Top Facts About Using Promotional Merchandise

Many marketers have realised the potential promotional merchandise gives to their marketing plan, so why not try using it yourself? We’ve pulled together a few facts about promotional merchandise which will guarantee you invest in your marketing plan.

Using promotional merchandise can be a powerful and unobtrusive form of advertising for your company, working well for many businesses. However, some organisations are still unconvinced about the benefits.

Findings From The BPMA Research

The BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association) conduct a piece of research every year detailing how the use of promotional items can benefit your organisation. Businessmen and women within the UK are questioned about their behaviour and preferences when it comes to promotional products. From last year’s research, the results showed that from the people asked, the majority understand how powerful promotional items can be, with 84% of respondents agreeing that promotional gifts increase brand awareness.

Additionally, The BPMA also report that the return on investment from using promotional merchandise was much higher than radio and billboard advertising and surprisingly equal to TV and print advertising. This is likely to be due to the fact that the consumer doesn’t consider it to be intrusive so are more likely to look at the advertisement. As TV and print advertising can be so expensive, this news is great for smaller businesses looking to advertise.

The respondents also agreed that they would be more likely to ‘do business’ with a brand after receiving a gift from them, with 79% agreeing this was the case. This statistic shows that promotional items are great for attracting new customers and giving an ‘edge’ over competitors. Promotional products can also be used to retain customers, showing them you appreciate their loyalty and value their custom. The BPMA report that half of the respondents have a more favourable opinion of the company after receiving a promotional item, meaning even if they don’t use your company, they are likely to recommend it elsewhere.

A promotional product is kept, on average for seven months, depending on the product. However, some recipients will keep a promotional item for more than twelve months. For example, if you were to give away a USB flash drive, pen or another technical item, these have a high perceived value so are often kept for longer.

If you are considering investing in promotional merchandise but you're not sure what products to go with then check out our best-selling promotional merchandise ideas section - we're sure you'll find the perfect item!

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