Promotional items such as pens and paper pads are very popular, though there is much debate on whether or not they are effective tools of marketing. When choosing any item to represent your company, one question you should always ask yourself is “will this engage the person I’m giving it to and continue to build my company’s reputation in their mind?” That is the purpose of any marketing tool, whether it is a promotional item, business card, brochure, mailer, website, or anything else that is used to represent your company.
For promotional items, there are so many different things that you can put your logo on. Pens seem to be by far the most popular. It must be an unwritten law of trade shows that you must have a pen with your logo on it to compete with all the other pen-cluttered booths. There are also paper pads, bags of all sizes and material.
But, when was the last time you picked up one of those items and said: “This pen is the best thing since sliced bread! I absolutely must do business with them!” Mike Heffner of Express Employment Professionals posed the question: “when you’re at a trade show and pick up a pen off of one of the tables, do you take that pen home and months later decide to call that company because of that pen?” No. It gets lost under your car seat, jammed in with the rest of the pens that you’ve collected over the years, or breaks before you even get it home.
Though I am using pens as an example, this applies to any generic item that really holds no value and can be discarded as quickly as it was picked up.
Three Questions To Ask Yourself
Marketing expert Garnet Vaughan of The Marketing Department gives three standard questions you should always ask yourself before investing in any promotional item.
- Can you find an affordable item with a direct link to your business or the theme of your booth?
- Does it have “take home value” for the client prospect. I.e. will the giveaway, with your name on it, still be around (in the home or office) 6 months from now?
- If the item is just for fun, then is that the best investment for your business at this time or should you consider investing those dollars in an alternate marketing effort? (A $1.00 item can become a $400 expense when you have to place a minimum quantity order and pay for art, production and shipping.)
How does the item relate to your business? Is there a direct link between the function of the item and the products or services you provide? Or, does it tie in directly with the theme of your booth? If your promotional item engages the prospect with what you have to offer them, you will be more memorable and will be continuing to build your reputation.
Measuring The Return On Your Investment
If you spend $650 on 500 pens and gain no prospects because of those pens, what is your return on investment? Nothing. However, if you spend $650 on 100 items that engage your audience so well that 25% of them request more information; and roughly 10% of those 25 people purchase your product or service, then what would be your return on investment? More than likely it would be enough to pay for all of the promotional items, if not the entire cost of being at the event.
Promotional items can be effective marketing tools if they are chosen specifically to engage your audience and continue building a base of loyal customers. Pens certainly have their purpose, but there are many other items that serve the necessary purpose. If you don’t know where to begin finding a relevant and effective promotional item for your next trade show, we would be more than happy to help you find out.