I want to tell you something you might not be happy to hear.
The cost of effective swag is going up.
But before you get worked up about that, notice I wrote “effective swag.” That’s the kind of swag you give expecting some kind of return on your investment. If you’re just handing out swag just to give it to people for fun, keep doing what you’ve been doing. However, if you want any type of sales conversion out of your swag, you need to consider a couple of things that are changing the promotional marketing landscape.
These two things are:
expectations and signing authority.
What Is Swag?
In this article, when we refer to swag we are talking about the type of promotional items that are given to prospective customers to increase or convert sales.
We’re not referring to the top of the funnel, brand awareness items that you spam everyone with–although if you want to increase how much you spend on those in order to get noticed, you can.
But the swag here is what you’re giving to people who already know you, are in your ideal audience of potential customers, and are the ones making purchasing decisions. These items are not for “casting a wide net.” They represent highly targeted sales opportunities.
This type of swag has one job: to keep you top of mind until the recipient makes a buying decision. If they end up buying from you, this sort of swag will remind them of your relationship and possibly help you to sell to them in the future. If they don’t–but your swag is still something they hold onto–it may influence them to consider your product or service in the future.
However, if your swag is junk at this level, they won’t hold onto it and it won’t influence future buying decisions.
Swag Expectations
Blame Hollywood for their over-the-top swag bags or blame Fortune 500 companies that are coming to trade shows toting big-name products because they want people to talk about them, or cast the blame on luxury brands that have entered the promotional marketing trade.
Whatever the primary cause that is driving audience expectations up on swag doesn’t really matter.
What matters is that expectations on swag have skyrocketed and so has the competition. Even inexpensive, traditional choices of branded pens are no longer cheap throwaways. They’re now fountain pens and pens with velvet smoothe nibs.
People expect more from a freebie.
That’s not to say you can’t buy cheap pens, but the ones that will be utilized and kept will be more luxurious. As we say, “if you’re not willing to sign a contract with the pen, don’t give it to them as swag.”
And yes, swag is a gift. You are buying it for them.
If you think of it as a gift for prospective customers and not a giveaway, you’ll understand this growing trend in swag.
Executive Gifts
“Executive gifts” was the term we used to employ to describe this level of swag but signing powers have become more democratized these days. Chances are the person you are trying to reach to make a purchasing decision about your product or service isn’t the CEO anymore.
Signers come in all forms/job titles and they’re actually receiving what you send. Decades ago, you’d send special gifts to the president, CEO, or director of a department trying to get their attention.
But guess what?
These high-ups rarely received or kept the swag you sent. It likely went to their assistant or was donated. They simply received too many of these types of gifts to keep (or even look) at them all.
These days the diversification of signing power is creating a second- and third-tier of employees who are approachable and interested in your stuff. They tend to receive less of it so they pay more attention than their boss’ boss. However, if you miss the mark with them, they know it. A CEO may not have been the wiser.
If you’re not providing these middle managers with something they find:
- Entertaining
- Useful
- Key to their job
You’re missing an opportunity.
This new breed of decision-makers doesn’t want tchotchkes taking up space on an already small desk. They want things they’ll use or things they’re drawn to. Find out more about the person you’re trying to influence. This is easily done through social media.
You don’t have to research every single signer individually (although if you have the time, that’s not a bad idea). Instead, research a good sampling and figure out things like:
- Are most of them within a certain age group or gender?
- Do they have children or are they in a different stage of their life?
- Do they like technology?
Try to draw correlations between your ideal recipients and base your swag choices on those things.
An Argument for Pricier Swag
If you want it to provide a good return on investment, you have to make it worth their while.
Changes in Signing Power
Now instead of CEOs signing contracts, the Network Administrator or Program Manager (for instance) may be the signature you need. These positions used to be just influencers. Now they are primary decision-makers and contract signers. Companies have diversified powers.
If you’re worried this higher-end swag will negatively impact your budget, don’t be.
As the cost of swag goes up, keep in mind you’re sending it to fewer people. These swag gifts should be highly targeted. They should be addressed to a specific decision-maker or department head with signing power.
If you’re attending a trade show, these giveaways should be saved for people in your ideal industry with signing authority. You shouldn’t be giving this level of swag to just anyone who stops by your booth–unless money isn’t an object, then by all means…who are we to stop you?
But if you’re on a tight marketing budget, save these “future customer gifts” for those people you want to become customers.
Examples of Effective High-End Swag
If you want people to do business with you, you need swag that says you mean business. That translates to providing these decision-makers with something they need or want. A five-cent pen is likely not on their list of most desired items.
Instead, consider things like:
- Leather padfolios
- Wireless phone chargers
- Yeti cups
- Good quality apparel
- Fountain pens
- Power banks
- Portable storage and back-up for the computer
- Bluetooth speakers
- Executive knapsacks
If you’re heading into 2020 trying to decide what your swag will look like, consider the changes occurring in most businesses. There’s been a divestiture of signing powers. Departments are no longer looking to the president or CEO to do those things. Leaders of teams are now empowered to make decisions and sign.
In order for your swag to be its most effective, you must know who has signing power. Don’t assume it’s the person at the top of the company. Do your research on who has signing authority and then select something that they would enjoy.
When you select a targeted piece of swag, your recipient will be more likely to feel like you understand them and their needs. If you simply give them an item in order to check off a box on your marketing to-do list, they won’t hold onto it. And if they don’t hold onto it, it will be difficult for your swag to influence future buying decisions.
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