12 Branding tips for your business
1. Create the connection
Your promotional giveaways should relate in some way to the business you own. If you sell swimming pools, you wouldn’t pass out ink pens, but you might pass out sunglasses or beach balls. Think about the items people use alongside your product or service, and pick a product they will use, but also one that will encourage them to think about your company.
2.Create a budget
How much is each customer worth to you and about how many connections do you need to make before gaining a customer. Once you have a firm grasp of the value of a customer, you’ll choose how much to spend on a giveaway. You may also want to create tiers of giveaway items — an initial lead receives a less expensive promo while one who is further along in the buying process receives something of more value. Back to the swimming pool example, beach balls go to everyone while designer sunglasses go to people who had you out for a consultation.
3. Hand out walking billboards
About 50 percent of people wind up doing business with a company that gives them a promotional bag. However, you reach more than just that person with a bag that boasts your company name on it — you reach anyone who sees that bag. This expands your reach and turns your contacts into walking advertisements for your brand.
4. Use your name and logo
When creating promotional products, realize they might wind up in the hands of someone who has never interacted with your company. If you only place a logo on the item, the recipient may not understand who you are or what you do. Always combine your name with the logo. Ideally, a logo, name (unless it is already part of the logo) and a short tag line. Of course, how much information you can include depends upon the size of the item you pass out.
5. Choose contrasting colors
You want your branding visible on whatever merchandise you pass out, so think about the color choices. Yes, you’ll want to utilize your brand color palette, but the background colors make a difference in how well those colors pop. Let’s say the swimming pool installation business has a red logo, but the beach ball they look at for branded merchandise has a red panel. The choice becomes putting the logo on one of the white panels, changing to white lettering for the red panel or choosing a beach ball in a different color.
6. Invest in prototypes
No matter what company you use to print your promotional items, you’ll want to order a prototype so you can ensure everything looks the way you’d like. Check for typos and misspellings. Take a look at the way the logo lines up. Is everything centered or where you intended? Finally, check the quality of the product and make sure it’s something that will last. No one enjoys a promotional item that breaks the first time you use it.
7. Figure out what people want
Some promotional items are more popular than others. Where will you give out the item and what types of things are attractive to your audience? Let’s say the swimming pool company decides to take out a booth at the county fair. The county fair occurs in July during the blazing hot days of a Midwestern summer. The pool company decides to pass out handheld fans. This will be a popular giveaway as it serves a need and cools off attendees. On the other hand, that giveaway might not be attractive to those going to a home show in an air-conditioned building, so you’d be more likely to pass out the beach balls or sunglasses.
Also, ask for feedback from your customers about which giveaways they like best. If you have a popular product that gets used and results in a new lead, then you might want to order more of that item.
8. Give away a few
Word-of-mouth advertising is an effective way to reach new clientele, but it’s sometimes difficult to get the buzz going. One way of creating chatter about your brand is to send a promotional item to your current customers and then send an extra and ask them to give it to someone they know. You don’t have to ask them to share your business model with others when you give them a freebie to pass out. The person will naturally want to know more about your business when they get an unexpected gift from you via their friend or family member.
9. Pass out items everywhere you can
If you purchase a product for a special event, but you don’t pass them all out, put a note on your website, on social media or in your newsletter, and offer to send the item to current customers or anyone interested until you run out. If you waste your investment by throwing items out, you miss out on a marketing opportunity. Instead, pass out every single one and up your chances of landing a
10. Pick the right items
Useful products like note pads, water bottles, flashlights, and tote bags are some great examples of things people will use on a daily basis – Your brand regularly gets in front of not only the people using the pieces but also those around them, making branded everyday items a great way to build brand awareness. Choosing useful items that relate to your business can make them even more memorable: a portable bike-repair kit for a bike shop; bottle openers for a brewery; a wallet card of floss for a dentist; a tire gauge for a car dealership. If your business provides a seasonal service, a calendar with important dates marked can be an ideal way for clients to think of you year round (and remember to call you during tax season or for back-to-school uniforms).
11. Make the connection
One of the most effective ways to use business promotional products is to help new connections remember your interaction. If you meet and connect with a potential client at a community event, giving her a key ring with your contact information can be much more memorable than handing her just a business card. Setting up a booth at a festival with branded hand-held fans or water bottles can ensure that people who stopped by remember your business throughout the hot days ahead. If you sponsor a marathon, giving out sport towels or t-shirts with your logo can mean that participants will keep your branded product as a souvenir of their achievement.
12. Brand your team
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