The long-term benefits of promotional items

Small business owners are concerned with many different metrics when it comes to their marketing campaigns. After all, numbers never lie and they can help company leaders determine how successful their branding initiatives are. Return on investment is arguably the most important figure to most entrepreneurs, but there’s another one that they should consider – longevity.

Stability in a fast-paced environment
In today’s digital age, consumers are constantly bombarded with information through various channels. Marketing has reached a rapid pace thanks to social media. As a result, branded content appears in front of the public and then disappears in the blink of an eye.

Obviously, this is somewhat troubling to small business owners because it means consumers don’t have sufficient opportunities to develop brand recognition. That’s why entrepreneurs need to invest in marketing tools that offer long-term benefits.

Few advertisements can match the longevity offered by promotional items. Sponsored gifts can make a world of difference for marketing as customers keep them for extended period of time instead of discarding them or ignoring them like other advertisements.

According to the Advertising Specialty Institute’s Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, the average promotional item is kept for 6.6 months. Retention duration varies between promotional marketing products. For instance, promotional wall calendars are retained for 9 months on average and logo-emblazoned bags last around 6.8 months.

The American Marketing Association’s Baltimore chapter points out that this allows promotional giveaways to make more impressions compared to other advertisements such as broadcast commercials that don’t last for significant period of time. As a result, small business owners can count on their marketing tools to boost brand recognition for months on end instead of a few seconds.

The gift that keeps on giving
Further, giveaways can go a long way toward helping the business expand its reach beyond the intended market. First, certain items can almost act as billboards for a company. Every time a customer uses a promotional tote bag everyone who sees the container will see branded content and learn about a business.

What’s more, the AMA points out that many people re-gift promotional items. As a result, an advertisement may change hands multiple times, with each recipient developing brand recognition.

There are few, if any, downsides to promotional products. These marketing tools offer long-term benefits that can help a small business grow and thrive in the near future and even further down the road.