Like anything else in a business, initiatives have to be prioritized.  If you don’t plan your marketing budget for branded promotional products, then they will not be a priority at all.  Reviewing with your promotional product company what your goals are for the next year and coming up with a calendar of events is the best way to budget each year. Involving the actual decision-maker in these conversations will maximize the potential for projects to happen.

Why You Should Budget For Branded Promotional Products

Just waiting for events to pop up and being reactive will result in rush fees and being at the mercy of fluctuating inventory.  Your branded product budget will not go as far as it could.  If you plan far enough in advance you can get much more creative.  You can also annualize your bulk purchases and get them produced in one run to maximize bulk price breaks and potentially get products custom manufactured and ocean shipped for a much lower cost.  This will extend your marketing budget greatly.

Upcoming 2024 Trends for Swag

Trends for Swag do change quite frequently. If a Swag Company that you are working with does not stay in the know then that company’s suggestions will be outdated.  There are many trends which will continue from 2023 to 2024.  Sustainability will continue to be a hot topic for branded promotional products.  If a product can be tied back to the permanent Eco trend, then companies and employees of those companies can get behind those initiatives and handouts.  If you have not handed out water bottles or something drinkware related that continues to take up about 10% of the market share of all promotional products.  Grocery totes will continue to increase in popularity as bag bans and taxes make single-use plastics illegal.  Recycled content in both apparel and promotional products will only increase as initiatives to remove plastics from the ocean increase.

Working Promotional Products Into Your Marketing Budget

Either you are a believer in branded promotional products, or you aren’t.  Either you are a believer in direct mail, or you aren’t.  Either you are a believer in radio ads, or you aren’t.  Either you are a believer in SEO, or you aren’t.  Working something into your marketing budget is no easy task.  Everything is a risk, and everything has different returns.  Some returns can be measured, and others can’t be.  If a branded promotional products campaign is done properly then it should not be a strain on your marketing budget.  You are already spending thousands of dollars on other initiatives, so why not reallocate some marketing budget to branded promotional products and see if it should become a staple in your yearly outreach!

Branded Products Designed for ROI

Have you ever purchased branded products just because you found a good deal online?  Buyer beware! Although your branded product budget should always take costs into account you should also always be considering impressions and ROI.  The branded promotional products company that you use should know your audience, budget, timeline, theme, and any other pertinent details.  With this information, a plan can be formulated to maximize your ROI and increase the chances of a successful campaign.  Meeting your audience where they are is key to any successful campaign which is why a one-size-fits-all approach to branded promotional products will never work.  Putting products in a car when your audience drives a lot is meeting them where they are.  Putting products at a desk when your audience is constantly at a desk is meeting them where they are.  Handing out products that are used in the kitchen will meet your audience where they are at.  Impressions and frequency of use of products is much more important than buying a high volume of product.  Strategizing your marketing budget to get the best ROI and impressions will always beat buying 5000 clearance pens that get thrown away.

Be Branded Keeps Your Products In Hands For Maximum Returns

At Be Branded, we will always start any project by asking about 10 questions. We aren’t trying to interrogate our customers, but we are trying to gather as much information as possible to make educated and strategic suggestions.  There is no point in suggesting the same things that any other company online suggests because then we bring no value to the table.  We want to learn what makes your company unique and bring your messaging to life through the branded promotional products you purchase with us.  If you purchase a product that brings no return, then your marketing budget has gone to waste and you will not be reordering with us.  We would rather tell you why we think you should or shouldn’t order a specific product so that we can maximize the potential for the returns your company is after.  If we successfully accomplish this then your company grows, your company comes back to order from Be Branded again, and we grow together!  Now we have formed a partnership that is much stronger than the transactional outcomes you will receive from the low-cost online providers all over the internet.