In today’s modern business world, brand recognition is everything. The global marketplace and internet shopping means that regardless of the products and services you offer, your target audience is capable of locating and contacting umpteen of your rivals with just a few clicks of their mouse. The only way to stay ahead of the competition is to establish your company as one that’s reliable, responsible and delivers top quality with every purchase.
Benefits of Promotional Merchandise
In order to get your name out there and make sure it’s remembered, you’ll need to implement a dedicated marketing campaign. In days gone by, this might consist simply of door-to-door flyering, TV and radio adverts and perhaps a poster or billboard drive. However, the digital revolution means that businesses are now pouring more time and money into online campaigns, whether that be targeted ads on social media or pop-up banners. While the latter approach certainly has its merits, there’s one tried and tested method of marketing that shouldn’t be disregarded: promotional merchandise.
The act of giving away corporate freebies to potential customers is a highly valued advertising technique for a wide variety of reasons. Here are just a few of them, highlighting how any business worth its salt can’t afford to forego the use of promotional merchandise when it comes to devising their next marketing campaign.
- It establishes goodwill
We all love to receive something for nothing, right? Even if the consumer is not overtly aware of it, the fact that your company has gifted them an item without expecting anything in return will immediately make them more favourable to your brand. If that item adds practical value to their daily lives – which all good promotional merchandise does – they’ll be even more inclined to do business with you in the future.
- It makes you memorable
When you give a gift to a complete stranger for free, you can be sure they’ll remember you and the present in question. The same is true when it comes to the world of business; in fact, the statistics say that 84% of people surveyed claim that their awareness of a company increased after receiving a promotional item from them. As such, it’s a good way to get your name out there – and ensure it stays lodged firmly in their memory.
- It maximises outreach
Say you take out an advert in the local newspaper, or even on television during an evening slot on one of the mainstream channels. You might reach a large audience – but your exposure will be limited only to those who were watching at the time of broadcast – and that’s assuming they were even paying attention! A branded item, such as a t-shirt or mug, will be visible to everyone every single time it’s used, with the recipient in effect becoming a walking advert for your company.
- It has a long shelf life
Following on from the previous point, the lifespan of a promotional freebie is far greater than other forms of advertising. A TV, radio or print media ad will be glanced at (if at all) and most likely forgotten within a matter of seconds. According to a study from Forbes, promotional merchandise is kept by the recipient for an average of eight months – and depending on the item in question, it could have a shelf life of far longer!
- It’s cost-effective with a high ROI
You might think that giving away products for nothing is an expensive form of advertising, but that viewpoint fails to factor in two points. Firstly, promotional merchandise can be incredibly affordable when items are bought in bulk, meaning that the initial expense is not anywhere as much as you might expect. Secondly, the return on investment (ROI) for corporate giveaways is incredible; as many as 85% of those who receive promotional items go on to do business with the advertiser.
Jump aboard the promotional merchandise bandwagon!
As you can see, the statistics are very much in favour of incorporating promotional merchandise into your business strategy. All that remains is to determine which particular items you wish to invest in and how best you’d like to distribute them. Trade shows, business conferences and other corporate events are ideal occasions on which to flex your advertising muscles and raise your company’s profile through branded giveaways, though freebies can also be given directly to high-value prospects, long-standing customers or even your own workforce.
At Garment Printing, we stock an extensive selection of clothing, accessories and other forms of promotional merchandise which can be personalised to match your company’s brand and reflect its message. Why not browse our online catalogue today? If you have any questions about individual items, or wish to receive a quote for bulk orders, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. You can either give us a call 0207 101 9315 or complete our online form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can – normally within 15 minutes during business hours. We look forward to hearing from you!
