The biggest advantage that promotional products have over other advertising media is that the recipient usually keeps the item, giving the advertiser repeat exposure at no extra cost. You want to make sure you buy a quality promotional item they will use over and over and not fall apart or stop working. Here are some mistakes you don’t want to make when choosing promotional items:

Don’t Buy “Throwaways” If you buy something that your target market won’t use over and over again, you’re wasting your money.  Choose something that has some value to your prospect. If you choose the right product, your return on investment will go way up and be far more effective. Items people use everyday have the largest return.

Don’t Forget To Qualify Your Recipients Market your item towards the decision makers who may use your product or service. Don’t just set out your items for anyone to pick up, hand them out to qualified leads you have a conversation with. Use your time wisely and don’t waste your promotional products on those who just want “free stuff”. This way you can spend your money on fewer quality items that you know will produce a return.

Don’t Buy Items Based on Price Everyone is watching their pocketbooks right now, but when you look for “cheap stuff” you find cheap stuff. Look at your budget and buy the best promotional item you can buy for that amount. Your prospects can’t use the item over and over again if they fall apart or don’t work because they are cheap.

Order in Plenty of Time for Your Event Lower your price by ordering in plenty of time and eliminating extra shipping and production charges. When you need something done fast because you put it off or forgot to order on time, you rack up more charges. Put the date you need to order on your calendar so you don’t forget!