Want More Impact? Why Promotional Products are Key for Sign Shops

Emphasizing Oppourtunity

We all know how important it is for a business to have an eye-catching, well-placed sign if they want customers to notice, but that's just the start of an effective awareness campaign for your clients, who get a secondary sales force when you create mugs, T-shirts, bags, and other branded items their customers can showcase in your community. Adding promotional products to your sign shop offerings can also benefit you by solidifying your client relationships and creating more opportunities for repeat business.

Why the Promotional Products Market is Booming

The demand for promo products is huge and rising. According to Grandview Research, American businesses spend $20 billion a year on promotional products; the global market was valued at $96.8 billion in 2023. The research firm also forecasts a 7.5% annual growth in the worldwide market through 2030. Grandview calls promo products "a low-budget customer acquisition technique (that) enterprises of all sizes and small enterprises to reduce their marketing expenses while still capturing consumers' attention."

The success of this market stems from companies' desire to make the physical workspace more inviting with a recognizable look and feel for employees and customers alike. Customers are looking for more meaningful products that are useful and durable. Businesses aren't just buying promotional products to increase brand awareness but for employee retention, rewards, and recruitment. When given as prizes for team-building activities, for instance, they can help create a sense of pride and camaraderie among co-workers.

The Business Benefits of Becoming a One- Stop Shop

A business needs branded apparel and promotional products for the same reason they need a sign. It isn't just important; it is essential for customers to be able to identify you wherever you are. Promotional products are one more opportunity to stand out and demonstrate what kind of organization your business is.

The most significant benefit to adding promo products to your sign shop's offerings is that you become a more trusted source of what your customers need, further entrenching yourself in your client base. A customer can now get two products from you instead of just signage, they have one less point of contact that they need to manage, which they appreciate. Additionally, offering more products allows you to mature the relationship with your customer and better understand their business and needs, which opens the opportunity for you to give them new products and services.

We've grown into experts at our knowledge with a network of vendors and products, making us more competitive as a business in our area. The more we diversify our products, services, and expertise, the more value we offer our customers-enhancing our brand and driving growth.
 

Getting started with branded products
 

If you haven't extended your services into this area, you can start with trade show items like table throws, retractable banners, and tabletop displays. Then, you can expand to individual items like drinkware and office supplies.

When looking for clients, consider industries with high promotional product budgets, such as the automotive or insurance sector, or categories like landscaping and construction, whose employees wear branded apparel.

Ask about their business, their employees and customers, and other challenges they are facing. You can then identify opportunities to offer them promotional products that make sense. The customer wants to understand that you want to help solve their challenges instead of just selling them additional products and services.

When suggesting any new product or service, you may not get to "yes" right away. You may have to provide a branded product several times before your message registers, so it's critical to communicate everything you can offer in a confident fashion. Using your email campaigns, social media, and in-store branding and displays to remind your existing customer base what else they can get for you is essential to become that one-stop shop.

One key to your team is to be comfortable discussing promotional product orders, bringing samples and displays in-store. As the team's experience grows, incorporate it into your email and social media marketing.

The industry has many vendors that operate in different ways, so it is essential to understand each one you work with; you'll avoid surprises and won't underdeliver to your customers. The beauty of having a sign shop, however, is that you may not need an outside vendor for all products. If you have a UV printer and a laser engraver, you may be able to offer in-house promotional products such as golf balls and drinkware at a competitive price with quicker turnaround times. Start slow and work with customers you already have an excellent relationship with; they'll be more trusting of a business with new products and vendors that are unlikely to arise.

 

Allen Landis is the owner of Fully Promoted Lancaster and Signarama Lancaster in Pennsylvania. With a background in both state government and the military sector, Allen brings expertise to the forefront of creative branding solutions for businesses in his community.

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References:
Graphics Pro (Digital Issue) (Allen Landis) (Pages 22-23)