Promotional activities
Promoting an EU project – as well as any local, regional, or national initiative – as effectively as possible is a very important factor for success, as it raises awareness and interest about the project and the produced results, implemented activities, and developed products. It is also a great way to attract new and more participants for planned activities during the project runtime and, in the long run, it will create the potential for a sustainable future use of the project outcomes. Generally speaking, promotion increases visibility of a project and ensures that target groups, partners, beneficiaries, and stakeholders know about the project or initiative.
A great way to achieve all this are promotional materials.
Promotional materials can take many forms and shapes, but what they have in common is that they help communicate the project’s goals, results, and impacts to a broader audience to make the project known. Effective and clever promotional materials also strengthen project branding, contribute to a project’s dissemination and exploitation efforts by making it seen publicly, and make the project's results more accessible and impactful.
The items you choose will depend on various factors: budget, alignment with project goals, size and design, availability, sustainability aspects and much more – but as there are many different options available, there will always be something that fits to your project, budget, and target group. Promotional materials are not limited to a specific topic, theme, field, or background of a project – the underlying ideas are highly transferable and can be used for any type of project and initiative.
Important points to consider
- Use project branding on all your items. The project logo and name, as well as required logos of the funding entities have to be present on all items. Additionally, you can add key messages, OR codes, contact information, partner logos and more. Whenever possible, apply the project’s colour scheme to link your items even more to the project.
- Remember to actually use the items you produce – do not “save them for later”.
In a nutshell: What are the benefits and added value of promotional materials?
Increased visibility
Materials that are branded with the project design, such as brochures, posters, digital content, and gadgets help spread information quickly and widely. Paper-based or online materials such as brochures and flyers provide a lot of information about the project; practical everyday items with the project branding that people can use in their routines (e.g. water bottles, clothing, pens), your project will become more visible and better known. Make sure to follow required branding guidelines.
Engagement
Creative promotional materials attract attention and make the project more memorable. They can be a great incentive for target group members to participate in activities, read materials, interact with the project’s social media or online challenges, or just spread the word about the project. Make sure you choose items that are interesting for your target group!
Involvement of external partners
Promotional tools and materials encourage more interaction with external stakeholders such as businesses, NGOs, schools, and public bodies who are not directly involved in the project, but are important partners for project promotion.
Project Recognition
Distributing well-developed promotional materials increases a project’s brand recognition and ensures that a project or initiative stands out from others. It is important to use all required labels, logos and disclaimers in order for the materials to align with mandatory standards for visibility and dissemination.
Where can you get promotional materials?
Professional printing companies
There are many local and online printing companies that specialise in project branding and material production. If you know a company in your city, you can ask them directly for a catalogue to get inspired by their available products. If you prefer online shopping, you can browse the websites of online printing companies such as the ones from our recommendations list:
www.stickermule.com
www.flyeralarm.com
www.expresta.eu
www.danke.pt
Digital design platforms
Many promotional materials can be created using online design tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Spark) and shared digitally. Some of these platforms offer direct links to printing companies. These design platforms can be used to create any kind of material from brochures and posters to specialised designs for specific gadgets.
Have your eye out for eco-friendly providers who use recycled or biodegradable materials such as recycled paper, bamboo pens, or reusable cotton bags and who apply sustainable production methods and practices such as energy-efficient production, water-based inks, or minimal packaging.
Budget considerations
In the process of planning the development of your promotional activities, do not forget to set a budget for your materials that is aligned with your overall communication strategy. Review costs for promotional materials in comparison with other necessary expenses and always try to find a good balance. Spend your money on materials that you know will reach the most people and achieve the best impact. To save money, compare different printing companies to find cheaper prices and also think about options like bulk printing, but always be careful not to waste materials and do not order more than you need.
Ideas for promotional project gadgets
In addition to more traditional options such as flyers, business cards, brochures, and posters, which are certainly essentials to have as promotional materials for a project, there are countless options available for creative gadgets. Once you browse the catalogues of printing companies, you will find many different interesting choices and a lot of inspiration.
Whatever you choose, make sure that the gadgets are useful, practical, and in line with your project goals. This will increase the engagement and interest you can expect from your target group and it will make your investment for these items worth the price. Your gadgets can be sustainable, fun, interactive, educational and much more. It’s time to be creative!
Some examples
- Customised USB drives: Shaped in fun designs and displaying the project logo, they can contain project resources, videos, and educational materials that were developed in the project.
- Eco-friendly phone accessories: Reusable phone grips or compostable phone cases that are branded to the project and are made from materials like bamboo fibres or plant-based plastics.
- Clothing: T-shirts, sweatshirts, wristbands, or caps with project branding can be given to participants and can be worn during project activities.
- Seed products such as notebooks or bookmarks: They are made from paper which is embedded with seeds, can be branded with the project logo and contain other project-based information. After their intended use, they can be planted and will grow flowers or herbs. Similarly, branded pencils can include a deposit of seeds that can be planted once the pencil becomes too short to use.
- Stickers: They can take any form and shape – for example your project logo – and there are various different materials to choose from. With the help of stickers, you can easily apply your project branding to any item (e.g. paper cups, notepads, laptops etc.)
- Reusable water bottles: Customised with the project’s logo, QR code, information or artwork, they encourage hydration and recycling.
- Recycled Fabric Shopping Bags: They can be made from recycled materials such as plastic bottles or organic cotton and can be personalised with project designs or other information.
- Solar-powered chargers, keychains or mini flashlights: Small portable, fun and practical solar-powered devices that feature the project logo are practical and promote green energy.
- Eco-friendly wristbands: Silicone-free, biodegradable wristbands that show the project logo and can also be customised with messages.
Examples of project material from the SPGs project