Do you think promo items are silly? Think again!

Promotion items are not necessarily items that you throw away once you leave the trade show; they are items that publicize your company. Most promo items are stored in desks, put in pen holders, placed in staff rooms, or used in some manner. Be particular in what you choose for your promo item, make sure it connects with what you provide for the client.

Pens are wildly popular but if you have high end clients, then the pen should be a high end one with your logo tastefully engraved. After all, you want the client to use it in front of other clients. The best way to choose a promo item is to look at what the typical items they use on a regular basis may be. If you cannot think of anything, then choosing something for the general populace may be the best way to spend your money.

In my business, I choose to give books. Of course the books I give have been written or co-written by me as the expert. It does not have to be a book; it may be a white paper on something that may concern your “best client”. Flaunt your expertise with this type of promo item and follow it up with a gadget such as a bookmark, ruler, post-it notes or the like. What ever you choose make it so it is usable.

For consultants, you want to maintain a level of professionalism so choose wisely. Here are some tips on making that perfect selection:

• Determine the level of the individual with whom you will be interacting. A CEO promotional item may be far different from the Purchasing Agent or the Receptionist.
• Research the company to find any special dates that are important to the organization or to the contact. This includes anniversaries, birthdays, and so on. Then choose a promotional item that fits but be discrete with the logo, perhaps it should just be on the card that goes with this type of item.
• If you will be at a trade show have several items available. One for the general attendee to pick up and put in their bag with no questions asked and other items that you keep behind the table for those that make an appointment or buy from you.
• Thank you gifts for doing business with the client and another thank you gift to the referrer (if there was one) is important. Make sure you pick something that will be used and have your logo on it.
• Marketing items that can be easily enclosed in an envelope when you are soliciting new business. These items should be small but appreciated.

Do not choose something just because it is inexpensive. Promo items are like business cards, the cheaper they look and feel, the cheaper and more unprofessional you appear. This does not mean buying the most expensive items, it means spend your money wisely and getting the biggest recognition for your dollars.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprints for Success - Networking: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprints for Success Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2006. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com.

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