Regardless of whether you’re a brand new brand or you’re running an established, well-known company, one of your marketing options is branded merchandise. There’s plenty of choice when it comes to promotional products.  Anything from branded water bottles to a new set of uniform for your employees.  Doing so will have a fantastic ROI (return on investment) for your company. Simply put, promotional merchandise is a tactic used to attract potential new customers.  Or it can encourage existing ones to keep coming back.

A Little Thank You

As an example, let’s pretend you own an eCommerce website selling a range of clothing. You could add a small gifted item, like some sweets or a beauty product, to your customer’s parcel as a ‘thank you’ for placing an order with you. This tactic is usually used to ensure your customers remember you in the future.  Thus encouraging repeat purchases. Don’t worry if you can’t afford to keep this up year round.  Focus on the best times for investing in this method of marketing.  Think Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s and other special occasions.

A Constant Reminder

Perhaps you’re visiting a potential client at a pitch meeting in the hope that they will sign up to your service. One idea is to take some branded stationery.  Bring pens and notepads along with you.  Hopefully then your company name and branding stays at the forefront of your potential client’s mind, long after you’ve left the pitch. In fact, the items might remain on their desk for the foreseeable future.

Walking Adverts

Personalised clothing is another great option.  Particularly if your employees have to wear it as part of their uniform. It’s an opportunity to turn your staff into walking, talking advertisement for your company. If you’re not a customer facing business or your employees aren’t obliged to wear a uniform, you could consider giving away t-shirts, hoodies, caps and other items of clothing at networking events to help get your branding in front of the right people. Networking events are actually a great place to give away branded merchandise.  It often helps encourage people to approach your stall.

The type of promotional items that you choose to invest in should always reflect the ethos of your business.  Potentially consider having some sort of tie to the type of products or services you provide. For instance, if you claim to be an eco-friendly business then it’s better for you to choose eco-friendly branded merchandise. If branded products sound like the right option for your company, it’s worth getting some expert advice before choosing your products. Do your research and try to be original.