You may wonder why any commercial organization, start-up or established, should spend so much on promotional products when no immediate tangible return is expected. You must understand the introductory human psychology of “reciprocity,” based on the “give and take” concept. Receiving is always associated with an accidental feeling of gratitude or obligation. The recipient is urged to return in the shape of buying the products or availing the service of the giver of professional promotional products.
There are many but few cons of the promotional products. They should be professional, implying they should be part of a well-planned marketing campaign. Moreover, you must give due consideration to the target niche, clientele, the type of your business, current market trends, and the market’s geographical location. Any other extraneous factors that directly impact marketing and advertising in the business environment should not also be ignored. Launching of professional promotional products has the force of inviting accelerated business.
THE PROS!
1: Boosting Brand Visibility
Your brand, logo, and messages get imprinted on the promotional products in the conspicuous space with attractive color and design. The value-added promotional products become worth possessing and retaining. For instance, you can give away drinkware, apparel, intelligent devices, stylus pens, and notebooks.
Your brand is visible to the recipient as well as to the onlookers nearby. That gives a permanent impression on your customers about your brand. They identify your brand by seeing your logo and will be urged to use your products.
2: Customer Retention
The act of receiving something tangible or intangible is associated with an act of reciprocity by remaining loyal to a particular product or service. When you give away promotional products, your existing and prospective customers react by sticking to your product.
Despite attraction, persuasion, and allurement, they do not switch to competitors’ products. This retention capacity comes without any demur from your customers. Thus, you get an edge over your competitors. They establish a spirit of “we won’t leave.”
3: Lead Generation
Your prospective customers have many options, offers, and attractions before them. Visitors to your site are many and varied. But what matters most for the growth and success of your product is the number of leads that have been generated.
Your competitors may be alluring them to go in for their products. But once they accept a promotional product with your logo, they feel attached to your brand. The promotion products, such as apparel, writing materials, or a custom mug, are sure to meet some of their everyday utility. So, potential buyers are transformed into loyal customers.
4: Cost-effectiveness
Small businesses struggling to expand their marketability may not afford more financial stake on advertisements such as billboards, email marketing, social media marketing, and other electronic media.
Compared to that, promotional products can fit any budget. You can get a wide range of products of different materials, colors, quality, and sizes. The flexible payment plans on mutually agreed terms ease the financial constraints.
5: Versatility
Promotional products match various functions, events, clientele niches, themes, and specific targets. You know which item you are to give as a promotional product. Thus, it prevents unwanted expenditures and thus saves costs.
You can employ one item in different sets up for new branding or acquisition. One item can match the needs of adults as well as kids. In that case, you do not have to acquire different merchandise for different events or among various age demographics.
6: Establishes Healthier Customer Relationship
Customer relationship is established through the interaction of give-n-take. By giving away tangible promotional products, you get customers’ loyalty. The relationship is more personalized and strengthened.
They are pleased to recommend your products to their friends and relatives, thereby multiplying the visibility of your logo and brand. They accept your brand as an authority in its respective niche, thus boosting engagement.
7: Competitive Advantage
Your competitors may also adopt marketing strategies for alluring potential customers in the competitive market environment. But certain specific features give your products get an edge over your competitors.
These are the utility, functionality, and aesthetic value, moderate-value, time-specific, adequately designed and logoed, prestigiously given, and after-distribution contacts with the prospects.
8: Long-term Brand Exposure
Promotional products create a kind of bias in the minds of the customers. Hence, your brand will nestle down in their minds over a long period. They will never know the pros or cons of other competitive products; moreover, your product goes beyond the traditional and target customers. This creates a strong brand reputation and enables your brand to stand out amongst the crowd.
9: Conformity
Usually, promotional products are designed to align with the company’s philosophy. Customers have the option of deciding which philosophy they would like. Promotional products are not just freebies given away. It also reflects the current mood and space in the prevailing societal environment. Hence, they conform to the requirements of the contemporary modern world.
10: Creativity
Creativity knows no prejudices. So there are ample scopes for coming up with the best designs that may be unique to the brand. The prospects get intrinsically intertwined with the company’s image, representing its ethos and values. Customers will be prejudiced to buy from you with a deep emotional attachment to the brand.
THE CONS!
The cons elements will creep in if due consideration is not given to the following factors.
- If they lack utility and aesthetic values
- If they don’t match the occasion
- If the quality and value are not moderate
- If they are not presented appropriately
- If more items are acquired to match different occasions
- If frequent contact is not established with the prospects
Conclusion!
As mentioned above, the pros and cons of giving promotional products give you the scope of designing your next marketing campaign. If you have tried other means of advertisements, you should adopt giving away appropriate promotional products to a target audience.
