How Brands Use Storytelling to Engage Customers Through Merchandise

Merchandise isn't just about giving customers something for free in the hopes they'll come back again. Using merchandise effectively requires a lot more thought and understanding of your target audience. Storytelling is one way that companies connect with customers, and they can do this in countless ways through the use of promotional items.

In this article, we'll explore some of the ways that brands can build loyalty, boost recognition and create a meaningful connection with customers through storytelling.

Create a narrative that matches your brand values

Storytelling is all about creating a narrative and sharing that with your intended audience. The narrative should always incorporate your brand's core values, as it helps customers who share those values connect with you in a more meaningful way. If customers connect with your narrative, merchandise serves as a constant positive association.

Whether your brand's key values are sustainability, community, innovation or anything else, always choose promotional items that help you share the narrative with like-minded customers.

Use merchandise as memorabilia

There are countless ways to personalise your promotional merchandise, and one of those is to create memorabilia. This is a way to tie your merchandise to a specific event and share the journey with customers. Think about celebrating your brand's birthday, or the launch of a particularly innovative new product. Capturing that moment in time with merchandise keeps your customers connected to your story.

You can also consider limited-edition merchandise, perhaps a collaboration with an artist, influencer or other business. Promo items don't just help you tell the story – they serve as a permanent and meaningful connection between your brand and customers who were with you through the big moments.

Incorporating local culture and history

Australians love supporting local businesses, especially when they feel connected in a more meaningful way. Brands can create strong bonds with customers by incorporating local elements into their merchandise. Whether it's designs, words or symbols that relate to the local area, customers see that your brand is part of their story.

Brands that already have a strong local presence can celebrate this with promotional items and build a stronger connection with their customer bases. It could be a collaboration with local indigenous artists or simply an image or design that captures something unique about the local region.

Promote your sustainable values

With sustainability becoming an increasingly important issue for Australian customers, it's important for brands to share their sustainability stories. Merchandise can play a key role in this, as it helps to communicate your commitment to environmental change. For example, consider choosing eco-friendly merchandise such as bamboo products or gifts made from recycled materials.

If your audience cares about sustainability, take the opportunity to connect with them meaningfully. Promoting sustainability is good for the entire planet, but for your customers, it shows you have shared values that they want to support.

Personalising the customer experience

When using storytelling with your promotional products, it's important not to just focus on the story you want to tell. When products are more personalised, they include the customer in the story even more. So, while you think about celebrating business events, don't forget about customer milestones. Recognition of a birthday or a certain number of purchases is a great way to show customers they are really valued.

In terms of encouraging brand loyalty and repeat business, valuing your customers with thoughtful, meaningful gifts is a great way to include them in your storytelling. Another option is to consider customised merch packs, as this adds a layer of personalisation that customers love.

Use merchandise to share stories of innovation

Some brands like to be at the forefront of innovation, and it's a big part of why customers love them. If your brand has developed a new product or found an innovative solution to a problem, it's crucial to share that journey with the customer. Not only does new innovation always spark interest, but it's also an opportunity to put your customers right in the middle of the story. If you've got stories of innovation to share, do it with useful promo items that leave a long-lasting impression.

Need help engaging your customers with promotional items?

Brandconnect is the leading expert when it comes to promoting your brand, building customer loyalty and connecting with your audience. Our service is all about making it easy for you to get the products you need. From free digital mock-ups and samples to AI inspiration tools, it's never been easier to make informed decisions about promoting your brand. If you'd like to know more, contact the team at Brandconnect today!