What About Promotional Products??

We've recieved several letters recently asking us just this question. Is it advertising? Is it Promotion? Can it work for me?

To this I say the following... While I personally like to think of it as 3-D Advertising... As it's the only medium with length width and depth, it is really more promotion which is a subset of Marketing.... It's works fantasticly as a part of your branding efforts... If you do it right. (Isn't that always the case)

What do I mean by promotional products... most people think of them as the Chachki's (sp?) you get at trade shows and such. However, a true promotional product rises above the status of Chachki's. Sure there is a world of stress balls and paperweights etc, but a good promotional product inately reflects back on the business that distributes them. For instance I'm looking right now at a stress ball on my desk, it's pale blue with some white text and a logo on it. Can you guess what company it's for? Neither can I however, what if I told you that the stressball wasn't a ball at all, but a DUCK? or a Gecko? You might accurately guess that the first was from AFLAC, and the Second from Geico. Now doesn't that really relate back to the branding those companies are already doing?

Their are literally thousands of great ideas for promotional products and a good promo item consultant will be able to suggest some good ones for your business. The best promo item for your company should be something that your typical customer can use, and that is functional so that they'll keep it a long time if not forever.

What about the most ubiquitous promotional product their is? THE PEN. By taking a quick look in my pen jar I have probably 15-20 pen's that various companies have given to me at one time or another so that I'd remember their name and contact information when I needed their service. A pen can be a great way to keep your name in front of people and they're not very expensive. Not necessarily anyhow. You normally have two schools of thought on the matter.

1. Nice pens, which have smooth action and good ink, that look nice. These Types of pens are the ones that people are going to keep and use. Because of the quality, they are normally expensive. So you can afford less, and give them out to only true prospects.

2. Cheap Pen's that you can afford to get tons of, that sadly don't write very well or look very nice, and subsequently are either discarded immediately or as soon as they fail to write. Which based on many I've received, tends to be in less than a week.

The trick of course is to find one that fits a happy medium, that looks good, writes good and is affordable enough to give to every person you meet. I was recently sent a pen that fits just that description. It's a plastic pen to be sure but it's got a decent weight to it. The shape looks a little odd but when you hold it in your hand it feels very comfortable. Best of all... It writes incredibly smooth... Smoother than a bic. It's called the Javelin Pen. www.thejavelinpen.com at .33 a piece on the high end, it's quite a steal.

Branding is for Small Business Too (Smart ones)

I have been told numerous times by small business marketing "authorities" that small businesses shouldn't waste their time with "Branding". That branding doesn't work... Yadda Yadda Blah Blah Blah.

It works for Big Business... Why can't it work for small?

Need proof it actually works for big business and isn't just a "ploy"
http://adage.com/article?article_id=119753 discusses a research study done that shows that children ages 3-5 prefer food in McDonald's Wrappers to identical food in plain wrappers. Note that some of the Food in McDonalds wrappers wasn't even from McDonalds.

So we know branding works...

But what is it that precludes small and medium sized business from taking advantage.
My feeling is that it is Unwillingness, Fear, and Ill-education to what Branding actually is.
From the advertising standpoint a small business does not have to have McDonalds sized advertising budgets. You do have to HAVE an advertising budget however and use that budget to achieve dominance in your local trading area. Even if you have to do it slowly at first and build.... and you will build by taking market share away from competitors that are unable or unwilling to dominate.

The problem as I see it is that small business owners have long been told that your advertising can either be for branding purposes or for direct sales leads... But not both.

Nothing could or should be farther from the truth. Your advertisements should be covering both bases. Branding tells the consumers who you are and how to recognize you... Direct sales tells them to buy your widget now.

Mass Media Advertising will reach all consumers... but not all consumers have the same needs at the same time.

Those in the market for your products or services will be interested in and respond to your direct sales appeal. But the rest of the population (who is likely an overwhelming majority) doesn't currently have a need for your widgets. Some will be needing them next week, some next month, some next year, But all of them will be seeing and or hearing your message now. Wouldn't it be smart to also tell them why (when they're ready) they should do business with you? (This is what branding is)

IF you talk only to those who need your widgets now, you are ignoring future potential customers. Isn't it smarter (since you're paying to reach them anyway) to set yourself up as the preferred providor to all customers? Current, Future... and let's not forget past.