How Do Promotional Products Measure Up to Other Marketing Tactics?

No marketing campaign exists in a bubble. If you're considering running a promo items campaign for your business, you've got to consider how it's going to effect the rest of your marketing efforts. Unfortunately, you've got a a finite budget, and if you're spending X amount on promotional products, then that's money you can't spend on radio, newspaper or pay per click.

The goal when you're setting your marketing budget should be to devise a tactical plan that alows you to get the most impressions, and thus, most opportunities for a conversion. So which tactics will get you the most bang for your buck?

Well recently I came across a great article from Techzulu, giving us the cost per impression for several marketing tactics. Here's a paraphrased version of their list:

Newspaper = $.75 per impression

Television = $1.80 per impression

Radio = $.50 per impression

Direct Mail = $.80 – $1.00 per impression

Social Media = $.30 per impression

Promotional Products = $.12 per impression

As you can see, the cost per impression for promotional items is significantly lower than all traditional forms of marketing, and is less than half of social media impressions. But the Inforgraphic takes it a step further, adding that 50% of Americans have used a promotional item, and 87% of those users remember where that promo product had come from.

The difference is that promotional items are like a hybrid of billboards, business cards and word or mouth marketing. When someone uses your tote bag or pen, it acts as an endorsement of your business, plus that person using your product remembers your business every time. Promotional items can exist just about anywhere, and thanks to this versatility, it continues to be a viable part of any marketing mix.