Imagine this: Sitting at your workstation, your morning coffee steaming by your right hand, your pen hovers above a notepad with a clear, recognizable brand. Perhaps it is a neighborhood bakery, a tech company you visited at a fair, or the plumber who last spring mended your sink. Little things, yet they stick. They are important. Like the seductive force of a catchy melody you just cannot shake, this everyday dance with printed promotional items has a unique power. The secret of the marketing strategy known as top-of- mind awareness is this.
Allow me to dissect it here. Marketing pixie dust—that is, top-of- mind awareness—means customers consider your brand before they ever start looking for substitutes. Arriving there is not always a straight run. It calls for you to crawl your way into the everyday schedules and visual scenes of your possible clients. Digital advertising pass through like seasons. Now it leaves a mark, though, something physical—something you can hold, squiggle with, or slap on your refrigerator.
Ever wonder why businesses obsess over mousepads, lanyards, or personalized mugs? It is not about stuffing trash drawers. This is a deft kind of repeating. Research by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) indicates that 85% of respondents recall the name of the firm providing a promotional good. That transcends even the most elegant email blast. Based on the statistics, printed goods—with their quiet persistence—stay in circulation longer than most other advertising formats. Consider that pen holder made from a coffee cup from a networking function. For brand recall, it is already performing the heavy work.
More than only jog recollection, printed goods promote goodwill. Getting an unexpected and practical present, say a tote bag, makes everyone happy. Before any sales pitch finds its way in, this is a good engagement. The receiver physically engages with your brand, creating a small trust connection. Indeed, it is not the Yellow Brick Road, but it is a legitimate road nevertheless.
Not every item of swag, then, takes front stage. The secret is employing something people really want. There is quality that counts. Nobody wants another fragile plastic ruler meant for disposal in landfill paradise. Rather, robust and useful products gently prod your brand forward of the pack. Things that see the light of day often are water bottles, reusable bags, phone stands. Every use serves as a subconscious reminder to folks, “Hey, remember us? We are quite good at what we do!