Starting a small business is exhausting. You’re constantly refining what you want to be known for, what niche community you want to serve, and why you do what you do. You’ve spent hundreds of hours making your vision come to life… Now, how do you get customers to care?
If you’re a new business owner trying to get the word out about your amazing services but running out of ideas, you may want to consider looking into promotional products. Let’s get started by discussing how well-placed promotional products can spread awareness of your brand and capture the attention of your future customers.
Why Do I Need Promotional Products?
Nobody is going to buy what you’re offering if they don’t know you exist. Whether you’re a brand new business or established in town, building brand awareness is crucial to the survival of your company.
You’re sending out email blasts, interacting with social media followers, and sending coupons to customers on the mailing list… but how do you reach those in your community who don’t know about you yet? Thriving businesses have to think beyond word-of-mouth referrals if they want to grow. This is where promotional products come in.
Promotional products tell a story. They can bring awareness to your brand, cultivate interest in a new product, or paint your business in a favorable light. A well-placed promotional product has the power to turn heads, entice new customers to learn more, and ultimately increase your revenue.
Effective Promotional Product Ideas
While the products you choose and how you use them comes down to the individual, as long as you stay on-brand, you can feel free to get creative! Let’s explore a few fun, eye-catching promotional products that will turn heads and make your current customers come back for more.
Smartphone Accessories
The average American smartphone user picks up their phone once every 12 minutes or 80 times per day! When you put your logo on promotional cell phone stands or PopSockets, your customer will think of your brand and how happy it makes them each time they pick up their smartphone. Now that is a lot of free advertising!
Hats + Apparel
Everyone loves a free t-shirt, and you can’t go wrong with promotional hats and apparel! Give away these wearable billboards at your next promotional event, and everyone will see your logo on hats, t-shirts, and sweatshirts as your customers sport them around town.
Totes + Bags
A promotional tote, makeup bag, or reusable grocery bag is a great promotional product idea. Customers will think of you as they purchase groceries, apply their makeup, or carry books home from the library. A reusable tote is a product customers can keep in their car or backpack and use for years to come.
Pens
Branding your writing utensils is a cost-effective way to promote virtually any organization. Create customized logo pens, gel pens, or packs of pencils and give them to your happy customers as they sign a contract, take notes, or make a purchase.
Outdoor Equipment
Get creative and align your brand with fun outdoor equipment like camping chairs, frisbees, ponchos, beach towels, and umbrellas. Customers will take your product with them on vacation or to the big game and advertise your brand far and wide!
Home Goods
Branch out into home goods by branding matchbooks, chip clips, candles, and more. These household items can communicate that your brand is useful, helpful, and always there for the consumer. Giving out a magnet with your contact info is an especially useful marketing tool; as they hang photos on the fridge, customers remember you’re only a short phone call away.
Conclusion
While these products are by no means a definitive list of options, let them inspire you to consider how you can best use promotional products for your business! If you want to further your brand awareness, increase store and web traffic, and make more money this year, consider adding promotional products to your arsenal of marketing tools.
