Why Buy Promotional Merchandise & Company Branded Items

Welcome

Hello and welcome to webrand4you.co.uk, we are a Lancashire based supplier of branded merchandise with over 20,000 different business gifts that can be printed and branded for you next exhibition, campaign or marketing activity.

 We are based in Chorley (the home of Chorley cakes and Chorley Fm) which is in travelling distance to Wigan, Warrington, Blackburn and many more towns in the North West.

 If you are looking for promotional items ? you have no doubt looked at quite a few websites and we are glad that you've found ours. There's plenty of choice out there with a gazillion different pens, mugs and gadgets etc and yes.... we all have pretty much the same kind of promotional products.

What are promotional items?
Before we look in detail at the most popular promotional items, it’s important to first understand what exactly they are and what benefits they can bring to your business. A promotional product is something which has your message, business name, offer, slogan or logo displayed on it. The product may contain one of these or a combination, whether it’s a mouse mat, a paperweight or an item of stationery, the general purpose remains the same. If you look around your office now there’s no doubt that you will see lots of promotional items such as a coffee mug, calendar, pen or water bottle.

Promotional items should be useful. If they are, they will be used by the recipient long after your marketing campaign is over. Research carried out by BPMA highlighted that 63% of recipients would keep a USB memory stick the longest and a total of 97% of respondents who participated in the survey would like to receive promotional products more often.

Although they are one of the most overlooked marketing strategies, these statistics alone emphasise the importance of incorporating promotional items into your marketing strategy. Customers who receive promotional products from your business are more likely to be loyal to your company, make repeat purchases and be more willing to provide recommendations and referrals to your business. Furthermore, the impact of direct marketing can be much more effective if you combine it with a promotional product that is interactive.

Promotional Products are an essential part of your marketing strategy and they work if approached in the right way.

Not all Branded Items work well though so how can you ensure that the next promotional item you distribute is a good fit for your business and recipients?

First and foremost, you need to have a goal. What do you want to achieve by distributing your items and what exactly do you want to promote? Without a clear plan of how these products fit into your overall marketing strategy, you run the risk of wasting a lot of valuable resources.

Determine who your recipients will be. Decide who will receive your products and when they will receive them.

Avoid choosing a branded gift that you like. It needs to serve a purpose for the recipient and your business. Target your products at a carefully selected audience. This will bring the best results.

Choose a product that your audience will use for the longest possible amount of time. One use items won’t have as much of an effect as something that will last many months or even years. If you want your message to remain with the customer for several years, choose something with the maximum amount of longevity. The ultimate goal should be to encourage the recipient to keep your item and use it regularly.

As well as carefully considering the quality of the product, check the wording on the items to make sure there isn’t any spelling mistakes or errors in the print.

Choosing the right Promotional Products can be a challenge but with a little research and a good understanding of your audience, you will make the right choice. Carefully targeted promotional merchandise  is valuable to the recipient can result in higher sales, more recognition for your brand and increased loyalty.

We have briefly explored what promotional products are and how they can be used, but what are the specific benefits that they can bring to your business? Any type of promotional gift is usually affordable but something that piques the interest of people receiving it so that they become interested in and interact with your business. The types of products that you distribute will depend very much on your business and your target market. Business to business clients would benefit from stationery items such as pens, mugs and USB sticks while a B2C client may benefit more from something practical like a keyring, calendar or fridge magnet,

The ultimate goal of any promotional merchandise that you distribute should be to create a positive impact with current and prospective clients. Your efforts should generate enough interest for the individual or business to be interested in what you do and what you have to offer. The distribution of branded gifts should really appeal to people and it should be something that the recipients will like, use and appreciate. But what other benefits can arise from the use of business gifts?

#1 Brand Loyalty

Printed  Merchandise will give your business an incredible opportunity to build loyalty with your brand. They are excellent icebreakers because they allow you to build a rapport with your prospect first and build a friendship rather than the prospect seeing you as a corporate entity trying to sell them something.  Establishing trust and building a rapport is one of the best ways that you can achieve the results you need. Prospects will be more inclined to remember a positive experience with your business and receiving a valuable promotional product that makes their life easier or they use a lot will help to achieve this. 

A power bank or charger for example, are always great items to send out. In addition, if a prospect or current customer receives a high value, high-quality item and they are happy with your products as well as the products or services that you provide, they are more likely to stay with you for the long term.  A product that fits in well with your audience and proves to be useful and memorable will be great for your business.

#2 Building Relationships

Establishing effective relationships with your customers is crucial for any business.  When you distribute your branded items, people love receiving them, particularly items which are thoughtful and creative.

One of the main ways to retain customers is to keep them happy. When customers are happy with what you provide, they are less likely to look elsewhere. Decisions about branded merchandise should aim to build relationships and create a lasting impression.

You can do this by making your customer feel valued. Make your promotional merchandise personal by adding the recipient’s name for example. Another great way to build relationships is through giveaways bringing in your following on social media. Promote a giveaway that creates a buzz around your business. This will increase engagement with your brand and encourage existing followers to share your content which will not only distributes your message further but allows you to grow your network.

#3 Increase Interest

When you distribute branded merchandise customers will start to develop an interest in your brand, your values and the products or services that you offer.  A unique and interesting way to increase interest in your business is to use things such as digital rewards like gift cards or vouchers. In doing so you can collect contact details and the lead will receive a reward whether it’s a voucher, coupon or digital magazine or even a branded promotional product. You can also increase interest by offering incentives for referrals.

With existing customers, you can send them a  branded product as an incentive for providing a recommendation. If you do receive a genuine referral that converts into a customer, consider sending them a promo gift as a thank you.

#5 Customer Retention

Customer retention should be the focus of every business owner because it is much more cost effective to retain an existing customer than it is to find new ones. Investing in your brand is therefore important and you can achieve this by delivering usable, personalised products that maintain interest in your business. Focusing on existing customers can significantly boost your Return on Investment.

#6 Increased Sales

A promotional gift makes a lasting impression on potential customers and they can be used to generate new sales and leads. When a promotional product is combined with a call to action asking the recipient to visit a website or call a business, it often generates a higher success rate than other forms of advertising.

Most Popular Branded Products

Promotional items can serve many different purposes and they shouldn’t be confined to trade shows, exhibition merchandise or corporate events. They can be distributed as part of a wider marketing strategy, used as an incentive or as a thank you to existing clients.

How to use promotional products to market and grow your business  ?

Boost engagement and awareness

 You can build rapport with a potential client by dropping off promotional products at their premises whilst convincing them to do business with you, or can even hand out goods when meeting up with an existing customer. It’s not uncommon for companies to run competitions on social media where their followers can get the chance to win useful and valuable promotional goods. These competitions can also get people talking about your brand, your products and services to their friends, increasing exposure and helping you win over new customers.

Review your efforts

Once your strategy has been implemented, it’s important to take steps to measure its success. Have you seen an upturn in sales or enquiries? Have you received positive feedback? If so, you can regard your campaign as a success. It shouldn’t take too long for you to decide whether your efforts have paid off or if you need to do something differently.

If you’re not already using promotional items to maximise exposure and drive revenue, the time to act is now.