Branded USB flash drives can form an integral part of any successful marketing campaign. Whether you’re launching a new product, providing training, incentivising staff or communicating with stakeholders, here’s how to get the most out of your investment.
1. Set Objectives and Tracking Mechanisms
This is the first step in the purchasing process. Decide how you plan to use your drives and how you will measure the success of each campaign.
Is the objective to drive web traffic or to gain app downloads? Do you wish to increase the number of sales enquiries or distribute information about a new product?
What will be your return on investment (ROI) metric? Metrics can be concrete, such as a % increase in sales, or softer like growth in social media engagement.
(By the way, “promo gift” or “giveaway” are only half of the answer here. Think about the purpose of the gift or the reason for the giveaway. Is it staff appreciation? Customer retention? Sales acquisition?)
Some organisations may have automated systems in place but, for small businesses, simple tracking metrics are easy to implement. For example, it should be standard practice for receptionists and sales representatives to ask prospective customers “How did you hear about us?”, and track the responses!
2. Get Value for Money
Don’t sacrifice quality for price. You can get value for money without compromising on the result. Cheap units may seem more attractive initially but, if they don’t work or fail after a few uses, can cause great damage to your brand in the long run.
Ask your supplier to verify the grade of USB components, warranty period and overall failure rate. In reality, all technology inherently has a failure rate – ours is less than 0.5%. Don’t be shy to ask for quality certificates, such as CE standards.
3. Effective Branding
Strong branding is crucial to optimising your flash drive ROI. This includes your logo and how it interacts with the colour and style of the unit.
Helpful Hint Include your contact details. In our experience, this is one aspect that is often overlooked. Not every brand name or icon is universally recognised so add contact details, a web address at the bare minimum. Don’t expect recipients to look up your information because chances are that they won’t.
4. Accessorise
It may seem mundane, but choosing the right accessory can be important.
For example, if you are giving your flash drive away to internal staff or at an event, a lanyard would be a good choice, so that recipients could display your brand while wearing the units. You can take it even further with a branded lanyard (which we also supply).
On the other hand, if you are using your USB drives as a branding exercise or year-end gift, a keyring might be a better option because it serves as a subtle reminder for the recipient to keep the item with them for constant use.
5. Pre-load Content
Content is king and pre-loading data turns your flash drive into a powerful communication tool.
Data can be loaded as standard or as embedded content, which is locked permanently. This is achieved by dividing the drive into two partitions – one that holds the locked content and one that is open for normal use. We name the pre-loaded partition to show your company or brand name when the unit is plugged in.
When loading important or numerous documents, consolidate your files into a customised digital book. Our consultants can advise on the various options.
Pre-loading content that contains link to a unique landing page or includes tracking features can help to measure the success of your campaign.
Helpful Hint Don’t overload the drive with data. We recommend leaving at least 50% of the memory capacity free. Otherwise, recipients probably won’t make use of the unit regularly if there is insufficient storage space.
6. Brand your Packaging
Attractive packaging can make your investment go further and branded packaging enhances the impact of your USB campaign.
Recipients often keep or upcycle gift boxes and tins, which provides added brand awareness.
7. Go Custom
A bespoke flash drive enhances brand cohesion, recognition and awareness. A custom USB not only makes a significant impact, but this unique item can also be repurposed for multiple applications.
For example, you might want a customised USB for a specific event or campaign, but this same design can be reused for other purposes, including exhibitions, conferences, training, staff incentives and rewards, corporate communication and much more.
If you need assistance or advice on any of the above, please contact us.
*This article was originally published in 2013, updated in 2020.