Commercial merchandising can be a great way to promote your brand. By taking advantage of common space where you usually wouldn’t expect to see an ad, it allows you to remind customers of your brand throughout the day.
Think of it this way- you’ll see a billboard once on your commute to work. You’ll be looking at your mug all day.
But it’s not all fun and games. Customised merchandise can make your business or do absolutely nothing for it. Just make sure you avoid these four mistakes, and you’ll be on your way to a five-star merchandising campaign.
1- Not Having a Plan
Happy day! You’ve just received four hundred branded mugs and stubby coolers at the front door of your office or workspace. You bust them open and check them out- they’re pristine- just what you ordered.
So how do you get them out there?
Without a good plan for actually selling or distributing your customised merchandise, you might end up stuck with a bunch of useless trinkets you can’t seem to get off your hands. To avoid this, have a plan for who you’re going to distribute it to and how. Every detail matters.
2- Making Run-of-the-Mill Merchandise
Customised merchandise can serve as a great way to draw attention to your business. Or, it can serve as a great way to throw all your hard-earned money in the trash. Branded items like flimsy bags and drawstring bags might seem cool, but everyone does them, and they don’t have much practical use.
Plus, why would anyone exchange their paid-for purse or backpack for a shoddy, likely-to-break bag with a tiny logo on it? Invest in some artwork. Pick a good colour scheme. Make it visually appealing so people will actually want to be seen with it.
3- Inappropriate for your Target Audience
While stubby coolers and flat-billed caps may be cool, they might not work if you’re looking to market to a church group.
Knowing your audience and what will be useful to them is the first and most essential step in determining how to set up your commercial merchandising campaign.
Marketing to college students and football fans? Go for the stubby coolers. Office workers and working joes? The mugs might get you a little more exposure. Just think- where would my targeted audience be using this product, and how many people would see it? The name of the game is exposure.
4- Design Errors
Make sure to look your selected designs and messages up and down for any possible errors. It may seem small, but receiving a bunch of mugs with typos on them could put you back to square one.
Not to mention- the design might be too big for your merchandise. The colours also might not go well on it, may be almost invisible, or may even not show up at all. Make sure your designs are noticeable and free from any typos or errors that might throw off your message.