Using promotional products is not a new marketing strategy, yet it is still relevant and favored by today’s consumers and many modern marketers for its versatility. However, when you’ve got a great marketing idea that incorporates promotional products and you are ready to launch, how can you make sure that what you order will work just right for your campaign?
When it comes to placing orders for promotional products, we’ve heard horror stories: Customers order too few items or too many, making the wrong choice of color or just picking something that doesn’t fit their business identity. You’d want to avoid making the same mistakes, right? This is why we are here to help you smooth out your ordering process.
Let us walk you through a few tips and best practices from our experts on how to avoid blunders when ordering promotional products for your business or organization.
1. Identify Your Goals
The first crucial step is to start everything with a clear vision of the purpose behind ordering promotional items. You’ll need to identify your goals from the very beginning. Ask yourself: Why do you need promotional products in your campaign? Is it for brand awareness? Or is it to build staff and customer loyalty? Without knowing the answer, it is easy to end up wasting money on things that do not benefit the business.
2. Research Your Target Audience
Before you start shopping for promotional products, make sure to do some research about the people you’re trying to reach. You can conduct surveys or FGDs (Focus Group Discussions) with consumers from different demography to learn what kind of swag or merchandise they want and their impression of your business. Another great way is to ask for feedback from your co-workers who may provide you with valuable suggestions from a unique point of view.
3. Choose Your Ideal Product
Every element that makes your business memorable and unique in the market is your brand identity. Make sure you choose the right color for your promotional product before placing orders. It should match your logo and marketing materials so that you have an overall consistent look for your branding.
4. Calculate Resources and Order Quantity
When deciding on the number of promotional items to order, you need to consider the portion of the marketing budget you’re willing to allocate. If you have a limited budget, then opt for a small quantity of high-quality promotional products. When there are upcoming special occasions for gifting, you may also want to order relevant items in a larger amount to meet a higher demand.

Promotional products can help you achieve your marketing goals, but only if you know how to order them properly. If you're not careful enough, then it's easy to waste your precious budget on something useless for your business. We hope that this article will help you with your next order of promotional products. Need more assistance from our experts? Contact us today!