Does Your Brand Love Promotional Giveaways?

Are you making promotional giveaways work for your business?

Promotional giveaways are a fantastic way to make a good impression on your customers, keeping your brand fresh in their minds.

From giveaways at networking events or trade shows, to exclusive online offers, what can you do to use promotional giveaways for your business?

Giving Your Customers a Gift

Who doesn't like to receive a gift?

A promotional giveaway sets up the dynamic wherein your brand is giving a gift to your customers.

Receiving a gift triggers a sense of reciprocity in the recipient. That means the use of promotional giveaways can make your customers kindly disposed towards your brand, encouraging them to give back by doing business with you.

Promotional items are also a great way to remind customers of who you are and what you do.

If you choose something that will get used or seen regularly, your customers will be frequently reminded of your business.

Your choice of giveaways also communicates something about your brand to your customers, and can be used as part of your marketing strategy to give the impression you want to give.

Choosing Your Promotional Items

Your choice of promotional item is key to having success with giveaways as part of your strategy.

The right promotional item will make a positive impression on the recipient. The wrong item will be ignored or thrown away, or even make your business look bad.

So just how do you choose the right items?

The key is to know your audience, and know what impression you want to give of your brand. It's easy to go for the item that you think will make you stand out the most, but in fact that's not necessarily the best option. 

Instead, choose promotional items that will be genuinely useful or memorable for your audience.

For example, if your networking event is being held in winter, give away a scarf or gloves. In summer, why not some sunscreen or flip flops? A stress toy or something that is likely to get used on an every day basis is a good choice, too. 

As the article "Promotional Giveaways: What You Need to Know" says, your promotional items should be "sticky", that is to say they should make people do, feel, or say something.

Your Promotional Items Strategy

As with any other part of your business; your promotional items will work best when you have a strategy for them.

Ask yourself:

• When and where will this item be given away?
• To whom will the item be given?
• What can I do to make sure this item is useful or memorable for them?
• What are their needs and pain points?
• What impression do I want this item to give about my business?

When giving out your promotional items, plan the message that will go with them.

Sometimes, this will mean some well written marketing materials.

At events or trade shows, this could mean making sure your staff are trained to talk to and connect with the customers rather than just handing the item over.

If you can integrate a call to action into your promotional giveaways, do that.

For example, you can encourage customers to sign up to a mailing list, or for a free trial of your product.

Or you might ask them to use your promotional item and then tweet about it. That way, it becomes more than just a freebie, instead becoming part of your strategy to get and keep your customers' attention.

Well thought out use of promotional items can reap many rewards for your business.

Put some thought into your item choices, and pick items that will leave customers with a lasting positive impression of your business.