In the ongoing fight to acquire and retain clients in your finance-related business or industry, there is a constant need to find ways to stand apart from the competition. And while your marketing team may have taken steps to hone your USP (unique sales proposition) and ensure it is communicated in all of your marketing materials, there is also a lot to be said about finance promotional items.
These are going to be products or items that you pass out to clients at every level, or potential clients, as a means of forwarding your marketing message, gaining visibility, and retaining or acquiring clients. The pen and notepad that goes with the binder of information about a product or service, for example, is a good example of commonly used finance promotional items.
Yet, those sorts of promotional items for finance professionals or firms may not have the “legs” or effectiveness you desire. After all, rarely is your marketing most effective when delivered to an audience of one. And even if that is an acceptable outcome, you may not be getting the ROI (return on investment) you should by handing out those finance promotional items.
Evaluating the total costs for those pens and notepads with your logo and contact information, as a prime example, may show that you paid out more to purchase the entire lot than you received in return from new or repeat business.
How to Avoid Waste When Choosing Finance Promotional Items
First things first, when it is time to sit down and select promotional items for finance professionals or firms, it is crucial that you recognize the things “everyone else” (i.e. the competition) hands out. Why add more to the level of competition by giving out a different variation on the same theme? Instead, we suggest you do the following steps:
- Evaluate the goal or mission of the business
- Be clear on the function of the promotion you are conducting
- Choose promotional items for finance professionals or firms that align with both of the factors above
- Be sure that any finance promotional items will get in front of more than an audience of one
Let’s start with that first point: the mission of the business. A finance-related firm is looking to do more than just one thing. Banks and investment consultants are entirely different entities, financial planners and fundraisers are also unique. The promotional items you choose need to reflect your uniqueness as well as any USP (unique sales proposition) you have identified.
Only when you are clear on this can you be sure that the product(s) work well, and can then align with the individual goal of the promotion. For example, your mission might be to help consumers overcome debt, and so your promotional items must be effective in supporting this. Then, the individual promotion, such as acquiring new clients in need of help with debt, has to match the item. Finally, you need to be sure that by using it, your client or potential client, will help you by allowing others to see the item.
It can be tricky business finding the right, most competitive, and most visible promotional items for finance professionals or firms, but when you put in that little bit of work, the payoffs can be huge!
For promotional products ideas for the Finance industry, click here
