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In the wake of the global crisis, Australian businesses had no choice but to cut back on overhead costs in order to stay afloat. First to be slashed is usually the marketing budget and many of these businesses relied on promotional products as their main advertising medium. This is perhaps the reason why a recent report from IBISWorld revealed a slight annual growth in the online corporate and promotional giftware sales industry.

It is really not surprising if the industry enjoyed a positive growth when promotional products have always been considered to be quite effective in boosting brand recognition and recall. Plus, they are a lot cheaper and can reach more consumers as compared to print ads or television advertisements in the long term. For instance, a promotional calendar can be on display for the entire year or a branded laptop bag can be used for several years.

The numbers do not lie. If you are a business which wants to take advantage of the benefits that these promo items offer, then do not waste any more time. In the next couple of years, household consumption is set to rise and you need to bet your brand out there by handing out promotional merchandise customised with your brand name or logo. 

One of the perils of putting up a business is not generating much consumer interest. Obviously, no customer means no profit. So for those of you who are still straddling the fence so to speak with regard to promoting your brand, you should realize as early as possible that is it a must.

With the many competitors out there, you need to stand out and get consumers’ attention. In fact, a study conducted at Baylor University in the US revealed that promotional merchandise can boost consumer response rate by as much as 75 percent. A separate study from the same university showed that customers who are gifted with promo items are 14 percent more likely to offer sales lead as compared to those who did not receive anything. There is no doubt that an advertising campaign using promo products is valuable to any business.

If you think about it, the money spent on personalised merchandise is nothing compared to the exposure your business is going to enjoy. For example, a custom refrigerator magnet can be seen at least 14,000 times by a family of four members. This is certainly quite cost efficient than other mediums of advertising such as television, print or radio. So, browse a catalogue and make sure your brand is known. 

Any business, new or old, knows the importance of advertising. Some companies have enough capital to launch a full marketing campaign while some needs to be practical and smart with the advertising strategy they choose. If you belong to the latter group, you should know you will never go wrong with promotional merchandise. There are a number of reasons why these personalised products work including the following:

High Visibility – this is because most of the items are used on a daily basis, such as lanyards, mousepads, coffee mugs and USBs. Constant exposure can create brand recall and you would certainly want to enjoy this when the time comes for the consumer to make a purchase.

Cost Efficient – because you can order items in bulk, you can reach as many consumers as possible for a fraction of the cost of high level marketing such as television spots or print ads.

Personal Touch – promotional merchandise allow businesses to connect to their customers on a personal level. This is probably the reason why they are more effective as there is interaction between your business and the consumers. They use items which you have given them as gift or souvenir and it makes them feel connected. 

As a new business, it would be understandable for you to worry about increasing brand awareness to generate a lot of consumer interest. After all, it is not enough that you offer excellent services or products. You would still need to introduce yourself to the market and nothing makes this easier than handing out Promotional Products.

Aside from being able to order in bulk at an affordable price, promotional products are usually stuff you use every day such as mouse mats, phone holders and pens. The only difference is these items are now acting as marketing tools, bearing your corporate logo or artwork and working to boost brand recognition.

With the many promo products to choose from, you can surely find one which you know can easily represent your business. For instance, if you are in the health and wellness business, you will most likely gravitate to custom stress balls. On the other hand, you will never go wrong with office supplies such as printed sticky notes, custom lanyards or calculators. You might also want to consider branded business items such as personalised compendiums or go green with eco-friendly products.