Argon Promotional Products and Promotional Gifts. » Business Gifts

With stiff competition from every quarter, corporate houses and businesses are figuring out new marketing approaches to garner and to reach out to prospective customers. Print ads, audio visual ads and online ads definitely help businesses to promote themselves. However, a small gesture like giving out promotional gifts helps enterprises to get closer to their target audience and imprint their brand in the minds of the general public.

Brand awareness, the main aim of any advertising campaign or marketing strategy helps business ventures, big or small to be recognized by a large number of people. Promoting your company or business bluntly through advertisements will get you customers but doing it with promotional products gets you more customers. The recipients of the gifts will reciprocate your gesture by buying your products and becoming your endorsers.

Recognizing the target group of your company and marketing your products/brand/services to them helps you in amassing profits. Select promotional gifts that suit your target band. The item you distribute to the public must enhance your brand visibility and be useful too. Choose durable products that last for a longer period over the attractive and short-lived ones. Your chosen giveaways should remind your customers and the prospective ones of your brand/product.

You can give away items like promotional mugs, t-shirts, keyrings, calendars, notepads, caps, bags, fridge magnets, ice scrapers and pens, etc. Posters, leaflets and pamphlets are also distributed as gifts. Fun items like frisbees and foam hands are also used for promoting a brand. It is imperative to have your company’s logo, name, slogan and colour scheme on the body of the products.

They can be distributed to people at exhibition venues and crowded places like malls. You can enter into an understanding with the nearby radio station and give away these gifts as prizes, for trivia contests organized by the radio stations. You can sponsor community and sports events and distribute your giveaways as rewards. You can even give out these items for a fund raising event.

Dubbed as cost-effective marketing tools, these are known to suit any kind of budget. Being economical they are chosen by many companies and individuals to market their products/services along with traditional methods of marketing. The promotional gifts can range from a simple pen to Mp3 players. Irrespective of the gift you give, you are assured of greater prospects and better profits with this simple and innovative marketing move.

With the global recession in full swing, marketing spends have drastically been cut and everybody is having a tough time reallocating resources for their branding campaigns.  The approach now is more on selective and focused marketing rather than a broad based random advertising campaign.  So the more expensive promotional campaigns are now being given the pass in favour of low budget, low profile advertising and promotional gifts are making their presence felt in helping a brand really stand out.

Some very good products like desk sets and other attractive corporate gifts are at hand to ensure that even your low budget campaign, when directed at the right people can pay you very good dividends.  Moreover, the perceived value of some of the products available permits them to automatically qualify as top end gifts and this is of great benefit in times like these, when the economy is slow and every penny counts.  It means that you get more for less and as far as the customer is concerned, he is also happy to receive them thanks to his enhanced perception of such items.

This perceived value of a promotional gift gets a big fillip if you can match it with the utility requirement of the recipient, meaning the customer would have anyways purchased the item if it were not gifted to him by you. You can imagine the gratitude and recollection for your brand in such a situation and this becomes a classic case of making the best use of your available resources to come out with a win-win for everybody.
Other promotional gifts include business bags and luggage and these are again perceived to be of high value, especially the branded ones.  For a corporate professional, they are always welcome and are worth pursuing.  Some other luxurious items are Waterman pens and watches and these have always been well received.  They have high price tags and can be given to only your premium customers.  In terms of perceived value, another item that comes to mind is branded golf luggage, though this is not something that is often distributed due to its specific function.  Silver plated gifts also make for excellent corporate givaways as they have an exclusive feel about them.

It is thus clear that it is not always necessary to only go for big bang advertising blasts and splurge a lot of money in the process.  Knowing the customer’s preference and adapting your purchase of promotional gifts can possibly give even better results than the traditional form of advertising.  A freeze or cut on ad spend is not therefore a bad thing after all.  It forces you to come out with out of the box ideas and use your resources in the best manner possible and if at the end of it you are successful, then you would have done your job as a responsible company employee.

It is worthwhile looking at some corporate gift options that are available on the website which you can hand over to your customers and employees who are sure to receive them with great enthusiasm and appreciation.

The first one deserving mention is the flash drive which has made the storage of data such an easy task, besides lending the convenience of portability and any time access.  These devices give you the benefit of taking a back up and are available in many colours and with varying storage capacities.  Their utility and features have made them very popular with the corporate world and are worthy gifts to be handed over.  When these types of products are distributed as corporate gifts with the company logo imprinted on them, your brand receives excellent top of mind recall every time the flash drive is used.

These types of products can be very creatively used during seminars and exhibitions. They can be distributed as giveaways to visitors at the stall and can be loaded with useful company information on products and services which visitors would definitely look at and thereby approach you for business.  These flash drives can also contain testimonials and the various projects that your company has undertaken successfully to serve as additional proofs reflecting the capabilities of your company.

Another useful product is the promotional computer gift set.  These sets, while being reasonably priced contain very useful items attractively packed.  They are ideal gifts that you can give to some of your customers who are tech savvy or to specific people in a company who are from the IT department.  They have all the right equipment and accessories that the IT guys need and they will thank you for making their jobs easier, by gifting them something which they can access quickly at one place.  It is imperative to know your customers and their tastes very well to hand over gifts of this type and can do a lot for your brand image as well as for the person handling the account.  It conveys the impression that you care about your customers and give a lot of thought to even a supposedly mundane activity like gift distribution.  These corporate gifts get noticed by many people within your customer’s office and all of them will have a very positive opinion about your company.  The best thing about these gifts is that they can also be bought in smaller quantities as per your need and you can spend your budget wisely.

It is worthwhile to pause and look at off beat options like the ones described above and select the ones you feel will be accepted gladly by the customer.  They serve as a good diversion in comparison to the other gifts and you are able to establish relationships with other equally important departments within your customer’s company.

It is always a tough decision to take on the feasibility of a promotional campaign during such recessionary times.  You do not have much of an option if you wish to keep your present customers in good humour and also want to enlist new customers into your fold.  In fact during times as tough as this, it is all the more important to maintain goodwill and strive to retain existing business as they are more profitable and you might not want to take on the acquisition costs of new customers for the moment.  So the crux is to utilize the budget at hand in the most prudent and thrifty manner to achieve your objectives.  A couple of business gifts would serve your cause very well as they are both inexpensive and at the same time good for the visibility of your brand.

The first one is the promotional calendar.  They are great items to gift due to their utility and will pay you back adequately.  People will not stash away these calendars, but will prefer to hang them on the wall providing a lot of positive publicity to your brand through the year.  This is one promotional piece that is required by all offices and custom printing them in themes of your choice does not cost a lot.  It is of course necessary and ideal to hand over these business gifts at the beginning of the calendar year to rake in the full benefit of this gift and enjoy brand recognition for all twelve months.

The other business gift is the calculator which again is a necessity for every business meeting and a handy tool in general.  These calculators are always well received due to their utility, portability and durability.  They are very inexpensive to procure and present adequate space to advertise your company trademark.  They are a hit with all departments and hierarchies in a company – from the sales person to the finance guy and from the ordinary accountant to the top boss.  In fact these items are useful and used by everybody. They are practical tools and can be gifted to anybody irrespective of gender or age.  Due to the need to perform accurate and swift calculations on a daily basis, your brand gets noticed every time they are used and staff within your customer’s organization will thank you for making their task easier.  They are not items that people will discard and will thus present your brand in good light for a long time.  High quality calculators will not tax your limited budget and yet provide you with a good marketing option.

Getting repeat business from a customer is the most critical aspect of your business not only because it is more profitable but also since it sustains an ongoing relationship and fosters goodwill.  From the time you sign the contract with the customer, you need to set the ball rolling by giving the customer something that he would feel good about, while entering into a business association with you.  So you can hand over a nice stylish pen which is distinct and is of high quality which the customer will always remember.  You must be aware that the first business gift is always memorable and has a special place in the heart of the recipient.

This gift of the pen when imprinted with your company name and contact numbers will make sure that the logo is fresh in the mind of the customer and can be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship. You can maintain contact with your customers through the year with nice business gifts bearing your company brand logo.  So even something modest such as a planner with an inbuilt calendar, a tiny pocket calendar planner or a wall calendar will all serve as very effective business gifts lending great visibility to your brand everyday.  Small points like remembering the birthday of your customer and sending him a business card holder on that particular date will create a very positive impression about you and the company.  The choices are many from a mobile cradle to stress balls and while these items are not very expensive, they project your organization in very good light.

You must not forget to treat your premium customers with better quality and costlier gifts as they are the main contributors to your success.  Gifts like good quality wall clocks, combo gift sets are some of the items which are always well received and will do wonders to your current equation with the customer.  They will always keep you in mind and will not shift business without discussing with you about any problem or issue they may be facing.  Your competition will thus find it difficult to break in and you will make regular and rapid progress in your business dealings with such customers.

Business gifts are thus valuable tools to establish and cement relationships.  They effectively serve the dual purpose of brand recall and creating a good impression with customers and need to be perceived as investments.  It is not always the cost but the timing and the quality together with the manner in which they are presented which delivers the cutting edge to a business relationship.

As items that display the logo of your company, promotional gifts can do wonders, particularly in the realm of marketing. Apart from this, these can bring a number of benefits for the company that will improve the bottom line. Here are a few reasons why you should include promotional gifts in your company’s annual budget:

1.    Promotional gifts are a great vehicle for increasing brand awareness as well as customer recall. Giving away these items is an ingenious way of constantly keeping your company’s logo right in front of your customers’ eyes, thus leaving a lasting impression in their minds. A useful and tasteful gift that they associate with your company will surely be remembered especially when the time comes that they need your products and services.

2.    They can enhance the image of your company. When you give your customers something for free, they would immediately associate the act of kindness and thoughtfulness with your company. Every time the item is used, it will further build the goodwill that you have established.

3.    They help you introduce your business and its products and services to people, especially to potential markets. By making your logo more visible to the public, such as on the back part of shirts or the canopies of umbrellas, you’ll boost the exposure of your company to the world. Moreover, gifts that are frequently seen by people like organizers and desk calendars will certainly be a non-stop reminder of your company.

4.    They will help you gain back your lost customers. If you send them a little token, it’s the same way as telling them to come back.

5.    They are a way by which you can announce the changes happening in your business. By using customised items such as a mug or a shirt with your company logo, you can market your products or advertise your newly opened branches. Promotional gifts can serve as your little portable billboards.

6.    Used as incentives, they can raise your employees’ morale and work motivation. Employees general thrive on the appreciation and recognition of their efforts. By presenting them with gifts, they will get inspired to work hence productivity will increase.

7.    Useful and memorable promotional gifts can help raise tradeshow responses. Studies show that promotional free gifts will attract more people to your booth and thus generate tradeshow traffic. Sending out gifts before the tradeshow starts is sure to double your targeted traffic. More booth visitors translate to a bigger network of sales leads.

Conference goodie bags are treats that most conference attendees look forward to. It has been a tradition for conference speakers and sponsors to contribute different items to a goodie bag.  If you are a major sponsor and you are given the chance to contribute towards the contents of a goodie bag, you are handed the opportunity to promote your products and services. This is a tested and cost effective method of advertisement for the company. And as such you have to make sure that conference attendees will value your promotional gift.  A conference goodie bag would contain various items from sponsor companies. Because of this you have to make sure that your chosen item would stand out. Your giveaway gift should be both useful and attractive because recipients would naturally junk all items that they find not useful and keep only those that they like and need.

So how do you make sure that your chosen promotional gift is worth keeping? Below are some pointers that could help you in making the right choice.

•    Know your Target Audience:
Generic or common products will do as trade show giveaways but conferences and seminars have attendees sharing a common field of interest. For your giveaway to be appreciated, you have to make sure that the items will attract and be useful to the recipients. You can do this by spending some time to research the kind of people attending the conference. In so doing you can be sure that your contribution to the goodie bag will be well appreciated.

•    Stretch your Budget:
Your promotional gift will serve as your ambassador and as such should be a quality product - it has to last a long time to serve its purpose of promoting your company. On the other hand it must be affordable so as not to hurt the company economically.

•    Go for the Fun Factor When in Doubt:
Conference attendees are there mainly to learn. To break the monotony you could provide them with entertainment by giving fun products such as yo-yos or slide puzzles. Your Company will surely standout and gain enormous recognition.

•    Choose an Eye Catching Design:
Before making your choice of product, take time to search what is available on the website, there is plenty to choose from and when you have selected your promotional gift make sure that your Company logo and message is clearly displayed on the item.  An eye catching logo will give you that added brand recall every time your gift is used.  That, in turn, will benefit your business products and services.

A new effective marketing strategy used by companies and business organizations to promote their products and services and to enhance their brand awareness is distributing promotional gifts to their employees and potential customers.

These products are imprinted with the company name, logo, or advertising message and are then, used for fundraising, launching a new product or service, as a ‘thank you’ to loyal customers, as part of a community awareness program or as part of an employee incentive program. Used thus, there are innumerable ways of utilising this popular marketing strategy as part of a successful and highly innovative campaign. Business firms employ these products lucratively by using them independently as well as in association with media and advertising strategies.

These gifts have proved to be especially effective and beneficial, since they help achieving the manifold purpose of market approval and admiration and gratitude building. Some of the well-known advantages of offering promotional gifts include the following:

1.    Enhancing the company image which, in turn, gives improved sales.

2.    Generation and preservation of the most sought-after customer interest and trust in the products and services offered by the company.

3.    Increasing the response rate by integrating it with a direct-mail campaign.

4.    Generating traffic and improving the business stand, especially through effective trade shows.

5.    Inspiring the company team and staff members by gifting them promotional gifts in different incentive programs and thus, improving their work quality and productivity.

6.    Achieving desirable target marketing by getting the company message successfully across to a well-defined, potential audience.

7.    Attainment of a constant, non-stop advertising of the company through just a single investment, since these products are tangible and durable and can be used a number of times, repeatedly. The imprinted company message or slogan is thus, seen time and again, every time the promotional gift is used.

Apart from these, companies also utilize these giveaways by combining them into packages. This is a great strategy for convincing your customers that you appreciate them and care for them and take extra efforts to go an extra mile for achieving maximum customer satisfaction. Thus, such promotional product packages boost the company’s advertising policies and provide it with enviable exposure.

Investment in the winning strategy cannot be considered as a waste of resources. You only need to be a bit creative and use your chosen promotional gifts to your fullest advantage to realize their immense potential in fetching you maximum results.

One of the best ways to motivate employees and/or strengthen customer loyalty is to offer promotional items. These are products offered by companies, absolutely free of charge with an intention to promote a brand, product or a service.
Some of the most popular products available in the market are promotional mugs, magnets, calendars and printed pens. There is actually no limit to the items that a company can choose to give out. A company should always use its creativity and imagination as much as possible when selecting giveaways.
You should not underestimate the power of promotional items. The most recent research has revealed that these are more effective in building a recall of brand names or even corporate names. This results in people being able to recall names of companies which gave them promotional gifts even after months from the time when they received the gift. Not only does this help improve brand exposure but this also helps build a good reputation for the company.
Promotional items can be used to commemorate important occasions in your valuable customers’ lives such as their anniversary or birthday. They could also be used to recognize employees’ contributions or when the company is introducing a new brand or just trying to refresh a dying brand.
Another reason to choose this type of giveaway is that you can give products which will not only serve the needs of the business but also fit into the budgets of the company. Effective gifts would be those which the customer can use on a daily basis. The more often that other people see your promotional items being used, the larger the chances that they will transact with your company. Not only should the item be useful but also attractive.  They can be extremely effective too as people love to show off attractive gifts to their family and friends who will thereby be exposed to your brand name. The relevance of the promotional items to your business is also an important factor in deciding what should be used for your business.
In general your company needs to focus its attention on promotional items that compliment your brand name and will help add to customer loyalty and also prove attractive to prospective customers. For your promotional campaign to be effective, make sure that the items you give away are not only attractive but useful too. Be creative and imaginative when choosing what products you wish to use for your campaign!

There are numerous ways to promote the company’s services or products. A company, once established, wants to be immediately recognized by the consumers in the market. This process of making people familiar with the company name cannot only be achieved through the common notion of advertising, but also through the promotional products a company gives away.
There is a reason why promotional products are usually commonly used items. People who receive them are constantly reminded of the company’s name and immediately associate its logo with its services and products. Having promotional products give a sense that the company is indeed already established, an effect that convinces people that the services and products of the firm is real—that the firm is truly there for them. Not only does this affect prospective clients out there. Employees also benefit from useful products given away by the company. These give an environment of stability and makes employees more at ease with the firm they are working for.
Creating promotional products are not just there to promote their services and products, but it basically sells the company’s name to people. Of course, companies may think giveaways make up a small percentage of other ways to promote a company’s name, but there has to be a reason why these products are also permanent in every company.
Nearly all companies have been giving out these types of products, and this proves its effect on the client (or employee) mentality. The question is, with all the companies that produce them, how can one company be different from numerous others? Quality is a given factor. If promotional products reflect the company, wouldn’t the company reflect quality to consumers and to its employees? Also, being innovative with these products, which the recipients will probably use everyday, is worth the investment. If a company can’t afford to give things aside from the same old notepads, pens, caps or mugs, they could find a way to transform the commonplace into something “trendily different”.
That is why firms should give importance to the colour scheme, logo style, layout, and so on, when it comes to promotional products. The people’s outlook will depend on how these products are produced. However, a company still needs to keep budget in mind. It does pay to be creative, but this does not necessarily translate into high cost. A company can be creative with its promotional products even when restricted by a certain budget. After all, the more a company can save, the better and the more fulfilling this whole task will be.