Get the Best Results from The Best-Loved Advertising Channel
On Tuesday, I presented a pretty strong case for using promotional products in your marketing program. The research was hard to ignore, unless you want to ignore your customers, too. Consumers like receiving promotional items more than they like any other form of advertising—and say they are more likely to be influenced by them.
I also listed ten different ways to incorporate promotional items into your marketing plans. In the next few weeks, I will deal with each of the items on that list in more detail. Today, I’d like to talk about brand promotional marketing campaigns.
Most Brands Do It—But Most Do It Wrong
I’m starting with this topic because almost all companies run campaigns to promote their brands to consumers. (You may have noticed that fact if you’ve watched TV, listened to the radio, or surfed the Web anytime in the last, oh, 20 years.)
But how many of those ads do you remember? (Forget the brands you’ve got in the cupboard or refrigerator.) What do you remember about the brands that paid good money to run all those ads? For most people, the answer is “very few.”
That’s easy to understand, because once those ads are gone, they’re gone. If there’s nothing especially memorable about them, you’ve probably forgotten them by the time the commercial break is over. (After all, these days it seems like those breaks contain many more ads than they used to.)
Promotional Marketing Items Have Staying Power
But promotional items don’t disappear and are not soon forgotten. In fact, research shows that many are kept around for a year or longer, and many are used frequently, even daily. So your brand name and sales message on that item reappears often. Each time, it makes another impression.
Promotional items win this contest, and I think I know why. First, customers welcome a promotional item as a gift; something functional, something thoughtful, something that adds value. Compare that to advertisements, which most consumers view as annoying interruptions to their preferred entertainment. Second, they become part of a consumer’s daily life, in a way that a commercial or online ad never could.
Promotional Marketing Works—With All Your Other Efforts
I am not claiming here that you should do away with your other marketing tools and programs. Just that promotional items can help your branding and sales messages hit home with your customers and prospects on another level.
Traditional advertising, flyers, brochures, sell sheets and digital media can set the tone, and carry a compelling message about what sets your brand apart. No question that is critical to creating a meaningful point of difference for your brand against the competition. But don’t let it stop there.
To Build Sales, Send for Reinforcements
Promotional items are excellent reinforcements for that well-crafted selling message. Your marketing story won’t be forgotten when your prospects see your name (and perhaps tag line) for days, weeks, months, even years after the original communication. Your well-positioned logo in plain view will serve as a constant reminder as those prospects go about their daily lives.
In fact, their image of you will grow even more positive as they continually reap the benefits of the promotional gift you gave them. That functional desktop item stays in plain view. That attractive hat or polo shirt is a source of pride. That umbrella—personalized with your logo on it—saves the day in a rainstorm. You get the idea.
Add Creativity for Even More Strength
Promotional items can be even more helpful when you choose them carefully to complement your selling message. In the music industry, perhaps a USB drive in the shape of a guitar strikes the right chord (sorry). Do you do business in the automotive sector, driveway asphalting or a drive-through service operation? Choose something for the car, where you want your prospect thinking of you.
At Superior, we have nearly 100 years’ experience in helping businesses work more efficiently and generate more success from their promotional marketing efforts. Our expertise in promotional marketing items will allow us to recommend an ideal product to engage your prospects’ interest.
To Stay in Your Prospects’ Minds, Keep Us in Mind
Remember, consumers prefer promotional products over every other advertising channel. Why would you pass up the opportunity to put them in the best possible mood to hear your messaging? Picking the right item is partly art, and part science. And give you an edge in both.
Our ISO certification means that our procedures have been developed and tested to deliver consistent results. And our two consecutive Best of Print and Digital awards are an sign that our customers appreciate the value our efforts bring to their business. Contact Superior today for a promotional product audit. It’s time to call in those reinforcements for your sales efforts.
