The 4 Secrets for Getting New Customers with Promotional Items

Using promotional items to promote your business can be easy. Of course, that doesn't mean it always is easy. With promotional products marketing, you can just as easily fall in to the same traps that you've got with traditional marketing. And before you go and spend money on printing your logo on a bunch of t-shirts, you want to make sure that those shirts are going to be worn, and seen, by the right people. So check out my 5 tips for a successful promotional items campaign:

• Don't Be Boring: Sometimes a simple custom hat or few pens can do the trick, but sometimes you need to go big if you want to stand out! Those sort of tried and true items are great for existing customers, but you need something really special to differentiate your business and bring in new customers. Instead hand out a guitar shaped USB drive, or glow in the dark golf balls. Something that demands the attention of potential customers.  
• Focus on a Niche: If you try to be everything to everyone, your campaign will not be successful. Sure, certain products could appeal to everyone, but you'll have much better success focusing on one type of customer and choosing a product based on their needs. Identify the customers who are most likely to convert, then find a product that works for them.
• Know Where to Hand Out the Items: Here's the thing- If you're looking to generate new customers from this campaign, DO NOT hand out the products to people who walk in to your storefront. They've already come to you, so handing them a product at that point is a waste of money. Instead, you need to go where your niche market will be. If there's a big event in your town, or perhaps a popular park, set up nearby and start handing out the products. Remember, in some instances you may need permission from your city before doing this.
• Track Results: You've handed out all your custom tote bags, but your campaign is far from over. You're doing your business a disservice if you're not tracking how many new customers you've generated with your campaign. By caculating the number of new customers you've gotten, as well as the average value of those customers, you can then measure the success of your campaign and make adjustments as necessary.