Investing in the right promotional products requires finding the perfect balance between several factors common to every branded merchandise campaign. Be sure to consider each of the following factors in your campaign plan to ensure your desired impact and message.
Company goals: What are you trying to accomplish by using promotional products? The answer to this question should act as a starting point for which products to consider. Do you want to distribute products that are used daily or less often but really stand out in a crowd? Whatever your goal may be, keep it in mind when making decisions and make sure to analyze your goal success for future campaign improvements.
Consider Target Market: What product does your target market want to receive? What types of activities do they enjoy in their spare time? Every promotional product must to add value to the target market’s life in some way otherwise it will likely end up in the back of a desk drawer or the trash. Spending a little extra time talking with and surveying your desired market to understand them completely will ensure you distribute products that will be valued by recipients.
Budget: Budgets are a huge part of selecting promotional products that cannot be avoided. But too often we see purchasers who let their budget alone control exactly which products to choose. This is a practice we strongly advise against because it often leads to investing in products that will not deliver the desired outcome, which essentially wastes your resources. Although it may require some creativity, we are happy to say that staying within your budget and selecting the right products that make the right impact is possible. For more specific ideas on how to make your budget go farther, stay tuned for our next blog.
Usability: Every branded product must be usable with a clear purpose. Regardless of the product aesthetics or printing quality, if the product is not usable with a clear purpose, it will be discarded and forgotten. Be assured that products immediately thrown away will garner very little benefit from your investment other than perhaps an expensive purchasing lesson. Remember that every aspect and detail of distributed products can send a message about your company or group. Take some time to analyze each product from its’ usefulness and dependability to the overall quality and printing to ensure that product represents your company the way you desire.