According to research by Advertising Specialty Institute, most people like to keep promo gifts for about 8 months. Moreover, the study indicated that if you play your cards right, people will keep your branded items for years. In this article, let’s talk about the do’s and don’ts of promotional marketing. If you want to create an effective campaign that pays off, this article is for you!

All The Do’s You Must Remember

Do: Make Branded Gifts Part of Your Marketing

Many businesses fail to realize the importance of promotional marketing for their business. Others randomly pick out items that seem to be in the trend and give them out randomly. Nope! This is not the way to go about this.

Planning should be a key aspect of your marketing campaign. You must consider your consumers’ demographics when selecting the gifts, you want to give out. Let’s talk about a few tips to create the perfect marketing campaign.

First off, you should match the items with your company’s brand image. In other words, your company’s personality should reflect on the merchandise. You can do this by matching your brand colors or creating a representative logo. Another essential tip is to go for top quality items. Remember, your gifts represent your company. So, you cannot afford to give out cheap or boring gifts. You must remember that these gifts help to build an emotional connection between your consumers and your brand. Who doesn’t like gifts!

Next, you should also plan out the ROIs and impact of your gifts. Always have a concrete plan about how you will engage your customers with the gifts. And, lastly, keep an eye on your budget too!

Do: Give A Practical and Useful Gift

When you are deciding on your promotional items, remember to think about practicality. What are the products uses? Where can it be used? How will it be used? Who is your customer?

Let’s skip the boring ball pens that don’t work and coffee mugs that break quickly. Instead, think about something practical and useful. Something that your consumer will want to use in daily life. You get extra points for usefulness. The more useful the item is the more visibility it will get. So, your customer will be like a walking billboard for you.

A good idea is to choose a multi-purpose bag. If you have a VIP client, you can gift them a travel bag with your brand’s logo on it. This will make them feel special and valued. If you want to give out a less expensive gift, go for a simple tote bag that can be used for shopping. Every time your consumer shops, he’ll use your bag. Free publicity for you!

Do: Think about the Return on Investment

The idea of promotional marketing and free publicity for a long time is quite attractive. However, you must calculate the ROI when you are planning your campaign. Think about all the aspects when you are in the initial stages of planning out your campaign.

Think about whether your gift is ‘marketable.’ Will your customers like it? Or is it just for a specific segment of customers? It’s always better to target the widest population because just the recipient of your gift is not your target. You should also target others who will just see the item. So, the more the appeal, the wider the read will be.

Also, think about whether your investment in promotional items is enough. Does your git stand out in the crowd? Is it unique to your brand? Does it represent your brand? Is it top-notch quality?

Do: Call To Action

One thing that many businesses tend to forget is a CTA – Call to Action. If you’re giving out a promo gift, you obviously want something in return. You might want your customer to subscribe to your newsletter, or visit your outlet for a discounted sale, and so on. Always remember to include the call to action. In other words, don’t just give away the gift. You must invite your customer to do something in return. And, chances are that if you are giving out a good gift that they like, they will want to respond to the call to action in return.

All the Don’ts You Must Remember

Don’t: Compromise on Quality

If your customer gets a low-quality, cheap ‘gift,’ he will judge your company. It will ruin the image of your company. This is not only bad for ROIs but this also ruins your entire company image. So, never look at the costs only. Quality matters just as much. If you’re running low on budget, you should narrow your target audience instead of skimping on quality. Also, do not be obnoxious. Read this again. Do not be obnoxious with your gifts. Don’t make the logo too in-your-face kind of noticeable. Keep it subtle.

Don’t: Be Cliché

When you are giving out a gift that can turn a potential consumer into a regular one, don’t be cliché. There is no point in giving out boring gifts that are so cliché and mundane that no one gives them a second look. Let’s move beyond those boring plastic pens and keychains. Instead, let’s get creative and unique. Think about travel bags or laptop bags if you have a good budget. If you’re on a tight budget, you might want to go for recyclable bags, tote bags, laundry bags, etc.

Key Takeaway

Remember, promotional marketing is powerful. It is an excellent investment in your business and it has proven to have even more excellent ROIs as well. But you must know how to utilize them properly. If you follow the do’s and don’ts discussed above, you’ll be good to go. If you have more do’s and don’ts in your mind, do share them with us in the comments box!