5 Ways Promotional Products Boost Sales

Note: This article has been updated with additional information, including new dales data and market trends.

As a business owner or marketing manager, you always look for an edge in sales.

To stand out from the competition and attract and convert prospects, you need to do things a little differently from other businesses. You can’t rely on tired tactics and expect better results, improvement, or business growth.

With the business environment and world events making it difficult to find an edge, companies are struggling. There are only so many edges out there.

The Problem with Sales Today

It used to be the key to sales was boots on the ground. You needed to meet the prospect. Face-to-face meetings were the goals. Deals were made over a handshake in the office. Closing happened over dinner.

Today, COVID-19 is forcing businesses to reassess their sales campaigns. In fact, there was a 19% increase in online sales at the beginning of the pandemic. That growth has continued, with online sales expected to increase by 8% annually. It’s often no longer safe or healthy to meet in person. Many companies don’t want visitors to the business, and deals over dinner are a health risk.

The sales and marketing team needs to find new ways to reach customers. They need some way to get their email noticed, or drive the prospect to pick up the phone and talk.

Promotional products can help.

Promotional Products and Sales

Sales and marketing need to replace the physical connection between sales and the customer, and that’s where promotional products come in.

Why not replace a handshake with a branded promotional product? Even if you can’t visit the office or meet in person, the right sales kit with strategic promotional products can help your business stand out. It can get you noticed over the competition.

Here are five ways promotional products can set your sales team up for success.

Make an impact on customers

How can you get a customer to remember your business without a meeting?

By linking your brand to a promotional product, you can help prospects, and customers better remember you and your offering. According to a recent study by the PPAI (Promotional Products Association International), 80% of consumers have an immediate reaction when they receive a promotional product from a company they’ve never heard of. In the same study, 72% insist the quality of the promotional item relates directly to the brand impression of the company. That is solid gold for your sales team.

Prospect Touches (Even When Socially Distancing)

Even with this era of social distancing, smart businesses need to stay top-of-mind for customers and prospects. There is only so much an email, or digital ad can do for you, but a savvy campaign using promotional products can boost your efforts.

Another study by the PPAI relates that 9 out of 10 consumers remember the business that provided a promotional product and that 81% of consumers will keep a promotional item for a year or more. Every time that prospect sees or uses the product, you’re making a touchpoint (for minimal effort and little cost)!

Stand Out from the Competition

Face it, every business is struggling under the same challenges and restrictions right now. Your job, as a sales and marketing professional, is to find a way to stand out.

Look at creating memorable (and useful) sales kits to send to a prospect. Assemble a few choice products that speak to your brand and request a quick phone call to discuss business needs. Another Facebook ad or sales email may not drive that prospect to pick up the phone, but a sales kit with the right products can impact and ease the initial connection.

Expand Your Market Reach

Even with travel opening up and increased opportunities for in-person sales, companies are still looking at ways to reach new prospects and customers. Promotional products are a great way to make a positive first impression on a new prospect.

Even if a prospect doesn’t know your company now, they will remember you after receiving a promotional product. According to another study, promotional products make an impression at a much lower cost than any other type of ad. Rather than bombarding prospects with quickly forgotten ads, make a strategic impression with promotional products.

Lower Cost and Rapid ROI

Leverage the buying power of promotional product partners. If you contact a knowledgeable supplier who understands marketing and has market connections, you can find high-quality promotional products for a much lower cost of an impression than other marketing channels.

Rather than buying another cheap pen or drink koozie that no one uses work with a knowledgeable partner like your GO2 representative to find products that make a real impact. You see a quicker (and measurable) ROI even paying a little more for each product. Your contact at GO2 provides the buying power and market knowledge. They work with you on best practices and creative options to deliver a marketing campaign or promotion that delivers a rapid return.

Getting Started with Promotional Products

Want to see business growth? Then you need to boost your marketing investment.

Now is a good time to test new ideas or reach out to customers you haven’t been able to connect with before. Try something new, like a blended campaign with digital marketing and promo product kits, and see what happens. Look at exploring a new marketing channel or testing a new promotional marketing campaign.

Change is everywhere, and people are looking for something new.

The Next Generation in Marketing

Rather than waiting for the next problem, get ahead of the competition and make an investment in your marketing. If you want to learn more, or want to see how promotional products can deliver a rapid ROI and reach your best customers and prospects, then contact GO2 Partners today. Ask about our 20/20 Marketing program, and how it provides an edge to businesses looking to run larger campaigns or supplement and support their existing marketing resources.

Our goal is to understand your business challenge and create a strategic solution that fits your budget and meets your needs. Contact us today.