| Getting your business noticed (and remembered) | | | | popular and may last a little longer, but because of |
| requires thoughtful marketing promotion ideas. What | | | | wear and tear the advertising message may wear off |
| will work best? What is not worth trying? This article | | | | quickly. |
| sets out to give you some guidance, based on | | | | - Items like water bottles and gym-bags are better as |
| research and the advice of professionals. | | | | they last longer and may be seen by more people |
| Promotion is all about publicising your product, getting it | | | | (they are especially suitable if your product or service |
| well known, advertising its benefits and highlighting your | | | | is health related. |
| Unique Selling Proposition (USP). | | | | - In general, the higher the quality of the item, the more |
| But what will work best? If you mention promotional | | | | likely it is that the recipient will use it or display it and |
| gifts, most people will think of pens and calendars - but | | | | therefore the more people will see it. |
| what are the best marketing promotional ideas? What | | | | **The T-Shirt is The Thing!** |
| are the gifts that your customers will actually use? | | | | Some research has shown that the humble T-shirt |
| You want to make sure that it is not just the recipient | | | | may actually be the most effective marketing |
| who will see your business's name and logo on that | | | | promotion idea. A US company estimated that one |
| gift, but everyone who passes that person's office, or | | | | T-shirt, worn by one person in an average city, might |
| sees them on the street - you want to maximise its | | | | be seen by as many as 100,000 people in its lifetime. |
| impact. With promotional gifts you pay just once, but | | | | Even if you discount that by a factor of 10, that's still |
| every time the gift is seen or used, the advertising | | | | 10,000 viewings of your advertising message for every |
| message is repeated. (This contrasts with traditional | | | | T-shirt you give away! |
| advertising, where you have to pay every time the ad | | | | Quality is very important here though. If you want your |
| is run). | | | | message to be seen, you need the T-shirt to be worn, |
| - The most "given" promotional items are things like | | | | which means good quality fabric in appropriate sizes |
| pens, calendars, mugs and key-fobs - the sort of | | | | for both men and women, and making sure you send |
| things which are probably only seen by the person | | | | the right garment to the right person as far as you |
| who receives them, and may well end up at the back | | | | possibly can. This is made easier if the garment is |
| of a drawer. | | | | given away face-to-face rather than sent by post. |
| - Baseball caps with company logos are often given - | | | | You might think a T-shirt at, say, £10 including logo |
| but how often are they worn? Far Eastern companies | | | | seems expensive, but if you give away 20, to the right |
| love giving ties with their logo on - but how many ever | | | | people, you could be getting your message across to |
| come out of the cellophane? | | | | up to 200,000 people at a cost of £200 - that |
| - Plastic bags give a good flat surface for your | | | | doesn't seem such a bad deal, does it? |
| advertising - but may be seen for only a short time | | | | It is all about getting the right marketing promotion idea |
| and will probably not get re-used. | | | | which will generate maximum benefit for your |
| - Fun items such as balls, Frisbees and puzzles are | | | | business. |