Using Custom Promotional Products to Market Your Business

When it comes to marketing your business, you want to use every tool in your arsenal. Custom products are a powerful tool that many people overlook. Many people don’t realize that using custom promotional products to market your business is both easy and cost-effective.

Today’s business environment demands a mix of both digital and traditional marketing techniques. Promotional products might seem old-fashioned, but they have a valuable role to play in your marketing mix.

Admittedly, the rules have changed. A cheap pen or calendar imprinted with your business name and logo just won’t cut it anymore. Today’s savvy consumers demand value and quality in all products, including promotional giveaways.

That doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune. It’s easy to find promotional products that offer value to the recipients and not break the bank. Any reputable promotional products supplier can help you choose which products will work best for your needs.

Add Value to Customers’ Lives

People don’t hate promotional products. They just dislike bad promotional products. The key to successful products is to give prospective customers something they will actually use.  A trinket that does nothing but takes up space will quickly get tossed into the trash. A product that makes life easier – even in the smallest way – will get used, and your brand will be remembered.

Take pens, for example. The era of the cheap disposable ballpoint with your name printed on it is over. That’s not to say people don’t appreciate pens. Give them a decent quality rollerball with a built-in tablet stylus and you’ve got a winner.

Chill Out – Or Warm Up – With Drinkware

If you’re looking for something a bit more upscale, how about insulated tumblers? Brands like Yeti™, RTIC™, and others are hugely popular right now, and with good reason. Their ability to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold is amazing. If you want something to give to high-value customers, vendors or even staff members, they’re a great choice. Have your logo laser engraved on the tumbler and it’ll be a daily reminder of your brand.

You don’t have to spend a fortune on tumblers, either. A reputable provider can hook you up with stainless steel double-wall vacuum insulated tumblers that perform just as well as the name brands – and might even be made in the same factory – for less than you might think.

Don’t forget traditional mugs as well. They might be old-fashioned, but almost all of us have a favorite mug for our morning brew, whether it’s tea or coffee. Many have one at home and one at the office. Doesn’t an item people see and use every day sound like a great place for your logo?

Trade Show Giveaways Boost Brand Awareness

Conventions and trade shows have always been fertile ground for marketing with promotional products. Here’s one place where it pays to think strategically. More specifically, think useful.

You can just about count on every booth offering something to visitors, even if just product data sheets. Think about something that will make life easier for the folks visiting the booths, something that’s – here comes that word again – useful.

One thing that immediately springs to mind is a way to carry all the stuff that they get at other booths – something on the order of, say, a quality tote bag, custom printed with your logo and contact information. Imprint your logo big and bold on both sides of the bag. You can even pre-load the bag with your own product or service information, other giveaway items, etc. Once attendees find out where they pick up a convenient way to carry their stuff, you’ll see your logo all over the convention hall!

Once again, however, this technique calls for awareness. Don’t just go with the cheapest bag you can find. A good rule of thumb is to ask: “Would I use this myself?” Or better yet, “would I give this to a friend or close relative?” If the answer is “no,” raise your sights a little bit higher.

A great low-cost trade show item is custom lanyards. Typical I.D. badge holders include either a simple clip or a pin to hold the badge in place. Many people don’t like to damage their clothing with pins. Others find clip-on holders a nuisance that pops off easily.

That’s where you come to the rescue! Offer custom lanyards imprinted with your logo at your booth. You’ve just given people a convenient way to keep their I.D. badge readily visible without creating holes in their clothes or risk of losing a clip-on badge. You’ve also given them a subtle way to remember your brand. The more you give away, the more visible your brand becomes on the convention floor.

In today’s digital environment, tech accessories are extremely popular promotional products. You can have power blocks, USB drives, even Bluetooth speakers custom imprinted with your logo or brand. It’s a terrific way to get people talking and gives them a reason to visit your booth.

Seasonal items are always fun. Christmas tree ornaments are great for thanking customers and wishing them a happy new year. Consider branded mini flashlights too. They’re a handy little tool to keep in a glove box, purse or jacket pocket.

Marketing with promotional products is not difficult. A reputable product provider will help you select the ideal promotional products for your needs. Useful, attractive promotional products add value and give customers and prospects another reason to appreciate your brand.

TJM Promos  is a full-service supplier of promotional products worldwide. We specialize in custom apparel, lanyards, coins, embroidered patches, lapel pins, trading pins, and wristbands. We offer a wide range of more than 800,000 custom products of all kinds.