marketing

Custom Merch: A Guide to Screen Printing, Embroidery, and Beyond

Custom merchandise has become a powerful tool in the world of branding and marketing. It allows businesses to create a unique and memorable brand identity, connect with their audience on a personal level, and leave a lasting impression. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the various methods of custom merchandising and how they can elevate your brand.


The Art of High-End Screen Printing

High-end screen printing is a popular method for creating custom apparel. It involves transferring a design onto a fabric using a mesh screen and ink. The benefits of this method are numerous:

  • Quality: Screen printing produces designs that are not only vibrant but also sharp and clear. This is especially important for intricate designs or when a high level of detail is required.

  • Durability: One of the main advantages of screen printing is the durability of the prints. They are long-lasting and can withstand multiple washes without fading, making them ideal for everyday wear.

  • Versatility: Screen printing is suitable for various materials, including cotton, polyester, and blends, making it a versatile option for all types of apparel. Additionally, it can be used for intricate designs, allowing for more creative freedom.

Elevate Your Brand with Custom Embroidery

Custom embroidery is a timeless method that adds a touch of luxury and sophistication to your merch. By stitching a design onto fabric, you create a textured and premium look that can elevate your brand image. The benefits of custom embroidery include:

  • Appeal: Embroidery exudes quality and professionalism, ideal for corporate wear and high-end promotional items. The raised texture of the stitches adds depth and dimension to your designs, creating a more tactile and luxurious feel.

  • Applications: It's perfect for logos on uniforms, monograms on personal items, or intricate designs on promotional merchandise.

Sublimation: The Future of Full-Color Printing

Sublimation is a cutting-edge printing technique that allows for vibrant, full-color designs. It involves turning solid ink into gas and transferring it onto fabric, resulting in a seamless and long-lasting print. The benefits of sublimation include:

  • Advantages: Sublimation produces high-definition prints that won't peel or fade, making it ideal for detailed and colorful designs. The ink becomes part of the fabric, resulting in a smooth and durable print that can withstand repeated washing.

  • Suitability: Sublimation works on various materials, including polyester, ceramic, and metal, allowing for a wide range of custom products. It's especially popular for sportswear and promotional items, where vibrant and eye-catching designs are essential.


Specialty Printing: Beyond Apparel

Custom merch isn't limited to apparel. Specialty printing allows you to create unique promotional items that stand out and leave a lasting impression on your audience. The benefits of specialty printing include:

  • Accessories: Customize everyday items like cups, socks, and hats to create memorable and functional merch. These items are often used daily, increasing brand visibility and recall.

  • Potential: Specialty printing offers endless possibilities for creative branding. From quirky designs to innovative printing styles such as puff ink printing, you can create promotional items that resonate with your audience and make your brand memorable.

Custom Tags: The Finishing Touch

Custom tags add a professional touch to your apparel and provide valuable information. They enhance branding, offer sizing and care instructions, and can even tell your brand's story. The benefits of custom tags include:

  • Benefits: Custom tags enhance branding by adding a personal touch to your apparel. They can include your logo, contact details, or a personalized message, making your merch truly unique.

  • Options: Custom tags offer a range of options for adding information to your apparel. From sizing and care instructions to a brief brand story, you can use custom tags to communicate important information to your customers.


Crafting a Cohesive Brand Identity with Custom Merch

Custom merch can significantly enhance brand recognition and loyalty. By creating a consistent and memorable brand image, you can leave a lasting impression on your audience. Successful brands like Nike and Coca-Cola have used custom merch to create a strong brand identity and connect with their audience on a personal level.

Tips for Designing Effective Custom Merch

Creating impactful custom merch requires careful consideration of design elements. Use colors that align with your brand identity and resonate with your audience. Position your logo prominently but tastefully to enhance brand visibility. Keep designs simple, relatable, and relevant to your brand message.

  • Color Choices: Use colors that align with your brand identity and resonate with your audience.

  • Logo Placement: Position your logo prominently but tastefully to enhance brand visibility.

  • Design Considerations: Keep designs simple, relatable, and relevant to your brand message.


Choosing the Right Custom Merch Partner

Selecting a reliable and experienced merch printing agency is crucial for achieving high-quality results. Ensure the agency uses high-quality materials and printing techniques. Choose a partner that can meet your deadlines without compromising on quality. Work with an agency that understands your needs and offers excellent support.

  • Quality: Ensure the agency uses high-quality materials and printing techniques.

  • Turnaround Time: Choose a partner that can meet your deadlines without compromising on quality.

  • Customer Service: Work with an agency that understands your needs and offers excellent support.

Conclusion:

Custom merch is a powerful tool for building a strong brand identity and connecting with your audience. By incorporating high-quality printing techniques, thoughtful design, and a cohesive brand message, you can create memorable and impactful merchandise that resonates with your audience. Explore the potential of custom merch for your business and unlock the power of effective branding.


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5 Influencer Merch Ideas To Help Launch Your Store

As an influencer you’re constantly selling other brands’ products, however, when it comes to selling yourself, we think there is a lot of missed opportunities; especially when you have a large following that is active in engaging with your content. So how do you get started? We’ll take you through some ideas to help you launch your own merch store.


Why Do Influencers Need Merch?

Merch is a great way to earn money without damaging your image. While major brands are always looking for influencers with a large and dedicated following, it's likely that you will only have so many opportunities to partner with them on sponsored posts or ads. With merch, however, you have another five or ten ways to earn money without ever having to discuss any subject matter that may not resonate with your audience. If you're considering expanding your earnings as an influencer, this could be the perfect solution.

But merch isn't just another way to make extra money—it's also a great way to get additional exposure on social media. Influencers who create and sell their own products can use their channels to promote them in new and interesting ways.

For example, they might post pictures of themselves wearing the product in various locations around the world; they might even host giveaways for fans who purchase it! And when influencers take advantage of opportunities like this one (which is often given away at conferences), it results in lots more likes and comments on Instagram. In fact, some studies show that each new product sold through social media gets its creator about $5 worth of free advertising—not bad considering they don't even have spend any money upfront!

Check Out The State of Influencer Marketing 2022: Benchmark Report

Brand Awareness

While influencer merchandise is a product, it’s also a conversation starter. As an influencer, you can use your commercial products to connect with your audience and share who you are outside of the confines of social media.

For example, you can use the notes section on your Shopify store to chat directly with customers and offer them inside information about the brand. Similarly, fans can share their own story by posting pictures of themselves using or wearing your merch.

The result: Influencers have built communities around their unique brands and stories, but their merchandise is more than just another way to audiences to show support. It gives fans the opportunity to interact in meaningful ways outside of the digital world while continuing to build strong connections and leads to loyalty and sales down the line.

Read More 9 Instagram Growth Strategies to Grow Your Following

Loyalty

Here’s a scenario: You post on social media telling your followers all the placed they can buy merch, and it would be nice to see photos of them wearing their new purchases. In addition to getting your followers excited about the products you’re selling, this exercised will get them more involved with you and your brand. These interactions will strengthen your relationship with your audience and lead to more people wanting to buy merch from you down the road.

Read More How Promotional Merch Cultivates Brand Loyalty

Gather User Data

Influencer merch will help you gather vita user data by giving you a crucial contact and payment information. This gives brands opportunities to upsell.

Influencer merch is a relatively new space in e-commerce that allows influencers to create custom products for their followers. These product can be designed and sold directly through the influencer’s social pages and websites, using merch print shops such as Family Industries.

Collecting data can help you determine who your users are and what they want from your brand. Use this information to better target products for your niche audience. It doesn’t matter how much data you collect if you don’t use it properly.

Active Revenue Stream

Merch is a great way to earn money without damaging your image. While major brands are always looking for influencers with a large and dedicated following, it's likely that you will only have so many opportunities to partner with them on sponsored posts or ads. With merch, however, you have another five or ten ways to earn money without ever having to discuss any subject matter that may not resonate with your audience. If you're considering expanding your earnings as an influencer, this could be the perfect solution.


Influencer Marketing Industry is set to grow to approximately $16.4 Billion in 2022
— The State of Influencer Marketing 2022: Benchmark Report

5 Influencer Merch Ideas

Before you establish a line of merch item, make sure you have a logo, a font, and brand colors established. Some logos may not work with certain items so it’s important you have a good idea of what you want your branding to look like whether it’s your name or your Instagram handle make sure you have the right dimensions and file type.

Check Out MERCH IDEAS FOR STREAMERS AND YOUTUBERS

  1. Apparel

Avani 'YOUISBEBE' Tie Dye Sweatpants

Anything that can be worn is a staple in every merch store. T-shirts, and sweatshirts or hoodies are essential and a great way to promote yourself or a project.

To ensure success, it’s best to not only use your name or social medial handle but include some type of graphic, like a logo. If you don’t have a distinctive logo or graphic, we suggest to work with your merch agency or a graphic designer to develop one that best represents you.

Printed sweat pants have now become a popular item for most merch stores in 2022 as well as sweat shorts with the same graphics. You can have sweats screen printed with your logo and other designs. Be creative!

2. Hats

Middle Kid logo bucket hat

Once again, hats are a staple for merch stores - however, beanies may sell best during the winter and other hats like bucket hats sell better in the summer.

Seasonality is something you should consider with merch that is wearable. This way, if you plan accordingly you’re always ahead and you avoid overstock of certain items.

3. Bags & Backpacks

Jake Paul Backpack


Bags not only serve a purpose, but can be the best canvas for your logo and other branding attributes. The possibilities of what you can print on a bag such as a tote bag or backpack provides an opportunity to get very creative.

Using a lot of colors and fun graphics is recommended, you want to have your bag stand out.





4. Tech / Lifestyle

Addison Ray iPhone Case

Phone cases are affordable merch items and one of the most popular items among the Gen Z audience. If your demographics fall within the ages of 14 through 25, a phone case is a great option.

Tech accessories are also less hassle to sell as there are no sizing requirements and returns tend to be low for items like this.




5. Accessories

As a content creator, it’s important to have a merch item that directly speaks to your audience and correlates with the type of content you are creating.

For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, a cool yoga mat or stretch bands with your logo would be ideal. Sport merch items such as balls are good if you’re a sports content creator.

Lifestyle creators have a bigger list of merch items to choose from especially when it comes to accessories. For lifestyle brands you can go anywhere from drinkware to loungewear, making it easier to build a solid merch line that covers all aspects of everyday life.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator


Looking for The Best Influencer Merch printer?

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Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.


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Guide To Designing A Custom Hoodie

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We all love a comfy hoodie or sweatshirt and we depend on them in the winter months to keep us warm but also serve style. While blanks are a staple in most of our closets, you need a good graphic hoodie to make a statement and bring your outfit together. For most people, their hoodies will be their most treasured outerwear in their wardrobe. Hoodies and sweatshirts are versatile and can be worn on many occasions, so it’s no surprise that personalized hoodies are a popular choice among brands whose goals are to make a statement.


5 Steps To Design Your Own Hoodie

We’ll take you through critical steps to take when designing your own hoodie or sweatshirt. Whether you’re designing a hoodie for yourself or you’re designing a hoodie for your apparel brand, you will want to think about your budget first as this will dictate which of these recommendations to take into consideration.

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1. Garment Type

First things first, choosing the type of garment can determine some of the criteria below. You have a range of options varying from Polyester to organic cotton. Organic cotton is environmentally friendly and tends to last longer, putting this option at the top of the price range but guarantees high-quality.

If high-quality is not as important and you want to get the most bang for your buck, a good option is a blend. Most hoodies are a blend of 80% cotton and 20% polyester or other synthetic materials. The blends are a good option in terms of breathability and flexibility.

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2. Thickness

Weight and thickness are an important consideration when designing a hoodie, these decisions will determine how comfortable and warm your garment is. You probably want to create a quality product and it’s worth spending a little more for a thicker and softer fabric.
ranging from 280 to 350 GSM (grams per square meter), the top end being a chunky, heavyweight garment catering to those who want their garments especially thick. What to look for when buying a hoodie.

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3. Design Application

So you have a cool design and you’re thinking, what is the best application? The application can depend on the design, for example, if your design has a lot of small, thinner lines screen printing would be perfect as opposed to embroidery for which the lines need to be a certain thickness.

Screen Printing is the most adaptable application for most brands as it allows a little more freedom with the type of design and depending on the number of colors used, it can also be a more affordable route.

If you’re printing a smaller amount of units and or have a more complex design such as a photo image, DTG (direct to garment) printing will probably be the best option.

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4. Placement

This may sound like a no-brainer - front and center is the most popular placement, but doing something different can set you apart from the competition, or if you’re customizing just for yourself, it will set you apart from the crowd.
It’s also possible to print on the sleeve of your hoodies, which could be a good addition or alternative to printing straight on the front or the back. 

One thing to note, however, is that printing on the sleeves is only possible with screen printing or a hand-held inkjet printing gun. The apparel printing gun is not something that is common and not a lot of print shops offers, but you can always ask!

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5. Extra Customizations

Additional customizations include adding a visible tag to the cuffs, which can add a more personal and unique flair to a garment. Other extra customizations include adding a patch anywhere on the hoodie, for example, if your hoodie has a screen printed design on the back but you would like to add an additional logo or tagline to the front, you can always have an embroidered patch added. Patches are often rare on hoodies and that can be an attractive addition for buyers.


If you’re looking for success with your design but can’t afford anything fancy – it doesn’t have to be. Only 14% of analyzed clothing stores had printed sleeves for their hoodies, for example. Another interesting fact – only 5% of the stores that have been studied have design placements on the back – and only 23% have graphics on the side of the pocket. Additionally, 50% of the designs are logos or quotes and 55% of the colors used are white and black.

What Application Is More Durable?

While durability often depends on use, we think that there are other factors to take into consideration, such as the application. DTG Prints are more economical because there is usually no minimum and tend to be more sustainable, while screen printing requires a minimum amount of prints. Screen printing is technically more expensive and less sustainable.

With an embroidered design, you often need a high-quality fabric that is thick to avoid bunching and it can be hard to keep the shape of the design once the hoodie has been washed a few times. However, opting for an embroidered patch that is placed on the hoodie can be an excellent alternative.

Bottom line -

Figuring out your budget and the type of design you would like will determine which method to use. We recommend that if you have a big budget, always opt for the highest quality and the best durability. This will ensure that your brand will be well regarded and is known for high quality is what you want for a clothing brand. Additionally, the quality will dictate how much your customers are willing to pay.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator


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Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

10 Unique Merch Ideas

Maybe you have a strong online platform or you’re in a band just starting out and looking to make some cash; selling merch is one of the easiest ways to promote yourself. This is no secret and the market may seem to be too saturated, so coming up with a unique product is key. We’ll give you a few ideas on what we think are unique ideas that not a lot of brands or influencers are doing.

90% of people who receive a promotional product can recall the name of the brand.

What is good merch?

Good merch is often associated with a product that is used regularly or daily. So, you have many products that could be considered good merch, however, how do you stand out from other brands that are also trying to get into the merch game?

Most of us think of t-shirt and hats when it comes to promotional products or branded merch, but there are other useful products that can make all the difference.

Here are 50 Crazy Stats and Facts About the Promotional Products Industry


10 Unique Merch Ideas

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What makes your merch unique? Figuring out who your audience is, will unlock the merch possibilities. You’ll want to gather as much information about your customer as possible to make an informed decision for what type of merch you will offer. However, here are some ideas for merch that can be offered to various audiences and ensure to make a lasting impression.

Promotional products are ranked the most effective form of advertising across all generations. ( Source: PPAI)


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Customized Wireless Headphones

If you’re like most people, you use headphones to listen to music while at the gym, at work, or on a walk. Wireless headphones became more essential during the working from home days when virtual meetings became the only way to communicate with coworkers. Wireless headphones are a great promotional product because it’s useful in everyday situations and appeals to a wide variety of people, from the travelling professional to the gym rat.

Read What Is The Difference Between Wireless And Bluetooth Headphones?


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Phone Accessories

Phone accessories are a promotional product that is more of an obvious choice because we all carry a phone with us. However, because there are different types of smartphones, the accessories would have to be something that could fit any type of phone, such as a phone ring holder which also performs as a stand. Your logo can be laser printed or using a UV Litho printer.


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Reusable Cups / Mugs

With the world steering towards a more sustainable and plastic-free direction. More and more people are carrying their own cups. Offering a reusable coffee mug with a cool design and your logo is a great way to participate in the global environmental conscious movement. There are many ways to print your logo on one of these cups. Adding a rubber band around it is perhaps the most cost-effective and practical way to incorporate your logo or brand design.

Check out 7 Companies Making Custom Organic and Ethical Apparel for Your Business, Organization, or Event


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Portable Speakers

While this item may be more costly, a portable speaker is one of the most popular promotional items because of its purpose. Everyone loves a good portable Bluetooth speaker! There are a variety of ways in which you can add your branding to a product such as this one.

Check out 10 Common Promotional Products Made More Interesting


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Stadium Seat Cushions

With the return of live sports this year, a great promotional product is stadium seat cushions. MailChimp had these seat cushions with their logo and a tagline. The cushions include a handle at the top for easy carrying. This is a great product for live events such as music festivals.


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Custom Socks

Socks are an easy and cost-effective promotional item. Generally, the brand will include socks along with another product such as a mug as a complementary addition. Socks can be screen-printed with your logo, a tagline, and your brand colors. The most popular print area for logos is the sole or the side near the ankles.


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Custom Airpod Case

Another inexpensive promotional product are AirPods cases made from silicone which can be printed with your logo or your preferred design showcasing your brand colors and any other design aspect. The most popular cases have a loop to place on your keychain or add a clip to keep from losing it.


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Collapsible Water Bottle

While water bottles, in general, are a popular promotional item and it has been overdone by most brand, we recommend this innovative collapsible water bottle that can be easily stored away when it’s not being used. These bottles are made with a thin silicone material, making it easy to print on, and can also be lasered in with a CO2 laser engraving machine or by using silicone ink.


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Touch Tool

These tools gained popularity during the 2020 Pandemic as we all began avoiding touching everyday surfaces that were in public areas such as door handles and elevator buttons.

Even after the pandemic, many people are used to using them now and plan to continue to use this product in their everyday lives.

Many brands began using this product as a promotional gift for their employees and some sold them to the public. These are inexpensive items that are easy to print on using heat transfers and/or laser etching simple logos.


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Gift Set - Swag Box

With a bigger budget, brands can create their own customized box to include up to 5 items in a branded box with other branded products in it. You can include 3 or more items from above and display them nicely in a box printed with your brand colors and logo. Many brands use these swag boxes to increase brand loyalty with their current clients. This is a great way to keep your clients engaged and make them feel a sense of significant value for your company.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator


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Best Promotional Merch Ideas

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In the corporate world, it is often customary to have branded pens, notebooks, or mugs. While having your brand on a pen is cool, we think you can do better! Much of the branded products you will find at a conventional office space are stationary and almost expected, but we believe that having more interesting merch brings excitement about your brand for both employees and clients. Promotional merch is also used to spread brand awareness and it can also be used to work with social media influencers to promote your services or products. In this article, we will show you a few ideas for cool branded merch ideas to fit your brand.

Remember! It is not about just having promotional products but about having the right promotional products that are geared towards your audience. Therefore, it is important to do your research before creating an item to promote your brand.

Unconventional Event Swag and Promotional Items

Robo-cube puzzle fidget toy

Robo-cube puzzle fidget toy

Magnetic interactive fidget pen

Magnetic interactive fidget pen

Hexagon spinner fidget cube

Hexagon spinner fidget cube

Ball of Whacks fidget toy

Ball of Whacks fidget toy

Fidget Toys are the new stress balls! Everyone loves a good fidget toy to entertain themselves while taking a mental break from your desk job. Especially now that more and more people are working from home and encounter more distractions than before. In addition to the improved learning benefits, fidget toys can also reduce anxiety and stress, enhance dexterity, improve coordination and fine motor skills. Besides the benefits, a fidget toy makes for a great promotional item for potential clients or current clients as it keeps your brand on their minds, but also, who doesn’t love a cool gift? Check out ‘Fidget Toys Are Not Just Hype’ - Scientific American

Conventional and Practical Branded Products

Supersweet Coffee & Tattoos

Supersweet Coffee & Tattoos

Panton blue light glasses

Panton blue light glasses

Verve Coffee Shop

Verve Coffee Shop

Ultra-portable speaker

Ultra-portable speaker

Promotional items are also great if you are looking to do a virtual giveaway. Depending on your business, you may be looking for more traditional items that can be used to promote your brand but still motivate people to want to participate. Promotional products such as t-shirts, hoodies, speakers, notebooks, and coffee mugs are more of the traditional branded merch and can seem boring to some but if you have a good design that also ties in your logo, chances are, people will want them. What is better than a free t-shirt? A cool free t-shirt. Incorporating giveaways can be an excellent way to get people excited about your event, while also spreading brand awareness in untraditional ways.

8% of promotional product recipients remember the name of the advertiser on the products. 85% of the recipients do business with the advertiser on the product. 83% of people like receiving them.
Praytell agency Promo Box

Praytell agency Promo Box

Why Promotional Product Work

Promotional products are a powerful marketing tool because they allow a brand to connect with consumers by engaging their senses. Branded items are one of the only forms of advertising that allows consumers to interact with a brand on a physical level, promotional products often create more memorable brand experiences and promote brand recognition.

Family Industries has worked with brands such as Praytell Agency to create a one-of-a-kind promotional items box which included a pair of bombas socks, a thermal mug, stickers, and a scarf. All products and the box itself contained a print of their signature logo.


How to Design The Right Promotional Item

When creating your own promotional items, it is tempting to try to pack as much information as possible, but we suggest you prevent overwhelming the design with too much text. Keep these points in mind when you're designing your promotional products to create memorable gifts.

Less Is More

Keep it simple, use your brand logo and a catchy tagline, website, and if you’re able to fit it in, a phone number or a social media handle.

Use Your Brand Colors

Choose a product with your standard colors to maintain consistency in your style and to improve the chances of brand awareness. If a product option is not available in your colors, select a neutral color that will allow your brand identity to shine through your logo and text, instead.

Usefulness

You will want your product to be useful time and time again. Novelty items such as fidget toys are great to raise a smile or promote a healthy work-life balance, but depending on your audience perhaps more traditional items such as travel mugs, t-shirts or flash drives are the best options. Do your research!

Key Takeaways

Promotional products are essential for your business, over 50% of adults use at least one promotional product regularly, and 85% of that group will eventually do business with the advertised company. Additionally, the cost of a promotional item compared to regular advertising is much lower, and corporate gifts build relationships and brand loyalty.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator


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