5 Reasons Why Promotional Products Raise the Value and Image of a Business

Top 5 Business Gifts for Your Staff

Best Promotional Products for this Coming Summer

Using promotional items with your business or organisation logo printed on them can bring you a great return on your investment. For a reasonable price, you get advertising that keeps working for you in any number of ways.

Let’s explore how you can use promo products to your advantage and take a look at some of the best items to give away as summer draws near.

by Jeremy Bishop

Why Should You Use Promotional Products?

Promotional products are a great source for targeted advertising within a nominal budget. Rather than advertising to no one in particular and hoping the right people see your message, giving away premium quality items lets you ensure your branding & your logo wind up in the right hands.

When you give a promotional item to attendees at an event you host, or hand them to prospective clients, you know they’re going to a select audience and you can personalise the delivery with a handshake and a conversation. Then, your business or not for profit logo is distributed around the world for others to see, likely reaching a similar audience as the recipient, whether those people are friends, team mates, or work colleagues.

Every time a promotional umbrella with your logo on it appears on the golf course or down the main street, you know everyone seeing it is getting a subliminal message about your business. According to the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), 88 percent of the people who receive promotional products remember the advertiser’s name.

How Can You Put Promotional Items to Use?

There are innumerable ways you can use promotional products to market your business in a subtle yet effective way. If you attend a lot of conventions, you know having a desirable giveaway increases visitor numbers to your booth and makes you the vendor with the lines that stretch around the corner.

Promotional products also make perfect thank-you presents when calling on loyal customers or giving a proposal to a potential client. If you have a large sales force, they can easily distribute your premiums while on sales calls.

Do you conduct frequent training sessions or conferences? Promotional products are a great way to help registrants remember the event. And if you’re launching a new product or service, they are the perfect way to get your logo and business name out there for people to see.

Promotional items aren’t just for customers or donors, although they make wonderful thank-you gifts for pledges and donations. You can also give these products to your employees to thank them for a job well done and enhance company loyalty and brand recognition.

What Are the Best Promotional Products for Summer?

Summertime is an ideal season to order and give out promotional products because everyone is outdoors and your products will be more visible. Additionally, many of the best promotional items lend themselves well to summer activities.

by Alex Proimos

Picnic Gear

One of the top ways to promote your organisation is to have your logo printed onto picnic gear, something nearly everyone can use. Gone are the days of wicker hampers. Nowadays, there are a host of user-friendly cooler bags, picnic baskets, picnic rugs, chairs and bbq accessories to choose from.

If you’re looking for a small picnic item, a single-person lunch cooler is a good option. These are great for any age, and they can be used all year long even when picnic season is over. Another good choice for kids, students, and hikers is a backpack cooler, which leaves them hands-free.

For larger groups, a carry basket is the right solution. Look for one that’s collapsible, durable and can be easily wiped clean.

Other picnic promotional items include bamboo cutting boards and platters, chair cooler bags, and deluxe picnic chairs. For a personal touch, you can stock your picnic baskets with goodies or more premiums.

Bar Accessories

For sophisticated clientele, there’s nothing nicer than bar accessories, excellent for the patio, the pool, and barbecues at the racecourse or rugby matches. These bar items range from beer can coolers to wine and BYO bags.

Flasks are a welcome gift, whether for whiskey or after dinner coffee. For the wine lover, BYO totes are handy, and even better if you stock them with a bottle or two when you give them out--the perfect item if you work in the food and hospitality industry.

Other bar items that make great promotional products include coasters, bottle openers, champagne stoppers, stubby coolers and corkscrews.

Water Bottles and Mugs

With everyone out and about in summer, promotional drink bottles and water bottles make an ideal premium, and remember, they are another product that works for people of any age.

Other popular promotional products in this category include travel coffee mugs, desk mugs, reusable coffee mugs and sports drink bottles that clip onto bicycles and backpacks.

Travel Bags

Of course, summer brings holiday and travel time too, so promotional travel bags are an ideal summer promotional item. Kids bags are available for camp and overnights, while you can find adult-size bags that are made for the gym and weekends away.

Don’t forget about totes for the beach, the pool club, and shopping errands. If you’re looking for accessories for travel aficionados, check out luggage tags, travel straps, travel wallets, waterproof dry bags and foldable travel bags.

Caps and Hats

Promotional caps and hats are always a hit for a reason: they are long wearing and useful, and you don’t have to worry about sizes (see below).

Don’t limit yourself to brimmed hats; knit caps are a fashionable alternative and appealing to athletes and beachgoers when the wind whips up or the sun gets low. Visors are another choice - easily popped in a bag and taken out for spectator sports and tennis matches.

by Krzysztof Golik

Promotional Umbrellas

Umbrellas are a timeless promotional product. They offer the recipient years of use, and they are helpful to everyone from early school children to the elderly. Even if someone already has an umbrella, it never hurts to have more, for the summer house, car boot and the office.

An umbrella also transitions well from warmer to colder weather, so while this item is necessary for summer deluges, your logo will be visible all year long.

Promotional umbrellas are available in a variety of sizes, so think about what type of umbrella would be best for your audience. Executive umbrellas offer broad coverage and can be used when walking down the street. Golf umbrellas are larger in size and can be used by more than one person at a time both on the golf course or when out and about, while fold-up umbrellas are smaller but desirable for travel or tucking in a briefcase or purse.

Other

Still looking for suggestions for more promotional products? Check out these items that are always popular during the summer season:

• Promotional Lanyards
• Roll-up picnic and beach blankets with a cinch and carry strap
• Sunglasses
• Chairs
• Sports watches
• Mobile phone protectors (think waterproof and sand proof)
• Earbuds and portable speakers
• Phone power banks
• Ice gel packs for sports aches and injuries
• Balls, kites, and water toys
• Candles and patio decor
• Hand sanitiser, sunscreen, and insect repellent
• Golf balls, tees, and divot tools

Are There Tips for Giving Out Promotional Items?

If you’re considering purchasing promotional products to give to clients, employees, or prospective customers, there are some things to keep in mind to make your marketing efforts most successful.

Keep sized items to a minimum.

Giving out products that require having the perfect size for every recipient can be tricky. Therefore, avoid items like t-shirts and beach sandals, unless their users will be signing up in advance with a size designation. If you want to give apparel, try caps and hats, scarves, and anything else that is generally one size fits all.

Test the weight of the product.

Picnic hampers, weekend bags, and large totes can be unwieldy for smaller individuals, especially children. Look for products that are lightweight but sturdy. Wheels are always ideal for any item that will be carried through an airport or used by kids.

Remember eco-friendly products are very popular at the moment.

These days, recipients may be put off by products that aren’t friendly to the environment. Do your best to find eco-friendly items when you can, such as long-wearing gear that won’t wind up in the bin next year, and products made from environmentally friendly materials like bamboo and recycled plastic. Also think about reusable coffee mugs made from ceramic, glass, stainless steel or plastic.

Think about your intended advertising audience.

Not every item is perfect for every person. Try to imagine what your recipients will enjoy most, even if it’s not necessarily your taste. Younger people may appreciate unisex knit caps and beach items, but seniors might find those items useless.

If you’re hosting a sports event, rugged gear will be appreciated, but your opera-loving crowd will want something more sophisticated, such as a wine bag or smart tote. If you're not sure who will be receiving the items, or if you have a mixed group, an umbrella is always just the right pick.

Purchase the highest quality promotional items your budget will allow.

You want your business or organisation to be memorable for all the right reasons, and you want your investment in promotional products to pay off. Be sure to buy the best quality items within your budget to reflect highly on you and your brand. For example, if you’re giving clients a fold-up umbrella, look for one with a smooth and long-lasting collapsible mechanism. A carrying case or sleeve is a nice touch too.

If you select items from a reputable merchant, you’ll know your recipients are getting the best promotional products possible, so every time they get put to use, they’ll remember you and your brand in a favourable way.

by Andrea Schaffer