by Heather Rykowski

Ad specialties cost less per impression than practically every other form of advertising.

The amount of money spent on ad specialties is not that much. This form of advertising is more target and also allows you to interact with consumers far more than other advertising options.

In looking at the chart provided, you can see that promotional products in the United States cost less per impression than you would pay for ads running on prime-time television, in national magazines and newspapers, and in equivalent CPI to radio and online advertising. This is according to the Advertising Specialties Institute. Moreover, all the aforementioned types of advertising are usually passive, whereas advertising specialties enable a far more robust interaction, like when you walk around town with your groceries or other items in a promotional bag or store important information or instructions on a USB drive.

Also, you should understand that when advertising specialties are given to consumers, they are most likely the exact demographic the advertiser wants to target. Insurance companies are not going to send pens or calendars out to people of all ages living in all areas of the state, whether or not they have an office in that location. Rather, they give pens and calendars to existing customers or prospects living in the areas they serve. It is very difficult and perhaps impossible to advertise in such a targeted manner with other types of mass-market advertising options.

We are glad to report, the prediction regarding the cost of advertising specialties is that they will not be going up much in the next two to three years. This makes them not only an innovative way to get the message out but a more reliable way for businesses to reach prospective customers as well.

Great news: The cost to produce a 30-second TV or radio commercial is unaffordable for the vast majority of businesses. Many would be spending their entire annual ad budget for just a few airings of their commercial. However, with advertising specialties you don’t need to worry about this. Any size business, from the tiniest mom ‘n pop stores to large national corporations can access the very best in advertising specialties.

Grab your FREE copy of my Promotional Products Success Guide for tips on being successful with advertising specialties.