Promotional Products and Timing

Whether you are working on a small marketing campaign with promotional products in Decatur, AL or a large one in New York, New York, there are similar elements for each campaign. You need the right product, at the right place, in front of the right people, at the right time.  If one of those elements is off, then the marketing campaign or sales launch is a complete wash.  And even then, sometimes the audience you are targeting is just not feeling it that day.  We can only control circumstances so much after all.   However, what we can control is timing.

Timing is a huge key element when it comes to promotional and marketing ventures. Even business research publications admit that “The absence of promotional support and/or wrong timing of the promotions may lead to a failure of product diffusion.”

When no one has ever launched a promotional event before or has never done it on a massive scale, it can get a little intimidating. Especially if the person handling the event is not familiar with the basic timing of a campaign. So, let’s figure out a few ways you can use or reference timing to your advantage.

Mine the Data

For starters, if you want to a good outcome for the lifecycle of your promotional product, or event, the best that you can do is use a baseline to figure out when and where you had the best results.

Usually, this data would come in the form of trending information that is relevant to your situation.  An example could be the number of times people visited your booth and signed up for information at an event. Another one is the number of people that purchased a similar promotional product. It could be your own data that is on record from previous events, or it can just be data that is open to the public.

The important thing to do with it is to ask questions and establish a pattern. When was that similar product purchased from your store? What time of day did people visit your table at the last event?  What made it appeal to people then?

Once you found the answers to your line of questioning, you might be able to get a better understanding of the right pattern to establish for your promotional product timing.

Plan Ahead for Product Creation, Design Touchups and Delivery

You can’t control the weather, that much is true of anyone. However, that does not mean that you need to never have an umbrella in your car in case of rainfall either. That is the sort of planning ahead that is more likely to tip the scales toward favorable results. The more time you have to prepare, the less frantic things can become.

According to Panda Promotions, “When developing your annual marketing plan, factor in special events such as trade shows, conferences, etc. to allow time for promotional materials to be ordered and delivered. You should typically allow 4-6 weeks for your items to arrive.”

Adjust your Timing and Resources According to Scale

After you determined the pattern and set the date for an event or multiple events, the next thing to think about when it comes to timing is how much you need to plan ahead.   The amount of resources and planning ahead differs from event to event. After all, you wouldn’t expect the same amount of resources dedicated to the launch of the latest Marvel movie to be given to a local church softball team or visa-versa.  And it isn’t just about cost either.  It is about the size of your expected audience.

If you don’t need a lot, you don’t need to make a lot. If an event has less than 100 people and it is a one-time thing, you don’t need to spend a lot on merchandising. You might be able to get away with greater customization and detail, especially if the budget is a non-issue. If you are attending a major event with thousands of attendees, you might want to plan out farther in your strategy and use promotional products that lean toward the universal side of things.

Giveaway Strategy

The same promotional company had this to say about promotional timing, “Start promoting giveaway items prior to the event. Trade shows and conferences typically have a reception the night prior to the event. This is a great opportunity for you to start building relationships with attendees.  Start handing out promotional items in an effort to draw people to your booth. This way, they will already have developed a relationship with you and your brand, making the next steps in the selling process a little more comfortable.”

Timing is everything, planning your strategy around it is enough to give you the advantage you need. Use your time wisely.

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