Reasons for promotional merchandise marketing

Below sets out just some of the main reasons to use promotional merchandise in your advertising/marketing campaigns to show how it can help to promote your business/brand/or group and provide a beneficial return on investment. They are simple but very useful tools.

  1. Often lead to increase in sales of a brand or firm.
  2. Help make you stand out in the crowd, stealing the limelight from your competitors.
  3. Keeps your branding out in front of the customer on a regular basis.
  4. Helps make the customer feel good & rewarded and ensure loyalty as well as strengthen customer relationships– in turn, helping to lock in customers for future orders.
  5. They reduce the price element as a buying consideration as they are getting something ‘extra’ for their money.
  6. To provide additional, practical and useful products/services to your consumers – Ie Selling lipstick with a free branded mirror that is useful with the product and inspires a product association with your brand.
  7. Ensure that relevant consumers carry your logo with them as ongoing long term advertising for you, long after the sale has been completed. Helping to promote you far and wide. This is particularly good for service sectors where non tangible goods are sold and there is no physical item left to remind them of you.
  8. Measuring the success of an advertising campaign – Your advertisements can invite customers to send off for a free branded USB drive, for example. Responses will help you to judge the success of an advertising campaign. And it gives you the opportunity to ask people questions that could give you invaluable customer information
  9. The right and relevant merchandising items help promote a good professional and corporate image and strengthens a firms good will.
  10. Promotional products, especially when given free, are seen by the recipient as an expression of your appreciation and will hopefully result in them being open and willing to talk about your business in a positive way- This is especially the case when approaching new potential clients or marketing yourself at an event, function or trade show. Promotional products can pave the way for productive follow-up contact and a better sales conversion rate for such first time customers. If you have sent a potential customer out a free gift by post, then telephone and ask ‘if they received the free gift’ it is a brilliant way to lead into a first time sales conversation.
  11. People who use your promotional products are seen as effective sources of testimonials to encourage more people to patronize your business. In effect, you get more advertising mileage when people use your promotional products- A customer referral is worth a hundred cold calls!
  12. It is even possible to make a profit out of the merchandise, by ordering in bulk and selling at just above cost. However, this is only likely to work if your promotional merchandise generates high demand.
  13. Use Promotional Products to Launch New Products or Services, making it memorable and educate customers on the product – It is even be possible to have a merchandising item be made as a miniature marketing item of your new product!
  14. Establish Employee Incentive Programs – Reward your staff with desirable branded merchandise. And remember: these employee incentive programs often more than pay for themselves in increased sales and productivity. Whether you have a handful or several thousand, your employees are one of your most important assets. Promotional products can help build team identity and company morale by allowing you to recognize important employee achievements: years of service, employee of the week/month/year, even personal days like birthdays and anniversaries. Corporate clothing also allows your customers to recognise who your staff are, which is especially the case in the retail sector, for example.
  15. Open New Accounts – Studies show that combining marketing literature with promotional products is one of the surest ways to make a good impression on prospective customers. Given how hard you work to get in front of someone for even a few minutes, shouldn’t you leave a lasting impact?
  16. Promote landmark events like company anniversaries, awards or service levels your company has recently attained.
  17.  Repair Service Lapses – Promotional products are also invaluable in repairing the service shortcomings that sometimes occur in spite of our best efforts. Giving a valued customer a gift is a terrific way to build bridges, make amends and reassure the customer that they are always right and always wanted.

Whatever merchandise you decide to give away, make sure it compliments what you’re selling and doesn’t stop your customer needing to buy from you. And remember 20% of your customers are always generally responsible for 80% of your business. The least you should do it target these with a quality, professional, Branded corporate gift!