Effective promotional product marketing always places message and method of delivery ahead of product selection every time; when this simple marketing maxim is understood, it will revolutionize the way you utilize branded products to promote your business.
Heading into a spiraling economy, it's painfully obvious most businesses should be concerned about retaining the business they have. Your clients are vulnerable to change. Priorities shift into saving more money, in short, everyone is analyzing their purchases and more than ever, a robust ROI dictates who goes and who stays.
Some of us as are in industries that fly well below the radar. For example, we are in the fulfillment business for branded products; like UPS, if all is going well, we're hardly noticed. We must rely on reminder advertising to promote our consistent performance. Following are three ways you can utilize promotional products and branded gifts to gain mindshare about your services and fortify your business relationships:
- Institute an anniversary program: Ready to spend half the budget yet receive twice the impact? Instead of buying expensive business gifts for Christmas, in 2009 start delivering your clients an anniversary gift. Determine from your billing data when your first order was transacted with the client and show up on that day, each year, with a gift to celebrate. Your method of delivery and message are much more important than the gift you select. It truly is the thought that counts. Try this for multiple years in a row and you'll reinforce the fact that your partnership is an important part of their business.
- Celebrate holidays other than Christmas: Some promotional products companies will sell over 40% of their year in the 4th quarter, does this tell you how important business gift giving is? This Christmas, businesses everywhere will be scrambling to come up with some gift that communicates gratitude. This past week, our reps distributed Thanksgiving gifts to our clients. One purpose of a gift is to express gratitude; doesn't this make more sense around Thanksgiving than Christmas? If you haven't expressed your gratitude yet, best to do something (right now!) for Christmas but do consider other holidays. What about a New Year's promotion that communicates how you are ready to help them achieve stellar success in 2009? Look at your calendar and build reminder campaigns around the more obscure holidays. You'll be surprised at the impact.
- Deliver a multi-part campaign at a critical time: Multi-part campaigns are extremely effective, all the more so because of the overcrowded minds of your buyers. A multi-part campaign, such as a simple note card and a promotional product delivered multiple times, (preferrably leading up to an important business cycle or around your clients budget planning season), will reinforce awareness about your services. Multi-part campaigns do not have to be expensive and they could be key to not only client retention but growing your existing business.
Although promotions alone do not retain clients, (only consistent, effectual performance retains clients), but direct marketing using brand awareness products are proven to help fortify your relationships with your clients. This is not advertising, just as a gift for your spouse is not advertising: it's appreciation and a tangible reminder that the relationship is important ... to you both.
