4 ways to choose the right promotional product for your brand

Giving promotional products to your target customers is one of the oldest forms of marketing there is. Why? Reciprocity.

When you give someone something of value they naturally feel like they want to either “pay you back” or “pay it forward”. But there is some thinking behind what to give. It has to be the right thing.

Done well you can be remembered, and it can literally keep your business in the running to be called when you’re needed.

So how do you choose? Here’s four ways you can strategically choose the right product for your brand:

1. Give items that your target audience will use in the place where they make decisions about using your product or service. If your prospect is an executive in a large company, anything that revolves around the office and their desk will put your brand close to them, pens, mugs, desk pads, desk toys, notebooks. That way your brand will be noticeable when they make decisions. The latest tech is always welcome too. Smartphone accessories like a powerbank or even a pouch to hold tech accessories could be a nice touch. You might find that your sales team does a lot of business on the golf course, or perhaps your top customers are keen golfers so therefore golfing items suit you most. Branded golf balls, branded golf polo shirts etc.

You want your customers to feel good about the branded promotional products they are using, connecting their positive thoughts with your company.

2. Let the product reflect your marketing message and differentiate your company. Something we’ve done recently is branding selfie lights for a cosmetics company. To bring life to the concept of “showing yourself in your best light with our makeup”. Any kind of light might’ve done the job, but we went further to find something that would mean more to the consumer. How can you show your marketing message with a product?

3. Personalize them. It’s nice to be given a gift, it’s even cooler to have your own name on it. Usually items are branded with the company logo but customers really like to use items that have their names on them, wouldn’t you?

This doesn’t have to be a huge additional expense. Items like pens and notebooks mean you can have individual names without having to pay for an additional set-up cost. We’ll go more into depth about different types of branding in another post.

4. At the right time for the right situation. Different products have their place. You might be told to invest in a product with a long shelf life, and I’ve certainly kept certain items that held true value, like a personalised leather pouch from Aquascutum. But I’ve also been to events where there was literally no food or water, and one vendor had logoed water bottles and another was giving away mini packs of sweets and chocolate, no prizes for guessing who was remembered that day!