What exactly is brand merchandising – a big name, I suppose, but it’s not. Merchandising is the use of promotional materials like flyers, banners, t-shirts, pens, cups, etc. to promote your product or service to people.
Before we had the digital boom that we see today, there was the distribution of fliers at marketplaces, t-shirts, and the likes for people to promote our products but today it has been a mix for most businesses.
Merchandising is cheaper than a lot of other promotional channels, and its reach offers relationship building and lead generation.
A small lawn business owner in the United States was looking for a way to thank its clients for patronizing them. They decided to use promotional materials, so they got thank you cards to clients who owned dogs and used their lawn services.
The “thank you cards contained dog biscuits” and customers when cyber crazy over it and visited their website, which also resulted in them getting noticed by a top listing company.
The results were phenomenal as sales jumped over the roof. So yes, branded mechanising still works and those who know how to combine them become winners.
Advantages of Promotional Materials
As we attempt to understand brand merchandising, let’s look at the benefits of promotional materials.
Lead generation: When customers are given promotional materials, they are most likely to give them to other people. Thus, introducing it to some folks who haven’t considered your product to do so. They may even go as far as ask for contact details.
Builds trust: Well-printed brochures and product catalogs can prove as a trusted source of services. This is because customers feel and know you can deliver on your brand promises. With this, you assist your salespeople to close more deals in client meetings.
Build relationships: A lot of research as shown that people who use company promotional materials still go back to the salespeople who gave them as gifts.
Low cost: For a person on a small budget; it is cheap to use as it can cost as low as N1000 to get flyers for your business. The higher the quantity, the cheaper it would be to print.
Types of promotional materials you can use
- T-shirt
- Power bank.
- Drinkables like mugs and cups
- Pens.
- Leaflets and brochures etc.
How to mix Merchandizing
- Select the right merchandise or promotional material – A power bank might be a good recommendation of a gift for customers if you run a telecom business. Select a promotional material that meets and aligns with your company. e.g. we see Coca-Cola give out outdoor advertising display boards for some of its customers as we see at various kiosks.
- Reusable merchandise is one of the best things you can have in your archive; people get to see your products all the time.
- Go for good print companies like Printivo, the quick print shop, etc. for good quality prints.
- Look for how to add your online concept to your offline promotional materials—for example, adding QR codes that containts your website link.
Taking a tactical approach to promotional materials
Big organizations still use promotional materials despite how popular they are. I have seen customers and even staff of several organizations speak on how unhappy they are about not receiving promotional gifts given by their organization.
Brand merchandising is still relevant, and people are sentimental towards it. That is why firstly, you need to know where to promote and use these items, the first place to start is trade fairs.
Search and look out for industry meetings such as trade fairs. Get enough merchandise as people are always moving around such fairs and your best bet are T-shirts, flyers, and a branded booth if you can afford it.
The second is to share brand materials with prospective clients and people who show interest in your business. Branded materials help you seal the deal and create lasting relationships with your prospects. As such, you never have to remind them of your name. Your promotional materials do the job.
The outcome will be determined by the budget set aside for marketing and the exact promotional tools you wish to implement. It even goes as far as deciding to go online or having a healthy mix of both.
Suppose I were planning to operate in business hotspots and looking for a local penetration strategy. I would most likely add these to my penetration strategy.
The number one success metric for most fast-moving products is its distribution. If your products fall in this category, then it can become a hit among its peers from adoption to growth stage.
Business owners in the soap or liquid detergent industry, baking, and similar entrepreneurs can take advantage of branded materials. Examples such as labels and packaging with logos strapped on them are used as reminders to people who patronize.
Christmas is around the corner, and people have started preparing for end of the year “thank you” gift to their customers. As we move closer, it is also is predicted to be stormy.
An investment in umbrellas won’t be a bad idea to give your most valued customers, or even key holders with a small note can make a difference.
Some markets in Nigeria such as the popular Shomolu hub in Lagos houses anything custom printables. You can get them in-person at affordable prices and in volume instead of using third party print organizations. These companies might charge you a higher price for printing and designs. In the end, brand merchandising isn’t as costly as most people think.