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Promoting any business is expensive so you need to be sure that every penny you spend brings you a good return on investment. This article gives you 5 great reasons why Promotional Merchandise is a much better way to advertise your products or services than more usual methods.
Let's look at a traditional form of advertising such as classified advertisements which are usually found in the back of a trade directory or special interest magazine. The amount of people seeing your advertisement will depend entirely upon the circulation of the publication, then on the number of those people who can be bothered to turn to the classified section at the back and finally on those people who specifically, at that moment in time need or want the products or services you provide. Once the magazine has been read by the purchaser it usually goes out into the recycling box from where it and your very expensive advertisement heads for a landfill site or an incinerator. When you look at these facts in the cold light of day it does not look good does it? So from the perspective of bang per bucks it is hard to see how this is a great method of advertising
1. Promotional Merchandise gives you a far better return on your investment than classified advertisements.
Think of a simple product like a keyring, have you ever thought how many times you look at the logo on your keyring, let's say you come in and out of the house on average 3 times a day midweek and 5 times a day at the weekend, that's 25 times you take your keys in and out of your pocket or bag. Now add how many times you get in and out of your car in a week, add another 25 so that's at least 50 times a week or 2600 times a year that you are reminded of whatever the logo on your keyring advertises, now compare that to your classified advert that hangs around for a few days. I rest my case.
2. Promotional Giveaways help you make a connection with your client.
How often do you see large advertising billboards along the roadside and what connection do you make with them? Now compare that to how many times you open your fridge door and make sure you don't knock off the magnet holding the photo of your loved ones precariously in place. Do you notice that the magnet was given to you by your local Pizza Delivery service, almost certainly not, but when you next want a take away, where do you find the number? Have you ever thought of running out of the house to find the billboard you remembered 6 months ago? Of course you don't. By giving away good quality, well targeted Promotional Merchandise you make a connection with your clients and it pays off time after time.
3. Giving away promotional merchandise leaves a lasting impression with your customers.
How many times have you been taken to lunch by a company or been offered a seat at a sporting event or a round of golf somewhere. now think back 6-12 months, can you remember instantly the name of the supplier who took you? It's surprising isn't it? Yet if you look around your home, office or car the chances are you will be able to see examples of Promotional Items that were given to you months if not years ago and surprise, surprise there's the name of the company right in front of your eyes!
4. You can create great goodwill with your clients through proper targeted Promotional Merchandise.
You would not consider giving a blind man a pair of binoculars as a Promotional Gift would you? Yet you would be amazed at some of the items we have seen given away in the past. One of my favourites was a very attractive pen, around 10,000 were given away at a Liverpool v Everton soccer derby. They were great pens but the only problem was they were blue, the colour of the Everton team. No surprise then that after the match more than half of them were found broken and in the gutter around Anfield. You must, must, must, do your research and make sure that the Promotional Merchandise you give away is right for the client, if you do that you can't fail to impress.
5. Spread your message throughout your client's organisation
The great thing about Promotional Items is that the more you buy the less expensive they become. So when you give away products don't be mean with them and give them just to the one department you deal with, spread them around. One competitor I know thought the 10k he was doing with a customer was great, what he didn't know was that my company was doing 150,000 more business with the same client but in a different region.
I hope you find a few of these tips useful and that they help to promote your business.
