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Handing out free custom pens at a trade show isn’t a strategy. It’s noise. Most custom merchandise fails because it’s treated as a one-time giveaway rather than part of a bigger plan. If you want your brand to be remembered, your products need to show up more than once—and in ways that actually matter to your audience.
That’s where the 3-Touch Strategy comes in. We’ve seen firsthand how effective this strategy has been for the clients we’ve worked with. Instead of thinking about a merch for one single moment, this approach spreads it through 3 touchpoints. Each stage plays a distinct role: first to capture attention, then to create value, and finally to solidify loyalty.
Why Three Touches Work
Marketers talk a lot about “brand recall.” What’s often missing from that conversation is repetition. People rarely remember a brand the first time they see it. In advertising, it can take seven or more exposures for a message to take hold. Merchandise speeds this up because it’s physical, useful, and sticks around — but one touch still isn’t enough.
Three touches strike the right balance. It’s enough to build familiarity without blowing the budget. More importantly, it mirrors the natural way people build trust: notice, engage, remember.
Touch One: Make an Introduction
The first touch should be simple, useful, and everywhere. Think of it as your handshake. You want something light and practical that can be given out at scale.
Examples:
- Custom printed tote bags at conferences (still one of the most carried items on a show floor).
- Branded water bottles at sporting events.
- Stickers, pens, or notepads slipped into customer orders.
The point isn’t to impress with price. It’s to get noticed and make sure people take you home. If it’s useful, it becomes part of their day — and that’s the first brick in the wall of recall.
Touch Two: Add Real Value
Once someone knows your name, you need a second impression that feels more intentional. This is where many campaigns fall flat. They hand out the same trinket twice. The second touch should be a step up — something that solves a small problem or adds everyday value.
Examples:
- Mailing a notebook after a sales meeting, filled with tips or prompts relevant to your service.
- A desk accessory that fits naturally into a workday (phone stand, cable organiser, mouse pad).
- Seasonal items like a reusable coffee cup in winter or a sun visor in summer.
At this stage, personalisation can make a big difference. Even packaging with a name on it or a short message tailored to the recipient shows thought. You’re no longer just giving something away; you’re building a connection.
Touch Three: Leave a Lasting Impression
The third touch is where you stop being a freebie and start being part of the customer’s life. This item should be a keeper — something they don’t throw in a drawer, but use again and again. It also doesn’t need to go to everyone. Reserve it for your best customers, hot prospects, or loyal staff.
Examples:
- Premium custom apparel items, such as hoodies, jackets, or caps.
- Tech accessories such as power banks, wireless chargers, or earbuds.
- High-quality drinkware — the kind people use daily, not once.
This stage is about retention. A premium product says: “We value you.” Every time the recipient uses it, they’re reminded of that relationship.
A Real-World Example
I remember helping a software company in Sydney who will be attending a major conference. We helped them plan out the strategy and we came up with this: attending a major conference:
- Touch One: Every visitor to the booth gets a tote bag. They’re practical, highly visible, and carried around all day.
- Touch Two: Attendees who scan a QR code receive a custom journal in the mail, filled with productivity hacks that tie back to the software’s features.
- Touch Three: Hot leads who book a demo are sent a premium hoodie. It’s worn often, sparking conversations long after the event is over.
The sequence takes a stranger from first impression to ongoing brand presence in three deliberate steps.
Mistakes to Avoid
It’s easy to mess this up. The most common traps include:
- Making everything cheap. If all three touches feel disposable, you’ve wasted money.
- Skipping the sequence. Random items given at random times won’t connect into a story.
- Poor distribution. Even the best merchandise fails if it doesn’t reach the right hands.
- Mixed messages. If each product looks and feels different, it weakens recall instead of strengthening it.
Measuring the Impact
If you’re going to invest in three touches, you need to prove it works. The good news is that merch is measurable if you set it up right. Track:
- Repeat orders or renewals among customers who received all three items.
- Conversions from prospects who engaged with each stage of the campaign.
- Engagement data like QR scans, social mentions, or web traffic linked to merchandise.
- Cost per impression, which compares the frequency of an item’s use against its production cost.
Over time, you’ll learn which products work best at each stage and which are worth dropping.
Final Thought
Custom merchandise should never be a random expense. Done poorly, it clutters desks and bins. Done with intention, it’s one of the most powerful forms of marketing you can buy.
The 3-Touch Strategy is straightforward: introduce, add value, and leave a lasting impression. When you plan your merchandise like a story and not just a giveaway, you stop being forgettable swag and start becoming part of your customer’s everyday life. And that’s when custom merchandise stops costing money and starts making it.
Call us at (03) 7046 9990 to get a free quote or consult with our merchandise experts today!