While corporate gifts and promotional items are both used as marketing tools they do so in very different ways. Both these methods have been implemented by companies large and small as a more cost-effective marketing alternative. In our tougher economic times businesses are having to cut their marketing budgets and thereby become more innovative and creative in their marketing campaigns. Promotional and corporate gifts serve a good purpose for any business but in order to implement them effectively, you need to clearly understand the differences between them.
The Purpose of Corporate Gifts
Corporate gifts used to be carried out by larger, more successful companies but the idea has filtered down to smaller businesses where it has become no less effective. Businesses in general are realizing the importance of nurturing certain working relationships that are very valuable to the business whether these are employees, clients, business associates or suppliers. One way in which these relationships can be strengthened is through corporate gifts. Corporate gifts aim to convey appreciation and thanks to such recipients thereby uplifting the company profile.
These corporate gifts can also be turned into promotional gifts as well but the target market is vastly different compared to promotional items. When corporate gifts include branding to encourage company awareness the individuals who will likely come into contact with it will be of the same caliber as the recipient. For these reasons, corporate gifts need to have a certain value attached to them and be made of quality. A cheap corporate gift will simply not be effective. Corporate gifts are also a wonderful way to improve staff morale and encourage them to become motivated and passionate about the brand they represent.
The Aim of Promotional Gifts
Promotional gifts reach a much wider audience and are targeted towards customers and consumers instead in order to increase brand awareness and promote customer loyalty. Many companies implement promotional items as a way to simply make consumers more aware of what their business is all about in the hopes of increasing their customer base. Other companies will use promotional items as a way to market a specific range or product.
Promotional items have the potential to act as ongoing adverts, which is why the item itself needs to be the right choice. Typically promotional items are bought in bulk such as pens, caps, t-shirts, bags etc because they are cost-effective. It is important that promotional items are practical and that recipients can use it on a daily basis. The more promotional items are exposed to a variety of different people, the better the chances are of some taking note. For this reason pens have become a popular choice; they can be bought cheaply, are small and have high practical value.
As can be seen here, corporate gifts and promotional items serve two different purposes both with equal value. If you are considering utilizing these marketing tools be sure to think carefully about what it is you want to achieve. Are you looking to widen your customer base, or do you want to boost staff morale and strengthen current working relationships? The more you think through, plan and strategize what it is you want to achieve, the more these marketing tools can be of benefit to you and your company.
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