Learn five ways you can use promotional giveaways to help boost your business.

1. PROMOTIONS
BEST PRACTICES GUIDE:
PROMOTIONAL ITEM MARKETING

2. BEST PRACTICES GUIDE:
5 Ways to Use Promotional Items to Boost your Business
Markets are awfully “noisy” these days. As a marketer, you spend your days plowing into that noise, cutting through
it and hoisting your brand above it. It takes all the marketing power and creativity you have, and promotional items,
when used effectively, traditionally have been among the strongest performers in marketers’ tool kits.
The reason promotional marketing works so well is simple: people like giveaways. A report from the Advertising Specialty
Institute (ASI) shows that 84 percent of those receiving promotional items remembered the advertisers; 42 percent had
a more favorable impression of them; and 24 percent said they were more likely to do business with them.
Maybe that’s why last year, marketing spend on promotional items increased 7 percent, putting them among the
five fastest-growing marketing options. The increase put the US promotional product market at $17.7 billion in 2011.
Though there’s an almost blinding array of choices in promotional products, you can start to narrow your selection by
defining your marketing goal. It’s only when you know your marketing objective, understand your audience, set a budget
and establish your go-to-market strategy that you can begin to determine the best promotional item for your needs.
Here are 5 ways you can use promotional
items to support your business goals. 2) Acquire Customers
There are a variety of ways you can use promotional items
to help acquire new customers and show appreciation to
1) Build Brand Awareness existing ones.
Brand awareness is one of the top reasons marketers For sales meetings, go the extra step with your leave
use promotional items. With the proliferation of social behinds by putting your marketing collateral on a branded
media channels, an increasing number of marketers thumb drive. Contests that draw in qualified prospects by
are turning to them to help build brand visibility. offering one of your company’s top-of-the-line products
Consider using promotional items in conjunction or services as the grand prize can also feature promotional
with your social media strategy to drive engagement items printed with coupon codes as consolation prizes – for
through reward-based programs. Deliver a code- instance, on microfiber cloths for cleaning customers’ many
based reward to consumers who “like” your brand’s displays (tablets, flat screens, smartphones). Don’t forget to
Facebook page to help drive traffic and increase thank existing customers for referring new business, with a
participation. However, while promotional items in high quality branded gift that keeps them referring more.
social media can bring fans to your Facebook page In a study by GWW, Germany’s promotional products
or people to your products, you must use them association, of the 9 percent of people who said they
wisely. The operative warning here is: you can give became customers while or after receiving a promotional
something young to an older audience but you can’t item, 37 percent said the item played a role in choosing
give something old to a younger audience. Your the company. The link between promotion and customer
social media audience is typically tech-savvy, so acquisition isn’t always this clear. But your job is clear:
smartphone covers or speakers are great choices. make your promotional
items memorable.
If you’re looking to connect with audiences offline,
direct mail is a powerful option for raising brand Con
awareness, especially since direct mail response rates prom sider us
ot ing
in co ional ite
are four times greater than email, according to the 3) Keep Customers
Direct Marketing Association. Whether you’re planning
with njuncti ms
o
medi your so n
on using a promotional giveaway as part of a direct Whether you met them
mail piece or as a driver in a social media campaign, a str cial
ategy
in the civic center or the
think about how your promotional products and social sphere, they’re ...
communications can complement each other. your customers now

3. e
mor
far ew
osts a n
It c cquire han it
to a omer t to an
and you’d better hold onto them. It costs far more 5) Motivate Employees
t
cus to sell e.
to acquire a new customer than it does to sell to an
n
existing one. Express gratitude to your loyal customers Some say that happy employees
by sending a promotional gift on their birthdays or for make for happy customers. does isting o
a holiday. Another way to drive customer retention is Internal contests/awards, ex
through customer loyalty programs and distributor recognition and sales-incentive
preference programs that include premiums. While some programs are all ways of maintaining
retailers maintain policies against employees accepting that esprit de corps.
swag, it’s in a distributor’s business interest to provide
their best outlets with premium in-store displays, such The use of internal promotional items is growing more
as a branded grill, patio set or DVD-and-TV to display a than ever. Safety programs are a big category – say, with
demo video. After the season is over, use the displays to a logo jacket for everyone on the team hitting the goal for
reward your top store manager or employee. safe operations at the plant. Eco-initiatives and recycling
can be encouraged with branded double-walled drink
Be sure to exercise brand discipline – right down to ware, reducing the number of water bottles used in the
matching the shade of blue on that branded thumb drive office.
to your beautiful blue logo.
...
h
ma empl appy
4) Drive Engagement at Events
Tradeshows and events are ideal venues at which to ke oy
cu for ees
st
engage with prospects, connect with current customers
and make a big impact with your audiences. The trick om happ
ers y
.
with promotional items at tradeshows and events is to
make sure the gifts are relevant and/or useful to your
audience. Otherwise, they’ll be left in hotel rooms
g
usin
all across town as attendees pack up to leave.
s ider items
Less common, but highly useful items that may
Con tional z ...
be appropriate for your company include branded mo te buz
pro nera
e
to g
USB hubs, combination pen/stylus/LED flashlights
or even WD-40 “pens” and sunglasses. You want to
stand out from the crowd, so think outside the box
to find an unusual promotional item that meets your
customers’ needs and fits your company’s brand image.
Also consider using promotional items to generate buzz
and drive booth attendance with a contest that features
a trendy item, such as the latest tablet.
Make it Happen
Remember, effective promotional items are products that people might really like, but wouldn’t necessarily think to buy
themselves. They can help you reach your objectives if you use common marketing sense and have a little fun with them.
The range of available promotional items has become seemingly endless, and there is new flexibility built into ordering,
with low minimums (as low as one) and fast turnarounds (one to three days on average versus the old standard of
five to 10 days). Additionally, there is no need to stuff that office hall closet anymore – even warehousing options are
available, along with “decorate on demand” capabilities.
For all these reasons, it’s no surprise that more brand marketers are cutting through the noise of today’s fragmented
media markets by swinging into swag.
For more information, please email chodge@inwk.com or visit bit.ly/inwkpromo

4. About InnerWorkingsETING
InnerWorkings is the leading provider of
global marketing supply chain solutions.
We combine innovative technology, an extensive
supplier network, and deep domain expertise to
help companies strategically manage their print,
promotional, and packaging solutions.
We service customers across multiple industries,
including financial services, retail, non-profits, health
care, food and beverage, education, transportation
and utilities. With headquarters in Chicago and major
operations in Chile and the United Kingdom,
InnerWorkings employs approximately 1,100 people and
operates in more than 44 offices around the world.
For more information, please email
chodge@inwk.com
or visit http://bit.ly/inwkpromo.
Sources
“Advertising Specialties Impressions Study,” Advertising
Specialties Institute, November 2008, http://www.
a s i c e n t r a l . c o m / h t m l /o p e n / Ed u c a t i o n a n d Eve n t s /
powersummit08/Impressions_Study.pdf
“The 2011 Estimate of U.S. Distributors’ Promotional
Products Sales,” prepared for the Promotional Products
Association International, June 2012, http://www.ppai.
org/inside-ppai/research/Documents/2011%20PPAI%20
Sales%20Survey%20full%20report.pdf
http://www.gww.de/studien.html
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Web: www.inwk.com
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