the do’s and don’ts of ordering product

Ready to get and stay ahead of your competition? Promotional products have a ton of staying power — up to two years in some cases — and are versatile, but they come with plenty of pitfalls if this is a new marketing strategy for your brand. It’s easy to spend too much, order the wrong quantities, or overlook embarrassing typos with your first promotional product order.

You can put your best foot forward while making the most of your marketing budget when you follow these tips for product ordering.

Do start with a strategy:

The biggest mistake you can make is ordering promotional products without a good plan of what you’ll do with your items. Instead of ordering can coolers “just because,” you need a strategy to get traction for your brand — otherwise, you’re just wasting money.

If you haven’t already, create a buyer persona and a campaign strategy for your promotional products. Instead of ordering swag for the sake of it, think carefully about which products, specifically, will work for you.

Your promotional strategy doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Set aside 30 minutes with your team to brainstorm a few ideas, and you’ll be off to a great start.

Don’t commit to bad design:

If you’re spending hundreds of dollars on water bottles, they need to look good. The last thing you want is to pass out products that look like you hastily designed them in Microsoft Paint.

Good design will make or break your promotional product campaign. Be sure to work with a graphic designer so you include the right balance of text, imagery, and white space. You’ll also need to make sure that your artwork is print-ready. If you aren’t sure about your design, work with a promotional products partner like Boundless to verify that it’s good to go.

Do follow a calendar:

You’re busy worrying about a zillion other things until you realize — with a week to spare — that you need promotional products for your brand activation event. While it’s certainly possible to order products at the last minute, that’s a recipe for mistakes, added fees, and stress.

Instead of waiting until the last minute to order your promotional products, place your order 1-2 months in advance. That might seem excessive, but it gives you time to:

• Choose the best product for your strategy

• Communicate your vision to a designer

• Iterate a few versions of your product design

• Receive a sample of the product before ordering 3,000 units

• Catch misprints or design errors early enough to fix them

Most promotional product companies ask for at least 4-6 weeks to turn around your campaign, so the further in advance you can plan, the better.

Don’t forget your audience:

Maybe you ordered Bluetooth headphones for your conference because you thought they were cool. But is your audience going to think so?

Audience is everything in marketing. Choose promotional products that your audience would actually find valuable. Remember, promotional products aren’t about you; conduct a few paid interviews with your customers to see what they would appreciate and use.

When in doubt, go back to your customer personas to make sure your promotional products tick all the right boxes.

Do take chances

The purpose of promotional products is to make your brand stand out. If you’re passing out generic items, you aren’t making a big impression. These products can still get you results, but in a world where your competitors are trying to one-up your every move, isn’t it time to take a calculated and smart risk?

Order products that delight your customers, and feel free to shake things up! That might mean selecting things like:

• Yoga mats

• Waterproof speakers

• Custom Belt Bags

• Nice beach towels

If your campaign strategy, audience research, and customer personas justify it, try something different to earn more brand buzz. See how Inspire Greatness Aveda Institutes took a chance.

Don’t let a typo slip

Seriously, it’s a real bummer.

There’s nothing worse than ordering 500 stress balls that have your brand name misspelled on the front. Incorrect colors, the wrong logos, and terrible typos can quickly turn your promotional product excitement into an expensive nightmare.

Ask multiple people to review your design and copy before you send it off for printing; fresh eyes are more likely to catch embarrassing slip-ups before it’s too late.

Of course, if you work with a partner like Boundless, we’ll also double-check your design so you can always be assured of putting your best foot forward.