Whether you’re a startup or an established player in your field, everyone needs to advertise, to maintain brand recognition and keep consumers abreast of developments in their lineup. 

Just look at how the big players in every field – Coca-Cola, Amazon, McDonald’s, Nike – spend millions to keep their brands fresh in consumers’ eyes, and you’ll understand how essential it is that you develop a strong marketing strategy with multiple angles of attack.

It’s easy to think that online ads are the way to go: they provide solid metrics that can help you tweak your strategy, and they are more flexible and adaptable than physical ads. However, Harvard Business Review suggests that online advertising overestimates conversion rates and doesn’t lead to behavioral change – but there’s one tried-and-true strategy has worked for generations and will remain a leading marketing approach.

Today, we’ll discuss how to use promotional products to boost your business, including a step-by-step guide to getting the most out of your swag.

5 Steps To Use Promotional Products Effectively

1. Recognize the needs of your target audience

Before you even order promotional materials, you need to know who your target audience is and what they want. 

For example, consider these two different demographics: people who regularly buy from an animal feed store and people who regularly buy from a cosmetics store. What does each of these demographics likely do? What are their needs and interests? When you consider that, you can decide which products to purchase for the promotion.

Let’s say you want to provide rain gear to each of these groups. Which would work best? Those who buy from an animal feed store probably have manual labor jobs that require the use of both hands; they would likely prefer a poncho. On the other hand, those who buy cosmetics might have more use for a promotional umbrella, assuming that they’re wearing their makeup on a night out when they don’t want to get wet. 

2. Set your ultimate goals

Now you need to understand exactly what you’re trying to do with your promotional materials so that you can develop a distribution strategy.

Buying the swag isn’t enough: you need to know how to give it away with intention so that it works for you rather than simply being an operational cost. It might be obvious that all marketing is meant to drive people to your company, and that’s true – but there are subgoals within this that you need to consider before developing your promotional product strategy. 

Are you trying to build brand recognition by cultivating a particular image? Are you hoping to draw in new customers, retain existing customers, or reward loyal customers who have remained with your company for a long time?

Once you’ve set your intention, you can start deciding when and where to give out the promotional materials. 

3. Develop a distribution plan

It’s not enough to have your products sitting around, nor is it a good idea to give them out in a haphazard manner. There are a variety of channels by which you can distribute promotional products, and each has its benefits when integrated into an overall strategy. You can give them away at trade shows, tie them to purchases, offer them as incentives for performing specific actions, or give them away as prizes in a promotional raffle.

You may consider purchasing several types of swag and setting up distribution patterns based on the product; for example, you may give away keychains or pens at trade shows or fairs but tie pricier swag, like umbrellas or wine coolers, to purchase amounts.

4. Provide good customer service to end users

This might seem counterintuitive, especially if you’re considering swag given away without expectation of purchase or interaction; however, remember that if you’re trying to attract customers through promotional materials, they need to see what your company is about and how it treats customers. 

Think of your promotional products as a demo of your customer service rather than just a way to introduce your brand. 

5. Track and measure the success of your promotional products

This can sometimes be difficult, depending on the strategy that you’ve chosen, which is why you might consider partnering with a marketing agency that can provide you with the right tools. You want to be sure that your promotional materials are actually driving sales rather than simply disappearing into the ether, never to be seen again; this means that you need to keep an eye on your metrics and try to ascertain a connection between swag and sales. 

For example, if you offered a free product with a purchase over a certain dollar amount, did you notice that the average sale rose to match that threshold? Did you see an uptick in website traffic directly after visiting a trade show and giving out? If there was no change in activity, consider altering how you use your promotional materials, or assess whether you need different materials to meet the needs of your target audience.

Conclusion

There’s a reason that promotional materials have been widely popular for over 100 years now: they work. In today’s society, they are a great way to connect with consumers and give them a tangible reminder of your product, something which online advertising simply cannot do. However, it’s essential that you remain intentional about this form of marketing as well. Utilize these steps to get the most out of your promotional materials, and you’ll soon recognize the immense utility of this powerful tool.