There’s all sorts of research showing that giving promotional items is one of the most effective forms of advertisement that exists. A promotional item, especially when included as part of an overall advertising campaign, almost invariably elicits more response than any other type of advertising. It’s important to choose the right type of promotional item, though. The right promotional items can help solidify your brand image and publicize your business. The wrong ones can do more than waste your money – they can undo all the brand and image building that you do.

When you decide to build an advertising campaign around promotional items, it’s important to make a plan first. Here are some things to consider before you choose promotional items for your advert campaign.

1. What’s the purpose of your advertising campaign?

Start with a purpose and derive a goal from it. Is your intent to increase brand visibility? Do you want to entice new customers? Cement relationships with existing customers? Convince existing customers to return, upgrade accounts or increase their purchases?

Each of these purposes call for a different type of campaign, one designed to target the right audience with specific promotional items chosen specifically for them. The best promotional campaign to turn first-time customers into repeat customers, for instance, might be to include a small gift and a coupon for a discount on their next order with each purchase.

2. Who are the recipients for your gift promotional items?

Are you aiming at busy executives who make multi-million dollar decisions? Then your gift had better be splashy enough to impress them. Is your primary target young parents? Choose something that makes their lives easier. In other words, choose promotional items that will resonate with your intended audience. The more often your gift is used – or the more memorable it is – the more fondly your company will be remembered.

3. How are you delivering your promotional items?

The method of delivery will also be important in choosing the right promotional items. If you’re using direct mail, you’ll need to consider delivery costs as well as protective packaging for more fragile items. Promotional items handed out at a trade show can run the gamut from inexpensive trinkets for publicity purposes to high end gifts for important prospective and existing clients.

4. What do you want to say about your company?

Choose promotional items that send a message about your company. That means choosing items that are compatible with your brand image – upscale clothing designer? You don’t want to hand out a cheap plastic fridgie magnet, then. It also means choosing a promotional item that’s in character for your business – imprinted roll bags for a health club, for instance, or engraved metal key rings for an auto dealership.

Promotional items are a great way to garner publicity, build clientele and create an image for your company. Choose the right promotional items, and they’ll be messengers for your business like nothing else you could do.

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