In this article we're going to explore the best way to source custom merchandise and custom promotional products that can be used for any purpose, such as corporate gifts (both onboarding and for existing hires) to drive brand awareness, support the occasional marketing campaign or simply delight your target audience and leave a lasting impression.
To do so, we'll focus on three main areas when it comes to what our customers say is important in sourcing the perfect promotional products -
When sourcing Printing and Promotional products for your marketing needs it pays to search for companies in Australia to do so. The most common thing we hear about a local supplier is that having them in market they often come to the table with a vast array of great ideas and are super helpful in creating effective promotion campaigns to help drive companies brands forward in ways that are relevant to the market. These deep and meaningful engagements are often entered around personalised service throughout the entire process to deliver market trends relevant to Australia which will help companies create brand awareness across many fronts be it through marketing, clients, social media presence or giving out an excellent quality corporate gift.
Suppliers in Australia also have no hidden extras with transparent prices, a locally managed website, contact us page with real people in-market to talk to that can deliver excellent service and delivery with the latest news and ideas in the promotional products and branded merchandise space Australia wide.
Having the capacity to also deliver pre-packaged solutions to anyone, anywhere across Australia (and New Zealand) is a huge advantage as it also means your promotional merchandise can go direct from their warehouse to your recipients address whether that's a home or office. This in-turn means you no longer need to pack goods yourself, or have them waste space in the office. Instead, they're being put in the hands of people where they'll have the greatest impact.
These local Australian insights and ideas are explored below around the market trends that we see most often delivering the greatest impact for our customers on a wide ranging set of uses. Consider it as our gift, to you!
When searching for the right promotional gifts and corporate merchandise the most important thing to remember is that these promotional items are connected to your company.
Often when considering promotional products companies are seeking the most competitive prices or exclusive deals but it must always be remembered that any promotional merchandise is carrying your logo and representing your company. Almost all of our customers have marketing departments which spend hundreds of thousands of dollars (sometimes millions) on creating brands that resonate with people and represent far more than just a logo and in consideration of that any promotional items that carry that logo must be high quality to leave a desirable lasting impression.
The good news though is that promotional materials - be they promotional clothing, branded merchandise, corporate gifts or any branded items for that matter come in a huge range of featured categories and varying levels of quality to satisfy any customers unique requirements and uses.
When considering what that unique brand experience is that you want to deliver looks like, its important to consider the audience you're trying to engage with for various results, below are some of the most common we see come across our desk -
Employee salaries are typically the most expensive line item on any balance sheet, therefore price sensitivity shouldn't necessarily be as much of a consideration when it comes to giving gifts to those that work for you.
The focus should instead be on good quality branded gift such as corporate clothing and personalised merchandise that help employees engage with your brand and foster a desirable environment to work in (more on this below).
Putting a range of physical promo products in the hands of your customers is the prefect way to complement marketing in their efforts to create demand and drive brand awareness. Peoples inboxes are awash with weekly EDM's and competitive messages around who's brand is doing what differently - be different and use promotional marketing to create differentiation by putting promotional material and branded products in peoples hands with you logo on them to help turn prospects into clients and talk directly to your target audience.
Many companies are now using this strategy to engage with their customers differently and it has been recently proven to be one of the most effective conversation starters for companies.
Despite the fact that the last two years have put a halt on all in-person events they're coming in hot for 2022 and this is where price sensitivity can feed into business decisions because theres less sensitivity to a promotional product when you're handing them out en mass.
Our customers here are typically after the best prices on simpler goods such as pens, notebooks, chargers, phone wallets and more basic promotional items - These promotional products all carry a brand message get people talking, plus it gives them something to go home with and who doesn't love free stuff!?!
The biggest kicker here though is just making sure that there is some degree of quality control and ensuring that their brand relevance - the closer aligned you can have the goods you're giving away to your companies key mission and objectives, the more memorable the experience will be.
The often untapped realm of corporate branding can sit on the backs of every single one of your employees - promotional clothing. Having your employees evangelise your brand through promotional clothing has seen to be a huge success for many of our clients as their business has benefited from additional exposure while also having the added benefit of being associated with promotional gifts for your staff. Win win!
Nothing looks more professional on zoom or in person than this, especially a high quality polo or business shirt. Corporate clothing is fast becoming one of the most tangible assets you can give to your staff and in turn has them giving back to your company 10 x over with the brand recognition.
Also note - this also helps at tax time when laundry expenses on 'uniforms' is tax deductible. There is literally no downside to this one!
Staff retention and company culture go hand in hand and are currently the two hottest topics going around. With so many organisations struggling to find staff it has never been more important to retain those that you already and in doing so - foster an environment and company culture that makes your business desirable to work for and a pleasant place to work. The benefits of doing so are astronomical as your best endorsement can often be your staff and leveraging their own personal networks through the power of social media.
Who hasn't recently logged onto LinkedIn to see countless photographs of company swag that has arrived at someones door for a multitude of reasons - a new hires first day, Friday drinks with the team, culture days, CSR days and the holiday season. Its a great way to show people they're valued, build cultural momentum and create a deeper sense of engagement and recognition.
Using promotional products and corporate merchandise to help staff evangelise this message is gathering momentum and one way some of the best brands in Australia are using self promotion to find staff Australia wide. By giving staff branded gifts and quality products they are often using these in a range of ways to post on social media and evangelise their employer and tell people about the desirability of the company they work for.
Surveys completed have said that employees who feel connected to the brand they work for a 87% less likely to leave a company and more than 63% would be willing to recommend a company to a friend or connection. To keep reading, we wrote another blog about it here.
So if we were to summarise this article the key takeaways would be as follows -when searching for a promotional product look for Australian suppliers with a broad range of promotional products. In addition to this, having someone you can contact by phone to help with the delivery of a unique tailored experience that is relevant to the market is truly priceless.
Secondly, to help satisfy your clients or recipients it is also important that the delivery of any promotional item can be sent anywhere Australia Wide - be it office based or the home address of each individual recipient (and sometimes with express delivery to boot)!
Finally, should you wish to discuss this further, feel free to contact us or visit our Build a Pack page to see the range as we deliver to all major areas and have teams in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide to walk you through our wide range of Australian best, custom promotional products at competitive prices for all occasions.
Done right, corporate gift giving is a fun, memorable experience for all involved, its relatively cost effective, you can calculate the ROI and it can only have a positive impact on your organisation - both organic and targeted.
