The promotional items that you choose are limited only by your own creativity. They can range from market-proven goods such as pens, calendars, coffee mugs, and baseball caps to innovative items like candy and nuts, stadium blankets, toy cars and trucks, and first aid kits. Whatever items you pick, all should bear your logo and contact information.



No matter what route you take or which items you select, be sure you maximize your investment. Here are a few tips to make the most of this time-tested sales and marketing resource:

Set clear goals for your promotion. Think about what you want these products to do for your business. Should they build awareness of your company? Boost sales? Provide a way to thank your customers? Have clear goals in mind from the start in order to purchase items that make sense for your business.

Set a budget and stick to it.

Putting your logo on a coffee mug or a mouse pad tells customers that you've arrived and you're in business for the long haul. Avoid overspending: Identify your costs up front, factor them into your overall marketing budget and pricing strategy, and keep careful track of all expenses especially indirect costs like shipping and handling and storage.

Let the professionals handle it.

Get someone specialized to advise you and develop your promotions and promotional ideas for you. Hire a Promotional Product Distributor. Let him/her design, create and develop your promotional campaign for you. Yes, you'll spend a little more money upfront, but you'll have a promotion where all the pieces work together to get your message and attract the attention of your customers - which means they will be more likely to call you instead of the other guy.

Try to deliver your promotional products in different, creative ways.

For example, instead of mailing 1000 memo boards, have 300 hand delivered. Delivering those by hand will earn you enough business so that you can afford to deliver the next 300 and so on.

Recognize the limited shelf life of most promotional products. Don't buy more than you need. A lot of businesses have stockrooms full of outdated promotional items.

Promotional items can be a silent salesperson for your products or services. Keeping these tips in mind will help you to make the most of your promotional items' potential.