How to Plan a Promotional Gift Campaign

(508 Words)
A promotional gift campaign can help you reach your customers and clients in a long lasting and meaningful way. It is appropriate for specific events such as trade fairs at which you might have a booth. You may even just use it in a marketing campaign and send them out during holidays or just regular days. Use the following tips to plan a promotional gift campaign.
Make a budget
Before you even start your promotional gift campaign, you need to decide how much money you want to spend on your promotional gifts. These products range greatly in price. Some are extremely low cost such as personalized pencils, whereas others are much more per item such as t-shirts. You want to get an idea of how much you can spend total. Do not forget to take into account any shipping costs, both from the company or outbound to any clients or customers.
Decide how many promotional gifts you need
Once you have a total budget, you want to get an idea of what you can spend per item. Of course you may have a range, but you want an idea. It is very important to try to estimate your needs as best as possible, especially if you are getting them for a certain event and they will not last beyond that (i.e. notepads with the name and date of a certain trade show). Think about how many people will be at the event or how many you will target. Of course you need to think about how many you can afford.
Choose the promotional gifts
There are many factors that will go into choosing the actually gifts that you give away. Remember that you are not limited to one item. Of course you need to consider the cost. You need to consider how much people will like them. If you give them a gift that they can really use such as an umbrella, then they may be more likely to actually display it and have others see it. Think about how long it will last. A small pad of paper might not last very long. Think about how visible it will be to others. If someone hangs up one of your promotional calendars, then a co-worker may see it on their wall. Also consider how much your personalization stands out. You will be able to put much more on a t-shirt than on a small pencil, for instance.
There are a variety of places that sell promotional gifts such as Oriental Trading Company. You should look at all of your choices to find what is right for you.
Once you have the gifts, then decide how you are going to give them out. Make sure they are kept in good condition until they reach the customers. The more meticulous you are, the more likely your customers will appreciate them and hopefully reward you with their business.
A promotional gift campaign can be extremely lucrative for businesses of all different types. The above tips can help you plan your campaign.