It’s the goal of all marketing programs to be as efficient as possible, while remaining affordable. Custom printed merchandise has long been a go-to for experienced marketers, because it offers consistent results without requiring much in the way of initial investment. For any business looking for the best possible impact from their marketing, custom printed merchandise is an essential consideration.
It’s easier than ever to access custom merchandise for your business, thanks to the wide variety of products which can be personalised by online printing specialists. So how do you make your custom printed merchandise as effective as possible?
Scalable Branding
Before you even begin printing, you need to make sure your branding is suitably scalable. What does scalable mean?
In short, is your branding as recognisable on smaller items as it is on bigger ones. It’s easy for people to see your branding on big items such as a t-shirt or a hoodie, but they also need to be able to recognise your business on small items like pens and badges.
It’s branding 101 – when you’re designing your typeface, your logo, and deciding on your colour scheme, you need to be able to visualise it on buttons and badges as well as on billboards. Remember that people often only glance at branded merchandise, so potential customers need to be able to recognise your branding in the space of a few seconds.
Genuine Usefulness of Marketing Products
It’s certainly true that most of the marketplace today is intelligent enough to know when they’re being blatantly advertised to and they don’t respond well. For example, have you ever noticed how flyers seem to always end up deposited straight into the nearest bin? If you want to engage your audience, you need to get a bit more creative.
To do that, you need to make your branded merchandise seem more like a gift than an advertising opportunity. Items like t-shirts, hats, bags, and even pens, are always firm favourites with marketers because they offer people genuine usability. When something is useful it’s more likely to be used, putting your branding in front of many more eyes.
Be Generous
If you’re a smaller or startup business it can be particularly tempting to “reserve” larger branded items, such as t-shirts, for more loyal established customers and more targeted opportunities. The truth is, however, that you need to be as generous as you can with who you give your branded merchandise to. Every single local event, trade fair, or convention is an invaluable opportunity.
If someone shows an interest in your business, don’t think twice; offer them a branded pen, a USB stick, a tote bag, or even a t-shirt. The more they engage with your “gift”, the more likelihood of them further carrying your brand to their social circle. Custom printed merchandise is one of the most effective ways of subtly advertising to large volumes of people.
