Every business devotes time and energy to carefully crafting its image and brand. From the logo to the mission statement and advertising materials, every detail is coordinated to send the right message.
But, after all that effort in developing a marketing strategy, many managers and business owners choose promotional items and employee recognition gifts by simply scrolling through the options and selecting one they like.
However, giving the wrong promotional items can detract from the brand and image you have carefully built.
Instead, use these guidelines for selecting an item that complements your message:
1. Consider Your Audience
Every effective marketing campaign has a target audience. When choosing a promotional item, consider the age, gender, income level, education level, and occupations of your intended recipients and carefully consider which items will be of use to them.
You might need to recruit a little help with this. If you are a middle-aged man trying to select a promotional item that will appeal to college-aged women, you might miss the mark.
Pull in employees, friends, and family members that fall in your target audience and ask what they would find memorable and useful.
2. Choose Quality Carefully
No matter what other message you are trying to send with your marketing, you likely want everyone to know that you offer a high-quality product or service.
It’s always a good idea to choose a promotional product that reflects quality. However, that doesn’t mean that an expensive or fancy-looking item is the right choice.
While promoting luxury might call for a high-end promotional item, a small start-up or nonprofit organization might choose a less expensive-looking option to avoid the appearance of overspending on giveaways.
For example, if affordability is a key component of your marketing strategy, you might choose a basic pen such as the Charleston Javelin Click Pen, but if your businesses brand is based on luxury, you might opt for the Pin Stripe Ball Point Pen and Stylus instead.
High-quality promotional items are available at every price point, so choose what best matches your business’ brand.
Always remember: Quality over quantity.
3. It’s All About Personality
The personality of your business might be a bit more subjective than your target audience or the quality level you need, but it is just as important. In fact, it might be the most important consideration, since it defines the most identifiable aspect of your business to customers and employees.
Is your business laid-back and casual? A sports bottle might be a good fit. Or, does a leather key chain represent your business’ buttoned-up and professional style best?
When you’re creating your brand and image, you want to make sure you get the desired result from your hard work. Keeping these three factors in mind, you can be sure to get the best result from all your time and energy, and your promotional items will truly reflect the image of your company!
