A business needs to know how to promote itself and spread brand awareness, so they reach more people. However, doing so can pose challenges if you don’t know what approaches to take or are on a tight budget.
Many businesses like to use promotional items as an easy way to show off their brand and give back to their customers. Below are some tips on using promotional items and some ideas on what cheap promotional items to give your clients or customers.
Essential Tips
If you want to use cheap promotional items to promote your brand and give back to your customers, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Always Have Custom Prints
If you want cheap promotional items to succeed, you must add custom prints to them. Custom prints are something you add to your items as an easy way to identify your business. For example, most companies will add their names or logos as custom prints.
Custom prints will help your business in multiple ways, including the following:
- Improve your brand recognition
- Boost brand identity and reputation
- Stand out from competitors
You improve your brand recognition when you place custom prints on your items. People will begin to recognize your business logo and associate it with things.
From there, you’ll stand out from your competitors. Instead of going to another business for purchases, potential customers will pick yours since they know the brand. Brand recognition plays a significant role in gaining and retaining customers, so you can improve it through your promotional items. If you have a new business idea you’re trying to launch, you’ll want to find inexpensive ways to promote your company while you’re getting started.
Balancing Price and Quality
While you want to buy promotional products for cheap, you shouldn’t skimp out too much. For example, if you offer people shirts that quickly fade or tear, they’ll associate those negative feelings with your business.
You want to save money while providing something of good quality to leave the best impression on people. Finding that balance can pose challenges, but you can make it easier through bulk purchases.
Bulk purchases work well since they help you save money. You can also secure deals with different businesses to see if they’ll give you lower prices as long as you consistently buy from them.
You can always network and expand your options to see what’ll help your business when it comes to promotional items.
Pick Something Useful
You want people to use the product often. Otherwise, you won’t get as much advertisement out of it. If you give them something they keep in their home, like a trophy or a decor piece, people won’t come across it as often.
You want to pick items they’ll bring out of the house. For example, clothing remains a common choice since people will wear it in and out of the house, drawing attention to your business.
Have Them in Your Store
You’ll want to utilize in-store items if you want your strategies to succeed. If you have free cheap items people can get when they visit your store, they’ll have a reason to go in while also appreciating that you gave them something.
Not only will you make people happy, but they’ll also go into your store and potentially become customers. Some people will go in, browse the items, and see if they want to purchase anything. They may even return in the future or look at your online website for more information.
Items To Use as Promotional Items
While tips will help you with your promotional items, you may not know which items to buy. After all, if you pick an expensive item, you’ll find it difficult to minimize your costs, so try some of these ideas to see what works for you.
1. Clothing
If you want something simple, you can always go with clothes. You could give them t-shirts, sweaters, hats, or anything else. Promotional clothing items keep costs low, and people will always find a use for them.
Some people may wear your shirts to the gym, spend time with friends, or in other situations. Doing so will help you get more exposure as others see their clothing. They may even ask questions about the logo associated with it and improve your brand awareness.
Feel free to try out different clothing based on what’s popular in the area to see what people will wear.
2. Sample Products
If you want to make your items more appealing, you can use promotional products to have people try out what you sell. For example, a hair salon may give you a sample size of their shampoo, so you can see if you want to purchase the item later.
You can give them a fair amount of the product so they can quickly try it without feeling like they didn’t get enough. Not only that, but they may share some of their products with their friends, so they’ll also seek out the brand.
If you plan to go the promotional products route with samples, ensure you offer the best products available. Otherwise, people may try them and form a negative opinion of your business.
3. Custom Stickers
Some people overlook stickers, but they can work as an excellent option for a promotional item. You can use the business logo and name to clearly identify your company. You can even go the extra mile by creating a custom design that makes it more appealing.
They can quickly put their stickers on binders, folders, phone cases, and other objects. You can offer multiple options and treat them like a collectible, so people have a reason to return and potentially make a purchase later on.
Ensure the stickers are high-quality, so they won’t fade or get damaged by the elements.
4. Branded Beanies
If you want something valuable and unique, you can go with beanies. Beanies work well since people can wear them, they’re relatively cheap to make, and you can throw the logo on the front to advertise your business.
However, if you want to go with beanies, you must consider your area. For example, people may not wear beanies if they live in a warm area that doesn’t get much cold weather. On the other hand, others may wear the beanies for stylistic reasons.
Beanies can quickly become popular, and people will wear them whenever they go outside, so consider them a solid option.
5. Drawstring Bags
While some businesses will go with backpacks, they can soon add up in price. If you plan to keep promotional items cheap, you should choose a drawstring bag to minimize costs.
Drawstring bags work well since they have a simple design that allows people to use them when they want to transport items. Some people may use them at the gym, during walks, or on long commutes.
The bag has a lightweight design, so people will appreciate how they can easily carry them while also displaying your company branding.
6. Water Bottles
You may find water bottles useful even if you don’t run a fitness business. People want an easy way to drink and carry their water around, so they’ll get refillable water bottles. You can make them out of simple, high-quality plastic to lower the costs while making them useful.
See if you can also point out how they help the environment by reducing the use of single-use plastic water bottles. Not only will you help others make a difference, but people will associate those positive feelings with your business.
Such a promotional item works well if you go to an event where people need easy access to water.
7. Branded Notebooks
Some people overlook notebooks as great promotional items. People sometimes need paper but forget to buy it, so offering notebooks can be convenient for them. That way, they can quickly take notes, keep track of important information, or even doodle.
Notebooks can be great gifts for kids and adults. They can use the notebooks however they want, and you can pick different sizes based on your budget. If you’re going to put more money into it, you can get standard notebooks or smaller ones if you must save money.
8. Branded Pens
Whether to doodle or jot down important notes, everybody needs a high-quality pen. Consider putting your company’s logo on a pen for a promotional item that people will use often. Opt for blue or black ink and pair it with a branded notebook for a functional gift.
If you want to splurge on this option, you can offer customers multiple colors.
Final Thoughts
Cheap promotional items make it easier to advertise your business. Not only do people show these items off to others, but they help identify your business in the future. If you plan to use this advertising route, you should buy promotional items cheaply to save money while still advertising.
Ensure you balance affordable and good-quality items, so people don’t become upset with them. You should also give them to people for free so they appreciate your business, have a positive experience, and develop a customer relationship.
