Eight Steps to a Successful Promotional Campaign

Successful promotion campaigns don’t happen by chance. To realize goals, promotional product programs must be carefully planned, taking into consideration the audience, budget, and the desired result. A campaign plan is essential, whether used internally for safety programs, sales incentives, employee recognition, etc.; or externally for customer incentives, lead prospecting, or corporate identity.

So, if you’re ready to begin your next promotion, here are some simple steps to help guide you to success:

1. Define a specific objective.
Whether the goal is to increase traffic at a trade show exhibit or to boost sales with current clients, the first step in any campaign is to clarify the purpose of the program and state exactly what will make the program a success.

2. Identify your target audience.
Is it a particular industry? Are they mostly blue-collar workers, predominately female, or a certain age group? Or, do you just want to motivate your own sales staff? Decide precisely who you want to be aware of your message.

3. Determine a distribution plan to your targeted audience.
Distribution of a promotional product is as important as the item itself. A pre-show mailing to a select audience delivers more trade show traffic and qualified leads than simply distributing items to anyone who happens to walk by your booth.

4. Create a cohesive theme.
Linking a recognizable logo and color to all aspects of a campaign, from promotional products to sales sheets to product packaging, helps create an instantly recognizable image.

5. Develop a message to support the theme.
Supporting a campaign’s theme with a message or slogan helps to solidify a company’s name, service or products in the target audience’s mind. For instance, to promote its services to small businesses, a bank created the theme “Are you tired of being treated like a small fish?” and sent fish-related products to its prospects along with promotional literature.
To read other slogan examples see below.*

6. Select a promotional product that is appropriate for your profession or theme.
A good example is a company that developed a magic motif for its conference at Disney World. Attendees received magic-related products to tie in with the theme “Experience the magic at Disney®.”

7. Don’t pick an item based solely on uniqueness, low price, or “fun” factor.
Some promotional items are really clever and fun — for about five minutes. Then they are put in a drawer and forgotten. The most effective promotional products are useful items that work with a cohesive, well-planned campaign.

8. Call Commander!
Our sales consultants provide the hands-on assistance and expertise necessary to ensure your product selections achieve desired program results.

*Examples of promotional products and clever slogan combinations:

For Employee Appreciation Gifts:
Calculators Thanks for adding to our success.
Can Coolers  Thank you for keeping cool under pressure
Clocks It’s time to thank our best employees.
Metal Key Rings Thank you for playing a key role in our success.
Tote Bags Thank you for carrying more than your fair share.

For Lead Generation & Prospecting:
Calculators No matter how you add it up, we’re worth trying.
Calendars What day can we pencil you in for?
Cookbook We have the recipe for your financial success.
Key Tags We are your key to business success & higher profits.

For Company Anniversary:
Calculators It’s our 25th anniversary! We can’t begin to count all the ways to thank our loyal customers.
Calendars After 15 years, we still work hard each day to earn your patronage.
Caps We’re capping off 10 years of success, thanks to you.
Metal Key Tags You have been the key to our success for 20 years.