Always believe in first impressions, both in the workplace and in life, as if a woman’s sixth sense is magical and correct.
When people think of the industry your business represents, your brand is the first thing they see. It’s the one thing they associate with your product or service. It’s what determines whether they want to buy from you or work for you.
Companies seek creative ways to stand out in today’s highly competitive business world. One of the best ways to do this is to create a company’s promotional merchandise. What is it, and why is good company collateral important? Read on to learn about the benefits of company collateral for your brand and business.
What is company collateral?
Company promotional items (branded merchandise or promotional items) are products that carry your company logo or branding. These items include T-shirts, notebooks, hats, tote bags and others. Companies use corporate collateral as part of their marketing strategy to increase brand awareness and create a positive company culture. Branded merchandise creates a memorable impression on customers and employees.
Benefits of corporate collateral for your company
While some may consider this an additional expense, it is a worthwhile investment as corporate merchandise can benefit your brand and business. Let’s look at some of these benefits.
Shaping your company culture
Employee merchandise is one of the most effective tools to use as a reminder of your company’s values, company mission and culture. By giving new employees company merchandise as a gift when they start, they will feel welcome and like part of the team from day one. In fact, 59% of employees who receive company-branded merchandise have a more favourable impression of their workplace.
Merchandise can also enhance team spirit and a sense of community, increasing employee engagement and job satisfaction. It can bring people together inside and outside the company, as branded items can act as conversation starters and icebreakers.
Enhancing company branding
A company’s merchandise can also contribute to employer branding. Branded promotional items can be used as a recruitment tool to attract top talent to a company. It complements the company culture as you can use photos of employees wearing merchandise in your recruitment messages. Employee merchandise helps to create a unified brand image across teams. Promotional items also provide a way for employees to represent a strong company culture outside of work, which increases recognition and awareness of the company brand.
Increase employee retention
Merchandising can help employees feel that they belong and feel united. It may seem like a small reward, but it’s still a reward (or incentive) – for achieving goals and milestones or for outstanding performance. Employees will appreciate the free stuff they get and feel valued.
Building brand loyalty
Corporate merchandise can help build brand loyalty among customers and potential buyers. By giving away corporate promotional items, companies can create a positive association with their brand. This in turn can lead to an increase in customer loyalty.
Giveaways can also build brand awareness. When people see others wearing or using branded goods, it can help a business gain positive awareness, build brand recognition and make it more memorable. This is particularly important for new or small businesses, whose name recognition differs from that of more prominent and established brands.
How to create awesome company collateral?
To ensure that your company collateral doesn’t go to waste but benefits your business, let’s take a look at some of the things to remember when creating branded merchandise.
Align with your brand values
The best company collateral should be aligned with the values and mission of your brand. This helps to reinforce your company’s image and ensures that the collateral resonates with your employees and customers.
Quality over quantity
It is more critical to invest in quality collateral than to get lots of the cheapest or coolest items. This helps to ensure that items have a longer shelf life and create a positive impression of the brand.
Design matters
The design of a company’s promotional items can greatly influence their appeal and effectiveness. Investing in high-quality, professional-looking and modern collateral can help create a positive brand image. Such collateral will make employees and customers feel proud to use it and represent your brand. Because sometimes, slapping on a company logo just isn’t enough.
Variety
Offering a wide range of promotional items will allow employees and customers to choose items that suit their preferences. This can include practical items such as water bottles and tote bags and more unique items such as branded shoes and technology accessories.
Personalised free-form customisation increases brand flexibility
Promotional items come in a wide and varied range of categories, but they are rather one-dimensional in shape and style. It would be very heart-warming and genuine to add a unique, meaningful logo and inspiration to give as a special gift to employees, guests, family and friends.
Branded promotional items are a great marketing tool that benefits both employees and the business. Carefully designed and thoughtfully executed corporate collateral can greatly impact the success and reputation of your brand.
There are multiple reasons why your brand should choose awesome company collateral for employees, current and potential customers. Quality collateral not only helps to create brand awareness, but also fosters a strong company culture. Build your brand’s effectiveness cost effectively by working with the finadpgifts team!
Post time: Jun-02-2023