Using Branded Merchandise to Grow Your Business
Handing out free, branded merchandise is the best way for companies to advertise their products and remind potential consumers of their business. Long after their initial interaction with your company, your audience will have a tangible reminder of your brand, which cannot be imitated through any other means of marketing.
Why Should I Invest in Branded Merchandise?
Along with assuring brand recognition, branded merchandise creates a strong, personal connection between companies and consumers. Branded merchandise is seen as both a symbol of gratitude and an indication of a business’s consideration for its loyal clientele. By making consumers feel valued and cared for, small businesses can seek to promote their brand through word-of-mouth advertising.
It may seem counterintuitive, but in the long run, buying branded merchandise in bulk is cheaper than paying for advertising space online, or a time slot on TV or radio. Additionally, most consumers believe promotional materials to be more expensive than they truly are, so they believe your business is investing large amounts of money at no benefit to itself. This allows your business to foster a deeper connection with your consumers because they believe you are investing money strictly for their benefit, thereby creating brand loyalty.
There are many ways to incorporate giveaways into your online marketing efforts:
Give branded merchandise to consumers once they sign up for your newsletter or purchase items;
Reward returning consumers or those who refer new consumers;
Award merchandise for every milestone purchase (ex. Every third purchase);
Collaborate with social media influencers to organize giveaways.
Working with your internal marketing team can result in hundreds of different ways to integrate branded merchandise into your existing marketing efforts.
A great example of this omnichannel marketing effort was done by Dan Cummins, the host of the podcast Timesuck. Cummins asked his fans to stick custom stickers around their neighborhoods, take pictures of their stickers, and post the pictures on social media with “#spreadthesuck”. The more fans posted, the more times they were entered into a raffle to win $100 worth of branded merchandise, such as t-shirts, hoodies, and water bottles, for free. Through this campaign, Cummins allowed his audience to engage in free marketing for his company in a fun and challenging way.
What Should I Consider When Creating Branded Merchandise?
There are three objectives to keep in mind when creating branded merchandise: make it wearable, match the environment, and solve a problem.
Wearables are the best way to increase brand recognition because they show off your company in a vivid, visual manner. Wearables should be attractive and seek to promote your brand in a non-aggressive manner. For example, eye-catching taglines or graphics that relate directly to your company without overtly pushing products are more effective than giant logos. Since 58% of people in the U.S. keep promotional t-shirts, creating wearables such as these is a great way to reach a large number of people with ease.
Coca-Cola is a brand known for its collectible merchandise. In 2013, they launched a promotional marketing campaign through their “Wearable Movie”. Hundreds of fans were given free Coca-Cola t-shirts with the opportunity to star in a short film. Each t-shirt was different and pertained to a unique segment of the movie, contributing to the story as a whole. This campaign accomplished Coca-Cola’s marketing goal, by making its fans feel appreciated, and giving participants a free t-shirt for their contribution.
By matching the environment, you choose a product that is conducive to your target audience’s home and work environment. For instance, the average person keeps promotional desk supplies for 14 months and calendars for 12 months, so choosing a product that is used daily gives consumers a reason to keep it and show it as opposed to discarding it.
Solving a problem through your merchandise means putting utility first. Do your consumers need pens to sign documents often? Do they need power banks to charge their electronics frequently? 50% of people in the U.S. own promotional pens, 45% own promotional USB drives, and 53% own promotional drinkware because they fulfill a constant demand.
The promotional materials you create are reflective of your company’s style. Choosing merchandise like hats, bags, mugs, and t-shirts is best because they are practical, household items that customers show their friends and family, sometimes unintentionally, creating word-of-mouth advertising. Deciding on the right promotional materials requires considering your target audience’s age, background, and lifestyle as well as the voice you want to set for your brand.
Key Takeaways
Branded merchandise is a great way to make your customers feel valued, appreciated, and connected with your brand
Promotional materials should be wearable, match the environment of your audience, and/or solve a problem
Knowing your target audience is essential when choosing the right products because your merchandise should fulfill a constant demand in their lives
As a social impact initiative, Rem and Company also offers free consulting services and resources to small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19. Our pro-bono consulting teams provide small businesses with the opportunity to identify and prioritize issues facing their business, propose innovative strategies, and facilitate execution. If you are a small business or nonprofit in need of assistance, learn more about how we can help.