Argon Promotional Products and Promotional Gifts. » 2009 » October

The most valuable intangible asset of a company is its brand which also maintains and bears its reputation. If for some reason, your competitors do not spend their budget on any promotional merchandise, they are only compromising their own brand identity and this is when you must demonstrate through this form of media your gratitude to your customers for their support. It is very important in a stagnating economy to at least maintain your market share, since new business would be difficult to procure. When you maintain your brand equity and market share in troubled times, as and when the good times come along, your target audience would immediately favour you with business as your brand name would still remain fresh in their minds thanks to some of the promotional campaigns run during the tough times. The worst thing to happen in business is, everything is hunky dory, but your brand name has been forgotten.

In fact during economy slowdown times, you must do all the more in terms of brand building and indulge in promotional activities. You will have more time to focus on such activities and do it more professionally. It may seem a paradox that you are indulging in business promotion when business itself is floundering, but that is the precise reason for its success and effectiveness. You need to do something different from others and will be noticed for it, lending your brand the uniqueness and exclusivity. At times of recession, you need to keep in touch with the top honchos of your customers and honour them with carefully chosen promotional merchandise. It may happen that some of them might get retrenched and would start off on their own and you need to be at the forefront to be considered favourably by them when they are looking for vendors in their new avatar. So, by concentrating on fine tuning promotional campaigns and taking the time to meet influential decision makers during the rough times, you are actually investing your time and effort to reap the fruits, when the good times return and by doing this, you will be putting yourself in a sound position to cash in when things start looking good again. The fact that you recognized the true value of distributing promotional merchandise and the suitable timing of this will ensure that your competitors will have a lot to catch up and it won’t be easy to grab your customers.

So make the best of even the recessionary times by choosing suitable and useful promotional merchandise and getting your message out to the right people. You will not regret it.

If you are looking for a practical option to boost your brand image, look no further than the promotional mouse mat as they are not only durable but also come at reasonable prices suiting your needs. With the usage of computers so wide spread, mouse mats will always remain in demand and your brand will continue to get the visibility you are seeking.

The range of mouse mats available range from the conventional ones to customized shapes suiting the needs of customers and at the same time maximizing the value of advertising for the company.

Some Design Suggestions for Promotional Mouse Mats:
To start with, the mouse mat shape should be such that it must display mandatory information. It is no use having a fancy shaped item which does not give you the ability to reflect the ad message in a manner you want. This information should be crisp and to the point like the name of the company, contact numbers with website address and your sales or ad slogan, if you have any. It is again of little use cluttering up the surface area with a lot of information as much of it won’t be noticed and you stand the risk of people ignoring even the main message. Your mouse mat design should include certain essential information. Therefore, just displaying the essentials with the right colour and graphic combination would be enough for people to notice the mouse mat.

Why Use Mouse mats As Promotional Tools?
This question has been asked quite often, though there are many reasons; the one that stands out is the utility of these promotional mouse mats. Other promotional items also have great utility but in the case of mouse mats, the recipient is literally in touch with it everyday and your brand gets very good visibility. The fact that unlike some of the other promotional items, the mouse mat is used practically everyday and everybody needs to use the computer for many hours in a day. Because of this reason users are not likely to miss noticing your brand and for this reason the mouse mat gives it the edge over other items.

Besides the utility factor, these handy promotional products can be manufactured in different shapes and the advertising message can be imprinted in ways to match those shapes. This important quality of customization enables you to garner more customers as they would feel much happier to receive something reflecting their business.

The clincher has to be the low cost of these items compared to others and given their broad acceptance, makes it possible for you to place bulk orders fully knowing that they will never run out of favour.

Getting repeat business from a customer is the most critical aspect of your business not only because it is more profitable but also since it sustains an ongoing relationship and fosters goodwill. From the time you sign the contract with the customer, you need to set the ball rolling by giving the customer something that he would feel good about, while entering into a business association with you. So you can hand over a nice stylish pen which is distinct and is of high quality which the customer will always remember. You must be aware that the first business gift is always memorable and has a special place in the heart of the recipient.

This gift of the pen when imprinted with your company name and contact numbers will make sure that the logo is fresh in the mind of the customer and can be the beginning of a mutually beneficial relationship. You can maintain contact with your customers through the year with nice business gifts bearing your company brand logo. So even something modest such as a planner with an inbuilt calendar, a tiny pocket calendar planner or a wall calendar will all serve as very effective business gifts lending great visibility to your brand everyday. Small points like remembering the birthday of your customer and sending him a business card holder on that particular date will create a very positive impression about you and the company. The choices are many from a mobile cradle to stress balls and while these items are not very expensive, they project your organization in very good light.

You must not forget to treat your premium customers with better quality and costlier gifts as they are the main contributors to your success. Gifts like good quality wall clocks, combo gift sets are some of the items which are always well received and will do wonders to your current equation with the customer. They will always keep you in mind and will not shift business without discussing with you about any problem or issue they may be facing. Your competition will thus find it difficult to break in and you will make regular and rapid progress in your business dealings with such customers.

Business gifts are thus valuable tools to establish and cement relationships. They effectively serve the dual purpose of brand recall and creating a good impression with customers and need to be perceived as investments. It is not always the cost but the timing and the quality together with the manner in which they are presented which delivers the cutting edge to a business relationship.

As items that display the logo of your company, promotional gifts can do wonders, particularly in the realm of marketing. Apart from this, these can bring a number of benefits for the company that will improve the bottom line. Here are a few reasons why you should include promotional gifts in your company’s annual budget:

1. Promotional gifts are a great vehicle for increasing brand awareness as well as customer recall. Giving away these items is an ingenious way of constantly keeping your company’s logo right in front of your customers’ eyes, thus leaving a lasting impression in their minds. A useful and tasteful gift that they associate with your company will surely be remembered especially when the time comes that they need your products and services.

2. They can enhance the image of your company. When you give your customers something for free, they would immediately associate the act of kindness and thoughtfulness with your company. Every time the item is used, it will further build the goodwill that you have established.

3. They help you introduce your business and its products and services to people, especially to potential markets. By making your logo more visible to the public, such as on the back part of shirts or the canopies of umbrellas, you’ll boost the exposure of your company to the world. Moreover, gifts that are frequently seen by people like organizers and desk calendars will certainly be a non-stop reminder of your company.

4. They will help you gain back your lost customers. If you send them a little token, it’s the same way as telling them to come back.

5. They are a way by which you can announce the changes happening in your business. By using customised items such as a mug or a shirt with your company logo, you can market your products or advertise your newly opened branches. Promotional gifts can serve as your little portable billboards.

6. Used as incentives, they can raise your employees’ morale and work motivation. Employees general thrive on the appreciation and recognition of their efforts. By presenting them with gifts, they will get inspired to work hence productivity will increase.

7. Useful and memorable promotional gifts can help raise tradeshow responses. Studies show that promotional free gifts will attract more people to your booth and thus generate tradeshow traffic. Sending out gifts before the tradeshow starts is sure to double your targeted traffic. More booth visitors translate to a bigger network of sales leads.