Promotional products are an excellent way to market your business in a number of different contexts. They can be given out at trade shows or included in welcome packs at events, among other things. A promotional item provides long-term exposure for your brand, as it sits around a person’s home or office, or perhaps they even wear it.
However, buying promotional products can also be a waste of money if you don’t know what you’re doing. They need to deliver value to the people you give them too – otherwise, they could just throw them away immediately. So how can you choose promo items that offer value?

Set an Objective
If you’re planning on spending some of your marketing budget on promotional products, you need to know why. What’s your goal for your marketing campaign? You might want to raise brand awareness, increase sales, or acquire some new clients.
You should also think about how you’re going to know if your campaign has worked. How can you measure the results? Once you have set an objective, you should have something to guide you on what promotional products to buy. If you’re trying to get some high-profile clients, you’ll probably want to spend more on personalized products.
Choose Useful Promotional Products
To deliver value with your promotional products, you need to choose something that’s useful for the people you give them to. That’s why pens have traditionally been so popular, and can still be a good choice today. When someone needs a pen, they’ll reach for the one with your brand’s name on it.
It’s important to know your audience and understand what they will find useful. Maybe they’ll appreciate a USB drive, a reusable water bottle, or a keyring. This should also align with your objective and how much you want to spend.

Know How to Find Quality
Sometimes you might not be looking to spend a lot on your promotional products. If they fall apart after a couple of months, maybe it won’t be such a big deal. But there are other times when you want to invest in quality.
Let’s say you give people USB drives, you don’t want those drives to fail and cause people to lose their files. To find quality products, take a look at a guide to buying promotional USB drives, bookmarks or other relevant products. You can learn what to look for and how much you can expect to spend. Choosing products that last will help your brand look better.
Measure Results
It’s also important to measure the results of your campaign. If you don’t do this, you won’t know if your promotional products work. Without that knowledge, you won’t be able to create an informed plan for next time.
It can be hard to find out whether your marketing campaign is working, but you can use surveys and other types of feedback. For example, ask people how they found or were referred to your business. Ask your customers if they’re using the items that you gave them.
Make your marketing budget work harder by ensuring you choose promotional products that have value for your audience.
Wrapping Up
The next time you’re looking for promotional products to market your brand, remember:
- Set an objective
- Choose products your audience can use
- Use quality products
- Measure results
What are some promotional products that have worked for you? Which ones didn’t work out so well?
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