Somewhere lying around on your desk, most likely there is a pen you don't remember buying from a brand you may not remember. But, the pen is still there reminding you this brand exists. This is an example of physical promotional materials.
Today, many brands place an emphasis on digital material and promote themselves through the online world because of how accessible it is to a large audience. However, it can be easy for a social media post to get lost in the algorithm or reach an unintended audience. With physical promotional materials, you can reach key publics and provide your consumers something more tangible to associate your brand with.
Promotional materials can be anything that has your brand name, slogan or logo. Items such as pens, tote bags, water bottles and t-shirts are promotional materials. Some of these items can be given out for free. For example, many colleges would give students some of these items with the school emblem on them in order to recruit students to their school. This can create a sense of loyalty to the school and a student could be more inclined to attend.
Although don’t limit your brand to simple promotional materials like pens and water bottles. Allowing your brand to be creative with promotional and physical material helps your brand stand out against the competition. When using promotional materials, it is essential to let your brand's creativity shine or else it may just blend in with all the other pens on the desk.