Is your brand looking for a new marketing strategy? Product marketing could be the best choice.
There are many great things to say about promotional products. They are an affordable way to spread the word about your brand, even if you have a modest budget. They’re extremely customizable to fit your style. Most importantly, customers love to get free products.
However, there are risks involved in promotional product campaigns. If you go about it the wrong way, you can lose a lot of time and money.
You can learn from the experience of the people who came before you. Many generous marketers have shared the results of their previous campaigns. Using that data, it’s possible to find examples of what does and doesn’t work.
If you avoid the three most common promotional product mistakes, your campaign will be a success.
1. Giving Away Bad Products
This is a common trap for less-experienced marketers. When you order a bunch of cheap promotional products, you set yourself up for failure.
The thinking goes, why not pay the lowest possible up-front price to get the best marketing ROI? There is a certain mathematical logic to this idea. However, it tends to backfire when the product isn’t good.
An affordable product will do you no good if people dislike it. To be frank, giving away a bad promotional product is worse than giving nothing at all.
By all means, when you see an opportunity to save money, take it. There’s a tremendous amount to be gained from being frugal. However, frugality will only get you so far. Spend enough to get a high-quality promotional product and impress people.
2. Too Much Text on the Product
There is an art to designing a great promotional product. You want to include just enough information to help new prospects find your brand online. If you make it too cluttered, your design stops being effective.
The amount of text that a product can carry varies from item to item. Pens shouldn’t have more than one or two words on them. Shirts can display three or four clearly legible words. Tote bags are your best bet if you feel prolific, since you can work entire paragraphs into a clever tote design.
Putting too much text on a promotional product is a beginner’s mistake. It doesn’t look good or impress people. You are better off keeping it to your brand name, a URL, and perhaps a short slogan.
At this point, you are probably wondering about QR codes. QR codes are a useful way to encode data onto a product when you don’t have a lot of space. They are a simple form of “augmented reality” in action.
However, don’t use QR codes on awkward surfaces. Any soft or tiny surface is unlikely to properly transmit the code to a smartphone. You don’t want your prospects trying and failing to scan your code. That creates a negative emotional feeling around your brand when they end up unsatisfied by the QR code experience.
3. Not Planning Distribution In Advance
Do not assume that you will be able to give away your products. Just because something is free doesn’t mean it will walk out of your office for you.
You need an organized distribution plan. This plan should explain step-by-step how you will give away your products. You want this worked out before you order the goods.
It’s tempting to move fast in marketing, but don’t be sloppy. Your brand will save a lot of money by following the right order of events. Plan your distribution before you buy your products. You can lose a lot of money by ignoring this rule.
Powerful Promotion
When you avoid these common mistakes, you set yourself up for success. After all, promotional products are a powerful way to market your brand.
People love to receive physical objects, especially in an increasingly digital world. It’s an easy way to stand out and make an impact that lasts. As your new fans use your promotional product again and again, they come to know and love your brand.
You can harness the power of promotional products. Keep these tips in mind as you plan your next campaign.