Your Custom Cell Phone Case:
As a business owner you probably also own a cell phone. And, regardless of whether your phone has a custom cell phone case, or whether you just use the phone “as is” – without a case, you probably use that phone many times a day. It’s very likely that, as you make and receive phone calls you never think of the device as anything but a communications tool. And that’s where you might be missing out!
By working with a reputable custom phone case manufacturer, like OYI Gifts, you can easily transform the simple cell phone, from a communications device into a powerful marketing tool!
Why Bother?
Is there any reason that you can’t use your cell phone without a customized silicone case? Will the device perform poorly? Will it function less efficiently? Sure, cell phones work great without a case, don’t they? Well, yes…but there are so many reasons that people love having a unique case with their phones:
- Cases make phones uniquely identifiable. So, if the case ends up in a pile with other similar phones, like they often do at airport check-in counters, the case makes it immediately recognizable. That’ll help avoid mix-ups and prevent your cell phone from going to another person that also had a similar phone checked in
- Cases reflect personalities. Whether you design your own phone case, or you receive one as a gift from someone else, unique cases reflect unique personalities. So, if you are a great cartoon lover, then you can design a case with your favorite cartoon character that reflects who you are
- Customized cell phone cases also serve a greater purpose other than decorative or ornamental use. A well-designed silicone phone case, for example, can act as a shock absorber to protect your phone from damage if it falls
- Cases can help you celebrate key milestones in your life. You can work with a phone case manufacturer and have multiple cases and use them interchangeably – for each season in the year, or to mark occasions, like New Year or Christmas
- Beautifully designed cell phone cases make the phones look cool…and who doesn’t want their devices to look fashionable and trendy?
Because of these many reasons, using phone cases makes a lot of sense. And these, and other reasons, are why millions of people use a custom cell phone case for their phones. And, as a marketer or sales-oriented person, that’s where the opportunity lies with phone cases: If designed and manufactured properly, you can use a custom phone case for business brand promotional purposes. And, because millions of cell phone users love them, your corporate cell phone case has the potential to expose your company brand to millions of individuals – for FREE!
The best way to use custom phone cases as branding vehicles is to first understand what it is you wish to achieve from your marketing or branding program. Once you have a clear idea of what your branding objectives are, you then design your phone case wholesale, so you receive the best possible rates from your chosen manufacturer.
Making the Most of Cell Phone Cases
When strategizing how you might use phone cases to protect your brand, it’s important to keep one thought at the center of your plans: The phone case is only the vehicle and not the message. Many brand marketers assume that, if they give a phone case as a gift to loyal customers, that gesture automatically serves a marketing purpose. Not true at all!
The use of a custom phone case in business promotion strategies is successful only if:
- The giveaway is part of a broader promotional initiative
- The customized case uniquely reflects the company’s image and branding
- There is a visual identity component to the cases’ design (we’ll talk more about this shortly!)
Having these three elements coordinated with your custom phone case manufacturer is vital for companies to make the most of any corporate gift scheme involving cell phone cases as giveaways. So, let’s talk about the importance of each of these aspects of a corporate gift-giving strategy:
- Make your custom cell phone gift part of a wider sales promotional and marketing effort. For instance, you could simply give the cases free to all your customers or prospects. However, you’ll get a better return on investment (ROI) if you run a promo campaign such as “Sign-up for our 6-month service and get a FREE custom cell phone case”.
Alternatively, if you are a product marketer, you could offer a free phone case as part of a product promo “Buy 2 products and get a Phone Case for FREE!”. In either case, link the “free” gift to the purchase to make the most of your promo.
- When you design your own phone case for corporate promotional purposes, it’s important to understand why you are manufacturing them: It is to promote and protect your business brand. So, while simply giving away a free phone case might help market your product/service, it may not leave a memorable impression on your customers.
Let’s explain that with the help of an example. For example, IBM has a universally recognizable brand due to the blue color of its corporate messaging – that’s why they call IBM “Big Blue”. It would therefore make good marketing sense for IBM to work with their phone case manufacturer to produce blue phone cases, rather than black or red ones.
- Finally, to make the most of your cell phone case gifts, it’s important to create some form of visual identity around the case and the messaging that goes with it. Once again, let’s highlight that with an example.
If, for instance, you are a paint manufacturing business. You could design your marketing program with “Buy two tins of our emulsion paint and get a FREE phone case!”. That works – for sure. But what if, when you buy your phone case at wholesale rates, you arrange for the manufacturer to design it in the form of a paint can; or at least have a paint can image on the case? That’ll be an impressionable image indeed!
It’s easy to simply have plain cell phone cases presented as corporate gifts. But including these three strategies in your gift-giving program can have a great brand promotional impact. Doing so will not only make your customer appreciate your gift; but, because of the unique visual aspect of the case (including corporate colors, case design – i.e., a paint tin), the customer will always remember you and your company whenever they make or receive a call or text. And that’s exactly the effect your corporate gifts should have!
Let’s Not Forget Messaging!
Ideally, you want your custom cell phone case to act as your brand ambassador. What do we mean by that? Well, consider who (or what) an ambassador’s role is. An ambassador is someone far away from his/her home country, but he/she constantly represent their homeland and speaks for that country. Your customized phone cases must do the same for your business!
Whenever a gift recipient (of one of your cases) uses his/her cell phone, everyone who sees the case should immediately recognize your company, its products, and its services. If the custom phone case your business designed can accomplish that, then the gift will act as your brand ambassador. If it does not achieve that objective, it means your investment in the phone case, as a branding or marketing tool, has not delivered you the ROI you expected.
So, how can you ensure your custom gifts act as model brand ambassadors for your company? The answer: Messaging!
You might have various ways to manage messaging on your cell phone covers. However, two simple approaches to corporate brand messaging are:
- Corporate logos: The most recognizable feature of any company is its logo. The golden arches of McDonald, or the multi-colored “G” for Google, bring instant recognition to the company and its brand. So, when you work with your custom phone case manufacturer, it’s important to discuss your corporate logo, and how you want it displayed on the phone case.
Tip: Make sure to place the logo high-up, for example where the cameras are so that the hand doesn’t obstruct it when the user is making or receiving a call.
- Corporate Slogan, Vision, or Mission Statement: This is yet another distinguishing feature that sets individual companies apart from their competitors. When you design your own phone case for your corporate gift-giving program, make sure you add your company slogan or “tagline” to the case. Usually, if someone doesn’t recognize your corporate logo, they’ll distinguish your company punch line” from that of your competitors.
Tip: Like the logo, place the corporate slogans or brand tag lines in a visible location so that other people can view it too, not just the person whose device it is.
Regardless of which one (or both) of these messaging approaches you use, one important thing to consider is size. Making the messaging too large will defeat the purpose of the phone case – it might overwhelm the design. On the other hand, too small/tiny messaging might obscure the message from onlookers and defeat the branding exercise altogether.
Choosing the Right Manufacturer
For this reason, it’s important to work with a reputable phone case manufacturer, like OYI Gifts, to work out all the essential design elements of the gift before placing an order. In fact, because of their vast experience in manufacturing corporate gifts, it’s advisable to share your gift designs with them and consult with their experts on the most appropriate custom cell phone case design.