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likely know but have forgotten and ideas that may totally sur-
prise you.
Don’t hide the point.
If it’s a thank-you, then make it a “Thank
You!”—not a “Thank you, if you buy more stuff.” Likewise,
don’t call gifts special offers. (There is a difference.) Telling
prospects you’re giving them something that has no stand-
alone value is a quick way to alienate them.
Ensure products are usable.
Instead of a postcard, give a
coaster. Instead of a plastic figurine, make it a branded USB
drive. Stainless steel water bottles, travel mugs, and reusable
bags are always welcome gifts, too.
Personalize it by focusing on smaller target audiences.
This
allows you to afford higher-quality gifts and provides room for
special touches, such as hand-written notes.
Avoid vague words such as “quality” and “value”.
Instead,
offer a story or explanation of what your client really brings to
the table so customers can understand the product or service
you’re promoting.
Provide experiential tastes.
Whenever possible, allow
prospects the opportunity to sample products or services
before they buy and integrate this offer with a campaign or
promotional product.
The marketing professionals we spoke to had one final
piece of advice: Always aim for excellence. From professional
photography to better-quality promotional merchandise, mar-
keters who dissect your campaigns will look for evidence that
they are important targets whom you want to impress.
“I know how to, and can, send out mass emails, and I can
tell when companies are pitching to numerous marketers,” says
Kathryn Bisson, marketing specialist at Nashua, New Hampshire-
based Zco Corporation, which produces mobile apps. “I
respond better to campaigns with a personalized touch.”
80 •
PPB
• JANUARY 2015
THINK
To secure appointments for salespeople, a promotional prod-
ucts distributor decided to “paddle” to the doorstep of 100
hard-to-reach senior marketing executives by mailing each a
30-inch
canoe paddle
. Recipients’ names were laser-engraved
on the paddles, which came with hang-tags explaining that
the distributor had the experience to outfit and guide them
through the treacherous whitewaters of commerce.
To alert advertisers of its ad-sales closing date, a magazine
catering to small businesses mailed
customdie-cut puzzles
to
approximately 10,000 current and potential advertisers. The
15-piece puzzles featured six diverse covers from previous
issues of the magazine with text reminding recipients of the
deadline date. Cylindrical mailers with lids were used to pack-
age the puzzles and carried the slogan: “15 moves to greater
profitability,” with the moves being the 15 puzzle pieces.
To attract new members at its conference, the American
Marketing Association designed a pen with a modern twist.
The orange
pens doubled as USB flash drives
pre-loaded
with conference materials such as PowerPoint presenta-
tions, articles, speaker support, literature and seminar mate-
rials. The drives’ large capacity provided plenty of personal
storage space, too. One end of the pens included a stylus for
tablets, making the “old-school” item a thoroughly modern
device. The pens were delivered in black- and silver-alloy
cases for a stylishly cool presentation.
IDEAS FOR
Winning Over Your Peers