotional items are still relevant. What’s more, the promotional industry is always evolving, embracing changes to our daily lives, technology is embraced in new cutting-edge products and branding methods are adapted to adjust to the needs of the market and boundaries pushed to create custom promotional products that can leave you captivated. That brings more opportunities for promotion and representation of brands each day. Promotional products aren’t what they used to be. A simple branded pen, while still incredibly efficient, may not fit the bill for everyone. Now, there is a selection of unique and memorable promotional items out there. With the expansion of the market, promotional items are still something worth investing in. Since they are practical and popular with customers, they are real money-makers, driving your brand name forward and leaving an impression far beyond that of a tweet or online ad. Are you still having doubts? Well, here are some incredible statistics, courtesy of The British Promotional Merchandise Association Effectively Generating Business Promotional products are: Memorable – 96% of recipients said that promotional merchandise increases brand awareness Valid – 79% of people claim that the promotional products prompted them to go into business with the advertiser remarkable – 83% of people say that they can remember the printed message that was on the promotional items they received for an average of 12 Months compelling – if you give out promotional merchandise, you increase your chances of getting new customers by 55% So, these are just numbers, right? Well simply put - no, the numbers seem great, but what’s the point? Well, the moral of the story is that promotional items get the job done. Furthermore, they do it well. Look at the numbers above. Quite a compelling story, right? Promotional items leave a long-lasting, strong impression, not to mention that they help build brand exposure and increase revenue by attracting new customers. Value For Money Promotional merchandise offers excellent value, which is why you’ll see an amazing return on investment. Depending on your business strategy, that investment might be steep. However, you really can’t put a price on a positive brand impression. Promotional products will bring many benefits to your business: Reach - is more complex than that of other means of advertising. Yes, you can reach a lot of people with a social media ad. However, that way you are reaching just them. Promotional Products not only reach but are proven to expand your brand impact to the people around your customers. For example: - A Bedford Golf Umbrella given to your client would cost you £13.67 per unit Your client uses it on one of the 133 days of rain or snow in the UK that gives you a cost per use of 10p, However, that umbrella is seen by 100 people while your client walks to work, your cost per impression is actually less than 1p The Umbrella is used time and time again, so your actual cost is much less than 1p and is guaranteed to be seen unlike an Ad or Social media post. Not to mention that you can use promotional merchandise as mailings. Instead of sending a bland ad, send your customers a branded item. That way they will feel special and appreciated, which will do wonders for your brand image. Lastly, promotional items allow you to spread your charm much further than just to your customers. You can use them as gifts or performance rewards for employees. They are a great way to boost morale in the office. Make Your Customers Happy With Promotional Merchandise So, what can, in relation to customer satisfaction, promotional products achieve: likeability – more than 83% of people say that they like promotional items impact – 83% of people state that the promotional products gave them a positive impression usefulness – 81% of people will use or just keep a promotional item for a year or longer prevalence – 80% of people state that they have at least one promotional item at home or in the office frequency – 53% of people said that they use one or more promotional items frequently, at least once in seven days Still not convinced…. Then read on for more fun facts. In 2016 The ASI did a global ad impression study. They investigated which promotional items people most frequently received. The results showed that: 58% of people received promotional t-shirts 53% of people received branded drinkware 50% of people received promotional paper products 50% of people received promotional bags These numbers show the most popular promotional items. However, what should you do when you’re targeting a more specific crowd? If your target audience is 55 years of age or older, consider promotional wall planners or calendars. Over 76% of people in this age group stated that they own a promotional calendar. What’s more, they have it on display in their homes. On the other end of the spectrum are the millennials. If they are your target audience, then go for promotional tech items or printed reusable coffee cups. People aged between 21 and 34 also love items such as promotional hoodies. Your marketing campaign will surely benefit from promotional items. However, for best results, make sure you know your audience. Give them an item they need – something that will suit their interests to ensure that the item is retained and used time after time

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