Does and Don’ts of Promotional Products

The use of promotional items is a very effective form of marketing, but it can be rendered much less effective if you make any of these common mistakes when choosing your items.

Choosing Quantity over Quality

No matter what types of promotional items you choose, it's always best to make the quality of the items ahead of the quantity you buy. Such imprinted products are used to attract people to your business-if you start handing out cheap shoddy goods, it'll reflect badly on your company. In general, it always makes sense to choose the best quality items you can afford, and perhaps opt for buying fewer items if necessary. There are a select few occasions where quality isn't as important, but for the most part, choosing well-made promo items should be one of your main priorities.

Choosing the Wrong Items for the Occasion

The promotional items you buy to distribute at a trade show will be different from those you buy for giving to clients. They'll be different again from the ones you buy to use as purchase incentives in a retail store, and again from the items you buy for your employees. Even within these specific categories there are differences. For example, you'll probably need to buy at least two different types of items for trade shows-bait items to attract people to your booth, and more expensive thank you gifts for people who schedule sales meetings with you. If your gift items are for your employees, you would not choose the same types of items to reward them for a promotion as you would to commemorate their retirement. Choosing the wrong items for the occasion may defeat the purpose of having bought them in the first place, as they will not achieve the effect you were hoping for.

Forgetting your Target Audience

When you buy custom printed products, you must be clear on who you're buying them for. Who are you going to give these items to-clients, employees, retail customers, conference attendees? If you're buying items for retail customers, what types of people normally frequent your store? Are they young mothers, teenagers, or retirees? What types of items are your customers most likely to be interested in? Answering these questions before you buy will ensure that you choose the right items, but neglecting to consider these questions may mean you end up with products that your customers just aren't interested in.