On day one of your business, you should already have your logo, email signature, website, and vision. Step one for integrating promotional products is ensuring you have high-quality business cards. Step two is having a small promotional handout on hand for any last-minute event you might attend unexpectedly. You should also have a table cover, a retractable banner, and a professional work shirt, such as a logoed polo. Having your core setup ready is essential so you aren’t scrambling when an opportunity arises to take your business to the next level through customer prospecting. 

Optimizing Your Marketing Strategy With Promotional Items 

Consulting with a marketing expert focused on promotional products and planning your purchasing timeline for these important products should be factored into your business startup costs. Over time, you should establish a monthly, quarterly, or annual budget dedicated to business promotional items. Whether those funds go toward replacing handout inventory, investing in new promotional handouts, upgrading your tradeshow setup, or adding additional apparel, you should keep your business relevant and modern. Trends shift, preferences change, and your business must constantly adapt its personalized promotional products to remain top of mind with customers and continue positive growth. 

Why Promotional Products Work & How to Use Them

Promotional products work if you purchase the right products rather than simply choosing those on sale or at the best deal. Your business must consider factors like your target audience, budget, brand representation, and desired return on investment. Considering these questions, along with individual situational factors, will help you focus on the best promotional products to purchase. For instance, handing out the same promotional product to a group of Fortune 500 CEOs and to teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week doesn’t make sense. Promotional items should be viewed as a tool, not something to do just because everyone else is doing it. Take a step back and continuously ask yourself who your audience is and what they would appreciate as a gesture from your business—something they likely wouldn’t buy for themselves. That is always a great starting point! 

Benefits of Promotional Products for Small Businesses 

Unless you buy a business with an established brand, you must create your own brand identity from scratch. There are many ways to do this, including establishing an online presence, gaining social media followers, paying for ads online, in-person networking, radio advertisements, and direct mailers. However, if you want to be used regularly by both existing and potential customers, you need to put physical products in their hands. Personalized promotional items are items that get regular use. If you choose to distribute quality business promotional items, you can secure regular impressions that surpass any other form of marketing. You don’t need to spend excessively on promotional items to get a good return. Being strategic is far more important than the specific product you distribute. However, if you hand out the same products as everyone else, you won’t set your small business apart from the competition. Finding a promotional product company that will help you build a blueprint for success ensures your hard-earned money is invested in the best business promotional items possible to propel your growth forward. Don’t do it alone—talk to an expert! 

The Effectiveness of Promotional Products 

The effectiveness of business promotional items corresponds with the amount of effort and thoughtfulness put into their selection and distribution. Too many companies simply buy the least expensive personalized promotional items to get mass quantities. But what is the purpose of handing out 5,000 cheap pens if they will be lost or discarded almost immediately with no long-term impression value? Imagine those pens cost $0.50 each. What could you do with that $2,500 that could create a longer-lasting impact and connect with your audience in a more valuable way? Perhaps choose 25 high-value prospects and spend $100 on items those prospects will use daily. That would likely achieve better impressions and results than those pens. We need to think in terms of meaningful impressions and move beyond distributing branded promotional items to thousands of people who are not our ideal prospects. Personalized promotional items should be planned with the same strategic approach applied to any other part of our business. 

The Power of Promotional Items in Your Marketing Strategy 

Promotional items can be powerful tools if used correctly, but they can also weigh you down if you don’t put enough effort into your approach. At tradeshows, for example, we’ve encountered exhibitors whose promotional products arrived late, leaving them empty-handed. When visitors come to their booth, all they talk about is how they were supposed to have products, but they arrived late. This distracts from the purpose of the event. We’ve seen table covers for well-known brands that look wrinkled and unprofessional—why not invest in a steamer to look more professional? We’ve also seen banners with frequent misspellings. Did no one on the team proofread it? Was there no system in place to catch these mistakes? Think of a time when a roofer or HVAC expert came to your home in a tattered or stained shirt. Or when someone shows up without any company identification on their truck, hat, or shirt, leading you to question their professionalism. These factors can make customers trust your business less. Presenting a professional appearance will not only make you feel that your business is legitimate but will also legitimize it in the eyes of others. Ensure your handouts arrive on time for conferences. Order early and work with a business that stands by its timelines. Give yourself ample time with ordering so that you aren’t rushing at the last minute and skipping essential checks that could lead to mistakes in your messaging. At a minimum, show up with a name tag and a shirt that aligns with your brand guidelines and color scheme. However, it’s best to attend events in branded attire, such as a logoed polo or oxford. Retire any apparel that appears worn, stained, ripped, or otherwise unpresentable. These are a few guidelines and questions to ask yourself to help you think strategically about promotional items in your marketing strategy and avoid common pitfalls many businesses encounter.