Marketing Tips for Small and Medium Sized Businesses

As part of my job, I regularly get asked by my clients to source promotional merchandise, whether it's for an internal conference or an event.  But for anyone new to purchasing their own branded pens, pads and paraphernalia the choice available and how to order can be a bit overwhelming. So, here's my top tips on how to choose and buy your items wisely:

1) Shop around

Don't go with the first supplier you come across. From experience I've noticed that the majority of suppliers will stock exactly the same product because they'll be buying these from a central source, usually from overseas, so shop around. Yes, searching around is a pain, but think about it, any saving, no matter how small, isn't to be sniffed at.

2) Drive a hard bargain

One of the biggest issues that affects the relationship between a design agency and their clients is lack of communication. Many businesses come away from a design project without the result they were hoping for, out of pocket and with a low opinion of the marketing industry. This is an industry that charges on an hourly rate and constant amends and meetings often lead to higher costs.

Having a great looking website is of little use if no-one can find it. With a search engine being the starting point in most customer journeys nowadays, the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has never been greater. However, as with a lot of things internet related, there is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion as to how best to get your website recognised by search engines. Unscrupulous digital and marketing agencies can take advantage of this and try and scare people with talk of keyword density, PPC and black hat SEO. The reality is that if you have a logical and coherent design to your website this, along with considered copy, can get you a long way down the road of SEO.