Premiums, SWAG, promotional widgets, giveaways… they are all used as part of the marketing landscape and are very much ingrained in the sales process for the scientific market place. In fact giveaways are part of trade show culture with 34% of exhibitors believing that their promotional freebie was the main reason why a customer would visit their stand.
Promotional freebies are a valuable tool to use when trying to increase your brand awareness.
The smallest giveaway such as a branded lab notebook or even a pen can start a conversation with a new customer, keep an existing customer loyal or make your name more visible to a wider audience. Giveaways can motivate a lead to sign up to your mailing list, can act as an incentive for customers to fill out market surveys or give valuable product feedback.
There are some important considerations to make when deciding what promotional items to invest in:
● Giveaways need to fit within your budget and timings. Good forward planning can help you save money, giving you the option to make bulk purchases and use efficient shipping methods whilst giving you the time to research items that will really pop with your customers, ensuring you get the biggest bang for your buck. Make sure your giveaways are included in your promotional and exhibition plans.
● Your promotional items should represent your brand and aspirations. Therefore it is important to consider their perceived value, design, intended use, packaging and positioning.
Yes, giveaways can have a positioning associated with them that represents your brand values. They could have a light-hearted and fun feel to them, they could be technology related and cutting edge, or they may be environmentally conscious.
Ideally promotional items should evoke an association with your company or with one of your products. The branding design on the item should work with your look and feel, whether that be your corporate brand or for a specific promotional campaign.
● Items should speak to your customer's persona and interests. Giveaways could be either science or business related, or alternatively could be more personal.
● They need to have a shelf life, you don't want your premiums stuffed in a draw or thrown in a bin. You want them to continue to promote your brand, the longer someone owns and uses the item the more impressions your business will gain.
● Try to track and calculate ROI. It can be very difficult to calculate the return you gain from investing in giveaways, however if you are able to use a promotional item to entice a customer to sign up to your mail list, or to fill in a survey then you can start to easily realise the value of the investment.
● Giveaways and freebies should always fit within the boundaries of your corporate compliance and legal requirements.
Keeping a variety of giveaways of different perceived value is a great idea. By ordering a few different types of products at various price points you can create tier levels of giveaways that can used as needed in different situations. For example you may wish to use a less expensive item as a general giveaway for everyone who visits your trade show booth, whilst retaining a higher perceived value item for existing customers, key opinion leaders or focus account customers.
Finally, branded items also make great gifts for your own employees and distribution channel sales people. They can help make employees feel valued and grow engagement with your organisation.
Polymorphic Marketing can help source and supply promotional giveaways to fit with your budgetary requirements, resonate with your brand and speak to your customer's scientific personas. For further information contact us now.
Telephone: +44 (0)207 4594201