The Promotional Marketing Product: Does It Still Work?

According to a study by the Advertising Specialty Institute, people tend to keep promotional items for 8 months or more.

Is the promotional marketing product a thing of the past? You might want to re-think that question.

When 63% people in the United States are done with their promotional items, they give that promo item to another person. This means businesses getting more brand impressions.

Do you really think promotional gifts are a waste of time?

Here's what you should know about advertising gifts:

Promotional Marketing Product: Staying Power

Giving away business promotional gifts with a brand or logo creates staying power in a consumer's life. Around 91% of consumers have promotional products in their kitchen. Nearly 53% of consumers use promotional items at least once a week.

Having a promotional item around increases brand awareness and positivity. Around 89% of consumers can recall the businesses that gave them promotional items in the last 2 years. Promotional products make a consumer's impression of a brand more favorable around 53% of the time.

When your brand is part of a consumer's everyday life, they're more likely to remember you. The promotional item is part of building a more personal and positive relationship with a consumer. It's a way of integrating your brand into consumers' daily experiences.

More Advertising and Business

Although a lot has changed throughout time, advertising hasn't. Promotional items are still an effective way to get the word out about your business.

Promotional gifts are still an effective form of advertising. When people use your promotional items, they're promoting your business. For instance, if you give out shirts with your business logo on them, every person who wears one is advertising your business.

All of this extra advertising means more business for you.

Consumers are more also likely to do business with you if you give out fun promotional items. Around 85% of consumers do business with an advertiser after receiving a promotional product.

Creating a Brand Experience

When you create a brand experience, you're coloring your interactions with a consumer for days to come. Promotional gifts make that brand experience positive. Promotional items also give that experience a tangible dimension.

The usefulness of your promotional products is part of your brand experience. You want a consumer to think about your business whenever they use a product. When they're thinking about your business, they're building a connection with your brand.

This connection is important because consumers expect a more personal relationship with brands. Consumers feel like businesses giving away promotional items is a way of showing consumer appreciation. When consumers feel appreciated by a brand, they're more likely to patronize that business.

Stand out from Your Competitors

Business promotional items help you stand out from the competition. You're wooing consumers by giving them a useful item with your logo on it. Promotional gifts make people more likely to remember your brand, so consumers will remember your brand before others.

Sure, online advertising is still important. However, nothing beats the age-old trick of giving a promotional gift to a consumer. In the age of technology, making a personal connection with a promotional gift is still more meaningful than simply seeing an advertisement.

Promotional gifts speak volumes about your business. They show that your business cares about your customers more than other businesses.

Increased Brand Loyalty

Fun promotional items make customers more likely to exhibit brand loyalty towards your business. If you give out promotional gifts to consumers, they'll feel like you're already invested in them.

Consumers are more likely to be loyal towards your brand if you woo them with promotional items. They'll remember you as a business that gives back to customers. In turn, they will give you their business.

Consider Visibility

When designing promotional gifts, consider how visible the items have the potential to be. This will impact promotional products and their effectiveness. More visibility equals more brand impressions.

Ultimately, more brand impressions increase your staying power and likelihood of doing business with certain consumers.

Promotional shirts are high visibility products. To make promotional shirts more appealing, include eye-catching colors and designs.

Mugs with your business logo on them are promotional products with high visibility. Since people often have coffee with family and coworkers, more people are likely to see your business logo on a mug.

Promotional pens are a cost-effective, tried-and-true form of advertising. Since almost everyone needs a pen, they're likely to use a free pen with your business's logo on it.

Consider Your Audience

Think about the audience you're targeting with these items. What demographics do they fall in? Design promotional item with this information in mind.

For instance, if most of your customers are women, consider giving out promotional lip balm. Makeup is expensive, so most women will appreciate free lip balm.

If your consumer audience is younger, consider putting your logo on a beer bottle opener. That way, whenever someone needs to open a beer at parties, consumers will see your logo. The positive association makes these consumers more likely to do business with you.

You have some flexibility when it comes to appealing to older audiences. Most will be happy with a shirt or mug. Make sure you carry shirts in a variety of sizes to accommodate everyone.

Give Back to Consumers and Show Appreciation

Around 83% of consumers enjoy a promotional gift with advertising messages. The promotional marketing product is far from dead. If anything, it's on the verge of making a comeback.

Nearly 8 out of 10 people between 1 to 10 promotional products people love receiving promotional gifts, so they'll reward your business with money and loyalty.

Do your business a favor and invest in promotional pens. It'll transform your brand experience.