By Mike Thomas
I've spent my life in search of all things that make said life easier. If we were to ever lose access to our Amazon Fresh account, there would undoubtedly be an emergency meeting in our household. We would have to start, *GASP* going to the actual grocery store. Oh, the HORROR! In essence, the whole of human history has been a collective endeavor to make life easier. All of us contribute in our own ways.
I founded Streamline Branding because I saw an opportunity to add value by making it easier for people to import custom merch at scale. Our prime directive is to make it easier for our clients to do their job. In that vein, here are 6 tips to make your promo importing process run smoothly.
If you are reading this, there is a high probability you are involved in the event industry in some way, and you have either experienced or heard horror stories of important event merch not delivering on time. This causes a headache for your team and elicits irritation from the sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees. Remember, the earlier you order, the better pricing you're going to get. Most importantly though, imported products take time to manufacture, ship, clear customs, and deliver. So, start the process early to avoid any last-minute stress. If you remember ANYTHING from this article, it should be this: Always, always, always plan ahead and add plenty of cushion between delivery and show date.
In this industry, trust goes a long way. It is imperative for your supplier to EARN your trust over time. Just because they delivered the first order on time and without defects, doesn't mean they can do the same next year. Now, I'm not saying don't give new suppliers a chance to prove their worth, because if that were the case, we would have never gotten anywhere when our company started. But I'm saying you should be very wary of promises a new supplier makes unless you are convinced they have the skills and competence necessary to handle your orders. You need to be able to reach them at any time, and communication should be consistent and direct to keep you up to date on your orders. They need to be 100% reliable. If anything goes wrong with production or customs clearance, you need to be able to trust them to handle the situation and come up with solutions and not add more work and stress to your plate.
Yes, I know being the intermediary between your sponsor and merch supplier can be a pain. Trying to track down your sponsor to gather the correct files and approve product proofs can be time-consuming and frustrating if they are not very responsive. However, the reality is the files and approvals are needed on hard deadlines. You should clearly communicate the artwork deadlines and emphasize the importance of meeting them to your sponsors. Missed deadlines can cause delays in delivery and, in drastic cases, result in the sponsored product not being ready in time for the show. We often help clients lighten their load by communicating directly with our clients' sponsors, but keep in mind you should have artwork deadlines written into your sponsor contract to help guarantee smooth product sourcing.
As for the correct artwork files, you should always request an .eps or .ai file. These are called "vector" files because they use vector graphics as opposed to raster graphics. Vector graphics use equations to represent lines and shapes, which allows them to be scaled up or down without any pixelation which can cause blurry images. The result is crisp and bold images regardless of size, which is needed for the infinitely various applications in the print industry.
You always want to keep your marketing goals in mind when thinking of new merch projects. The thought, "who am I trying to reach?" should always be in the back of your mind. To increase your chances of return on investment, you want to choose merch that looks good, is useful to your client, and is high enough quality that they KEEP and USE it. Think about it, how many times have you kept a random free hat because you liked the way it felt or looked? How many useful, (sometimes even cute) free totes have you gathered over the years? The list of useful items goes on, but not all demographics are the same. What might go over well at a beauty and spa expo, wouldn't necessarily be a hit at a construction tradeshow, which would probably have a different demo than a neuroscientist conference. You want to make it a point to know your attendees well so you can easily point out that no-brainer promo that will help engage and excite your audience about your brand. What's their age, sex, race, region of residence, etc.? What are they into and what are they not (arguably, just as important) into? Once you map out these characteristics, you will be able to easily choose the perfect promos to match your audience.
The biggest trend in promotional items of the last few years has undoubtedly been eco-friendly promos. Consumers are more likely to choose products that are sustainably made now more than ever. This is even more pronounced when looking at Millennials and Generation Z, with nearly 80% of each saying they’d be willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable items. That means you should consider recycled, upcycled and biodegradable products whenever possible. Now, you might be saying, “Hey Mike, I thought you just said to match your merch to your show’s demographics, and I don’t think my shows attendees will give a rat’s booty if their tote bags are recycled.” To that I would say when you look at the bigger picture, choosing sustainable products can enhance a company's brand image and reputation, especially among younger consumers. Would your sponsors like that?
Every holiday my family does a trivia contest about that holiday. The prices are usually inexpensive, compliments of the $0.99 cent store. But we don’t really play for the prizes, we play for the competition and bragging rights. It’s a fun activity we look forward to every family gathering. Using interactive campaigns takes your promo marketing to the next level by getting people involved in friendly competition. That really gets people interested. Now that your custom swag is hot off the press, you need to figure out how to distribute it to your target audience. One of the best ways to generate excitement for your brand is to conduct a giveaway contest. For example, try holding a trivia contest about your industry or organization and gift winners with a stainless water bottle. Another idea is to encourage show attendees to take photos of themselves using your show bag and share them on social media using a specific hashtag. Or you could create a scavenger hunt where attendees must find hidden objects or clues and offer merch as prizes to all attendees who finish the challenge. Interactive ways of distributing your promotional merch generate excitement and bring the audience together to socialize with your brand being the unifying element.
I hope you can use these tips to power your next promo campaign. If you’re ready to source the perfect promos for your next event reach out to Streamline Branding, we’ve been delivering for clients for 16 years and we'll make sure your event is a huge success. Thanks for reading, take care!