NEW TO SWAG? START HERE.

You’ve been handed the reigns… new job, new title, new responsibilities, new everything. You’re a brand manager and it’s now your task to figure out the giveaways, stay within budget and create awesome stuff that makes your brand stand out in a crowded world.

No problem, right?

Deciding how your brand shows up in people’s lives is an exciting (and daunting) task. You’ve made the right choice by adding branded items to your marketing mix. 

• 83% of people like receiving promotional products
• 73% of people use a promotional product at least once a week
• 8 out of 10 people remember the brand advertised

Promotional products work. As you connect with your crowd and give them what they want, brand impressions grow exponentially. Branded merchandise is tangible advertising that lives on and leaves a lasting impact.

So where do you begin? 

Step # 1: ORGANIZE YOUR PROMOTION

• What do you want your swag to accomplish? Maybe it’s more people through your doors or more visits to your website. Perhaps it’s all about creating brand ambassadors obsessed with telling the world your story. 
• Who is your target audience? Maybe your crowd is tech-savvy Millennials looking to rally behind a cause. Or working mothers who want to do one healthy thing for themselves each day. What do they like? What do they carry in their bags? What one thing would they never throw away?
• What is your budget? Get the number nailed down to save yourself time and energy. 
• What is the timeframe for your event? If you have a few months, a custom cap made overseas could be the perfect giveaway. What if you’re riding the midnight train to Our Event Is Next Week and We Have Nothing-Ville? There are thousands of creative options that go beyond yet another crummy pen. 
• Do you have logo artwork in the correct format? Certain file types are necessary for factory imprinting. Not sure if you have the right type of file? Check out A SUPER HANDY BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING LOGO FILES.

Step # 2: CONTACT BUZZTAG

Finding the perfect piece of branded merchandise is like a treasure hunt. You have to dig, dig, dig. The sheer amount of options available is overwhelming. The thing to remember is that promotional products aren’t simply “giveaways.” Good swag makes people say, “I like this.” Great swag becomes something they can’t live without. 

How do you find that perfect piece of swag, anyways? 

You need a motley crew of idea generators and creativity unleashers in your corner. 

Enter Buzztag.

We’ll provide you with “whoa… I’ve never seen that before” ideas that your crowd will love. Our sole focus is to find and create stuff that makes people happy. 

(And when your crowd is happy, your bottom line is happy.)

The process goes something like this: 

1. Together we have a conversation about your answers to the above questions. This helps us zoom in on what you need.
2. Armed with copious amounts of notes and coffee in cool mugs, we start the research process. Our team becomes laser-focused on finding creative options that work with your budget. We email you a list of items we think your crowd will love. (This is a complimentary service we offer to all of our clients.)
3. You review the list and chat about it with your team over pizza. Through a process of elimination and pepperoni-fueled debate, you narrow it down to your favorite item.
4. We place the order with our factory and email them your logo file.
5. A short time later we provide a mock-up of what your logo will look like on the item. This is your chance to make corrections, get additional approval to move forward or moonwalk down the hallway because everything is coming together perfectly. 
6. Once you approve the mock-up, your item goes into production. Depending on the factory, this can take anywhere from 3-10 days. We email you the anticipated ship date once we receive the info from our factory.
7. Your order ships. We track the shipment and send you updates. 
8. You receive your order and everything is awesome.

There may be a few extra steps added in depending on the complexity of your order. We’re sticklers for details (which is code for “we eat complexity for breakfast”). Yum.

Step # 3: BANISH 2:30 A.M. FREAKOUTS AND RANDOM TUESDAY DONUT BINGES

Managing a brand is hard. Really hard. Every day you rumble with creativity and utter a hundred no’s to get to a yes. Why? Because your brand matters… to you, to your boss, to your crowd. 

There are helpers out there, like Buzztag, who’ve got your back. We understand the intricacies of figuring out how All The Things work together to create a meaningful connection with your crowd. How can we lend a creative hand to your next project? 

Let’s chat!