6 Questions To Help You Choose Promotional Products With Lasting Value
When your company goes to a trade show, you may win points by showing up, but the way you really impress visitors is by having a great looking booth that conveys a strong message and by offering memorable trade show giveaways that will keep your company name and message alive long after the show.
Anything that bears your company name can boost your brand image but you can't always depend on typical promotional items like pens, magnets, and key chains to make an impression on key prospects.
Trade shows offer a great opportunity to link your company's name with what you do through creative marketing products. If you want to present yourself as an out-of-the box company, look for unique business promotional items that can back that up.
To maximize the value of promotional items, ask yourself these six questions about your audience and marketing message.
Who Is Your Audience?
- Who is attending the show? Will the audience be the general public or a more targeted business or industrial audience? The more targeted the visitors, the more you should be willing to pay for promo products. By raising your price point from 50 cents to $1-2, you can offer useful gadgets that won't break the bank, but that decision makers will be more likely to keep and use.
- Do you plan on offering the same promo items to all visitors? If you expect more diverse visitors, you can offer a less expensive giveaway to everyone, but offer "better" promotional items to those who you qualify in the booth. You can even offer a drawing for qualified visitors for some high-end prizes.
- Will most attendees be local or traveling from out of town? Mugs and large wall calendars or planners are great giveaways, but are a hassle to carry home for attendees who fly in. You want to make sure your giveaways make it home, so a collapsible foam can cover or water bottle koozie might be a better choice than a mug. Cloth and reusable tote bags are a popular item these days, so if you choose one it might get lost amid totes from your competitors. However, they still offer a convenient way for visitors to carry literature, personal items, and a bottle of water around the show floor.
Do Your Corporate Giveaways Sell Your Message?
- What is your marketing message for this particular show? What type of tradeshow giveaway will allow you to convey it? Personalized items offer real estate for your logo and marketing message. If the message is short and catchy, like Nike's "Just Do It," printing your slogan with your company name can be very effective. If your slogan is something longer like "Most Accurate Stamping Company in the Metal Forming Industry," your giveaway should stress a key point such as "accuracy" or "precision." A compass, laser pointer, or ruler imprinted with your name and logo will capture this.
- What is your business? Are there giveaways that are a logical tie in? Many trade show items have universal appeal, but you can find items that fit your business. If you sell health care products or equipment, for example, toiletries, first aid kits, hand sanitizers, or stress balls might suit your message. For techie businesses, offer iPhone accessories, screen cleaning clothes, or the newest take on promotional pens: a handy stylus to make texting easier.
- How can you maximize the effectiveness of items that are not specific to your business? Given that most businesses promote themselves online, adding a QR code to any giveaway will send visitors directly to your social media sites and website. When they like your page, follow you, or sign up for your newsletter, your giveaway opens the door to continual contact with a potential customer.
By carefully selecting promotional merchandise that makes your marketing message live on beyond the show, you can turn an item of small monetary value into a useful sales and marketing tool.