5 ways to boost your business with promotional marketing

InnerWorkings Best Practices Guide

September 2012

5WayS to USe PromotIonal ItemS to BooSt yoUr BUSIneSS

5 Ways to Use Promotional Items to Boost your Business

In tHIS ISSUe:

Introduction ................................................................. 3

1: Build Brand awareness ............................................ 4

2: acquire Customers .................................................. 5

3: Keep Customers ....................................................... 6

4: Drive engagement at events .................................... 7

5: motivate employees ................................................. 8

How to make it Happen ................................................ 9

about InnerWorkings / Contact Information ............... 10


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IntroDUCtIonPromotional items are among the strongest performers in a marketer’s

tool kit. People simply like them. Research shows that 84 percent of people

receiving promotional items remember the advertisers; 42 percent have a

better impression of them; and 24 percent are more likely to do business

with them.1

With an almost blinding array of choices in

promotional products, how do you choose?

Start with the basics: know your marketing

goal, audience, budget and go-to-market

strategy. Then, zero in on the right item.

Our eBook includes 5 ways to boost your

business with promotional items.

Promotional items are among the five fastest-

growing marketing

options in the US, totaling some $17.7 billion.2

1 “Advertising Specialties Impressions Study,” Advertising Specialties Institute, November 2008, http://www.asicentral.com/html/open/EducationandEvents/powersummit08/Impressions_Study.pdf

2 “The 2011 E stimate of U.S. Distributors’ Promotional Products Sales,” prepared for the Promotional Products Association International, June 2012, http://www.ppai.org/inside-ppai/research/Documents/2011%20PPAI%20Sales%20Survey%20full%20report.pdf


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1.BUIlD BranD aWareneSS

Brand awareness is among the top reasons marketers use promotional

items. As more marketers turn to social media to help build brand visibility,

consider using them in your social networks to drive brand awareness and

engagement through reward programs. Deliver a code-based reward to

consumers who “like” your brand’s Facebook page to help drive traffic and

increase participation.

To connect with audiences offline, direct mail is a powerful

option, especially since direct mail response rates are four

times greater than email.3 Whether you’re planning to use

a giveaway as part of a direct mail piece, or as a driver in a

social media campaign, think about how your promotional

products and communications can complement each other.

Your social media audience is typically tech-savvy, so smartphone

accessories and other

high-tech giveaways are

good choices.

3 Direct Marketing Association


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2.aCQUIre CUStomerS

There are many ways to use promotional items in acquiring new customers.

On sales meetings, go the extra step with your leave behinds by putting

your marketing collateral on a branded thumb drive. Contests that draw

in qualified prospects by offering one of your top-of-the-line products or

services as the grand prize can also feature promotional

items printed with coupon codes as consolation prizes – for

instance, on microfiber cloths for cleaning customers’ many

displays (tablets, flat screens, smartphones).

In one survey, 37 percent of people who became customers

while or after receiving a promotional item said the item

played a role in choosing the company.4 The link between

promotion and customer acquisition isn’t always this clear.

But your job is clear: make your promotional items memorable.

Don’t forget to thank existing customers for referring new business with a high quality

branded gift that keeps them

referring more business.

4 “Advertising Impact of Promotional Products,” GWW, February 2012 http://www.gww.de/studien.html


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3.KeeP CUStomerS

Whether you met them in the civic center or the social sphere, they’re

your customers now and you’d better hold onto them. It costs far more

to acquire a new customer than it does to sell to an existing one.

Express gratitude to your loyal customers by sending a

promotional gift on their birthdays or for a holiday. Another

way to drive customer retention is through customer loyalty

programs and distributor preference programs that include

premiums. While some retailers maintain policies against

employees accepting swag, it’s in a distributor’s business

interest to provide their best outlets with premium in-store

displays, such as a branded grill, patio set or DVD-and-TV

to display a demo video. After the season is over, use the

displays to reward your top store manager or employee.

Be sure to exercise brand

discipline – right down to matching the shade of blue on that branded thumb drive to your beautiful blue logo.


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4.DrIVe enGaGement at eVentS

Tradeshows and events are ideal venues for engaging with prospects,

connecting with current customers and making a big impact with your

audiences. The trick with promotional items at tradeshows and events is

to make sure the gifts are relevant and/or useful to your audience.

Less common, but highly useful items that may be appropriate

for your company include branded USB hubs, combination

pen/stylus/LED flashlights or even WD-40 “pens” and

sunglasses. You want to stand out from the crowd, so think

outside the box to find an unusual promotional item that

meets your customers’ needs and fits your company’s brand

image. Also consider using promotional items to generate

buzz and drive booth attendance with a contest that features

a trendy item, such as the latest tablet.

Be sure to make tradeshow

giveaways relevant and/

or useful – or they’ll be left in hotel rooms all across town as attendees pack up to leave.


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5.motIVate emPloyeeS

Some say that happy employees make for happy customers. Certainly,

maintaining an esprit de corps is good business, and internal contests/

awards, recognition and sales-incentive programs can all help.

The use of internal promotional items is growing more than

ever. Safety programs are a big category – say, with a logo

jacket for everyone on the team hitting the goal for safe

operations at the plant. Eco-initiatives and recycling can

be encouraged with branded double-walled drink ware,

reducing the number of water bottles used in the office.

Your return on investment? Increased morale, people working harder and smarter – in short, a more productive work

environment.


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6.HoW to maKe It HaPPen

Promotional items can help you reach your objectives if you use common

marketing sense and have a little fun with them.

The range of available promotional items has become seemingly

endless, and there is new flexibility built into ordering, with

low minimums (as low as one) and fast turnarounds (one to

three days on average versus the old standard of five to 10

days). Additionally, there is no need to stuff that office hall

closet anymore – even warehousing options are available,

along with “decorate on demand” capabilities.

For all these reasons, it’s no surprise that more brand marketers

are cutting through the noise of today’s fragmented media markets

by swinging into swag.

The simplest advice: Effective promotional items are products that

people might really like,

but wouldn’t necessarily

think to buy themselves.


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aBoUt InnerWorKInGS InnerWorkings is the leading provider of global marketing supply chain

solutions. We combine innovative technology, an extensive supplier

network, and deep domain expertise to help companies strategically

manage their print, promotional, and packaging solutions. We service

customers across multiple industries, including financial services, retail,

non-profits, healthcare, food and beverage, education, transportation

and utilities. With headquarters in Chicago and major operations in

Chile and the United Kingdom, InnerWorkings employs approximately

1,200 people and operates in more than 44 offices around the world.

For more information, please email [email protected] or visit http://bit.ly/inwkpromo

5 ways to boost your business with promotional marketing

Business

promotional items memorable

new customers

theyreyour customers

cleaning customers

loyal customers

current customers

build brand brand awareness

distributors business