7 Steps to Track and Maximize ROI on Custom Branded Merchandise
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Time to read 6 min
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Time to read 6 min
Investing in branded merchandise is proven to be a powerful and tangible way to elevate your brand, engage your audience, and create memorable experiences at events and beyond. However, to ensure your budget is well-spent and justify the marketing dollars to your organization or a sponsor, you can track the effectiveness of promotional products and maximize their return on investment (ROI). In this blog post, we’ll break down seven key steps to help you measure success and boost the impact of your branded merchandise campaigns.
Table of contents
Before you can measure the success of your campaign, it’s essential to start by setting clear, actionable goals for your branded merchandise campaign. Objectives provide direction and create benchmarks for evaluating your results. Setting specific, measurable goals will help you stay focused and make it easier to assess the effectiveness of your campaign.
Increase Brand Awareness: Expand your brand's (or your sponsor's) reach and visibility through branded merchandise.
Enhance Customer Loyalty: Offer valuable products that strengthen relationships with clients or employees.
Boost Online Engagement: Encourage interaction on social media by creating shareable moments.
Drive Event Attendance: Use branded merchandise as incentives to boost registration and attendance/participation.
Choosing the right products is crucial to the success of your branded merchandise campaign because these products will not only enhance your brand image, but also ensure that the items are used and remembered. Your selection should resonate with your target audience and align with your brand values.
Know Your Audience: Understand what your audience values—tech gadgets, eco-friendly products, practical items, etc.
Prioritize Quality: It's not always possible if you're purchasing in bulk for a large event, but high-quality items are likely to have a greater ROI because they are more likely to be used, thus extending your brand’s visibility.
Opt for Uniqueness: Similarly, unique products stand out and make a stronger impression, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
How and when you distribute your branded merchandise can significantly influence its effectiveness. A strategic approach ensures that your products reach the right people at the right time, thus maximizing their effectiveness.
Tailor to Your Need: Customize your distribution strategy based on the intended use of branded merchandise. For instance, at trade shows, distribute items to drive booth traffic, while in corporate settings, include them in welcome kits for new employees.
Personalization: Consider personalizing items with names or custom colors to create a stronger connection between your brand and the recipient.
Timed Giveaways: Distribute branded merchandise at key moments during your event or during a special company announcement to maximize visibility and impact.
Leveraging digital channels allows you to amplify the impact of your branded merchandise by extending its reach beyond physical events. Incorporating online strategies also helps to drive engagement and digitally track results.
Use QR codes and Custom URLs: Add QR codes or custom URLs to your branded merchandise to direct recipients to digital content, track interactions, and measure engagement.
Run Social Media Contests: Incentivize recipients to follow your account or share photos of your branded merchandise on social media. Track social engagement and brand exposure.
Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with micro influencers to showcase your branded products, expanding your reach to their loyal followers.
To accurately measure the success of your branded merchandise campaign, you need to track how recipients interact with your products and gather feedback on their experiences. This feedback will help you understand the effectiveness of your campaign and provide insights for future strategies.
Monitor Social Media Mentions: Track social media activity around your branded merchandise using hashtags or mentions to gauge reach and engagement.
Conduct Surveys: Distribute surveys or feedback forms to assess how recipients perceive the quality, usefulness, and impact of your products.
Analyze Direct Sales or Leads: If your branded merchandise is tied to a promotional offer, track the number of leads or sales generated.
Once you’ve tracked engagement, it’s time to calculate the ROI of your branded merchandise campaign. Calculating ROI gives you a clear picture of the financial return on your investment. Ultimately, it helps you determine whether your investment was financially successful and justify future spending.
ROI (%) = [(Revenue - Cost) / Cost] x 100
While it's great to quantify ROI with the formula above...
Brand Exposure: Beyond direct sales, consider the value of increased brand awareness and customer loyalty.
Long-Term Impact: Evaluate how the campaign has affected long-term relationships and brand perception.
After assessing the results of your campaign, take time to review what worked and what didn’t. Use these insights to refine your strategy for future branded merchandise campaigns. Continuous improvement is key to maximizing the ROI of your campaigns over time.
Did the products meet expectations? Were the chosen items well-received by your audience?
Was the distribution effective? Did the timing and method of distribution maximize impact?
What can be improved? Identify areas where you can make adjustments to enhance future campaigns.
By following these seven steps, you can effectively measure the success of your branded merchandise campaigns and maximize ROI. From setting clear objectives to calculating financial returns, each step plays a critical role in ensuring your marketing dollars are well-spent. Regularly reviewing and refining your strategy will help you stay ahead of the curve and continue delivering value through branded merchandise.
For more information on promotional products, be sure to check out our blog for more articles. If you would like product recommendations or quote with the best possible pricing, feel free to reach out to us. We will happily pair you with your account manager.
About the Author: Emily Jacobson
Emily Jacobson, an MBA graduate, is passionate about helping her clients connect with their target audiences. With a rich background as a strategist in the ad agency world, she helped her clients craft compelling brand narratives rooted in human insights and market trends. Prior to joining the talented team at BrandAdvantage, she played a pivotal role in developing and executing the go-to-market plan for a successful new product launch at Fidelity Investments.
ROI is a critical metric that quantifies the effectiveness of your marketing spend. For branded merchandise, ROI can be measured in various ways, including your direct sales, brand recognition, and customer engagement. To accurately calculate ROI, you need to consider both the tangible and intangible benefits that your branded merchandise provides.
Branded merchandise contributes to brand awareness by keeping your brand top-of-mind for recipients. High-quality items that are regularly used can provide ongoing exposure, increasing familiarity and recognition over time. To make your branded merchandise stand out, choose items that are unique, high-quality and useful. Consider innovative logo designs, vibrant colors, and eco-friendly options. Taking advantage of a full-color imprint, a laser engraving or a debossed imprint are other ways enhance your logo and item.
Common mistakes when purchasing branded merchandise, that we will help you avoid, include choosing low-quality items, not aligning items with your audience's preferences, and failing to track the effectiveness of your campaign.
Yes, branded merchandise can be a powerful tool for lead generation. By offering useful and desirable items in exchange for contact information, you can attract potential customers.
