Everyone in my office currently has little plastic swag bags on our desks that we got as gifts from a luncheon. Inside are assorted pads of paper, pens with logos and slogans, an envelope opener and other promotional items. It is all quality stuff, but none of us knows what to do with it! The pens will be stored with the other pens we have, the notepads may get used for something…but we already have message pads that make the nice carbon copy. The sad truth is, it will likely it will end up in the trash after we’re tired of holding on to it.
This leaves me with questions – does this stuff work? Maybe it does, but how is it tracked? Each of the businesses that participated in the bag giveaways has a website. Yet none of their items had a call to action, or a reason for me to go explore their business further. Before you make your next custom pen order, think about how you can turn your free gift into a valuable piece of information for your customer.
Let Your Website Do the Work
Websites are inherently marketing tools, which makes them more effective than promotional items alone. (Do you know anyone who needs another pen?) Instead combine your swag with the power of your website. Use your promotional item to give away helpful information that will not only drive prospects to your website, but will position you as a real resource!
Inventory Your Marketing Assets
Whether you’ve been actively marketing your business or not, chances are that you have created information to give to clients. Collect everything you’ve created and turn each one into an ebook, special report, or ongoing newsletter. Things like, “How to Pick the Right Glasses for Your Face Shape” or “10 Ways to Save Money on Your Next Property Purchase” make for simple, but valuable, information.
Build the System
This sounds harder than it is. Now that you have your content, you’ll need a system to collect the user’s email address and send the information automatically. Your webmaster can set up the form, thank you page, and auto-send. (Aweber allows you to do all of this with minimal help from your webmaster.) The best part is that once you have a collection form, everything can be tracked. This will let you know what your real ROI is on those cool mousepads.
Give it Away
Your next step is to promote your new content. Add your landing page URL to the notepad, mousepad, pen, or whatever else you’re giving away. Be sure that the call to action is strong so the recipient will be compelled to visit your site. You can even ask that the person share their pen/notepad with a friend if you think they would like this information as well. For an added bonus, you can promote your content to all your friends, newsletter subscribers, and blog readers.
What Could Be Easier?
Let us help you develop your online marketing strategy. From copywriting to landing pages, we offer a full range of services to help you make the most of your website.
About the author: Jeune Ortiz is VP of Marketing and Creative Director at future-ink. With more than 20 years of experience in graphic design and marketing, Jeune brings extensive knowledge and creativity to each website and internet marketing solution to grow your business.
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2 Comments
Badges | August 25, 2010
Being that we already happen to be sharing points regarding Use Your Website to Get More Mileage From Your Promotional Items, It’s important for clients and customers of companies to know that they take their businesses seriously. When everyone is wearing an identification badge, it shows that they are professional and care about their appearance.
Charlie | December 11, 2010
I have a retro sports apparel website and an ebay store. And I am trying to get all of my items from all of my suppliers into my inventory with all the images and descriptions. But, this is too much work, I just don’t have the time. Can anyone do this for me or tell me the absolute fastest way to do this?
I would greatly appreciate this.
Charlie – Yesteryear Sports of Cooperstown