So, how do you select the best promotional products? The dreaded truth is, it depends.
How do you select the best promotional products? It really does depend… on a lot.
I’ve never liked the answer “it depends.” It has always left me feeling gypped; like the person didn’t really have an answer, so he left it at “it depends.” But actually, who can argue with that? The world does not have too many absolutes, so this is among the most accurate answers to many marketing questions.
The answer to the “how do you select the best promotional products question” doesn’t have end there. We can, with a little thought, provide some guidance that will help us narrow down and select the best product for a given situation. Answer just a few questions, and you’ll be well on your way to determining which product can achieve your goal.
Like every good marketing quest, you start with the end in mind. “What are you trying to accomplish?” Mind you, I didn’t ask what you are trying to accomplish with promotional products specifically. Not yet, but we’ll get there. The question is broader than that. For the objective question, some areas might be:
For outward facing initiatives:
1) We want to Improve customer retention
2) We want to keep top of mind for prospects
3) We want to improve close rates on new business
For internal initiatives:
1) We want to improve / keep up employee moral
2) We want to improve employee retention
3) We want to motivate employees to higher achievement
4) We want to create brand advocates
The reason we ask for the broader objective is that, in all candor, a promotional product may not be the best option. This also allows us to understand context, which helps refine the product selection. A promotional product is a means to an end, rather than the end itself. Knowing where you hope to end up allows us to make well informed recommendations.
The next question for us is, “how do you want the recipients to feel when they receive the product?”
Once again, a deceptively simple question that may lead to more complex answers. Let’s take “improving close rates” as the objective, and we can see how the “feeling” question can lead to different areas.
Based on your market position and the reasons customers buy from you, the desired impression and therefore the gift will vary. If you are in a cutting edge business and customers expect you to be kind of “out there,” like graphic design, the recommendations will go in a very different direction than if you do financial planning for people looking at retirement. Some categories or even specific products in categories impart a sense of conservatism while others give a sense of “cool.” So, while your objective may be to help close sales, the way you want someone to feel after receiving the gift may be quite different; their feelings need to align to your business, or it can be counter productive.
Now, after understanding the objective, we should look at where will the recipient will receive the item? Consideration to the context of the gift-giving should lead to decision about the size and aesthetics; where / how will this be presented.
1) One-on-one in a private meeting
2) As part of an event / ceremony
3) While the person is traveling – conference or company meeting
I previously mentioned knowing how the individual will feel, but based on the context, we should also consider the impact we want to have on those around the recipient. This plays to the visual nature of the gift itself. Is it something that is very personal, or is it something that should be discernible while presented on a stage or in a group setting? This will take you in very different directions when selecting the promotional item or gift.
The last point I’ll touch on is, what do you want the person to do with the item? Often our knee-jerk response is to say “use it.” But, we need to be deeper than that. From a marketing perspective, the recipient is now your medium; they are the ones carrying your message. Now, what do you want the message to be?
Is it as simple as “hey, look at me!”? This is simply awareness, you want exposure. So, wearables or drinkware used out of the home might be good, or inexpensive pens that can be distributed en masse. Or, is there a strong association between you and the recipient that is important for a selective group? For professionals, perhaps a high end pen that will be used in front of colleagues, or golf accessories that will be seen by people with similar interests or professional connections. Perhaps you just want the person to see that they are appreciated and remember your company from time to time, then a quality mug with your logo etched in it might do well. The point is, you need to have a sense of what you want the person to do with the item after they receive it. This goes a long way to identifying the best items to use in your promotion or give-a-way.
Its about the impact
There are millions of items you can use in promotional product marketing. But that is not relevant. What is relevant is having just the right one to serve your purpose. By answering the right questions, you can quickly determine what products will have the impact you desire.