Promotional products normally have an imprint of a message or a company’s logo or name, alongside useful and decorative articles about the merchandise. The principal role of a promotional product is to market and communicate programs.
If the imprinted products are parcelled out free of charge, then they are termed as advertising specialities. However, if the imprinted goodies are given out as incentives for a particular action, they are called premiums.
Also, awards, commemoratives, and business gifts are classified as promotional products.
A promotional product supplier, on the other hand, is a company that deals with promotional products. Usually, the company imports, manufacturers, imprints, processes, or produces promotional products for sale via a promotional products distributor.
A distributor is responsible for developing the ideas of how to use a promotional product in promotional campaigns or marketing campaigns. Typically, a distributor buys the product from a promotional product supplier and then sells these products to the final consumer.
How do you use promotional products in marketing?
Understand that you can use a promotional product as a standalone product, or you can integrate it with media. Distributors, also known as industry counsellors, cite some programs they use to incorporate the promotional products into the marketing strategies. Common among them include:
- business gifts
- corporate communications
- employee rewarding and recognition
- at tradeshows
- orientation programs
These avenues are excellent at generating booth traffic. However, they are vital for:
- co-op programs
- dealer or distribution programs
- new product or/and service introduction
- company stores
- creating new customers/new accounts
- employee incentive programs
- campaigns for public awareness
- nonprofit fundraising
- surveys – focus groups and marketing research participants
- brand awareness promotion loyalty
Keep in mind; promotional products come in different styles and types, and there are thousands. Some suppliers may opt to get custom products, a feature that communicates more to the customers. Custom products include caps, t-shirts, pens, calendars, key chains, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, and desk accessories. But popular promotional products across different industries are wearables/apparel.
Becoming a promotional product supplier
By now, you know that a promotional product industry features several important components. They include those who manufacture blank products, decoration processors, distributors (wholesale), marketing firms, and award shops.
A promotional product supplier needs to be cost-effective and efficient in addition to professionalism and being highly responsive to customers’ needs.
Here is how to be a promotional product supplier:
Become an APPA member (Australia promotional product association): this gives you the license to operate your business.
Go for major trade shows and events: this exposes to lots of customers and competitors. Besides, you can learn the tactics to manoeuvre the field.
Create a product catalogue: a catalogue showcases what you have. It should look professional, glossy, and full-colour. Customers keep the very best catalogue they get and peruse through them while planning an order.
Build a website: this can be a great compliment to your catalogue. After going over the product catalogue, customers always head to the website for more details, special pricing, and offers. This can lead to calling your customer representative to place a direct order.
Hire independent promotional products sales promoters like QTCo: sale representatives have a clear knowledge of the functioning of the industry as well as an important contact. So, putting them on board can give your business a huge leap.