5 Tips for Designing Great Promotional Items

This guide is going to give you some great tips for designing promotional items that sell your brand.

1. Choose the Words Carefully
Even though your promotional items are there to promote products and services that are obvious, this does not mean that you can assume people are going to know what you are all about.

The chances are you are extremely limited when it comes to space. On a sweatband, for example, you may be restricted to no more than five words. To get around this, think about the keywords that sum up your brand. Reflect on the values that make you stand out from everyone else.

This is important for brand recognition purposes. You need the right words to make your artistic vision a reality.

2. Use the Psychology of Colour
Bear in mind that the colour you choose can say a lot about your brand. Scientists have done a lot of studies on the psychology of colour. For a long time, they have researched what different colours mean and their effects on people. For example, red may catch the eye and symbolise passion, but it can also relate back to anger and rage.

You also need to consider how different colours relate to each other if you are using more than two colours. Hugely contrasting colours do not always work well in tandem, for example.

When taking colour into account, think about how any images or logos you’re using fit in. Sometimes you can have great colours, but when you put your logo on top, it doesn't look as good.

3. Will You Use a QR Code?
We live in a world of technology, and more and more people expect to see a QR code that can send them to a website where they can find out more. Even business cards are using them now. You can use our custom lanyards for this same purpose. A QR code in the right place is essentially a call to action. It can win you a lot of customers.

Just make sure you position it in such a way that it does not take away from the rest of the design. People expect to see a QR code, but a QR code in the wrong place can lead to a lot of problems.

4. Know Your Options
We take pride in being able to provide you with a lot of choices for different materials, different formats, and different colours. Unfortunately, one thing we find time and time again is that people do not know about the options available to them. It's only when they actually deal with us that they realise all the things they can take advantage of.

That often leads to them abandoning their existing designs and going back to the drawing board. Now imagine how much time and money they could have saved if they knew what options were available from the start.

In short, you should do your research. Go out of your way to find out what is on the table, and then you can make more informed decisions.

5. Make the Right Impression
Think about where your designs are going to come most in handy. Consider what the industry norms are. Think about the first impression someone is likely to get when they see your new promotional item. It differs for every industry. Every business niche has different expectations.

Again, this is why you have to conduct research. You need to make sure that you are putting in the effort to conform to what your industry wants.

Conclusion
You are spoiled for choice when it comes to the potential for designing promotional items. Whether it is a custom ID card or a wristband, you are always going to have a huge number of choices. Take your time when designing these items and make sure that you have explored every possible option.

In your opinion, what do you think is the best way to design a new promotional item?

Promotional Products: Do They Still Work?

We all love a bargain, and freebies can be even more appealing! But do people actually use promotional products, or do they just end up throwing them out? The answer lies in the quality and choice of the marketing product and its value to the customer or client's life.

When choosing a promotional product to use as an advertising gimmick, the savvy business owner needs to weigh up the pros and cons of the item of choice and decide whether it will add or detract from the business image as well as deciding whether that product is actually relevant to the business. Promotional items that look cheap and are of limited use to customers will soon end up in the bin, resulting in a negative business image and a wasted marketing budget.

Great Ideas for Practical Products

While pens, pencils, calendars and key rings may immediately spring to mind when choosing marketing gifts, these are items that tend to be chosen by businesses time and time again. And to be frank, if a calendar is not relevant to a recipient or a key ring looks cheap or uninteresting, these will soon be tossed aside or thrown out with the rubbish!

Choosing promotional gifts means selecting products that will stand out from the crowd and be used time and time again. This will ensure that a business name or logo will be foremost in the user's mind every time he or she uses that item. Choose products that are current, useful and desirable, such as protective mobile socks or mobile wrist straps, ideal in a world where mobile phone usage increases daily.

Ask the Customer

Finding out what customers may appreciate as promotional gifts would have been time-consuming a few years ago, but now, as social media usage has become a popular means of communication, businesses will find that they have a quick and simple way of finding out what customers want. For example, opening a business-related Facebook page is simple and allows direct contact with those who are interested in what the business has to offer.

Utilise the popularity of 'Facebook giveaways' by asking customers what they consider a useful promotional gift, and use the responses to make choices. A popular way to encourage social media interaction is to invite page followers to 'like and share' a promotional giveaway, spreading the page's reach towards a wider audience. And, of course, remember to reward those who have participated by giving them a gift as a thank you from the business.

Avoid Gimmicks

Every business owner, whether large or small, must focus on attracting customers to use their services or buy their products. Using gimmicks to attract business can backfire, leaving customers feeling tricked and annoyed and generating a negative feeling toward the business concerned, which may cause irreparable damage to a small business trying to survive.

Choose promotional products with a value to those receiving the gifts. Gimmicky products may convey a cheap business image and, while they may be inexpensive to purchase as part of a marketing strategy, will not be received with enthusiasm!