While it’s hard to measure the return of investment (ROI) on promotional gifts exactly, we do know for certain that there are positive effects. The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) has conducted a number of surveys on this topic and always found desirable effects. In this post we’re going to look at top 6 reasons why you should be using promotional gifts in your next marketing campaign.
In an oversaturated world, standing out from the crowd is a competitive advantage few would pass over. Promotional products offer an easy and effective way of increasing brand recognition and awareness. Branded gifts, that customers will use every day, will help keep your company on the top of their mind. Logoed mugs, for example, are more effective advertising than radio and television spots; 57 percent of people were able to recall the advertiser on a mug, versus 32 percent of radio and 28 percent of T.V.
Who wouldn’t want a prospect or customer to have a positive impression of your company? Appearances matter and your company does not want to get passed over, because your competitors appeared more positive. Studies have shown that fifty-three percent of the time, promotional products create a more favorable impression of the advertiser. The more positive the customers opinions of your business is, the higher is the likelihood of recommending the business as well as a higher likelihood of patronizing the business.
Only one in five people will trash an unwanted promotional product and sixty-three percent of consumers pass along the promotional products they no longer wish to keep. Consumers usually hang on to promotional products for an average of 6.6 months. What this all means is, that promotional gifts have a long time span of giving exposure to your brand. While other advertising methods such as tv, radio or internet ads have a certain time frame, promotional gifts exceed this time frame by a large amount, and increase the effectiveness of your campaign by a lot.
Building relationships with your customers is one of the keys to having a successful business. Promotional gifts offer a unique way of building loyalty in your customer base, as everyone loves getting gifts. Creative and useful gifts will keep people happy, whether it’s an after sale gift or a trade conference one. And happy customers and prospects are the end goal of every company, right?
The common mistake is to just hand out promotional items and expect sales to double. As every other marketing method, promotional gifts require careful planning and execution. But when done right they offer massive results. They are best used with raising awareness and loyalty campaigns, and they work wonders at trade shows. But lately we’ve seen companies successfully use them for upsale, increase productivity, product launches, retail promotions and many, many more. The options are limitless.
Ordering fully customizable corporate gifts, which will generate brand recognition, create a favorable impression of you company, inspire loyalty in your customers and keep doing this for a long time, creates amazing value. When you keep in mind, that most promotional items are very affordable, and can synergize with every marketing channel you use, the value skyrockets. And not just for your company, most of the practical gifts are getting used every day by customers, showing there is value for them in it too.
So, there we have it. Promotional gifts, when done right, can enhance your marketing efforts by a lot. They will keep your company on the mind of your prospects, create a positive image in their mind and inspire loyalty. But, there are things you need to look out for. So next time, we’ll take a look at the pitfalls of promotional gifts, what can go wrong, what will go wrong and what might work.
