By Erin Shea, VistaPrint
Every small business looks to marketing to attract new customers and build engagement with their brand. Luckily, the opportunities, both online and offline, for promoting a small business are endless. From print and digital ads, to in-person events, social media campaigns, loyalty efforts and everything in between, we’re seeing small businesses master the art and science of marketing, deploying tactics that not only increase sales but foster long-term, sustainable customer growth.
This blended approach is designed to meet consumers where they are, but there’s one stand-out tactic that we use to help our own small business customers to connect with theirs, time and time again, and that’s branded merchandise and swag.
These beloved products – the ones you purchase and the ones you give away – are often created for promotional purposes, typically featuring a logo, company name, or other brand messaging. As brand fans and customers utilize them over time, they begin to help increase brand awareness, engagement and sales.
As we all know from experience, the right promotional product can leave a lasting impression – think about that free water bottle you’ve been using for years, or your favorite pen with the local bank’s logo on it. In fact, studies have found that 81% of consumers keep promotional products for more than one year and 41% keep them for up to five years.
Today, businesses of all sizes use promotional products as part of their marketing strategies, and small businesses, in particular, can see a huge return on their investment.
It’s been proven that receiving company swag can sway how consumers feel about a brand. A recent study from VistaPrint found that 66% of consumers say they’re more likely to view a brand positively after getting swag, 49% are more likely to remember the brand, and 43% are more likely to recommend the brand to others.
But before you go running to print custom t-shirts it’s important to have a strong brand identity to hinge your marketing strategy on. By aligning your business to your brand identity through a developed mission, logo, design, colors and more, merchandise can then be used as a stepping stone to take your brand to the next level. With items like custom tote bags, t-shirts, pens, calendars – you name it – merchandise is a key tool in showcasing creativity and innovation to help engage audiences.
Let’s dive into how to best create and utilize merchandise that aligns with your business and promotes your brand:
When first diving into the world of custom merchandise it’s easy to get lost in the big ideas, imagining your brand’s logo on every item you can find. Once the excitement has calmed, it’s important to take a step back and think of your brand’s identity outside of just your logo and what aspects will make for the most interesting promotional items.
VistaPrint’s recent survey on merchandise trends found that 49% of people prefer promotional products with eye-catching designs and 47% prefer a unique or unusual design, such as an illustration or graphic.
This means that it’s time to get creative. Instead of just looking at the company’s name and logo, think about the color palette, typography, imagery, products, and all other elements to ensure the design is representative of the brand while also being interesting to consumers.
Though promotional products should uniquely represent your small businesses, certain products resonate with consumers more than others. For example, VistaPrint’s survey found that the top promotional products include apparel, drinkware, tote bags and backpacks, tech products, and office items.
This same study found that 54% of consumers say they regularly use promo products in their day-to-day life – meaning that the practical items such as mugs, water bottles, powerbanks, pens, hats, calendars, and more, could be the key to your customers’ hearts.
When we think of branded merchandise we often think of the free items received for promotional purposes. Though this sometimes the case, branded giveaways are only one type of promotional product. Promotional items can be used across your business’ brand strategy including one-of-a-kind prizes for raffles and contests, branded apparel like t-shirts or hats that commemorate important dates and limited edition items designed to build interest and drive sales.
Not only can promotional products be effective tools in customer-related purposes like brand awareness, engagement and sales, they can also play a major role in-house, supporting the importance of a strong company culture and providing practical benefits to employees.
Both internally and externally, the power of branded merchandise is limitless when it comes to the impact it can have on your small business and a strong, unique item can leave a lasting impression on your most valued partners, team members, clients, customers, and fans.
Erin Shea is the Senior Director of North America Marketing at VistaPrint, the design and marketing partner to millions of small businesses.
The post How Branded Merchandise & Giveaways Can Power Your Small Business Marketing Strategy appeared first on Small Business Bonfire.
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