Ordering promotional products seems easy. Many people are surprised to know that there’s more to it than just picking a product, choosing your logo and approving the order. Here are three common mistakes you might make when ordering promotional products and how you can avoid them.
1) Including everything (plus the kitchen sink!) on your promotional product.
A promotional product isn’t meant to replace a website, business card and brochure. They are meant to enhance your already existing marketing materials. If there is too much information, the quality of the imprint will more than likely be poor. It might sound like a good idea; but in the end you will be disappointed in the result if you include too much. How do you avoid this mistake? Be realistic about your strategy and goals. How is this product going to help you meet your end result? It’s also important to think about the size of the item you order. A tote bag will have a much larger imprint area than a coffee mug – so you may be able to include a little more information (as long as you keep it clean and simple).
2) Waiting until the last minute to order.
We all understand that we get distracted, underestimate our timelines or drop the ball. But waiting too long to order a promotional product is on of the most costly (and common) mistakes. If you wait to long, you risk not getting the items you wanted as well as not getting them on time. You’ll also have to pay more in the long run with expedited shipping costs and rush order fees. How do you avoid this? Anticipate your upcoming events by adding them to your calendar and mapping out your promotional item purchases. Give yourself time to choose the products, approve the design as well as production and delivery.
3) Not ordering enough.
Sometimes, it is in your budget’s best interest to order the minimum amount of promotional products you can. But in most cases, that quantity is not enough. And soon you are reordering items over and over again. In most cases, if you order a larger quantity at the beginning you’ll notice the price per piece is less expensive. So to avoid this mistake, make promotional products part of your annual budget instead of thinking of them as an extra cost.