I’m kind of bummed today. While out for our hike, my family used two of my favorite promotional items, and it got me thinking about the conversations I’ve had with other professionals in my industry over the past weeks. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, a promotional product is anything branded with a logo to promote a business, generate goodwill, or to build traffic, leads, or sales. You’ve seen logos on apparel, drinkware, hats, totes, bags, umbrellas, tech gadgets, etc., but the list of products that can be decorated with a logo is infinite.
I’ve owned a promotional products distributorship called Tagsource, LLC (AKA TAG! or TAG! The Creative Source) for twenty-five years. A quarter of a century is a very long time, folks.
The promotional products industry boasts $25B + in annual revenues, consists of 40,546 companies (most of which are small businesses like mine), and employs 489,064 people nationwide. While most small businesses begin reopening, what remains at a complete and total standstill are events, meetings, and conferences where the lion share of promotional products get distributed. My business is significantly down in revenue since lockdowns began, but we’ve been around a very long time; I’m confident my business will survive, one way or the other. My post is not about my business, it’s about the thousands of small businesses nationwide that may not make it through these uncertain times…small businesses that represent a huge contribution to the economy could be facing permanent closures representing a huge loss in jobs across the nation.
As your businesses continue to reopen, please remember to include promotional products companies and brand message marketing in your budgets. These companies offer the lowest cost-per-view form of advertising that ends up directly in your end-user’s hands whether at a meeting, a conference, or delivered right to a home office. By now promo companies are equipped with ideas to help engage your audience in this new world of work.
One friend told me our industry will come back smaller and mightier.
One friend told me our industry will come back smaller and mightier. That sentiment is true, but after hanging my hat in an industry for 25 years, that knowledge still makes me very sad. Marketing your business effectively requires promotional products in the marketing mix. Please be sure to call your promo pro and engage in conversation today. #promotionalproducts #promoproducts #marketing #advertising #promotionalproductsatwork #PPAI #ASI
