How Social Media Uses Promotional Products

In some ways, social media and promotional products are at opposite ends of the advertising spectrum. Social media takes place entirely on the Internet, often between people who have never met. Promotional products, conversely, must be exchanged by hand, on the ground, and in person. They are tangible, concrete, permanent objects, as opposed to information bytes firing off in real time over the web. 

But as proof that each spectrum needs the other, the promotional products industry has embraced social media in marketing their services. And social media has embraced promotional products in advertising their sites on the ground level.

As someone who works in the promotional products industry and is an avid fan of social media, almost every day I see some new incarnation of social media promotional products.

Today it was Twitter t-shirts being given away in a contest held by chethstudios (@cheth) in order to get Tweeps interacting and engaging with the Pringoo.com website. When Tweeps use the hashtag #pringoo and tweet @cheth, they advertise chethstudios to all their followers. When start-up companies use social media to advertise for free, they have more money to spend on promotional products like Twitter t-shirts.

A couple of months ago popular social media blog Penn Olson published a post entitled, “Bring Your Geekiness Offline with 4 Social Media Products.” The social media promotional products included:

1. Pillows with Twitter, Facebook, and social bookmarking symbols, $19.99 each from the Craftsquatch Etsy store. Penn Olson pointed out that Craftsquatch was also using Facebook and Twitter to advertise these promotional products as well as the other items in their Etsy shop.

2. Facebook cufflinks, $50 for a pair. Proof that Facebook isn’t just for college students anymore. In fact, the site now plays an enormous role in corporate America, with huge companies like Coca Cola and Southwest Airlines getting praised for their presence on the network.

3. Twitter stockings that say “follow me” -- proof that the meme and Twitter’s mascot bird are approaching universal recognition.

4. Social media t-shirts, for social media nerds to brand themselves. By wearing “Mashable” promotional products they send the message that they’re someone savvy.  

Penn Olson also announced the arrival of social media business cards. Perhaps the most basic of all promotional products, business cards are the fastest way to legitimize a business, and social media business cards, therefore, are the epitome of old-meets-new media.

Especially in a recession, when unemployment is high, the internet is almost universally accessible, and intelligent professionals are finding themselves with a lot of time on their hands, social media business cards are a way for individuals to brand themselves. I may not have a boss, a title or a cubicle, but I’ve got my own Twitter and Facebook accounts. I’ve got an email address and a blog. These are all avenues through which I can communicate to the world at large, connect with other professionals, and cultivate new skills. In many ways, social media has changed the game: Lack of employment doesn’t have to mean a loss of productivity. 

Social media geeks are the canary in the mineshaft. Sure enough, the world at large has begun to Tweet, and has already Facebooked. It only makes sense that traditional marketing will follow along in that path. In return, new media will depend on promotional products and other, more traditional advertising mediums, to legitimize it. This year we even saw Google run a television ad during the super bowl.

I was at a SXSW Interactive networking event last month when I witnessed a great use of promotional products. A guy from the social media platform Chirbit, which allows you to share music on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and email, was passing out stickers with a creative rendering of his company’s name on them. The promotional product was cool and unique enough that I brought it to work and stuck it on the front of my notebook. The same start-up also has a promotional banner hanging in front of their office building. Promotional products are a great way to get word-of-mouth campaigns going. In fact, I’ve already received comments from coworkers about the sticker on my notebook.

So how can you take a cue from these social media platforms and use promotional products to kickstart marketing for your small business or start-up?