People love free gifts from businesses. It’s a fact. The more useful and attractive these freebies happen to be, the better audiences perceive the business and the items they receive from the business. If you’re hoping to effectively brand your business with the use of promotional items, some items carry greater weight, in the eyes of consumers than others. These are a few of the top promotional items for businesses to “gift” that are appreciated by customers and will reach wider audiences than the original recipient.
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Engraved Pens
Pens are useful tools that everyone uses. Even in a world that is increasingly digital, people still use pens daily. More importantly, beautifully engraved pens often find themselves in the hands of multiple people over the life of the pen.
Think about it, how many times have you used someone’s pen to sign something and then walked away with that pen in your hand? How many times has someone done the same thing to you?
Engraving pens with your business logo and other identifying information is an inexpensive way to get your business information into the hands of many people, raising awareness of your business and what you do.
Totes and Wearables
The great thing about totes and wearables is that they are useful to the person receiving them so they will get worn. Here’s where things get really interesting. When people wear or carry around your logoed items, they are effectively advertising your business for you. In other words, they’re spreading the word that you do good work, and they aren’t afraid to show others their support of your business. It’s social advertising that can be among the most effective types of advertisement, in the way of building trust. Totes and wearables cover a lot of ground and include a wide range of products, including the following.
- Hoodies and sweatshirts
- Jackets
- Vests
- Hats
- Visors
- Reusable shopping bags
- Lunch bags
- Larger utility totes
- Knapsacks
- Tee shirts
These are all highly visible items that people will gladly use provided they are attractive and made with quality materials. Then, when they are no longer useful to one individual, these items are often given away to other people in the family or charity organizations like the Salvation Army or Goodwill where new people will learn about your brand and advertise your business to others.
Green Items
The world is going green. More importantly, the buying public is demanding that more and more businesses make similar moves. This is a branding boon for businesses that are ready to take the bull by the horns and offer a variety of promotional products to customers that offer planet-friendly properties. Outstanding items to choose from include any of the following.
- Reusable tote bags.
- Reusable water bottles.
- Travel mugs.
- Reusable lunch kits and bags.
- Notebooks and pens made of recycled ingredients.
- Wearables made with recycled ingredients.
- Reusable straws and utensils.
- Reusable food and water pet products.
The concept of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” is important to today’s consumers. You get extra points for effort if you select promotional items for gifts that are made with environmentally friendly practices as well.
Personal Protective Equipment
In light of the continuing saga of the COVID-19 pandemic and a steady stream of new strains and mutations, things like face masks and hand sanitizers continue to be high-demand items among all audiences. Americans have never before placed such an emphasis on keeping hands clean and sanitized and face masks have waxed and waned in popularity with the introduction of each new variant.
What does this have to do with promotional items for business branding? More than you realize. Items, like face masks and hand sanitizers, present unique branding opportunities for businesses to use. Opportunities that will keep providing returns on your investment for as long as the pandemic continues. Think about how many times you’ve purchased face masks only to misplace them, drop them, or allow them to come into contact with something you don’t want to touch your face? Reusable face masks that you give away freely to your employees, customers, and others promote your business in a positive light, offer something useful to practically everyone, and provide protection for the community at large.
The same holds true with hand sanitizer, especially if you choose a container that is easy to carry around, keep in vehicles, and use on the go. How popular is hand sanitizer? According to The Free Press Journal in December of 2021, demand for hand sanitizers has increased by 595 percent since 2019. More importantly, this demand is showing no signs of slowing, positioning forward-thinking businesses uniquely to capitalize on the demand.
If you want to reach wider audiences with your promotional items, these are choices that are popular with consumers and likely to be used and reused by those who receive them.
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