It might be difficult to see the advantages of using promotional giveaways if you simply consider them as expenses that don’t have any immediate return on investment. However, promotional merchandise can do a lot in terms of growing your brand and increasing your market reach.
Businesses that fail to see giveaways as potential marketing opportunities are missing out on a simple yet very cost-effective to improve their business.
Listed below are five benefits of using promotional giveaways to market your brand:
Better Brand Recall
Promotional merchandise can come in many forms. From custom coasters to personalized ballpens, these items can easily find their way into the homes of customers. Depending on the amount of space on the item, it’s possible to print the business’s logo, contact number, or website address. As such, the giveaway can serve as a constant reminder of your business and how people got it.
This method can even be more effective than TV or online advertisements. Because these promotional items are tangible, seeing or touching them leaves a lasting impression on the recipient. The type of item and the quality are important too.
Utility items like notebooks or pens that can be used multiple times can help improve your brand recall over a long time. Compared to TV or online advertisements, the latter tend to have poorer brand recall due to their short duration and ever-changing nature.
Cost-Effective Marketing
Promotional materials are usually made in bulk, and the more you buy, the cheaper they get. As it won’t take much to get them made, giving them away for free doesn’t hurt the business financially. In comparison, TV or online advertisements are more expensive due to placement fees and production costs.
Free products also encourage more people to accept your promotional giveaways. No one turns away free items, especially those who might have a specific use for them. Giveaways can also greatly improve market reach since they can be easily distributed at a relatively low cost.
Brand Strength
Promotional merchandise strengthens the branding of a business. These items have logos plastered on them and can immediately inform a potential customer of who you are and what you do. In addition, giving away items related to what you do can help solidify your image to a customer.
An example of this would be coasters for a beverage company. Having a logo of your company, contact number, and website address on a coaster makes it easy for the person using it to remember your brand. Thus, they are more likely to buy a drink from you because they are already familiar with the products you offer.
Brand Exposure and Awareness
Giving away promotional products, especially as freebies, expands your consumer base. Most people are inclined to accept giveaways as long as they’re given out for free. Most of the time, it is done in trade conventions, but it can also be accomplished during the soft opening of your business or even during special events.
As your products relate to your business and contain company information, these become calling cards for the people who receive the merchandise. Because of this, they can get to know what kind of goods or services you offer despite not knowing anything about you beforehand.
For instance, if you have a business that sells beverages, a person might accept a giveaway coaster without a second thought as you give them away during a convention. But once they use it at home or at work, the customer can connect the logo to the product and understand that the nature of your business is tied to the giveaway item. Therefore, the next time they need a drink, they will consider buying from you.
Audience and Customer Loyalty
While giveaways can attract new customers, it is also beneficial to hand them out to loyal consumers. By giving freebies to regular customers, a company keeps them coming back for more. It deepens the bond between business and consumer, and it also reminds both parties that they are important to each other. A company cannot grow without customers, and customers will buy the products and services that a business offers based on their needs.
Another way of ensuring loyalty from your audience is through using high-quality products for promotional items. These last longer and make it easier for customers to remember your brand. Additionally, higher-quality items can be connected to the standard of your products and services. Whereas lower quality products might risk your company’s reputation, and you might lose your customers as a result.
Business Growth
Combining the previously discussed points can ensure the growth of your brand because more people can get to know you and understand what your company stands for. As more promotional merchandise is distributed among your target market, the more people you can reach. If these customers are satisfied, they then become regular customers.
However, aside from just becoming regular customers, their continued patronage of your business means that they understand and value what you offer. Thus, they are more likely to introduce your company to other people, such as friends and family. If they can ascertain your quality of work through their experience and your promotional giveaways, you can also attract their friends and family as new customers.
Whether you are a startup or have been running a business for a long time, understanding the benefits of using promotional giveaways as a way to market your brand can do wonders in expanding your customer base and growing your business.
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