Argon Promotional Products and Promotional Gifts. » 2008 » October

Giving promotional gifts works wonders to a business. It takes a company to new heights. Various products offered by promotional product suppliers are given by companies to employees to serve as incentive to attain company goals and as a reward for a job well done; to clients and customers as a token of appreciation and gratitude for continued patronage.
Promotional gifts given as prizes to local contests and tournaments would create goodwill for the company. If given to employees it would make for improved and increased levels of productivity, If given to customers it would improve customer loyalty and if given as trade show giveaway it would create brand awareness and would serve as an advertisement for the company. The list is endless and these are but a few of the benefits a company could get from giving a promotional gift.
Because of the innumerable benefits of giving promotional gifts, most companies have used this marketing strategy. While other companies gained the benefits expected from giving promotional gifts, others miserably failed to do so. This could be due to the fact that the chosen promotional product failed to gain the interest of the target audience or the product failed to create the desired company exposure. Whatever the case may be here is a list of the best seller promotional gifts. It is hoped that this could help you in making the right choice and ensure a productive and effective marketing campaign.
1.    Desktop products –desktop calendars, clocks, organizers would provide the company maximum exposure as these are on the eye-level of the user. Every time it is used, company name recall will be generated.
2.    Mugs – At home or in the office a person would always reach for a mug filled with hot beverage. A sip of hot coffee would provide a respite from mundane tasks.
3.    Umbrellas – A big hit especially in UK where it rains most of the time. Provides an ideal imprinting space.
4.    Pens – Aside from being affordable it is most wanted because of its usability
5.    Key rings – Maximum exposure of company name is generated because of its constant use.
6.    Bags – travel bags, sports bags, grocery bags… being carried anywhere and used over and over again, name recall is generated not only for the user but for other people as well.
7.    Mouse and mouse mats – most people use computers these days and every time they do they will be reminded of your company
8.    Apparel – these products would serve as your walking billboards
9.    Stress toys – would provide amusement and relaxation
10.    USB flash drives – although quite high end, this would be most useful as spread sheets and documents can be carried anywhere with ease.

There is a wide array of promotional products available and each has their own unique and powerful way in bringing benefits to both the companies and the clients. If you want to increase sales leads or introduce new products, you can use promotional products and gifts.
Although print and TV ads are also mediums to advertise, they are very expensive and may not be affordable when you’re just starting a business.  This is why many companies are investing on promotional products because in the end, their return of investment is good.
So, what makes a great promotional product? A great promotional product is one that is innovative and original, useful to your clients, and discreetly (or boldly) makes BIG statements. If you want your business to reap its promotional product investments, carefully choose what to give your clients.
Here are some promotional product suggestions to help you have that winning edge that you desire.
Wearables
One of the most effective ways to get your message across to your clients is by giving wearables. Wearables can be anything from polo shirts, jackets, hats, and wristbands. Choose items in different stand-out colors and print them with your company’s name, logo, message, and contact details. You can give these to your best customers at trade shows and even to your employees as an incentive.  So, every time the t-shirts and jackets are worn, expect free advertising and let these wearables do all the talking for you!
Promotional Mugs
What makes coffee mugs a good promotional product is that it is used practically everyday, during coffee breaks in offices or during early morning breakfasts. Mugs can also be used for soups and tea. They are like mini-advertisements, because you can have your brand name or logo printed on it. Every time someone uses the product, those around him will be constantly reminded about your company.
Office Supplies
These promotional products can range from pens, clipboards, binders, notepads, rulers, stress balls, post-it notes, and other desk accessories. A pen is a very popular promotional product, since it’s really inexpensive and can fit into the budget of either a small or large-scale business. Also, pens are pocket-friendly and your customers can bring and use it anywhere they go. You can also give calculators as these will be very much used in offices whenever someone needs to do some computations.
Aside from the above mentioned promotional products, there are still a lot more: cooler bags, coasters, calendars, carrier bags. Just remember to give interesting items that people can use.

The clear cut success of promotional pens in making a product become well known has underlined two important qualities of promotional items.  First, they should be portable, and second, they should be useful.   The conference folder possesses both qualities, and its no wonder why many companies opt for the promotional conference folder as their tool for advertising.  However, does the usefulness of this item last, especially after the conference is over?

It actually depends on the features of the printed folder.  Understandably, a cheap looking, low-quality folder that crumples even before the user gets hold of them is certainly a bad tool for advertising.  No corporation wants to give away conference folders that are inferior in quality.  On the short term, it is also a bad investment because no person would want to receive a bad looking and poor quality conference folder.  This is a wasted opportunity for promoting a company or business.

On the other hand, good looking, quality folder can still be utilized even after the conference.  They can still come in handy for any user, and will serve their primary objective: to promote the company and business that advertised on it.

So if you are searching for good quality folders that will still be useful and good looking even after a certain period of time, promotional leather folders are your best option.

Promotional conference folders offer a lot of practical uses even after the event.  They can be used in organizing documents and other tools such as flash discs and CDs.  Sales agents can use them in organizing their notes, or storing their handouts and brochures.   Thus conference folders serve two purposes.   They do not only promote your company during conference and meetings but they likewise act as advertising tools at any particular time of the year.

Additionally, quality printed folders also serve as memorabilia for certain individuals. When they keep these folders, the purpose is served much longer than you expected it.  For example, when the user keeps it for his personal use, the folder remains an advertising tool which can remind him or his associates of your business.  Also, quality folders can also reach out to many individuals. If the owner finds it useful and attractive, chances are he will lend it to his family or friends, which means more exposure for your company.

Choosing a marketing tool for business is just like choosing the right blood sample for a critically ill patient.  One must be certain about the promotional material or else, just like a patient who’s infused with the wrong type of blood, the business may die.

In the world of business, profit and prosperity is the main thing. Most businessmen will do all they can to attain success and maintain the smooth flow of cash. To be able to maintain such status, the marketing and promotional aspects of the business must be strengthened.

There are lots of factors to be considered in choosing a promotional tool. Companies must take into consideration the allocated budget for promotions, the item to represent the company or products and the recipients of the said item. Promotional items shall serve as a simple token and a constant reminder for the target population, thus gaining their attention, awareness, and trust.

There are several methods to promote a certain product - most companies print their logos and names on useful items to create an impression. Things like shirts, caps, mugs, towels and promotional key rings are some of the most popular gifts people receive as promotional items. These items are commonly used by a great part of the population, making the promotional tool an acceptable one

Promotional keyrings is also one of the best ways to promote a company. It’s small, handy, and comes in various colors and styles. There are thousands of designs that can be created, and hundreds of materials to choose from, making promotional keyrings one of the most popular promotional items worldwide

The company can print their brand or logo in any way they want. Keyrings can be made in various forms and may serve other purposes as well. Some keyrings can have a calculator, bottle opener, and even nail clipper as an attachment. They are now widely used as an effective promotional item by numerous companies worldwide.

Creating miniature versions of your products would encourage consumers to buy the product. Later on, keyrings can even be sold separately in the market due to its popularity.

Other promotional items can only be distributed during a certain season or event. Jackets and scarves do create a great impact especially during cold seasons. However, what if winter is over? Unlike other marketing tools, promotional keyrings can be utilised anytime of the year, and thus the company shall gain exposure all year round.

We all know that mugs are effective promotional items. Promotional mugs are a safe choice because they are practical. They are used to serve coffee and other beverages; some use mugs as pen holders or containers for small items; and there are those who keep mugs as ornaments.

Mugs can bear any design - a company logo, the catch phrase of the moment, or the face of a politician. Mugs are so versatile that they can be customised with virtually any design needed to help the campaign.

Although the track record of mugs as promotional products is consistent, it is not fool proof. Like the product being carried by the campaign, the promotional products need to be appealing as well. Here are a few simple ways to ensure that the mugs will be received favorably by the public:

The promotional mug design should be consistent with the campaign. From the design to the colour, they should reinforce or complement the overall theme of the product it supports. If the product being marketed is an established brand of chocolate for instance, the product logo may be sufficient. Set against a neutral or color associated with the chocolate brand, the logo design looks elegant and uncluttered.

The mug design and form should aim to please the product’s target market. A whimsical take on classic paintings is a clever option for products that cater to students and young professionals. Vintage designs will appeal to the trendy and fashionable set. The mature market will appreciate classic and simple designs.

The material of the mug is equally important. Promotional mugs come either in ceramic, bone china or acrylic. The main advantage of acrylic is cost and durability. Plastic is cheaper and is not prone to chipping or breaking unlike ceramic and china. The downside is that it can look cheap if not designed properly.

The form of the mug helps generate interest in both the mug and the product it represents. The form of the mug may be given feminine curves or have certain details embossed to give it a twist. An embossed detail or a certain texture can help acrylic mugs look like ceramic ones.

Promotional mugs are extremely versatile they can literally be molded into anything to help sell a product without losing their functionality. This comes in handy since mugs are products themselves. They need the public to want them in order for them to effectively sell the product they represent.

How far would a company go to gain customers? No matter how difficult it is to admit, a product has to be popular in order to win people. Indeed that’s the most difficult stage- when you have to convince consumers, gain their trust, and lure them to buy your product, until you finally persuade them that they were not wrong when they gave your product a chance. Using a promotional item is not that easy - one has to do his best to prove to the market that your product is worth the money a client will spend.

More often than not, the promo campaign tends to target the intellectual part of a person. But how would one convince a consumer to buy an item? How can we minimize hesitation? There are so many ways in gaining the clients trust. Hitting the intellectual aspect can be of help, but targeting his emotions would be the best method.

You may be wondering about the significance of giveaways. Well, no matter how much a person denies it, one will always be impressed when he or she receives a gift. There’s always a slight feeling of euphoria each time a person receives something free.

The next question will be what type of item should be given? Useful items can ensure the company that their money wouldn’t end in a waste bin. A good promo item will be used frequently creating a win-win situation for both the company and the consumers.

Mugs, caps, towels and keyrings are some of the most popular items that can be distributed for promotions. Mugs are good for promotions, but it can be broken; and together with the broken pieces is your promotion. Caps and towels can be a good alternative, but since it’s made of fabric, there’s a great possibility that it can fade early on and be useless. Key rings on the other hand can last longer, it may be small but it’s attractive. One can carry them anywhere, creating great exposure for the company and the products that are printed on them.

Promotional keyrings can come in different sizes and designs, depending on the company’s need. This item is undoubtedly a great item for advertising purposes, aside from the durability and flexibility of budget it affords, there is no doubt of its acceptability to a wide range of people.

A child would use tantrums to get attention; a fire truck’s siren will cause other cars to give way. A lady would dress to the nines to gain attention at a party. When it comes to gaining attention, people would use all the necessary ploys to get the much coveted attention.  Just like people, businesses would use all the tricks in the trade to get attention too. Getting attention for your sales promotion is doubly important in business than in individuals. A company would need to gain the attention of the market to survive in the highly competitive world of business. A business that fails to generate attention is on the road to extinction. Getting noticed, however, could be a daunting task as all businesses are also like you…capturing attention for their own brand.

Promotional products are proven effective to generate attention of the target market. But then again just like you other businesses are using this cost effective marketing strategy. But you have an alternative course of action…making your promotional product a show stealer. Ordinary promotional products like the pen, mug, mouse mat, key rings will effectively generate attention but you can aim for a product that will generate maximum exposure of the company brand. A promotional umbrella has a very wide space for imprinting purposes. Unlike the pen where you can only imprint a line or two, the umbrella’s wide canvas can be imprinted with the company logo, contact information such as telephone numbers and website URL, and marketing slogan. Because of the wide space provided even recognitions and awards received by the company can be imprinted. This is a big plus in gaining attention as most people would like to be associated with a company that gained public acknowledgement.

Selecting the best promotional umbrella that will suit the type of target audience as well as an umbrella that will compliment the company colors and logo will be easy as many styles, designs and shapes are available to choose from. Aside from using the company colors you can further customize your promotional umbrella by imprinting designs that will reflect your type of business. For instance you have a pet shop or you are a dog food dealer, you can have dog paws imprinted on the umbrella. Religious passages and messages could be imprinted if you have a Christian bookstore. Go for fonts that can be clearly seen even from afar, this way brand visibility will be increased. Brightly colored promotional umbrellas will attract more attention. But the graphics of the imprint will surely make heads turn.

Promotional products play a key role for the publicity of a Small business. This mainly focuses on those small Businesses which cannot afford signing in big celebrities to endorse their products and which cannot afford the increasing costs of media advertising. Marketing through promotional campaigns is cheaper and more reliable than the other forms of marketing.

Before distributing promotional products the marketers should have a clear idea regarding which section of the community should their products target. They should set their goals and first think of how to use those promotional goods. Overspending or misuse of resources could spell doom to small businesses. So, careful steps need to be taken while promoting. The main factor is that you should be aware is that what are you expecting from those promotional products do you want to increase your business by creating awareness among masses or it that you want to boost the sales of your products. Firstly, you should be aware of what kind of products to use for promotion and whom to target like children, ladies upper class middle class .etc  Normally, small house hold goods are used as promotional products like mouse pads, mugs, caps and calendars. These products are house hold products which are commonly used by people in their daily life like a mouse pad with a company logo on it keeps on reminding about the company and when ever he or his colleagues want to buy the some product then that person would recommend your company product.

A small company having small business should be careful not to overestimate the budgets as well as not to spend aggressively on promotional products and promotional campaigns. It is always a good idea to have partnerships with other companies as this will decrease the budget. Joint promotional campaign will spread the word among the other product companies about your company and products. This is mainly done between the suppliers of the gifts and the promoting company. This lets the supplier to sell their products to you at a cheaper rate in return you let them print their logo on your promotional product and you make long term deals with them. Here also, you should be aware of the shell life the those products also aggressive purchases of low shelf life products will result only with huge go downs filled with outdated promotional items and if you use those outdated products for promoting this will brings down the reputation of the company and spread a negative thought among customers. Trust of the customers is the foundation of any good company.

All in all these promotional products are an essential part of any business marketing as well as keeping up with all the latest business news. Either it may be a big business or a small business the contribution made by the promotional products is very high and should not be underestimated. And with a right mix of all the marketing strategies and by taking all the right decisions a small business can flourish into an empire within no time.