If you’re a medium-sized or small business owner looking to break into the lucrative promotional products market, you have several viable options. Manufacturers can produce low-cost items for distribution to distributors that supply corporations, schools, political campaigns, and individuals; distributors of logo clothing and promotional accessories; or manufacturers of T-shirts, mugs, award plaques, and other memorabilia customers in your local area.
Today’s businesses rely heavily on promotional products. Seventy-five percent of visitors to trade show booths leave with a positive impression if they receive promotional gifts, according to a study by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). If you need employees specializing in the promotional products sector, promotional products industry recruiters would be a good place.
Create a production facility
T-shirt production costs are lower in Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China than in the United States. Products like mugs, caps, and bags are also manufactured abroad. Consult with your local environmental and zoning authorities to ensure that the products can be manufactured in your home or workplace and learn what chemicals are restricted due to environmental concerns if you plan on manufacturing them yourself.
Few distributors will purchase your products unless you are a Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) member. Promote your products to distributors by hiring independent sales reps to act as a sales force. Job listings for salespeople can be found on online employment websites.
Always attend the MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas every August. The promotional and corporate clothing industry’s biggest event of the year. Apparel, bags, hats, and other apparel accessories are appropriate for this show.
Contact the manufacturer if you want to sell a particular type of product. They most likely belong to the PPAI and are always looking for new distributors to partner with. Individuals can buy from an imprinter, but most of their business comes from retail and corporate customers. A T-shirt shop can provide school sports teams and local businesses with uniforms.
Make a list of potential customers that you can market to. Schools, sports teams, churches, municipalities, and businesses purchase logo-emblazoned products to keep their names and contact information in front of their customers and constituents.
Take the time to know what your customers want. Spend time learning about their company and the types of customers they are trying to attract. Please feel free to share any new concepts for promotional or logo items. When it comes to promotional products, logo-labeled water bottles, small notebooks with USB thumb drives, and candy and small toys packaged in a cute way stand out from the norm.
Make sure you have everything you’ll need, such as silkscreen materials, heat transfer equipment, and finally, advertise for jobs in promotional products industry to gain employees. Impressions Magazine tends to host some trade shows throughout the year and is an excellent source of information on imprinting equipment and supplies.
