Shortcuts Don’t Work for Promotional Products

Don't Take Shortcuts With Your Promotional Products

Shortcuts.

Timesavers.

It’s the way we are programmed as humans. We want to be as productive as possible with our work; therefore, we more often than not take the easy way when doing our tasks. We take “The road more traveled” as opposed to “The road less traveled.” By following this path, we fail to differentiate ourselves.

We are built for efficiency, which often hinders us from seeing the big picture – how we can achieve the best possible outcome for any given project. This innate way of quickly completing tasks can actually cripple our creativity.

It’s too easy to do things the way we have always done them in an effort to quickly check off that task from our ever-growing list.

This same mindset is too often used when making promotional products purchases.

You would NEVER want a surgeon to take a shortcut when operating on you or a loved one. You don’t want your contractor to take shortcuts when building your house. You don’t want your financial investor taking shortcuts when investing your hard-earned money.

In the same way we don’t want the aforementioned professionals shortcutting their efforts, we don’t want to shortcut our efforts when planning and purchasing promos.

Fact: Promotional products are an investment, therefore, more often than not, you should see a return on your investment. I said “more often than not” because just like most financial investments, marketing campaigns do carry a risk that they won’t work as well as you hoped. By casting your net in several directions, you can find where the best catch is and spend more resources for the direction which is most successful.

There’s the Easy Way and There’s the Right Way

There’s so much more to promotional items than simply slapping your logo on the items as boldly as possible and handing them out at random to customers. If we stick with this mentality, this is the easy way. This is the least efficient use of these great products.

You see, promotional items can offer amazing results…if used properly. But you won’t find the proper use for them if you don’t put in the effort on the frontend. Shortcuts don’t work when creating marketing campaigns using promotional products. Careful planning and strategies must be carried out to “wow” your clients and prospects.

As mentioned before, your strategy should be much more than randomly handing out promos. Instead, strategies should include targeting those prospects with whom you want to do business. Additionally, using promotional products to reinforce existing, worthwhile relationships is also very effective.

The products you choose are equally important. If you choose products which are commonplace, you’re not doing yourself any favors. If you choose the same products you have been giving out for the past several years, you’re not going to all of sudden “wow” your clients. If you put no effort into deciding the best promotional items for your clients, you’re likely not going to see a return on your investment.

Steps to Ensure Success

  1. Know your goal. Without knowing your goal, you have no way to track the success of your campaign. Maybe your goal is to book new appointments. Maybe it’s to encourage email sign-ups for your newsletter. Maybe it’s to get prospects to your trade show booth. Or maybe your goal is one of a hundred other goals to best fit your company needs. You must start with the end in mind.
  2. Know your recipients. Analyze the demographics of your customers or prospects. Are the bulk of them millennials? Baby Boomers? Are they men? Women? Are they white collar professionals or blue collar workers? By knowing your target audience, you can develop your strategy that will best fit the recipients. This includes choosing the right products, determining the right delivery method, and managing the proper way to follow up with those recipients.
  3. Be creative. The more memorable your campaign, the better. That means everything from the delivery method, to the package design, the copy on the promotional items, and any additional supporting items included for that project. All aspects of your project should work together to create an experience for the recipients. People remember experiences.
  4. Choose the right promotional products distributor. In order to make the most of the creativity, you have to choose the right firm to work on your project. Why? Because forward-thinking distributors don’t simply sell promotional products, they capitalize the benefits of them. We use these items to invoke emotional responses for the recipients. Those responses could be humor, nostalgia, or a solution to a problem they are having. An experienced promotional products firm can be the difference that helps your campaign reach its maximum potential.

By avoiding the shortcuts, your promotional product investments can achieve positive returns, which can fuel growth for your company.

In similar fashion as a contractor who skillfully builds the foundation of your home, we can mindfully and creatively help you to develop a strategy to reach the right prospects and summon positive emotions surrounding your brand. Our number one goal is to ensure your goals are met, which is why Step #1 is a must.

Isn’t it time to stop squandering your money away with random purchases of promotionals items and start using them for maximum effectiveness?

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