Attract new accounts with business gifts

Promotional Articles

Attract new accounts with business gifts

According to the Promotional Products Association International, corporations spend £1.2 billion each year on promotional products; staggeringly, this amounts to more than thirty-three per cent of that spent on television advertising.

The free internet encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, refers to promotional items thus: ‘A promotional item is merchandise given away free of charge to the public in an effort to promote a business or increase interest in, or sale of, a product. These items are referred to the slang terms schwag and tchotchke. (The latter is a Yiddish word meaning trinket.)’

A survey conducted by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) by L J Market Research reveals the power of promotional products by how the recipients respond to organisations that offer these as part of their marketing strategy. The survey was entitled ‘Promotional Products – Impact, Exposure and Influence: A Survey of Business Travellers’ and was conducted purely by interviewing business travellers at airports. Nearly three quarters of passengers admitted they had received at least one promotional product in the past year; of these, 76% of the respondents were able to remember the name of an advertiser on one of these products. Whereas, the same group were asked to name an advertiser from a print publication they had read in the past week and just 53.5% were able to do this.

Beneficiaries of promotional products do recall the advertiser’s name
Corporate gifts are an extremely good way to keep a positive image within your customer base. When next you introduce a new product or service, try concurrently launching it with imprinted business items. When gifting to clients within your trade, it is even more important to ensure you pick a promotional items that reflects your business and relates to your field. For example, if your new service is promoting compact discs, then a trendy imprinted compact disc holder will be well received.

It is well to remember that by introducing a quality new product or service to clients, it is also important that the corporate business gifts represent good quality. They don’t have to be too expensive but as well made as you would expect your new product to be.

Become a Leader and not a Follower
It is very easy to have ‘blinkered’ ideas with regard to promotional items and it is a mistake to think that the commonly followed way is the best way. Items such as key rings can make very successful freebies for clients and will be well received and well used. However, for business-to business gifts it is perhaps important to be a bit more adventurous. Something that is useful and can be placed on a desk is likely to remain for a long time whilst reminding the client of your business, your logo and your telephone number. A glass paperweight, a refillable calendar, a clock or perhaps a calculator – all would make suitable gifts and ensure your name is prominently placed.

Distribute your promotional products in a personal way
Instead of just mailing your promotional product, ask the sales team to give them out or pay to have them hand-delivered. Innovative methods of delivery will mark your company out and bring your name to the fore.

Specialist Advice
If you are prepared to spend a little more money on your promotional products marketing campaign, it is an excellent idea to hire someone to both advise you and develop your ideas. Let a design company bring together your ideas and print your promotion for you. This will add professionalism to your campaign, which will give you the edge on your competitors.

Knowing your targeted audience
You must be prepared to be patient when embarking on a promotional campaign. It takes a would be client an average of six or seven times of seeing and/or hearing your promotional message before taking action of any kind, even then they may just say ‘no, thank you.’ The reason for this being, they are bombarded from all quarters with marketing material and yours, initially, will just be one of many.

Most importantly, know your audience. If you are targeting teen-agers think what gift would be suitable, something trendy and colourful such as a CD holder would be widely appreciated. If you are aiming at corporate businessmen don’t offer them calculators, they will either have as many as they can use or an accountant to take care of such things anyway. A nice desk item is always appreciated, maybe a passport holder or even a promotional golf ball, all suitable gifts. No matter how brilliant a promo item is, unless the recipient appreciates it, he/she in turn will have no reciprocal appreciation of you and your business.

We at YesGifts.co.uk are happy to help you with your promotional products requirements. Our Promotional Team is extremely qualified and can provide you with the committed expert service you would look forward to from a major company. Call us on 0870 933 0085.