Dear promotional product supplier,
That video you made has a great sound track. The special effects? Nice touch. I even like the way you demo the product. It makes me want to sell the item. I want to feature your video on our website and social media channels, which reach thousands of people every week.
Unfortunately:
1. You mention your company name and industry identifier.
2. You reference your own item number.
3. You didn’t consider the buyer’s needs.
4. You neglected to focus on (or forgot entirely) the imprint.
5. It’s too long … way too long.
1. Don’t mention your name
When you do, my buyer gets confused. They are buying from my company not yours. So when they see a video promoting a product from a company other than mine, they are confused. I don’t like confusing my buyers.
2. Don’t mention your item number
I use custom item numbers on my website and in presentations. When your item number is mentioned and displayed, it doesn’t match what I’m showing my customers. Did I mention I don’t want to confuse my buyers?
3. You didn’t think about the buyer’s needs
The buyer is on my site (or in a presentation) and interested in your product. You need to tell the buyer why they should select this product to promote their brand. Instead, your videos sell the features of the product, which is important but isn’t the reason they’re interested in your product. Yes, answer the feature questions and highlight the great features but create the video with the buyers needs in mind.
4. You didn’t focus on (or forgot) the imprint
We sell branding and when you include a blank item, it’s like selling any old item, not the imprinted solutions we offer (see #3). Highlight the size of the logo, or visibility through constant use of the product, or something unique … but please use only branded items in the video and talk about the value of the imprint.
5. It’s too long
Your video should not exceed 30 seconds (and that length seems to get shorter every year). There are exceptions to this rule, but very few.
Good videos are expensive to produce, so I don’t expect a video for every product. But if you provide good quality videos, I’ll feature them on my website and in social media campaigns, so your product gets more exposure when you provide a good quality video.
One last thing, creative is great, but it’s a very fine line between creative and dumb. So please, be interesting, but don’t try to be the next YouTube sensation. Help communicate how your product will help the buyer in an engaging and fun way.
Signed on behalf of:
Most promotional products distributors.
(Distributors do you agree? Suppliers are we asking too much? Share your thoughts below.)
Dale Denham, MAS+, is the chief information officer at Geiger and is currently running for the PPAI Board of Directors. Learn more about him at www.facebook.com/choosedale. Read Dale’s thoughts on technology, business, and the promotional products world every other Tuesday. Follow Dale on Twitter @GeigerCIO.
