Beyond the Booth: Creative Ways to Use Promo Products in Digital Campaigns

The vast majority of companies today use digital marketing in some form or another to build brand visibility, generate leads, and convert online visitors into paying customers. There are many ways to carry out those goals, such as through on-demand content, email funnels, social media, and other targeted digital campaigns.

But one of the most powerful tools you can use to boost your marketing campaigns actually has little to do with the digital world at all. Physical branded products can be tremendously effective when paired with traditional digital marketing tactics.

If you haven’t yet blended your digital marketing tactics with real-world promo products, stick around. We’ll discuss some creative ways to combine digital and physical marketing to increase your lead generation, incentivize participation, and reach a wider audience than you ever believed possible.

Why Physical Products Matter in Digital Marketing

Promo items create a tangible connection between a customer and a business that no digital experience can replicate.

It’s not unusual for businesses to create dopamine-inducing online ads or quizzes. However, few businesses go the extra mile to put an actual product into users’ hands and offer something real instead of fleeting.

When potential customers receive fun and useful freebie products, they’re more likely to engage with the company further, spread the word to get their friends and family to take part, and come back to do business for the long term. The right virtual event giveaway or online contest reward can turn a passive scroller into an enthusiastic supporter of your brand.

Better still, you can achieve this effect for a relatively low investment. Most ePromos items can be bought in bulk for a nice discount. Order once and you’ll be stocked for all your future Instagram hashtag contests, online raffle giveaways, or any other strategies you might try in the coming months and years.

Ways To Blend Physical Items with Digital Experiences

Social Media Giveaways

Social media is one of the most powerful forms of online marketing. Social media campaigns work so well because they incentivize user participation through simple actions that anyone can do.

To combine this type of marketing with promo products, you could entice account followers to comment on a post, answer a specific question, or use a predetermined hashtag by entering them in a contest where prizes, your promo items, are awarded randomly.

Social media contests in general, and hashtag contests in particular, encourage users to generate their own content on behalf of your brand. This is a great way to expand your reach, get your community involved in your business, and attract new social media followers. Plus, giveaway winners will be excited to post about their reward, which perpetuates the positive cycle.

Consider running a contest where social media users can share examples of how they use your products. Participants who use your hashtag will be entered in a drawing to win branded water bottles, apparel, tech accessories, or other items representative of your brand.

Email Campaigns

Email campaigns also get a boost when you incorporate promo items as incentives. For instance, send an email inviting subscribers to answer a survey, explore a new landing page, or engage with your newest content in exchange for a chance to win free products. This increases customer engagement by capturing clicks from people who want to win your giveaway, which in turn brings more people to your website and bolsters your email subscription list.

Virtual Events

If your target audience is dispersed around the country or across the globe, you can still unite them under your brand. For example, try rewarding online seminar attendees with branded notebooks and pens to help them keep track of all the valuable information presented during the session. These freebies will encourage participants to tune back in for future live events and engage more deeply with the information you provide during your webinars.

Hybrid Events

Hybrid events are a “best of both worlds” compromise; they are live, in-person events that incorporate digital components for remote attendees.

One approach is to host an in-person conference and live-stream the presentation to online viewers. A Q&A session at the end invites virtual viewers to send questions as well. You can also collect email subscription signups and offer promo items as rewards for participants who agree to be contacted for future events and news.

And of course, any raffle giveaways, booth swag, or other promo products you give away to attendees should be made equally available to those who tuned in virtually.

Content Marketing

Last but certainly not least, content marketing is a great way to position your business as an authority in your industry. If you have something important to say that could help, educate, or otherwise delight your users, content marketing is the way to do it!

Promo products strengthen this strategy even more by giving users extra incentives to view your presentations, read your posts, watch your videos, or download informational materials. Pair any gated content with giveaways that make it even more enticing for users to stay engaged.

How to Measure Engagement and Results

Strong digital marketing campaigns always include a method for clearly measuring performance. Promo-based campaigns can be evaluated in a few different ways:

• Monitoring contest entries
• Counting landing page visits
• Watching hashtag activity
• Totaling click-through rates and conversion rates
• Studying social media engagement data
• Measuring event attendance and participation
• Calculating your overall ROI, especially if paid ads and promo products are part of your strategy

Analyze the data to find out which audience segments took part the most, which promo items generated the strongest response, which social platforms performed the best, and whether your campaign successfully created new connections for your business. The insights you gain from collecting and studying this data will guide your future campaigns and help you make each one more effective than the last.

4 Examples of Creative Digital Promo Campaigns

Do you need some inspiration to get started? Here are a few ways you can creatively combine digital marketing campaigns with promo items:

1. Design a hybrid conference welcome kit.

Hosting a conference soon? Order some branded notebooks, mugs, and pens for each of your in-person and remote attendees. This will take a bit of preparation so your welcome kits arrive at their destinations on time, but the effort is worthwhile. Welcome kits make your audience feel included when they can’t hop on a plane or take a road trip to join in.

2. Host a social media contest that encourages user-generated content.

Settle on a theme for your contest and ask participants to post videos, photos, or personal stories around it using your specified hashtag. Participants who post content with the highest engagement can receive prizes like branded apparel, travel accessories, or something fun related to your theme. There’s nothing quite like the promise of winning prizes to boost your digital reach and increase brand awareness.

3. Celebrate a product launch with a live virtual event and sample bundles.

To announce a new product line, host a live event presenting the details of your new offerings. Build hype by mailing out branded sample kits that give customers a small taste of what they can expect if they make a purchase. As a bonus, you can package your samples in a practical, reusable bag your recipients will carry around. It’s extra value for them, and effortless advertising for you!

4. Reward new customers with a “Thank You” box.

When social media users or event attendees convert to paying customers, make sure to thank them for their patronage with a thoughtful gift basket of branded items. When first-time buyers receive limited-edition gifts, they’re likely to become repeat customers and spread the word in their circle of friends and family.

Make your next digital promo campaign a winner with branded products from ePromos.

The central component of a strong promotional product campaign is the selection of items you choose. When you need high-quality products and a variety of custom printing and shipping options, turn to ePromos.

Our Brand Consultants are always standing by to help you find the perfect solution for your campaign or event. Give us a call at 877-377-6667 or click our chat button to get started right away. We hope to hear from you soon!