I have been in the promotional item industry for over 5 years, and have seen a number of my clients make the same mistakes. I wanted to share with you, my constant readers, some of the top mistakes that I have seen in the hope that you avoid them.

 At the top of the list of things not to do when picking a promotional item is DO NOT PICK THE CHEAPEST PROMOTIONAL ITEM. Most of us have heard the saying in life, “You get what you pay for”. In the promotional item industry, this certainly holds true! If the deal you are offered seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
At Thread Art, we recommend that the 1^st step in determining the right promotional item for your campaign be establishing your budget. If your budget for your campaign is $5 an item, then we will look for the HIGHEST quality item in that price range. The perception of the higher valued item that you get for less is quickly diminished if your client or prospect receives the item and it falls apart after a few uses.
DO NOT OVERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A PROMOTIONAL ITEM!!! Imagine that your company was planning to do a direct mail piece to 2000 people… you bought the list & the postcards, and stopped there. The results?
Too often companies buy promotional items without planning the use of the item. By setting the plan up front, you know what to do with your items once you get them, and can run a successful campaign. Pens on a shelf will not gather any results.
DO NOT PICK JUST WHAT’S TRENDY… just because it’s trendy. Trendy promotional items do have the potential to work great, if it fits into your campaign. You need to pick a promotional item your target market will appreciate… so when picking a promotional item, go with an item that fits your campaign and speaks to your target market; and if it happens to be the latest trend, then great!
DO NOT WAIT TILL THE LAST MINUTE. I have seen companies pay as much as 2.5 times as much for items because they waited till the last minute to order their items. Rush fees, overnight shipping… these all add up! By planning early, you have the opportunity not only to save on all the extra costs, you get the chance to see if we can find any specials, AND you get to get samples of the items that you want in hand to see before you order!

Promotional items can be a great way to grow your business, if you avoid these 4 common mistakes.