I'm drowning in a sea of magnets!

About six months ago I started to keep those FREEBIE promotional magnets that everyone seems to be giving out these days. I think I may have enough to build a magnetic field around my house. Or, I may just make a coat out of them that way when I walk down the street people will stop - pause - and say "she has a magnetic way about her" or "boy, there goes a real magnetic force."

Now, I know why everyone uses these promotional giveaways - they are inexpensive. I can order thousands of them myself for just a few hundred bucks. Then, I could send them to people I don't even know. Better yet, I could send them to people I don't know and who do not want them!

That is just what a local paving company did in a direct mail piece. They sent me a magnet, a tri-fold brochure and an unsigned letter. They put all of it into an envelope labeled "RESIDENT." (I'll get into that whole mess of a direct mail effort in a later post.) I did a quick little research into the company and found they have been around since 1983 and do commercial, municipal and residential work so they are doing some things right. But, I wonder why they sent me a refrigerator magnet? The only explaination I could think of was that they heard I've started to collect them and wanted me to add theirs to my pile.

Dear PAV-MENT,

If, you want me to put your magnet on my refrigerator or file cabinet at least put some design work on it, perhaps a shiny new care parked on a newly paved driveway. I can easily place myself in that picture - IF I WANTED your service. The magnet does have their business name, tag line, phone and website - all the essentials. But it didn't stand out and is pretty darn ugly. Take a quick look at the picture and see if it jumps out at you.

There are good reasons to use magnets as a freebie promotional tool:

1. Contact information readily and constantly in view,

2. Will usually last for years,

3. Inexpensive.

Some reasons for not using them:

1. The business isn't applicable to the person,

2. The magnet isn't really all that decorative,

3. Everyone else is using them.

There are some businesses that promotional magnets are really applicable too. For instance, if you offer pet-sitting service, appliance, car or home repairs or medical services, in other words, business where your product or service is used frequently or in an emergencies. If you are a B2B the same applies. Some examples may be a vendor of office supplies, IT support, accountant or product hotline service. There are many other businesses that really should spend their promotional marketing budget elsewhere.

If you do decide to go the magnetic way spend your money on the following:

1. A good design that is pleasing to the eyes as well as having the essentials,

2. A quality magnet that will actually hold a sheet of paper. Many of the ones I have in my collection don't work and barely stay stuck to a file cabinet. Make sure your promotional FREEBIE is useful.

3. A unique size. A caution here, don't make the magnet too big; otherwise it will overpower its usefulness. The picture above shows some large magnets that may stand out in the picture, but are too large and could cover too much of the information the user wants to see.

I will continue to collect magnets over the next few years. So, you may just find me walking down the street someday wearing a very unique jacket.

I'd enjoy hearing if you have used promotional magnets either giving them or receiving them and putting them to use.

Thanks.