Top Promotional Products To Make Your Brand Memorable
Written by Ali Carr, Posted in Career
“Marketing is a contest for people’s attention.” – Seth Godin
As the owner of a promotional product company, Ali Specialties, people constantly ask me how they can raise their brand awareness in the community. My response? Networking in combination with the effective use of the right promotional products. It is a known fact that consumers remember a company after receiving a promotional product with the business’s logo on it. There are numerous ways to use promotional products to promote your company and your brand.
Today I’m going to share with you some tips as well as the top promotional product categories that every company should use.
1. Apparel. Casual Friday? Attending a Golf Tournament? I strongly suggest having apparel for your company employees to wear as well as to give as gifts to your clients. Do not ever miss an opportunity to wear your brand out in public. If your logo has a lot of colors in it, I suggest simplifying it. It works best to use a tone on tone design in which you can clearly see the logo, but it’s not in your face.
2. Drinkware. Drinkware is one of my absolute favorite items to give out simply because everyone needs it -and uses it regularly. There are so many options when it comes to drinkware but I like to narrow it down to these three basics: executive travel cups, traditional coffee mugs, and tumblers. Lately, the new “Brew To Go” and “Vino to Go” tumblers have been flying off the shelves. These double-walled tumblers in the shape of wine and beer glasses put a fun spin on your traditional drinkware and allow you to enjoy your favorite drinks outside. The “Vino to Go” is one of my personal favorite promotional products to date.
3. Etched Wine Bottles. Trying to think of a way to blow away a prospective client or show your appreciation to an existing customer? Send (or have us send) a beautiful bottle of wine with your company’s logo etched in the glass. This gesture will leave a lasting impression and could be just what you need to help you close the deal! I have received only the best of feedback from my clients who decided to go this route. If you would like to ship your wine to multiple clients at once, we also offer that service.
4. Beach Towels. Every state has its own version of a ‘summer season’ and almost every person uses beach towels from time to time. Beach towels are an amazing choice for a promotional product because they offer a sizable imprint area for your logo. They are also great because they are a one size fits all item that everyone can use. Bonus: no more worrying about whether or not you have all of the right sizes or whether or not your products will fit your clients. Do yourself a favor and always have beach towels with your company logo on hand! I promise, your clients will use these and they will love them!
5. Pens. If you want to recognize an outstanding employee or a loyal client, try giving them a pen. You can personalize pens with names, initials, or even engrave signatures on them. This is a simple yet memorable gift that they will be sure to appreciate and use daily.
6. Backup Phone Chargers. I recently attended a women’s business luncheon and I have to admit that I was ecstatic when I saw that the giveaway that day was a backup phone charger. Like usual, my phone battery was at three percent so this was a product that I was able to use right away. Everyone loves a gift they can actually use instead of another piece of junk that they will just throw away. Tech items have quickly become one of the top selling sectors in the promotional product industry.
7. Health & Wellness Products. Everyone knows that the health and wellness industries are booming right now. Why not give your clients something they will find beneficial to their health and use regularly? Logoed infuser water bottles and exercise bands are great gifts for health conscious crowds. On another note, I strongly recommend creating a health and wellness program for your employees if you want to increase productivity as well as emphasize team building. (Feel free to ask us about how we recently initiated the Ali Specialties Health and Wellness Program!) You can even use these types of health and fitness products as incentives for those employees who have actively participated in your company’s wellness programs.
8. Tote Bags. If you’ve stepped foot into a Whole Foods or Greenwise Publix store lately, you know that reusable bags are all the rage. Tote bags (personalized with your company logo) are like walking billboards! At your next event, make sure to give everyone a branded tote bag. By doing this, you will keep your brand in their hands-and out in the public eye every single time they use it.
9. Name Tags. Although I believe they are vastly underrated, name tags can be extremely effective. While at networking events, always wear a name tag with your company logo on it -and have your employees do the same. This is a very inexpensive way to ensure that you will be remembered. The people you talk to will have a much easier time remembering who to call if and when they need your services.
10. Sunglasses. Fun shades in the ever so popular “Ray Ban” style are a top selling giveaway product. They are extremely popular amongst young crowds such as colleges, Universities and are great as trade-show giveaways. You can put your company’s logo right onto the lenses or even on the arm of the sunglasses. Your clients will have a great time wearing these around town-especially with Summer fast approaching. Again, remember that the goal of giving out promotional products is to get your name out to the public. By choosing to put your brand on sunglasses, you can be sure that your product is out there for people to see.
11. Recognition Plaques & Awards. Hard work should always be recognized, and there is no better way to do so than with achievement awards such as plaques. There are various ways to get creative in using them. You may choose to use them to award your top vendors, your loyal clients or even your own inside team members who have hit sales goals. I know personally that the awards I have received from past employers and from the community are constant reminders that my hard work does pay off. I keep them on display in my office as a reminder of the fruits of my labor.
Promotional products are an extremely effective and efficient form of advertising and they can do wonders for your business. It has been proven over and over again that brand recognition requires repeated exposure to the brand name, the company’s slogan and the company’s logo. Customers are more likely to remember your company if they have seen your logo repeatedly. This is where promotional products come in.
Just as important as having promotional products available, it is essential to learn how to use them to your advantage. Here on the blog, I will soon be sharing some of the most effective ways to use your promotional products in order to help you get the highest level of Return On Investment for your promo products. Stay tuned.
Do you have a favorite promotional product that you like to give out to your clients? Please share your ideas below!
