We’re entering the gifting season. Business gifts serve multiple purposes. Of course they are one way to say “thank you” to customers and clients. But they are also a useful branding tool. In this newsletter, we don’t spend much time talking about the 850,000 products available on our website. We’d rather have you think first about how they might fit into your marketing plans, and how promotional products fit into the larger world of advertising.

As promotional consultants, we design programs that get results, while saving time and money in the process. You have a story to tell. You could tell it on the radio or TV, but how much better is an advertising medium that continues to tell the story after the storyteller has left the room? We've written before about the 5 reasons promotional products work.

Before you begin thinking about buying a promotional product, put some thought into the answers to these questions:

• What does your company do?
• What makes you unique?
• What is your brand about?
• If your project is internal, describe your company culture.
• Who are your clients and what do you want them to focus on?
• What is the purpose of giving out a promotional product?
• How will you give out that product?
• What are you trying to achieve by handing out that promotional product?
• Are people going to be traveling with this gift?
• Will people at different job levels be receiving this gift?
• Will you need different gifts for different levels of relationship?
• What are your motivations for proceeding?
• How will success be measured?

Yes, that was a lot of questions! But that’s why we emphasize case studies in this monthly newsletter. When you consider how other companies have answered these kinds of question, it can set you on the path to doing the same. That's when your advertising becomes really effective. And of course, we’re here to help.