Personalize Your Way to Success!

It's no secret why people use promotional products to promote their brand. The average cost per impression of an advertising specialty item is lower than almost any other form of media including television, magazines, newspapers, radio and billboards. Beyond the low cost, the potential return on investment is astounding. In ASI's 2008 Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, a survey of promotional products recipients revealed that 62% had done business with an advertiser after receiving a branded item.

The "WHY" to use promotional products should be obvious to most, but the "HOW" is sometimes less clear. Nearly all companies use these types of branded items to promote themselves in one way or another, but why are some are more successful than others? The answer is simple, and it all boils down to knowing your audience.

The goal of any promotion is to create positive feelings about the company and brand. You can easily accomplish this by simply proving to your audience that you know them on a personal level, the way you do a good friend. It may seem difficult to give the impression that you know each individual in your target audience, but there are certain generalizations you can make based on the parameters that determine who your audience is. These assumptions help determine the types of products they will find most useful. Once you choose the most universally desired product, personalizing the items will take your promotion to the next level. Having recipients' names printed on your giveaway in addition to your company logo makes them feel important and ties the individual to your brand on a personal level. It also gives the product sentimental value and makes it more difficult to cast aside, give away or throw away.

Using personalization to increase the perceived value of an item is not a modern notion. Historically monograms were used on coins by Romans and Greeks to identify their rulers and then later they were developed to identify the valuable property of royalty and other high-class persons as a symbol of their place in society. Today, people still feel this sense of importance when receiving or using a product that has been inscribed with their name. It automatically becomes a product they not only keep and cherish, but one they are inclined show off as well!

Personalized promotional items have many applications in the modern corporate environment. The following are just a few examples of how you may be able to benefit from their use.

- When giving anniversary or holiday gifts to employees, a nice monogrammed shirt or a personalized desk item shows the recipient that it was intended specifically for them and not just ordered for the masses. This makes the gift more meaningful to the employee and allows you to highlight both the person and the occasion in a positive manner.

- Golf tournaments and other charity events typically have a multitude of sponsors, all advertised in numerous places throughout the venue. If the attendee list available before the event takes place, use it to personalize giveaway items for the goodie bags. This will set you apart from the other sponsors and ensure your company is the one participants remember.

- Safety programs and Health & Wellness programs often include various prizes employees can win if they meet their own goal or contribute to reaching a group goal. Personalizing these items increases the value of the product to each individual and provides additional incentive for them to succeed.

These are just a few of the many ways personalizing branded items can increase the results of your promotions. Whether you are using promotional products to raise brand awareness, increase loyalty, boost employee moral or encourage a purchasing decision, the key is always going to be finding a product that the receiver will appreciate, keep, and remember. Make your giveaways personal to each recipient and you will achieve maximum results each and every time.