A friend of mine had a fabulous client meeting a couple of years ago. The client loved the products showcased and showed interest in closing the deal soon so a follow-up meeting was scheduled in a few days. Unfortunately, the follow up didn’t go as planned and the client informed that he had chosen another vendor.
What went wrong here?
The client may have loved the presentation but later couldn’t recall crucial product details for a competitor comparison. Finally, the client chose a competitor who came armed with a “Leave-Behind” in the form of a printed brochure with a lot of useful product information.
What exactly is a leave-behind?
A leave-behind is a marketing item that has been used by marketers for decades. It can be a business card, printed marketing collateral, a t-shirt or a pen – anything that helps the potential client recollect the marketer and the meeting they had.
Why are leave-behinds important?
A leave-behind serves as a reminder of your business and a quality leave-behind will be used by the recipient for months or years, which will help him/her recollect your brand often. Many businesses come up with wacky ideas for leave-behinds. You could also come up with creative and unique ideas for leave-behinds that will represent your brand well. Another option is a useful promotional product to ensure clients don’t forget you.
What kind of leave-behinds are the norm in the industry?
In B2B interactions, the leave-behinds are ideally in the form of printed material that takes the recipient through crucial points covered in the discussion. Other important data usually present in such material include key differentiators over competitors, successfully completed projects, testimonials, references, and most importantly, contact details.
In B2C interactions, the leave-behinds are usually in the form of useful, imprinted giveaways such as a pen, key tag or mug. These giveaways will have important contact information apart from the logo featured on them. Printed materials such as flyers and brochures are also used as leave-behinds in B2C interactions.
A few leave-behind promotional product examples
The leave-behind you opt for should depend on the nature of your expected client interaction. In a lot of scenarios, you may not come face-to-face with a client. It’s important to leave behind a brochure or flyer so that the client can catch up on what you want to convey.
Depending on the importance of the client, you could opt for giveaways as leave-behinds that belong to a varied price bracket:
- Low-priced: Business cards, key tags, pens, sticky notes, magnets, folders, stickers, and notepads
Recommendations: Glow In The Dark Business Card Magnet, Bic® Grip Roller, The Recycled Jotter & Pen
- Mid-priced: Glossy brochure or portfolio, USB drives, scent diffusers, calendars, t-shirt, mugs and stylus pens
Recommendations: Rotate 2Tone Flash Drive 8GB, Catalina Executive Padfolio, Bella + Canvas – Unisex Short Sleeve Jersey T-Shirt
- High-priced: Quality shirts/jackets/pullovers, chocolate baskets, and laptop bags
Recommendations: Port & Company® – Core Fleece Pullover Hooded Sweatshirt, Verve Checkpoint-Friendly Compu-Messenger
We hope this article encourages you to make leave-behinds a permanent fixture in your marketing strategy. Choose leave-behinds that can establish quality connections with your recipients. Get in touch with us for leave-behind ideas and we will gladly be of help!