Promotional products — they aren’t just for established companies. A few well-placed and thoughtful
promotional items can do a lot to build hype for your startup.

Here’s What Promotional Products Can Do for Your Startup

In fact, many companies have already used promotional items to get off the ground, taking advantage of consumers’ long-documented love of swag.

Customers aren’t usually enthusiastic to read or watch ads, but they’re very open to using promotional items.

They’re about two-and-a-half times more likely to look favorably on a promotional gift versus an ad.

And with consumers expecting more from their favorite brands than ever, you really can’t go wrong with some free goodies. Most consumers still consider promotional products to be very useful, even if they are emblazoned with a brand message, and 83 percent say they’re usually more interested in doing business with a company after they receive a free promotional gift from them.

Strengthen B2B Relationships

Starting a new company has its share of challenges, and one of the biggest ones is fostering the business-to-business relationships that will help you supply the products and services your customers want.

Even if you’re a business-to-consumer (B2C) oriented firm, you’ll need to obtain supplies and materials, and perhaps retain professional support services.

Promotional products can help you strengthen your relationships with other companies as well as with your customers.

Vendors and clients will appreciate a thoughtful gift that meets their needs, and they, too, will be more likely to continue the business relationship when you extend the courtesy of a promotional gift.

The more you pull out all the stops and customize the promotional gifts you hand out to vendors and clients, the more effective they’ll be. You may not be able to buy personalized pencils for all of your customers — you may not have access to the information you’d need to do that for many customers.

But you know who your vendors and B2B clients are and you can probably name the employees that interact with your firm. Take advantage of this knowledge to offer a truly unique promotional gift that the recipient will remember for years.

Reward the Behaviors You Want to See

Promotional giveaways are perfect for incentivizing customers to take specific actions. Want to get more customers to subscribe to your new streaming service? Offer them a free promotional product if they sign up.

Want to generate more excitement about your new company on social media? Do the same for customers who are willing to post about your company and use your hashtag.

Today’s younger generations of adults appreciate promotional items even more than their parents and grandparents did.

Customers want brands to give something back, to cater to their needs, and to take responsibility for the social, environmental, and political ramifications of their actions.

While hanging out some promotional pens or tote bags can resolve civil strife in the U.S. or solve climate change, these products still offer a chance to engage with customers regarding issues they care about and put your money where your mouth is regarding your corporate commitment to sustainability and other important issues.

Grow Brand Awareness and Expand Your Customer Base

Promotional products have a staying power that makes them the most effective form of advertising there is. Products stay in customers’ homes for about seven months on average, with some items remaining in use for a year or longer.

People tend to use their promotional items multiple times a day, and they’re looking at your brand messaging each time. So are their families and friends.

The mere presence of a logo on someone’s jacket or hat can grow brand awareness among those who encounter the wearer on the street or in the grocery store.

That messaging significantly expands your customer base — and that’s good news when you’re just getting started and need to drum up more business any way you can.

You can extend your target market considerably when you count on your most loyal customers to serve as ambassadors for your brand by using promotional products.

Loyal customers will talk up your company to their friends and family, and those branded messages on your promotional items are super memorable for those friends and family, too.

When you’re launching a startup, every penny counts — and it’s worth it to invest in some promotional products that will appeal to your customers and give your startup a fighting chance at success.

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