When you purchase promotional products as a means of advertising your business, you've got to think about
how they'll be used especially if you're a B2B company. If you offer outerwear or shirts, there's a chance the apparel won't be worn in front of potential clients. The t-shirt you give to a referral source might just end up being worn while he or she goes shopping on the weekend which is great if your target is other consumers but if your target is specific business buyers, not so good.
In fact, statistics indicate this is exactly the case. The most recent Global Advertising Specialty Impressions Study found that 47 percent of promotional shirts, 40 percent of caps and 35 percent of outerwear are kept at home. Great news if your goal is to get your brand and logo in front of as many people as possible but not so great if your target is a narrow niche of business buyers.
As a B2B company you need to select your promotional products carefully to ensure you get the most impressions in front of potential clients.
To that end, consider desk accessories - branded pen holders, business card holders, logoed phone chargers, desk pad calendars and the like. The same Advertising Specialty Institute study found that 22 percent of U.S. consumers own a desk accessory that bears a company brand.
Demographically speaking, women are more likely to own branded desk accessories than men. The study found 24 percent of women have such products as opposed to 18 percent of men. Additionally, younger people - 21-34 years old - are more likely to have a branded desk accessory than their older peers.
Why do these stats matter?
Consider this scenario: You own a home inspection service and you provide referring real estate agents with business card holders for their desks. When the real estate agents' clients are sitting there negotiating deals, they'll take note of your company's name, and there's a good chance they'll remember it when they need a home inspection conducted on their new residence.
Here's another example of why making impressions using desk accessories is important to your marketing efforts. If you're a real estate agent, you should consider giving mortgage loan officers a branded desk accessory like a pen set for their desks. That's because homebuyers will notice your name when they come in to get prequalified for a loan. When they're ready to start home shopping in earnest, they'll remember
your name and get in touch.
Desk pad calendars also make a great option for in-office use. That's because they stay on the recipient's desk, begging to be noticed by people who visit the office. Not only that but if the receipient is in a position to offer your referrals what better place to put your brand than right smack in the middle of their desk. It's like placing a billboard in their office that will be seen 365 days a year. Talk about an easy way to get impressions! Plus, desk pad calendars are extremely useful, and the business associates you give them to will be ever grateful for the utilitarian gift.
So before you decide on which promotional product is right for your company's branding efforts, think about how the item will be used and where your intended audience is most likely to see it. While it's true that people like getting apparel from business associates, don't assume it's the best means of conveying your message and garnering impressions among the people who matter most to your advertising efforts. Consider how much more bang for your buck branded desk accessories, like desk pad calendars will earn when your success depends on name recognition and top of the mind awareness.
