It’s no mystery why more and more businesses are turning to social media to help bolster their marketing campaigns. The right efforts on social media can lead to major increases in web traffic, brand recognition and communication with target audiences. However, one thing that many marketers don’t realize is that there is another component of their promotional campaign that can be combined with social media in order to redouble those efforts, as well as the results they render. That component is promotional products.
On their own, promotional products and social media provide cost effective methods for reaching new customers and prospects, exposing your brand to newer and larger audiences and driving new business. On the other hand, when they are made to work together, they can achieve all of these things twofold.
Here are some ways promotional products can enhance your social media campaign.
Encourages Sharing and Increase Followers
When you post new information on social media, your main goal is to capture attention and compel users to share said information with others. Some businesses find that to be a little easier said than done, especially if their particular industry isn’t exactly an exciting one. This is where promotional products can help change your game. Sharing a post, liking a page or even providing a name and email address translates as a very small price to pay in exchange for a free gift, and users will pay it. Moreover they will encourage others to do the same. If one Facebook user can score a free T-shirt for subscribing to a page or signing up for an email newsletter, chances are he or she will encourage friends to take advantage of the same sweet deal.
Shows Appreciation to Loyal Customers
You may already use your promotional products as rewards for active and loyal customers but you can utilize your social media platforms to do so in an environment where it’s much easier for them to share the happy experience that this action creates. Keeping your customers happy will make them more likely to advocate for your brand, especially on social media. Employ promotional products as thank yous for new and established followers and especially for those who share positive feedback about your business. Show them you are genuinely grateful for their business and support, and they will reciprocate.
Develops Word of Mouth Marketing
You want your audience members to start talking about your brand, and sometimes that will take a little bit more than just your superior products or services. A well thought out promotional gift that is useful or trending in popular culture can you help you start the conversations about your brand that make up the word of mouth marketing businesses yearn for.
Are you ready to get started with your new and improved social media campaign? Here are some simple methods you can lead with to start building your social media presence as soon as possible.
- Offer Facebook and Twitter users a simple giveaway for liking your page or following your feed when they provide you with their email and mailing address. If you have a physical location you can also use your platform to encourage people to stop in and pick up their free gift in exchange for their information.
- Encourage people to post or send you pictures of them using your promotional products, so you can share them. This will encourage participation and also help validate your giveaway campaign with any possible skeptics. I recall a travel agency that gave promotional rubber duckies with the agency name and a hashtag printed on them to everyone who booked a trip. Travelers then shared a picture of their rubber ducky in various vacation spots with the hashtag attached. I think we can all safely assume that the success of this campaign was well worth the cost of the custom printed rubber duckies.
- Print your products with QR codes, twitter handles or hashtags to help create a buzz and direct users to your website or various social channels. Going back to the example of the traveling rubber duckies, having the hashtag printed directly on the product made it much easier for users to comply with the travel agency’s request to share pictures.
- Use budget-friendly giveaways for simple campaigns for shares and followers and think about crafting some big ticket promos for social media sweepstakes competitions or users with the largest number of shares, retweets or tags. This will help keep new campaigns fresh and exciting.
Promotional products have the ability to create opportunities with your customers and prospects that are completely unique from other forms of marketing and advertising. If your social media campaign is waning, they could provide just the extra jolt required to bring it back to life.
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Kimberly Erskine is an experienced SEO and Social Media Marketer that enjoys sharing her skills and expertise with others. She also enjoys writing and blogging and is currently in the process of writing a memoir about her experience as a recent cochlear implant recipient.
