Promotional Items – 4 Questions to Ask Before You Buy

I’ve got a junk drawer full of pens, notepads and portfolios with names of bankers, accountants, printers and others. I can remember collecting some of the logo laden swag from networking events, but to be honest - I have vague recollection of many of the gilded printed names. So, why do so many devote a significant portion of their public relations/marketing budgets to chotchkies?

A couple of reasons come to mind quickly – there’s a sense of pride when you see your name or logo on something, it’s fun to give things away and hey - everybody else does it. But will a multicolored mug really help you further your public relations goals or just end up holding coffee for someone who is not your target demographic? My suspicion is the latter. I’m not anti promotional products, but I encourage clients to use them wisely.

Consider the following:

- How are they going to be used? (If you’re headed to a trade show – you had better have something more sophisticated than a notepad to get people talking.)

- How do you intend on delivering them?

- What’s the purpose?

- How will it help you further your public relations/marketing goals?

So what's worth your money? An informal survey amongst the savvy JBPR Facebook Fans unveiled an affinity for useful promotional items such as hand sanitizer, chap stick and stress balls.

Share your favorite items in the comments section below.