The Benefits of Using Promotional Products: Stats to Back Up Your Sales Strategy
In the competitive promotional products industry, understanding your customers' motivations and staying ahead of trends are essential for success. Whether you’re a veteran or a novice in the industry, it’s always worth reviewing the reasons behind your customers’ actions to gain insight that can help you tailor your strategies and optimize your sales efforts. In this blog, we will be analyzing the benefits of using promotional products by looking into the consumer preferences that make them the perfect addition to any marketing campaign.
More Than a Gift
It’s no secret that people enjoy receiving gifts, which is what a promotional item is — a gift to consumers in a bid to win them over and hopefully gain their business, trust, and loyalty. Promotional products are more than just a simple branded tote, mug, or t-shirt – they are tools to help a business stay relevant and grow. The best promotional items are the ones that are valuable to a person’s life, for example, a water bottle provided by a gym that serves a practical function and is immediately useful. PPAI reports that 8 in 10 customers appreciate receiving promotional products, and what’s better is that 30% of consumers who receive a product are more likely to do business with the advertiser who gave it to them! This speaks volumes about the ability of promotional products to capture, engage, and be a part of consumers’ lives.
Cost Effective
Promotional products are available at a range of prices, making them suitable for a number of occasions and company profiles. Items like pens can be as inexpensive as 10 cents per item, while high-end apparel can get into the hundreds per unit. This allows promo products to be included in everything from awareness campaigns to retirement parties, award galas, and more. The versatility of promo products is unmatched by other forms of advertising, allowing brands to tailor their campaigns exactly to their needs. TV, radio, and digital ads are not only cost-prohibitive but also short-lived as a person’s interaction with the ad is complete just a few seconds later, unlike promo products that are kept for months after receiving.
Staying Power
On average, promotional products are kept for about seven months, with 61% of consumers reporting that they would keep and wear promotional outerwear for 2 years or longer (ASI, 2023). This figure suggests that one of the greatest benefits of promotional products is their staying power. A study performed by PPAI shows that 85% of consumers keep and use products given to them by an advertiser, with 63% of them passing down the products when they are finished with them. This means that an item can double or even triple its lifetime when it’s passed down, giving the advertiser additional exposure at no added cost.
It’s quite clear that people love their promotional products, and there’s a good reason for this. Promotional items increase brand recognition and are a powerful advertising tool that consumers actually engage with, like writing with a customized notebook. Additionally, promotional items are a fraction of the cost of other forms of advertising, like TV or radio, and serve as a simple yet effective way to make a lasting impression on consumers. Doing the right research and knowing your customers go a long way in creating an effective promotional product campaign. When you’re aware of their concerns, you can easily add value to their campaigns by outlining the benefits of using promo in a number of situations.