The end of the financial year is fast approaching. It’s time to sort out the remaining marketing budget before all the fresh challenges and goals that April’s budget brings.
Have you thought about how you are going to spend the rest of this year’s budget?
Unspent budget can be lost at the end of the financial year; you don’t want to waste your budget, nor do you want to spend it on items that aren’t going to benefit you or your company.
With careful planning and a little foresight you can use this year’s end of year budget to good effect, so that it helps with next year’s marketing targets, whilst ensuring you maximise every available pound. What better way to do this than with printed promotional products?
Promotional merchandise offers a great way to get your marketing message out into the marketplace by delivering a useful tangible product, right into your client’s hands and all branded up with your logo and message.
Here are some tips that will not only help make the most of any left over pounds but how to use them effectively as well.
- Buy For The Year and Stock Up
This is a great tip and one worth considering every time you order promotional items, but especially for this time of year! We frequently receive repeat orders only a few days after the initial order has been delivered and this is typically because the items have either proven to be so popular that they have run out, or perhaps more commonly, because other departments liked them so much that they have stolen them!
So, consider buying for the year or for at least a few months rather than just one event. That way you can service any extra demand as well as last minute campaigns or events that might sneak up on you. It also makes good financial sense as the more you buy, the more the unit price reduces.
- Keep it Useful and Anticipate Future Needs
If you are unsure what type of gift/product to get with your remaining end of year budget then the old mantra of ‘keep it useful’ is certainly one to keep in mind. If you are looking for some inspiration then our dedicated budget promotional items section on our website can help.
Do you exhibit at trade shows, run annual conferences, give out staff incentive gifts or customer appreciation gifts? By anticipating these events you are proactively thinking about how to effectively use your remaining budget without wasting it.
- Use Generic Artwork
In the fast moving marketing world of today, our marketing objectives change on a regular basis. Whilst one of the benefits of promotional merchandise is their ability to be extremely targeted by having any marketing message printed on them. It’s also worth considering having some generically branded promotional items with either something like, a company logo or website address, particularly at this time of year; that way if your marketing goals change in the new financial year, you can still use your existing items without having to go down the route of re-ordering because your corporate message has changed.
- Allow Plenty of Time
March is a very busy month in general as everything draws to a close for this financial year, so ensure you allow plenty of time to get the items delivered and invoices to be raised and dated ready for your year end.
- Speak to The Specialists
We understand that at this time of year things get forgotten and priorities change regularly. The team here specialise in promotional merchandise so get in touch with us and we can help right through from generating ideas lists, to proofing your artwork and ensuring everything is delivered on time and invoiced as quickly as possible.
Have a look at our budget ideas section for some great ideas. Alternatively if you would like to discuss your individual branding requirements then simply contact one of the team on 0345 226 1701 or via e-mail sales@bh1promotions.co.uk
