Branded merchandise can be a very effective tool to help you to grow your business.
What is branded merchandise exactly? It is any item that is imprinted with a company logo.
It can either be silk screen, embroidered, de-bossed, engraved or a few other methods, all with te intention of presenting the item to somebody to represent your brand.
Most common items you will see are pens, mugs and t- shirts imprinted with companies logos.
However, there are over 500,000 different things that you can imprint depending on a few factors.

1. What is your budget? How much can you afford to spend per item?
2. Who is your target market? Are you giving the items away at a parade, or targeting high level executives about your business.
   This is very important.
   
3. What is your theme or message? If you are targeting people at a sporting event a different item would be chosen versus a technology trade show.
   
4. Your quantity.
   How many people are you targeting with this program?
5. How will the items be distributed? Are you going to be doing direct mail, hand outs or what?

Many companies when choosing an item, look for the cheapest item that money can buy.
Why? Keep in mind you are representing your brand here, and the last thing you want people or potential clients to think about your company/or brand is that you are cheap.
I am not saying you have to buy the most expensive items but there is some middle ground here.
In what ways would you use these to grow your business?

1. Direct mail-when you are sending out prospecting letters, enclose an imprinted promotional product.
   Why you may ask? By increasing an imprinted promotional product in your direct mail solicitations, you direct mail will now get opened 80-90% of the time versus 5% for flat mail.
   Just think about it how much mail do you receive on a daily business? How much of it do you open? What makes you open one piece versus the next? Well what if you receive a package that had some bulk or "lumpy mail" would you open it? That is why this works.
   
2. Gift with appointments- You get an appointment with a great new prospect and want to make a good impression with him/her and his/her support staff.
   Why not leave them an imprinted promotional product that will not only be appreciated but will give you staying power on the persons desk for weeks and months to come.
   For example, an imprinted candy jar left with your contact person and their support staff, will keep your company's name and brand on their desk in no better way.
   That person will see that jar on a daily basis.
   

How much is that worth? What would you pay to put a billboard on your prospects desk to look at on a regular basis? As you can see the small investment in a promotional product will pay big dividends.
So if you think you would like to learn how these can help you to grow your business, reach out to us and we can point you in the right direction to get you the assistance you need.
Thank you for reading.