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Guest post by: Tina Nies Become an Author

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You know all those gizmos, gadgets, and pens, i.e. “promotional products,” you’re bombarded with advertisements for at your business? Maybe you’ve been tempted to order 1000 cheap pens just to have your name on something? Maybe you gave in to temptation and you now have a box full of stuff sitting in the closet right now.

Promotional products can be a great marketing tool… if you have a plan.

Consider these questions:

· Is it in your marketing budget?

· What type of promotional products would your ideal client be likely to use?

· How will you get your promotional product into the hands of your ideal clients?

· Is there an upcoming event where your ideal clients will be that you can order themed products to tie into the event?

The most important thing to consider is your ideal client. It’s something we forget in our eagerness to try something new! We think we should do everything and anything we can afford to try to get our name out there and hopefully get some new business.

The problem with a haphazard approach to promotional products or any other marketing effort is the lack of focus or a goal. And without a plan, the effort often becomes a disappointment and waste of money.

Example: if you are an accountant specializing in small business accounting, then you might find your ideal clients at chambers of commerce who often have networking events, business to business expos, etc. Your ideal clients probably don’t need another pen or mug, but maybe they could use a zippered pouch to keep in their briefcase to organize receipts or a folder to keep important papers in. The pouch will obviously cost more than a pen, but if you order less and get them in the hands of your ideal clients, you’ll get more value for your dollar!

So what do you do if you already have a box of stuff collecting dust? Well, where do your ideal clients gather? Do you belong to an business association, club, or networking group? Is there a non profit or school (are parents in your target market) that could use your items?

Get creative and get those items out there! They certainly can’t help you grow your business sitting on the shelf.

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