For some people, promotional products mean slapping their company logo onto an item and calling it a day. For others, they use both design and creative messaging to better promote their brand. While both strategies are an effective way to spread brand awareness, the latter can help take your marketing and sales to the next level. If you’re looking to build a strong corporate identity, you have to be creative with how you promote your company.

Brand awareness is crucial to a company’s overall growth. It’s what drives sales and attracts loyal customers. In today’s world, most marketers use automation technology to get their products/services in front of their customers. But that doesn’t mean you should completely neglect the effectiveness of promotional products.

Promotional products are a reflection of your company’s culture and it goes beyond just a name and a logo. You have to make your brand stand out from the rest of the competition and spark plenty of interest from your target market. Today we’ll be discussing how to add creative messaging on promotional products to build a stronger brand image.

Use slogans and taglines

Slogans and taglines are an essential part of any company. These help make your brand more recognisable and leaves a lasting impression on your target market, especially if the phrase is fun or catchy. A good slogan can instantly create brand recognition which is why you should include it in your promotional items. Consider creating slogans and taglines that reinforce key aspects of your brand image.

Try to keep things short and sweet. No one is likely to remember a tagline that’s outrageously long. Slogans and taglines allow people to make lighthearted associations with your brand so keep it light and interesting.

Make your core values known

Simon Sinek, a British-American author, famously said, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This rings true for all businesses, whether it be big or small. Customers are much more likely to buy into what you’re selling when they understand your purpose. If they feel a sense of connection with a particular brand, it helps foster customer trust and loyalty.

And what better way to showcase your brand’s purpose than putting your core values on promotional products? Putting your culture code out there allows customers to know where you’re coming from as a company. These items help you connect much easier with your customers and employees by showcasing your company’s why. You can use promotional products with your core values on display to better gain the trust and loyalty of your target audience.

Event-specific messages

Events like seminars and conferences are a great opportunity to further expand your brand’s reach. You can take advantage of this opportunity by adding event-specific messages to your promotional products. These items will serve as souvenirs while also helping the recipients associate your brand with the event. Promotional merchandise with one-time messaging gives off a more exclusive feel and helps attendees remember both your brand and the event for years to come. 

You can sprinkle a bit of humour here and there with tongue-in-cheek messaging. You don’t have to put yourself in the box all the time with the message your company uses. People will associate your brand with fun and excitement when you create promotional products that are a bit entertaining and comical. They’ll absolutely love showing off their witty, cool, and funny merchandise.

Tips on adding creative messaging on promotional products

Loving the whole creative messaging idea? So do we! If you’re thinking of adding creative messaging to your next promotional item, here are a couple of tips to follow:

• Less is more. Make sure the text is simple and easy to read. Avoid using fancy fonts and outlandish colours. The cleaner your design, the easier it’ll be to understand. Be creative with the message, but keep the aesthetic simple.
• Consider your target audience. Who will be receiving the promotional merchandise? Employees? Customers? Prospects? Getting to know the intended recipient will go a long way towards creating messages that resonate with your target audience.
• Promote what your brand is best at. You can fortify your brand’s image by consistently promoting where you excel the most. Hammer that home in your team’s marketing and you’ll see continuous growth in your brand’s outreach.
• Play to the emotions. Creative messaging that connects a customer to a brand is what drives brand growth. How do you achieve this? By establishing your core values through promotional products.

When it comes to promotional products, you aren’t limited to just your brand name and logo. These items can be imprinted with messages that can spark plenty of interest. The goal of promotional merchandise is to build brand awareness and you can take it to the next level with creative messaging.

From corporate wear to mugs and pens, it’s important to align the message with the product you’re using. Take note of how much space you’ll have on each type of product so that your creative message fits. You can also use a specific message for each promotional item you’re using. This adds another layer of creativity that’ll make potential customers take notice.
By adding creative messages, you can appeal to your target audience on a more personal level. These tips will help you establish a strong brand identity with the use of promotional merchandise.