Key Takeaways
• A memorable self-promo starts with a strong idea and thoughtful packaging.
• Carve out space in your marketing budget – you’ll get it back and then some.
• Self-promos may not lead to an immediate order, but they spark conversations and build loyalty.
I’ve been in this industry for 20-plus years, and from the very beginning I was taught the value of a self-promo. In all those years, that lesson has served me well.
I like to think that we in the promo industry have the ability to turn the ordinary into something extraordinary and put a story behind it. Once you let your creativity shine, a product becomes much greater than just a branded item. I know that our clients continually expect “fabulous,” and I fully intend to deliver that to them. It helps that I’m so lucky to have long-term relationships with some of the best idea generators in the business who have worked tirelessly with me to create so many memorable pieces.
There’s also something especially powerful today about receiving something physical. We spend so much of our lives looking at a screen that when an actual package arrives, you have someone’s attention. This is the opportunity to do something remarkable. After years of creating successful self-promos, here are seven secrets I’ve learned.
1. It Starts With an Idea
It all begins with the theme, which we craft based on current trends in both the retail market and the promotional space. Once we have our theme defined, the fun part is finding just the right pieces to make it feel like they all go together.
The beautiful thing about curating these experiences is that we can go as far as our imagination takes us, and just about anything our minds conjure up can be found in our industry. That’s what makes this so much fun. We aren’t just choosing products. We’re bringing an idea to life, and every piece has to feel like it belongs.
2. Make a Memorable First Impression With Packaging
It’s my job to build anticipation and dazzle a customer, and the packaging is key to making that happen. Not surprisingly, it’s where we focus most of our attention. For me, packaging isn’t simply there to hold everything together; it’s part of the story. If we do our job right, the box itself becomes just as unforgettable as what’s inside.
3. Find Any Reason To Send Something – But Do It Right
We regularly create large-scale mailers centered around the seasons. We produce a fall/holiday lookbook followed by a spring/summer version, and we’ve been known to send a “Trick or Treat” or “Be My Valentine” mailer as a little something to elicit a smile.
Then there are the moments when I need to say a special thank-you, or the door-opener moments that give me the space to really shine and create something so unique that the potential client has no choice but to contact me!
One of those was a recent self-promo we did with a vintage rotary phone that was turned into a working lamp with a bendable arm. It was totally a piece of art and, obviously, something that cost more than a typical self-promo. We had to create packaging large enough and stable enough to hold it – which became a whole other billboard for our messaging. We kept the number small (about 15 phones) and sent them to select prospects and friends as thank-you gifts.
That’s an important part of this too. Not every idea has to go to hundreds of people. Sometimes you create something really special, keep the list targeted and make sure it gets to exactly the right people.
In total, we typically send out four mailers a year. Don’t send something just because you have to. I’d rather have a reason, a great idea and something worth opening.
4. Always Find Room in the Budget
We understand the importance of investing in our own marketing and somehow always seem to find the funds for the vision. If I receive one kind email, one invitation to have a conversation or one picture showing our merch in use, then I’ve done my job!
It helps to have strong relationships with trusted partners. Once we’ve conceptualized everything, we go to our supplier partners who have been very generous – either donating a small number of items to our cause or offering discounts. Most see the importance of being included in our large-scale gifting operations. Afterward, I’m always thoughtful about sharing pictures that showcase how fabulous their merchandise looks.
Real Results, Real ROI
While it can be difficult to gauge the exact ROI of every mailer without a specific call to action, we tend to look at what happens after the package arrives. Are clients ordering the products we featured? Are they asking us to create similar mailers for them? And, most importantly, did it start a conversation?
Take our mailer from this past summer, which was a huge hit. We included a QR code specifically to help us track ROI. Of the 220 packages we sent, 80 people responded through the QR code. But that number alone doesn’t tell the whole story. The orders that followed, including orders for some of the very products featured in the mailer, resulted in more than $186,000 in new business. That included $23,000 in towel sales alone thanks to the awesome merchandise from Terry Town (asi/90913). In other years, we’ve tracked more than $300,000 in annual business directly back to our self-promo mailers.
Even the priciest self-promos can justify the cost. Our telephone lamp mailer is our “foot in the door” piece. It’s expensive, high impact and very targeted. We send it to prospects we really want to work with because sometimes you simply can’t put a price tag on getting in the door with these ginormous companies. So far, we’ve sent six phones and landed conversations with five of those companies – and all five became clients. The entire self-promo paid for itself with the very first one.
Our seasonal mailers work a little differently. We fill them with cool, useful products we know our clients will actually want, and then watch what happens next. On average, we can track $380,000 to $450,000 in new business each year back to these mailers.
5. Think Things Through – Or Else You’ll Learn the Hard Way
There are definitely things you pick up after doing this for as many years as I have.
One story I’ve never forgotten is about a distributor who included an egg timer in a self-promo mailer. He didn’t consider what might happen when all those packages were jostled at the post office and the timers started ticking and ringing. Needless to say, the post office workers were not amused; his packages were destroyed, and he received quite the lecture from the local postmaster.
Another lesson: be wary of sending chocolate in the summer without proper packaging!
When putting our lists together, I’m also mindful not to exclude anyone from any given company. That has happened accidentally in the past and made me feel horrible.
Sometimes the smallest details are the ones you remember for the next 20 years.
6. Don’t Forget: Self-Promo Generates Business
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve had clients ask me for one or more of the gifts we’ve included in our mailers. This past summer, we included two towels from one of my most trusted partners, and we immediately saw a spike in requests for that chic item.
We also get a lot of requests for the retail brands we feature. My clients have come to expect something just a bit different, so we work hard to continue building those connections as well.
Overall, I would say our mailers have led to conversations and given projects direction. And I think that’s important when talking about ROI. The return doesn’t always show up as an immediate order. Sometimes it’s an email. Sometimes it’s a conversation. Sometimes someone falls in love with one of the products and wants to use it for their own campaign. And sometimes it simply reminds a client why they like working with you.
Those conversations turn into business.
7. Never Take Loyalty for Granted
When I begin working on another creative self-promo, the first thing that always pops into my mind is, “Who doesn’t want to receive a gift in the mail?” Especially when it’s something unforgettable. Our clients have come to expect that, and when you create that kind of moment, they remember your name.
Continued outreach like this is necessary. I’ve learned never to take anyone’s loyalty for granted. I’m constantly looking for new ways to engage our current clients while also opening doors to new ones.
That’s really what self-promo has always been about for me. It’s an opportunity to say thank you. To make someone smile. To remind a client that you’re thinking about them. To open a door to someone new. And, of course, to show people what you can do.
After 20-plus years, I still believe in it.
And I still believe it’s my job to dazzle somebody.
Kimberly Luxenberg
President and Co-Founder, Jackalope Kreative (asi/233246)
Kimberly Luxenberg is the president and co-founder of Jackalope Kreative (asi/233246), a boutique creative agency built around the belief that the best ideas begin with a conversation. She’s been in the promotional industry for more than 20 years and spent the first chapter of her career in fashion publishing, including time at Vogue and ELLE.
