This is a guest post by Jessica Sanders who is an avid small business writer touching on topics that range from social media to business management. She is a professional blogger and web content writer for ResourceNation.com.  

When you think of marketing, what comes to mind? Social media, email, and the online list keeps going. However, it’s critical that you not forget about another valuable marketing tool: promotional items. Not just any promotional item, a promotional tote bag.

“A recent survey by the Advertising Specialties Institute (ASI) … found that customers/recipients use promotional tote bags more than 9 times a month, and have had their oldest promo bag for an average of over 4 years! Further results displayed the average cost-per-impression for an imprinted promo bag is only $0.002, compared to $0.033 for an ad in a national magazine…” – PRWeb.com

Promotional items are all about adding value to your customer. You give them a sticker, and it’ll be lost before you know it. An item like a tote bag, however, can be used in many situations, and is always beneficial. Not only does your customer see your logo, but you get impressions as they walk down the street, through the grocery store, or into work. The question is, how do you do it right?

Choose the Best Company

Choosing the right company is critical to your promotional marketing success. While many companies boast cheap products and bulk discounts, the quality is what matters. Tote bags add value to your customer, but only if they are made well; a broken handle or ripped bottom won’t look good for your brand. When choosing the company, consider:

• Options: Materials, style, tiered pricing, bulk options.

• Design support: If the company doesn’t see the design you envision, you won’t get the product you want. Be sure that there are plenty of custom options.

• Customer service: If there are shipment problems, design issues, or a bad batch, you want to have someone to turn to. Dedicated customer service is a necessity.

Get the Right Style

Unlike pens, key chains or disc drives, tote bags are not a simple product. With hundreds of styles, options and materials, you’ll need to decide what will be best for your business and customers. To do this, there are a few questions you’ll need to answer:

• What is your budget? This will dictate whether you can afford a more versatile bag or something simpler.

• Who is your audience? Customers that are mostly women from the ages 18 to 24 will want a different bag than men in their 40s. Take this into consideration when choosing what style will be best.

• Where are you? At a Tradeshow, a simple bag will be useful in toting around brochures. At a special event or as a prize, you may want to consider other options.

Get Environmental

With eco-friendly grocery bags picking up speed, customers have more reasons than ever to use your tote bag. Inkhead.com suggests, “Reusable bags send a positive message to your customers and prospects by aligning your brand with environmental awareness.” There are a variety of environmental materials for you to choose from.

• Jute: Made of a natural vegetable fiber, the material is durable and biodegradable.

• Organic cotton: Cotton is a versatile material, but utilizing organic cotton will check that environmental box you want to hit.

• Recycled: For example, polyethylene terephthalate, is a plastic material commonly used in bags for food, such as lunch boxes. This is a popular material that is recycled for other uses.

Tote bags are an excellent way to improve brand recognition and customer loyalty. A good bag will go a long way, and in turn speak volumes for your company. Forget stress balls, order tote bags for your next promotional event; heck, you can take one too.

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