Promotional Products Buyer's Guide

Promotion products pros and cons

When used correctly, promotion products can have a positive impact for almost any company. Here are some of the benefits, as well as a couple of potential pitfalls to avoid.

Benefits of promotion products
Because people love freebies, promotional products have a value far beyond their cost. This is particularly true when they become something the recipient uses on an ongoing basis: a $2 coffee mug can provide constant reinforcement of your brand if a customer uses it every morning, and promotional clothing turns your recipients into walking advertisers for your business!

Flexibility is one of the key features of promotion products. They can work within different budgets and as part of many types of programs, and can be given to any audience: customers, prospects, dealers, employees, and vendors. You can also easily tie them to other marketing efforts, either as incentives for desired actions or as branding tools. And the actual product itself can be almost anything (see Choosing the right item).

The benefits of promotion products as marketing tools are well established. Studies have proven time and time again that promotional items increase response rates, boost brand recognition, and create more favorable impressions of your company.

Drawbacks of promotion products
To achieve the best results, a promotional products campaign must be carefully planned. No matter how “cool” or compelling the giveaway item is, you have to have a plan in place to publicize the promotion, distribute the product, and measure the results of your campaign. Tracking can be difficult, especially for marketers used to the precise measurements of online advertising. Starting with a small, focused campaign can help you get a handle on how to be successful with promotional products.

In addition, the product you choose may carry restrictions as to the size and/or colors of the logo and other printing you can apply, which can put a damper on your plans. However, these types of restrictions are usually fairly easy to work around – simply switch to a product that allows more imprinting or scale back the amount of printing you want to do on each item.

Getting your customized items produced also takes some time. Depending on the items you choose and the manufacturer's workload, you might get your products in a few days, or it might take six weeks. If you're planning on using your items at a specific event, make sure you leave enough time to get them produced. Be especially careful in the last two months of the year: many businesses order holiday gifts for customers and employees, making the end-of-year rush a big one for the promotion products industry.

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