To continue our topic on promotional items that work for your business, we look at how they should be part of your marketing mix. When was the last time you really looked at your promotional products? Typically, a promotional product (like a die-cut notepad) has a company’s name, logo, or message imprinted on the item. Imprinted products that are distributed free are known as promotional products. Whereas imprinted items given as an incentive for a specific action are known as premiums. Look at your promotional products a little more closely and examine how you’re using them. Is it the marketing strategy you intended it to be for? Often, I see clients offering items as premiums that should really be giveaways. What’s the difference? Keep reading and you will see why it’s important to know what items are used for what and when.
The following is the top 10 purchasers of promotional items: 1. Education, 2. Financial, 3. Health Care, 4. Not-for-Profit Organization, 5. Construction, 6. Government, 7. Trade, 8. Real Estate, 9. Automotive, 10 Professional (doctors, lawyers, architects, etc.). Since promotional products can be used alone or integrated with other media, there are endless ways to use them. The most popular ways to integrate promotional products, such as customized notepads, include business gifts, employee relations, corporate communications, trade shows, events, and giveaways.
Of the more than $18 billion spent on promotional products in 2011, the most popular categories were apparel, pens, notepads, tote bags, calendars, and accessories. Promotional items like these are extremely effective in reaching and influencing people.
When choosing the right promotional items for your business, there are a few things you should 
think of. 1. Budget. Make sure you budget enough for inventory and plan accordingly what you will give out at each function/event. 2. Event schedule. What type of events are you attending? Are you going to a tradeshow where you want to hand out something small, like custom-printed notepads, or are you attending a non-profit event where you need to provide premium items? 3. Timing. You want to make sure your promotional items align with your marketing campaigns at key times of year.
Knowing how to integrate your promotional items into your marketing mix will help your brand stand out from the crowd. Keep following our blog to learn more about how to use promotional items in your business and why. Keep following us on Facebook and Linkedin to learn more about our new customized notepad products and specials.
