Like every industry, the promotional product industry is constantly changing. At TechnoMarketing we always want to make sure your giveaways look the best that they can. Still, sometimes an imprinted coffee cup just doesn’t feel like enough to get your message across.
We know promotional products have a ton of branding power, and we know they can do a lot to promote your company, especially if you’re a small business on a budget. Occasionally, you’ll want to do something more than hand someone a pen with your logo on it. That’s where custom packaging can be beneficial.
Custom packaging has been around for a while, but it’s starting to grow in popularity for promotional products. Not only does it allow companies extra room to convey more information, but it also gives them more design control over the entire product.
Keep reading to learn all about how you can use custom packaging in your next giveaway!
What Exactly Is Custom Packaging?
Custom packaging is actually relatively new to the promotional products industry. There are a couple of different forms of custom packaging for a product. It can be anything from a box that your item comes in to a tag that goes on a larger product like a tote bag.
It’s helping the industry as a whole grow, too. The promotional products industry is growing, but doing so at a slower rate than in previous years. That’s because it’s losing market share to other advertising mediums such as digital advertising.
It’s not that [businesses] are moving away from promotional products, but they have the same amount in their advertising budgets and they are allocating it to more channels. One way for the industry to evolve is to offer more ways for a company to advertise their message for a low cost.
Promotional products are one of the lowest-costing advertising mediums around due to the number of people who will see your logo (more on this in the next section). When you add a custom package to that mug or water bottle, it can have a greater impact rather than just handing out a bottle with your logo on it.
Advantages of Custom Packaging
Right now most businesses aren’t aware that custom packaging is an option. Here at TechnoMarketing, we actually don’t get asked about custom packaging a lot. Usually customers will ask about it if they’ve seen packaging used in a different marketing campaign for another company.
A big advantage to custom packaging is the ability to craft a more thorough branding message with more information about your company on the packaging. Like I mentioned earlier, a promo product can be fairly inexpensive. You get a great deal of value when you invest in promotional products, and they last a lot longer than a 30 second commercial. However, the size of an imprint can limit your ability to let your customers know all the services or goods you provide.
If it’s not a household brand, how do they convey that message through the use of promo products?
You can put a logo on it, or maybe a phone number or website, then you hope someone remembers it and goes back to the website.
Here is an example of how a custom package can work for a local hardware store that doesn’t have the name recognition of a bigger chain store:
If I go to a woodworking show and I’m giving out a tape measure, it will have my name on it, and people would understand that I’m a hardware store, but they might not know exactly all that I do.
But if I take that tape measure and I put it into this custom box, I can make the box look like a crate or diamond plate, and then I can put all my information on there.
You can also put coupons on that box, or tell customers how to connect with your business on social media. (Just make sure you’re using the right social icons according to each social network’s policy.) Now that tape measure will be used by a potential customer, and in addition, you’ve told them all about your company and a way to connect with your business online.
The other advantage, is that packaging a product can turn a promotional product into a retail item. If you’re looking to sell some products with your logo on it, putting it into a custom box or attaching a tag creates a cleaner, well-rounded product.
Custom Packaging Options and Cost
The available custom packaging options really depend on the message you’re looking to deliver. TechnoMarketing does get a decent amount of requests for packaging up tumblers or other drinkware and higher-end items like padfolios or more expensive pens. Gift items or sets will obviously look great with a custom tag or package, but a lot of our items can be packaged. It’s always best to talk to one of our sales representatives for more information on a specific product.
We know one of the last questions you’re probably asking is, “How much more is this going to cost?” A valid question, and it’s true that adding packaging will add to your cost. Each custom packaging order is handled on a case-by-case basis, but it will most likely be less than what you would think. Again, your personal sales rep will let you know how much it will cost in the end!
You also have some options when it comes to designing the packaging. Normally, we can take the logo you give us for your item and design the packaging for you. However, a lot of marketing departments prefer to do their own design. So if you’d rather have a little more control, and want to turn it over to your graphics department, we can send you a blank template and the design is totally up to you! Either way, we’ll make it happen.
Have you ever thought about ordering custom packaging for your promotional product? Have you ever gotten a giveaway that came in a package or had a tag attached? Let us know in the comments!
