Just some of the many promotional gifts available at CompuGift!
One of the most effective ways to market your business is by providing promotional gifts to prospects as well as existing customers. A physical object is constant advertising for your business. When a logoed item is placed on a desk or countertop, it can provide thousands of visual impressions per day. Choosing the right promotional product can ensure that it will be used and displayed, keeping your business name in front of people for months or even years.
Of course, the promotional items should send the message that you care about your prospects. Using this method of marketing accomplishes little in the way of advertising if the items are poor quality. Does this mean that you have to spend a fortune on top-of-the-line items that will be given away as “freebies”? Not at all!
It only means that you should value your customers enough to provide them with functional and high quality promotional gifts. The purpose of thanking your customers is to acknowledge that they are valuable to you. Nothing says “I don’t really care that much” like merchandise that breaks, falls apart, looks shoddy or doesn’t work.
Effective business gifts should be appropriate, useful and functional. Think about all the items you have received from trade shows or from your vendors. Which ones do you use daily and which ones have you thrown away? Chances are the ones you have kept on your desk are the gifts that are unique, usable and still working.
People don’t want stuff that doesn’t work, and you should not use it in your marketing efforts simply because you feel you need to give something away. The business gifts that you give to your clients and customers should reflect the value that you place on your relationship, their past patronage, or your hope for future business.
If you are using promotional products as part of your online marketing efforts, it’s especially important to provide quality items. When you mail items to prospects whom you have never met in person, for example, online contest winners, fellow bloggers, guest posters or other online service providers, the item will be the only physical representation of your company. You will not be there in person to demonstrate your sincerity or gratitude, so your product will need to do the speaking for you. Therefore, it should be a useful, quality item that people will be happy to have and eager to use.
Promotional gifts that work well and are long lasting will provide the best return on your investment. For the money that you spend on promotional items, you need people to keep and use them. This keeps your logo, business name and contact information in front of as many people as possible. High quality promotional gifts will help you grow your business when your customers use them all day.
Promotional pens are the ideal item to help you make this first impression. They are lightweight and easy to mail. Most importantly, a well-chosen pen can speak volumes about you and your company. Considering how many low-end pens are distributed each year and how many end up in the trash, a high quality promotional pen is a welcome gift and one that will be appreciated, used and probably even talked about for a long time.
Pens that write smoothly and that are comfortable to hold are wonderful business gifts that make the recipient feel valued. Refillable pens are even better. Not only will the recipient use them for years, but your logo will continue to advertise for you. A pen with space large enough for your company’s imaging is essential to keeping your name visible and in the customer’s mind. A long-lasting promotional item more than pays for itself over the long haul.
By Dan Toombs
Tags: business gifts, promotional items, promotional pens, Promotional products