Article Contributed on: 4/21/2007 1:03:03 PM
Maximize your Marketing
If you've only ever used Promotional products as handouts or give-aways, you're missing the power of promotional products to maximize your marketing investment.
The true power of these items comes from the ability to get an effective message in front of the prospects and customers you need to reach and keep it there.
What are promotional products?
Generally these items are any useful item featuring a company logo, name or advertising message and if used correctly can generate measurable results for your marketing efforts.
Four Factors of Successful Promotions:
1. Audience Appropriate Product. Think about the target prospect's lifestyle what would be useful to them.
2. Effective Marketing Message. Usually there is just a company name and number. Give a strong benefit statement,advantage or call to action it generally costs no more to add this powerful addition, but the effect can be dramatic.
3. Targeted & Qualified Recipients. Since not many businesses can afford to market to everyone make sure that your promotion is geared toward the segment most likely to generate positive results for you.
4. Right Time. The perfect marketing message delivered too soon or too late will not produce the desired result.
Which Products are Most Popular?
According to the PPAI(Promotional Products Association International) the top 5 categories are:
Wearables
Writing Instruments
Desk/Office/Business Accessories
Calendars
Bags
However, with at least 20 major categories and over 750,000 items your own creativity is your parameter.
Rewards of Residual Marketing.
Promotional products are a cost-effective way to reach and to motivate key decision-makers.
First, they get in front of them and probably the most important they stay in front of them.
When you prospect, or contact a client by mail and include a free gift or promotional item, you increase the likelihood the package will be opened and generate a response.
A 1992 study by Silver Marketing Group for PPAI found that the response rate was 75% higher that that of a sales letter only. Getting your message in front of the prospect is just the first step.
After the package is open the promotional product continues to work, creating on going advertising in addition to a positive feeling about your company. This tangible reminder that remains long after the letter has been filed. This benefit is called "residual marketing".
Perhaps the most significant reason for the popularity of promotional products is the frequency of exposure and reasonable cost per impression.
An article in the Wall Street Journal said that a coffee mug with an imprinted marketing message may be seen by the recipient as often as five times a day. Could you afford to reach a prospect using television five times a day? What about radio? Or even newspaper?
Multiple impressions generate brand awareness, which in one of the keys to increased market share, and that's an important key to success in any business!