words Al Woods
Giving out swag items are your next big business event comes with some great benefits. For starters, everyone loves to get free stuff. You can make previous customers or potential customers have a more positive view of your business with just a small gift.
In addition, if you brand the swag items you’re giving away, you’ve now turned them into marketing tools. People will think of your business whenever they use or see the item you gave away, which can promote your business for a long time to come.
If you’re interested in giving something away at your next big business event, you may be wondering what to give. Luckily, there are plenty of great options you choose from. Here are 6 swag items that are both affordable and great marketing tools, making them excellent choices for your next event giveaway.
Hats and Shirts
A popular choice for swag items is clothing, such as hats and shirts. The biggest benefit of giving away clothing is that whenever someone wears it, they are not the only ones who think of your business – everyone who sees them does too. Think about how much it might cost to produce one hat, then think about the exposure you can get from someone wearing that hat out for the day.
Best of all, it’s easy to produce these items, as you can easily add your logo to some union hats or shirts and have them made right in the USA. Even if only a fraction of people who receive your clothing items wear them out in public, you’ll still likely get a great return on your investment.
Magnets
Magnets are another affordable option to give away. You have two choices – magnets that people can put on their refrigerators or ones that they can put on their vehicles. Both have their benefits, so you’ll want to think about which one your audience is more likely to use. You can also create magnets that are solely your business’s logo or ones that incorporate your business in some way.
For example, you could create a magnet with an inspirational quote, then add your business’s name to the bottom of it. The reason to do this is that the person may be more likely to use a magnet that’s enjoyable to read than one that just has your company name.
Tech Accessories
If you want to give away something that people are more likely to use, consider giving away some tech accessories. You don’t have to give away anything expensive like tablets or laptops, but smaller items that they can use along with their existing equipment. For example, you can give out a mousepad with your company logo or a portable power bank to charge their devices. Both will be of use to your audience and they’ll associate your brand with being helpful.
Calendar
Another useful item to give away is a calendar. This is especially useful if your event is near the end of a year and people are looking for a calendar for the following year. Calendars are great marketing tools because people use them for the entire year. You also have a lot of options for what you can include on the calendar. For instance, if you produce a 12-month calendar with large color photos, you can include photos from recent company events or of your products. Anyone who uses this calendar would then think of your business each day.
Notebooks and Pens
Notebooks and pens are classic swag items. People could always use another pen or a notebook to write in. The reason these items are so popular among swag giveaways is that they are both useful and affordable to produce. An additional benefit is that if you have any leftovers, you can easily use them within your business and save yourself some money on supplies.
Drink Containers
Finally, there are drink containers. For example, you could give away coffee mugs, travel thermoses, or reusable water bottles. It’s a simple item that people don’t always purchase for themselves but use when they get one for free. It’s also easy to put your logo on any of these items and order them in bulk. Think about your audience and which type of container they might like best. For example, working professionals might prefer a travel coffee mug, while a business geared towards the fitness industry might prefer to give away a water bottle for the gym.
Make Swag Items a Part of Your Next Event
No matter what sort of business event you’re hosting, you can make it a little better by giving something away to the attendees. Think about what your audience might use the most, as this will have the biggest impact on improving brand awareness. Then research the costs for buying those items and compare that to the return you’ll get. Chances are, you’ll discover that giving away a simple item at your next big business event is a wise investment for your future.
