Market through Merchandise
Event marketing is a tough environment to succeed in, in this day and age; with competitors doing almost anything to gain market share, and the customers doing these events becoming more driven and serious participants. Event supplies and promotional merchandise is a useful approach to improve business and reputation – in more ways than one.
Unlike traditional advertising, promotional products and event supplies set up are hard to miss. All those mugs and note pads laying around the office, the canvas bags in the boot of your car – don’t forget the medals you’ve got hanging up – or, the gym drawer full of t-shirts from past events. The list of day-to-day products in view is endless! And they’re just as effective, if not more effective as digital or print advertising; because they become part of your customer’s life and an experience they can reminisce about in the future.
Pros:
- Physical products are much more valuable than the likes of flyers or posters, which are typically ignored and thrown in the bin. You probably wouldn’t throw a t-shirt or a stress ball in the bin as they are more like gifts than advertisements.
- Traditional marketing, is often deemed boring and ‘old school’. At least you can be a little more creative with promotional items and they are far more tangible.
- The cost of these items is far less expensive than the traditional forms of marketing and you will get much more value for the money you spend. They are also available in a variety of sizes and shapes that will suit everyone business’ budget.
How they can be used:
- Everyone loves a free gift or sample, and customers will typically tell their friends and family about your business if they have had a good experience. Alternatively, they can be used to say thank you to customers or employees. Sending a follow-up email to your customers is awesome, but sending them some company branded merchandise is much more effective when trying to strengthen the relationship.
- Lastly, they can be used as prize as part of a giveaway. If you use your own custom merchandise as part of a giveaway pack, you’re giving winners what they are wanting while giving your brand some exposure at the same time.
Distribution:
Getting the product in view of your target audience is a big metric of marketing your merchandise correctly. There’s many ways to do it; some more costly than others, but a flawless reputation has to come with some kind of price to pay…
- Trade shows/ exhibitions attract all kinds of people; from dead-set customers who know what they want and like, to newbies needing a point in the right direction. This is an awesome idea for a first encounter with a potential customer and a free gift is the cherry on top! They’ll take it home and it will become part of daily life and its added value is the experience they had in regards to how they came to receive this free item.
- Corporate conferences – similar to trade shows, but the attendees are more specific and generally are brand loyal. A challenge to accept though; as it’s a new route to market and a superb way to showcase the company branding to a new audience.
