Many businesses may not realise it, but branded merchandise can be a highly effective way to promote their brand and services. Contrary to the belief that they are only useful for businesses who regularly exhibit at trade shows, branded merchandise can be a great accompaniment to your business’s marketing strategy. Here’s why:

People actually use your branded merchandise, for a long time

You wouldn’t be alone in thinking that branded merchandise gets thrown away and is simply money put down the drain. However, studies have shown that branded pens, keyrings and other useful items are typically kept for at least a year, longer sometimes! That’s a long time to raise your brand’s awareness or advertise a service to a potential customer.

By taking a quick look at my desk I can see a total of four branded products (excluding the United brand ones!). I’ve used some of these, particularly the really useful keyring torch, for well over a year. As a result, I’m highly aware of these brands and even a loyal customer to one of them. That’s a great Return On Investment if you ask me.

It’s a low cost form of advertising

So let’s talk about Return On Investment (ROI). In today’s busy markets, it can be expensive for many businesses to make an impact with their marketing. Creating and distributing branded merchandise is a great complement to your existing marketing strategy and can provide your business with that extra push you need to gain a little bit of extra exposure.

Time for some quick maths.

Let’s say you buy 500 branded USB battery chargers at a cost of £4 per unit and you give one to each of your clients as a gift. A total cost of £2000.

For arguments sake, let’s say your client forgets their phone charger or needs a quick boost whilst out on the go on average of twice a week. That’s about 104 uses per year. Let’s also say that the estimated lifespan of the product is 3 years. So, 3 years X 104 days equals 312 uses, and 312 impressions made. You sent out a total of 500 units, making your total number of impressions a whopping 156,000!

Let’s work out the cost per impression on that. You spent £2000 for 156,000 impressions

So, 2000 / 156,000 (spend / impressions) = 0.012

Your cost per impression is around 1p. And that’s a fairly conservative estimate considering we’re only talking about the 1 user.

You can also be highly targeted with who receives your merchandise, more so than any other form of advertising. So when you’re thinking about your next big advertising campaign, have a think about how branded merchandise compares.

There’s a huge range of products on offer

Want your brand logo on a bluetooth speaker or novelty teddy bear? No problem! With the wide range of products on offer, you’ll be able to find something that fits your needs. You can also be highly selective about how you brand it, making it a highly versatile promotional tool. Whether you want to simply get your brand out there or promote a specific product, you can be sure to find something for you.

So there we have it! We’re staunch advocates of the humble promotional product and you should be too. Find out how we can help consult on your business’s next big promotional project or how you can improve your existing products strategy.