Your Message, Your Way

If you could talk to each and every one of your potential customers in person the chances are the vast majority of them would become customers. Nothing sells a business better than a one-to-one. Unfortunately, as your business grows that is not always possible, so you need to think of creative ways to sell your products and services as effectively as you would do it in person. Sending flyers, emails and making cold calls is certainly one approach, but that is firmly inside the box thinking. When marketing the unique qualities of your business it pays to think outside the box – or possibly about the box itself. In 2010 promotional merchandise seems to be leading the way as the most effective method of innovative marketing – ensuring customers not only see the message, but that it stays in front of them for an appropriate length of time.  

Branding is the buzzword for getting noticed and staying in the forefront of your customers’ minds. Getting a brand noticed can be as straightforward as putting your company logo on pens on your reception desk, or as detailed as the branded fair trade fortune cookies given out on Qatar Airways. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, businesses have been using branded merchandise as a marketing tool to reach their desired target audience with a specific message. What began with retailers and fast food chains has now spread to SMEs and sole traders.

In today’s competitive market, businesses have recognised that to stay on top it is important ­to be seen, and, to be seen at the cutting edge. Therefore, giving away promotional gifts at events or during the Christmas season only has become too obvious. It is true that the season for giving is the boom time for branded merchandise, when companies recognise their clients and customers with branded gifts, but good clients are good clients all year round – so it makes sense to go against the grain and recognise great customer practices when they are least expecting it.

Marketing Problems, solved!

It is a new year so how can you market your business in a fresh way? Every business faces marketing dilemmas, and businesses as diverse as accountants and life coaches face the same problems: how to stand out from their competitors? The high cost of ad production and ad placement, as well as the lack of a dedicated marketing team often discourage SMEs from going down the route of traditional advertising. If this is true for your business then branded merchandise could take some of the pain out of marketing because it offers a ready-made creative solution. Top companies in Ireland that sell branded merchandise are there to do the creative work for your business. Rather like hiring your own marketing agency, if you work with a good branded merchandise company they should find creative marketing solutions for you that are not only innovative but also less expensive.

The longevity of branded products is also another consideration. Newspaper, radio and television advertising allows you to promote your company and brand to potential customers that are looking for you today – but what about customers that are going to need you three months down the line? A full-page ad in the newspaper will be long gone in a few days, but a mouse pad sitting on a desktop will still be there when the time comes for that all important phone call.

Staying in view is as important as being viewed by the right people. A blanket approach to marketing might work for large companies with huge media buying budgets, but for small and medium sized companies the key is cost effectiveness. Promotional merchandise can be cost effective – if you decide on a product within your budget that has longevity – and it can also be targeted in a way that general media advertising cannot. A full-page advert in a national paper will be seen by everyone but it won’t be relevant to everyone who sees it. When budgets are tight it therefore makes sense to be targeted with your marketing. Promotional products given out at events, conferences, by direct mail and directly to your target demographic make a great deal of sense when you consider the cost, how long the product will ‘last’ and who it is reaching.

Something for nothing 

In good times as well as bad it is nice to get something for nothing, but how often does that actually happen? The local media is not likely to ring with an offer for free full-page ads any time soon, but wouldn’t it be great for business if you could get a bit of free advertising? Have you considered the potential of branded merchandise to act as free ad space. The SHARE sticker that is still stuck to your winter coat from the pre-Christmas season is perfect example of a small-scale branded product that has legs. That SHARE sticker is a reminder, a symbol, an immunity badge, an advert – in short it is a small yellow circle that packs an enormous punch. Every person who donated to SHARE this holiday season, acted as an advertiser for them.  

More than a Sticker

Charities have cornered the market on stickers, but there are a myriad other creative solutions available. When deciding on promotional merchandise think usefulness as well as message. If you combine the concepts of utility and exposure you are guaranteed to get more mileage out of your marketing. Take clothing for example: branding a jacket or shirt is in essence like creating a miniature walking billboard that gives your company airtime without any effort, or, after the initial outlay of money to purchase the merchandise, expense. A staff member wearing your smart-looking branded clothing outside of your business acts as free billboard space – albeit on a smaller, faster moving scale. Function over form seems to be the order of the day. The recession has shown up interesting trends in promotional merchandise purchasing, with companies frequently opting for function first – memory sticks and mugs being the top items sold by the top promotional merchandising companies worldwide.

Conferences and one-off events are still the biggest reasons for buying into the branded merchandise market, but with eco-friendly products on the rise, it is becoming the ‘thing’ to do for businesses to be seen to be giving back all year-round, both to their clients and to the environment.  So, although pens, calendars, mouse-pads, post-it notes, mugs and diaries are the mainstay of the branding business, eco-friendly products are on their way to revolutionising the promotional merchandise market with a ‘feel good’ factor.

In 2010 the writing on the wall seems to be that no matter how you decide to promote your brand, the power of your message is greater when on a tangible item rather than a ‘throw away’ advert.

For more information on purchasing branded merchandise contact Connect Promotions www.connectpro.ie/