Every promotional product is custom-made in one way or another. Promotional products are also called branded merchandise, because the vast majority of these products will have at least the client business’s logo printed on them.
However, there are multiple ways that customisation goes for promotional products. Some aspects to explore in order to obtain a unique product are the original package, the green marketing of the product, the multi-functional design, grouping complementary products together, and even creating entirely new products in collaboration with the sourcing factory.
A lot of work goes into the development of a good custom-made promotional product, but we think it’s worth it due to the multiple advantages you will obtain from it. Luckily, at VMA Promotional Products we source these products locally or directly from the factory, making the entire customisation process straightforward and faster, and ensuring every single benefit associated with the use of promotional products:
Increasing brand awareness
Promotional products are customised with your company’s logo, name, and colours, carrying its visual identity and making it known to a large number of prospects.
Brand awareness increases both for new and existing customers. Both categories of clients are important, and those who have already purchased from you are more likely to do repeat business with your company if they have your promotional products in front of their eyes.
Effective advertisement
Business cards are effective in a limited number of situations. What’s amazing about custom-made promotional products is that you can add your unique creative flair to them, perfectly integrating them into your marketing campaigns. Unlike a business card, a proper promotional product will be used and showcased for a long time, conveying more complex messages using multiple channels of communication (visual, tactile, olfactory, etc.)
Ensuring customer loyalty
Offering a promotional gift to customers as a thank you for their business will make an excellent impression, as people are generally not used to receiving gifts from places where they do business with. Making a gift creates a connection between the business and the customer and helps building personalised customer experience and increasing loyalty.
Increasing sales
When customers have your logo in front of their eyes every day or frequently, they are more likely to think of you the next time they need a product or a service. Other means of advertising can end up in the garbage bin or at the bottom of your client’s drawer, but a personalised object is something they are likely to use every day. Frequent exposure helps customers think of you when requiring a product that you offer.
Promotional products can also increase sales with new customers because people like to receive free things, which create a positive feeling towards your business. When the need for your products or service arises, they will most likely think of you, and not about the competition who has not offered anything to them.
Standing out from the competition
In most industries, the market share has already been established and it can be quite difficult to get a larger slice for your business. You will need to use effective tools for differentiating yourself from your competitors, and one of them is represented by custom-made products.
Statistics show that 85% of people choose to do business with advertisers who have offered a promotional item. Making a gift already establishes a relationship between your business and your potential customers, so they will instantly think of you and trust your business more when needing your products or services.
Most long-lasting form of marketing
Advertising is expensive and impressions last for a limited amount of time. Custom-made promotional products are not meant to replace advertising but instead make it more effective. This is because recipients keep and regularly utilise the products they find useful.
As a result, they will see your brand message for hundreds and even thousands of times – what other form of advertising ensures so many impressions at such a lower cost? The answer is: none. Marketing through promotional products is simply unrivalled by any other promotion tactic.
Reaching additional audiences
The fact that promotional products can do the trick for your business and promote it for a long time comes with an additional benefit: the reach for your marketing messages will be wider than you anticipate and will only grow with the passing of time. Promotional products make impressions beyond their initial audience because other people see the branded merchandise too or because the majority of recipients give the promotional product to someone else when they do not want to keep it for themselves.
Making recipients feel appreciated
The psychology of offering gifts is absolutely fascinating, even if we find this gesture very common and don’t think about its deeper implications. The practice of gifting is as old as human civilisation and its role has been, from the beginning, to strengthen social connections and demonstrate appreciation to other people. In time, gifts became increasingly elaborate as social structures developed.
In today’s world, offering a promotional gift maintains the same ancestral meaning of establishing or re-confirming one’s connection with others, but comes with extra benefits such as humanising your business and showing customers you have made an effort to please them by choosing between thousands of possible options.
Offering a tactile gift
Promotional products fall into the category of haptic media. Considering that most marketing is conducted online nowadays, offering your customers something they can actually get their hands on can make a huge difference. We can all agree that a physical object is more appealing and creates a more lasting impression than a printed image or an online ad. Remember, in an office environment your brand may be sitting on their desk and sublimely reminding them of your business day in, day out.
Creating an emotional relationship between brands and customers
The previous benefits show us the main reason why custom-made promotional products work is because they establish a connection between the business and its potential and existing customers. People like to do business with other people and not with impersonal companies. The branded gift makes the staff offering it more approachable and friendly and recipients will associate your business with the nice feeling they had when receiving the products and being greeted with a smile by your company representatives.
In order to enjoy the benefits of both retail & branded custom-made products, you need to understand to what extent each product is customisable. At VMA Promotional Products we have skilfully identified products and product groups which increase their value through customisation and are scalable, generating more value for your business with each extra item.
Sourcing Retail or Custom Made Retail Products
The fact that we talk about promotional products or branded merchandise does not mean our service is restricted to just these areas. We have helped many businesses source both retail products or custom made retail products direct from the factory often cutting out the middle man and saving our customers money.
We have many contacts in a variety of industries and have the expertise plus we can speak their language. In some cases, your product may require multiple factories so we negotiate the best price and also monitor the quality so we can navigate through this minefield on your behalf to ensure you get exactly what you are after.
Other benefits we provide compared to similar services are saving money due to sourcing products directly from the factory and offering professional consultancy on which retail or promotional products work best for your business. Moreover, we can easily integrate your custom products with virtually any other marketing tactic, as we are a division of Visual Marketing Australia, digital marketing agency with more than a decade of experience. For starters, check our super deals and get the most benefits with fewer $$!
