It can be easy to overlook printed merchandise when running a business. There’s so much else to think about after all. This doesn’t mean that you should neglect it though. Oh no. Printed merchandise is an effective way of advertising your company, and some well-designed merchandise will give a great impression. By hiring a professional company to do this for you, you can continue to focus on the day to day running of your business.
What is Printed Merchandise?
The term printed merchandise coves a whole spectrum of products. There’s clothing, banners, signs, posters – you name it! They are a great way of taking the message of your company out of the office, so if you are travelling to a trade exhibition or fair, it will be easy to have merchandise ready to be worn and distributed. Of course, there are dos and don’ts, and plenty of options regarding budget and other concerns – but if you want a real, tangible representation of your company, you can’t do better than effective merchandise.
First impressions count
Don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s an expression that we are all familiar with, and something that all of us have been guilty of doing. In advertising, first impressions count – and your printed merchandise is certainly a form of advertising for your company. Some badly designed printed merchandise can be damaging to the fortunes of your company in a number of ways – from attracting no attention at all if it doesn’t stand out from the crowd, to ridicule and laughter if it is poorly designed. For many potential customers, seeing some of your printed merchandise will be their first introduction to your company, so it’s important that you make it count.
What options are there?
What options are out there for printed merchandise, and where should they be utilised? Well, as we said, the term covers a wide spectrum. T-shirts and other forms of clothing are a great way of taking your message out onto the streets, and will provide people with the chance to interact with staff who are wearing them. Badges, magnets and stickers are great for sending out to potential customers, and larger printed merchandise such as signs and banners are great for taking to events. As long as they are well designed, they are bound to be effective!
Quality is everything
The quality of your printed merchandise will reflect directly on the quality of your company. You could be an outstanding business with a great service or product to offer but if you pay little or no attention to the design of your printed merchandise, it could lead to you not being taken seriously. If that happens? Well, if you are not taken seriously as a company, it’s hard to believe that people will part with their hard earned cash in exchange for what you can offer. So what does this mean when deciding on the design of your printed merchandise? It means that it should not be an afterthought, and you should not scrimp on any area of the design process.
It’s up to you now!
So now you know just how important some well-designed merchandise is, there’s no excuse! Whether you have been debating over the expense of merchandise or deciding whether to use any at all, there is plenty more advice out there. A professional company will be able to give you some great advice over which merchandise would work well for your company, and how good design coupled with a good product could take your business to new heights.
Dan Miller is a business and branding blogger who also co-runs pop up banner and signage supplier Just Customise It. Dan has helped hundreds of companies formulate and deliver multi-tier merchandising strategies that have created a tangible return on investment for the business.