Marketing with Promotional Products

There is an old sales axiom that points out that each year millions of drill bits are sold in spite of the fact that nobody really wants them. They want holes!

In a sense that’s how promotional products generally work–as tools for achieving an outcome. Of course, with hundreds of thousands of different items to choose from, it is easy to get seduced into thinking of our industry as just a lot of fascinating products to sell. However, to do so is to miss the true strategic value of what we have to offer.

At the most basic level we are in the recognition, communication, motivation, and promotion business. Our function is to help our clients solve business problems, to take advantage of business opportunities and to enjoy the results. To help us achieve our communication and motivation objectives we have hundreds of thousands of specialized tools at our disposal. These tools, by their tangible and useful nature, have advantages over many other communication media. For example:

• Ours is the most appreciated medium. It is the only advertising/promotion medium that people appreciate enough to thank the sponsor.

• Ours is the most lasting medium.

• Ours is the most targetable medium — even more so than direct mail alone.

• Our medium’s incentive nature makes it one of the most powerful behavior modification tools in business today.

• Our medium captures the power of tangible symbols in more ways and with more power than any other communication medium.

• Our medium has the potential of delivering the lowest possible cost per exposure to a pre-selected target.

• Our medium offers creative impact that other media simply cannot match, including: novelty, interactivity, appropriateness, usefulness over time, individual personalization, presentation interaction and third-party endorsements.

With these strategic advantages, our medium is ideal for giving people what they value most: (1) solutions to their problems, (2) ways of maximizing their opportunities and (3) a means of feeling good about these processes. Promotional products accomplish this through many varied programs which typically focus on some combination of:

• Communication

• Motivation

• Recognition

• Promotion

Virtually any business problem that involves motivating people can be solved with an effectively-designed program which implements one or more of these elements. Since our medium involves the distribution of promotional producs to individuals, once you define the audience it is possible to influence its actions in a profound way.

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Andrews Promotional Products just launched their new website.  They have a Promotional Product Blog, and some great articles on how to best motivate your employees through the effective use of Promotional Products.

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We had a decision maker from a large aerospace client stop by our show room last week.  This was her first time visiting us.  Our goals was three fold: to spark ideas, show the limitless possibilities of promotional products, and make an emotional connection that will ensure we are their first choice for their marketing needs.

We had the appointment scheduled about a week in advance.  This way we could have a gift personalized with her name when she arrived.  Nothing leaves a lasting impression like a personalized gift.  People just love stuff with their own name on it.  We have found that even rather “lame products” imprinted with a persons name or initials make a significant impact.

We value this client and wanted to make this a memorable visit so no “lame product” here.  We had a Cross Apogee Black Star Lacquer Ball-Point Pen, with her name deep cut engraved with her name in a beautiful script, waiting for her when she walked in.  POW you could see the impact of this personalized promotional pen on her face immediately.  She was excited and knew just how much we value her.

At a $95 dollar price point this isn’t a gift for just anyone who walks in.  But who do you want your next client to be?  Lots of small clients are great, but if you want to step into the world of larger accounts you need to make a different kind of impression.  Money directly targeted to specific accounts is more effective for larger clients than casting a really wide net with other mass-media marketing.

Marketing, Promotional Products cross pens, personalized pens, Promotional Products

A brand new wellness clinic is opening and they are planning on handing out Promotional Water Bottles to guests.  They are inviting referring physicians and nurses.

Starting with their Wellness theme, These great BPA free water Bottles are sure to be a hit.

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