An advertising campaign is similar to playing a game, there are strategies, rules and tactics to keep in mind to win, in this case you want to win new customers and please old ones. Marketing strategies have been tested for years before the experts produced the winning recipes. One of the most valuable techniques in any promotion is to incorporate the use of promotional products.

When you decide to give away promotional items to gain new customers and keep loyal ones, it’s entirely up to you and you can do so at any time. But what you need to look at is what you intend to achieve, the money you spend on promotional products has to be money well spent, so will it earn you anything?

A quality promotional product must be the one that catches the customer’s attention, a gift that is original and modern is going to be admired and commented on. To attract new potential customers, look for items that fit this category, you want to be talked about, and to achieve this, you need something that is a bit flashy, and gets tongues wagging, about your product and brand.

Once your brand awareness has been increased, promotional gifts should be chosen specifically to enhance your company image and product popularity. With loyal customers, gifts should be chosen with attention to detail and it depends on the type of relationship you have with them.

Who is your target audience? Your marketing team should always conduct vital research before spending money on a campaign. Decide the type of clientele you want to attract and who to target your campaign, these are two important aspects of any promotion if you want it to be successful. Consider the area you want to cover and the message you want to send.

A lot of thought should go into getting your message across, as you don’t want to waste the impact of your promotional product. This is what will have an effect on your clientele and draw them to your brand. Keep it nice and simple and this will make it more effective.

Quality is always very important when choosing items. Even if the items you choose are inexpensive, such as key tags, pens, mouse pads, or printed balloons, the quality of each item must be of a high standard. Quality products displaying your company name is a promotional strategy that can only be successful.

The duration of your promotion will depend on the type of promotional product you decide to purchase. Will it be a one-off event, like a trade show or exhibition, or will it be a longer campaign that could last a month or even a year?

Once you’ve made all the necessary decisions, double check all the details to make sure you haven’t missed anything. Evaluate each aspect and see if it could be improved, and after each promotion always evaluate it to see if it could have been executed better so that you know next time and can make improvements later.

There are all kinds of promotional items available in the market today. Printed balloons are an inexpensive yet effective promotional product, especially at open houses and trade shows. Puffed up for full impact, kids will love the bright colors and will demand to have one to take home. With your company logo or message printed on them, they are the perfect way to advertise as they will be carried throughout the event for all to see.

Lapel pins are also an innovative idea, use them to support a charity of your choice or to raise awareness of a particular project. Maximize the use of your logo by designing your own lapel pins, earrings, refrigerator magnets, car badges, computer pins and even zipper pulls. Look online for new and original promotional product ideas if you want to stay ahead of the competition.