Is your company swag store not utilized as much as you and the leadership team expected?
If so, you are not alone. You had a big launch that created buzz and staff engagement. But after the initial enthusiasm has worn off, you don’t see as much use as you thought. As company store specialists, the solution is simple: remind employees of its existence often and regularly.
Having a company swag store has many benefits, but neglecting to promote it will defeat the purpose.
Common Pitfalls of Poor Swag Store Promotion
Without promotion, something terrible happens… nothing!
-P.T. Barnum
There are a few significant drawbacks to not promoting your company’s merch store:
Your Staff is Likely to Forget They Have a Merch Store
You made a big announcement when the store went live, so you might think everyone already knows. But with reminders and many other things on their plate, people will likely remember they have this resource.
Missed Brand Building Opportunities
Low use of company swag will reduce brand consistency and internal and external visibility. You want carefully selected products used for specific events. Yet your staff might need to be made aware you want to give away promotional pens or other giveaway items at the next event, which is missing a valuable branding opportunity.
Wasted Marketing Budget
An underutilized company store will result in leftover swag inventory that might not be relevant for future use, not to mention the cost of production and storage space for more extended than intended periods.
9 Ways To Promote Your Employee Swag Store
Promoting an online apparel and swag store to your staff is crucial for maximizing its potential to achieve your marketing goals. Here are some practical ways to encourage the store to your employees and drive participation:
Allocate Budgets
Provide your approved department merch purchasers with setups to apply internal budgets to the product purchases, bypassing credit card requirements you may have in place. This will result in your approved users making every effort to put that money to good use.
Swag Allowances as Employee Rewards
Using swag in your employees and rewards programs is standard practice. Instead of handing out the branded item of your choice, please provide them with a voucher to redeem at the store so they can pick what they want.
Use Internal Newsletters
Your internal email newsletters are an excellent resource for reminding employees about the company store, its benefits, offerings, and the ordering process. You can also feature swag contest winners with their photos.
Ask for Feedback
Elicit ideas and feedback from employees using surveys. It’s a surefire way to generate engagement with your team. Feedback can also help you improve the online order process. Also, surveys help identify product preferences and swag trends your employees might be interested in.
Encourage Social Sharing
If allowed by your organization, encourage employees to post photos of your company merch on social media. Have a policy and guidelines around it. If this is not something your company allows, use your internal social platform to post photos or videos of your team interacting with the merch with your employees’ permission. This will create curiosity, awareness, and traffic to your company store.
Run Contests and Giveaways
Organize internal contests and giveaways with special swag items as the prize. This is a great way to draw attention to the online store and have employees familiarize themselves with it, upping the ante of winning by creating special edition swag designed and exclusive to these activities.
Training and Online Tutorials
When you first launched your online merch store, you probably had a training session on using it, placing orders, and policies or procedures. It’s a good idea to offer these trainings periodically or make them available online for quick reference. Giving everyone a thorough knowledge of the process will make it easier for your staff to utilize the store more frequently.
Announce New Seasonal Swag With a Splash
A new season is an excellent opportunity to promote the swag store, reminding everyone that it’s there for them. Showcase new products. Offer discounts on high-inventory items or those you want to sell out and discontinue.
Business Bucks
Plan fun games at company events or conferences, where winners earn business bucks to spend on the swag store. This will generate a lot of store traffic, and employees who end the event with a fistful of business bucks will be happy to show off their complimentary swag.
Promoting your merch store will ensure its adoption and maximum utilization within your organization, producing the expected results.
Start Promoting
Implement some of these suggestions, and you’ll quickly see your staff using the creative marketing tools carefully selected for event giveaways, employee appreciation, and everything in between.
Are you ready for your swag store to take center stage? Connect with Flywheel. We are here to help you make it the ultimate go-to resource for your team.
