The One Thing About Promotional Marketing that No One Is Telling You

Promotional marketing is evolving and promotional marketers are becoming more and more part of a resource for small businesses who lack the staff and time to create large-scale cohesive marketing campaigns. Yet, most businesses are still just Googling junk.

 

The One Thing about Promotional Marketing that Will Improve Your Sales

If you’re going to the Interwebs every time you have a conference, trade show, or event coming up and searching for cheap promotional items, you’re wasting your time.

Just hand out candy. I’m not kidding.

That’s the one thing no one is telling you. Using a cheap promotional marketing item because it fits into your budget is fine if you’re cleaning out your closets, but it’s no sound business strategy and it won’t win you customers.

Customers expectations are increasing. Customers expect a personalized approach in everything from e-Commerce experiences to landing pages. They want you to know who they are. Show badges often contain QR codes so they can be scanned and the attendee recognized.

No one is content with being a nameless face anymore. So why are you still giving them the same old, same old, produced by the hundreds and given to everyone?

Many business people hesitate to personalize the giving of promotional items in mass groups like trade shows because they feel like it’s unfair and worry about jealousy. But this approach can also create exclusivity when others see people with swag and wonder where it came from.

You need to personalize your approach even in promotional marketing. Not sure what that looks like? Try these ideas:

• Give different promotional items to customers and prospects. One is an appreciation gift, the other is an incentive to move them further along the sales funnel.
• Don’t give the same gift to every prospect. Some prospects are about to buy, they just need the pot sweetened ever so slightly. Others are still kicking the tires. If you give everyone the same thing you are not differentiating between those critical points.
• Someone who is having a great conversation with a sales person and watching a demo may be enticed to stay longer if they know there’s something in it for them in doing so.
• While you’re having a conversation with them and discovering what they’re passionate about, look for ways to tie in a promotional item to their struggles or interests. That makes a big impression. It’s not something you can always do because of stock on hand, but you can always promise to send them something. When you follow-up (with a personalized note, of course), you have a second point of contact and that makes a favorable impression that you remembered them.

This type of personalization needn’t be expensive. Plus, it’s a whole lot cheaper than buying junk and not getting any sales.

Need more ideas? Call our team today.