Promotional Products Marketing Ideas

When you are considering what promotional products to give your customers, think about giving away items that can help you stand out from competitors. Products that are stylish and useful can be more effective at raising brand awareness if customers like them and use them often.

When winter wanes and customers get a case of spring fever, custom flip flops can be a fun promotional gift that will get used throughout the season. Choose a bright, summery color like teal or orange and print your logo on the heel so customers can remember who gave them their favorite pair of sandals.

Flashlights are useful promotional gifts for almost anyone. They can be used on camping trips to light pathways or find a fallen marshmallow, for safety to light up a dark parking lot or to help individuals find their way to a circuit breaker if the power goes out in a storm.

A stainless steel and acrylic martini shaker can be both a fun and useful gift for loyal customers. Get it printed with your business' name or logo and include the recipe for a favorite cocktail on the back. When clients take a sip of the delicious drink, they might appreciate your creative and personal touch. 

Drawstring backpacks are a popular item among college students. You see undergrads wearing them all over campus to go workout at the gym or to bring books to the library. Drawstring backpacks are versatile bags that can be a great promotional gift to generate brand awareness within a student community.

Drawstring bags can be printed with your business' logo and name in a variety of colors and materials. They can also be printed using school colors if you want to generate school spirit with your promotional product.

Students at campuses like Alabama and Louisiana State University, the top two ranking schools in the Bowl Championship Series standings, might enjoy sporty drawstring backpacks made of nylon that look like bags football players wear to the gym. A jersey drawstring bag printed with the school's name and a high profile player's number could also make for a popular item.

Students at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, or Warren Wilson College in North Carolina, might enjoy natural jute drawstring backpacks that are 100 percent biodegradable and recyclable. These two schools are on the top ten list of green universities for initiatives such as pledging carbon neutrality and building eco-friendly dorms. Your promotional gift could help foster these values and show that your business is invested in their goals. 

Creating an online marketplace can give customers a convenient way to learn about the products you offer and to purchase them. Getting customers to visit your website can be made easier by distributing promotional products that include your URL. Some promotional products will do this better than others. Focusing on items that customers will use while on the computer or at the office could increase the chance of them visiting your website, seeing what you have to offer and remembering you when it comes time to purchase.

Here are five promotional products that could make good use of your company's URL

Pens

Pens can be a great product to put your web address because of their prevalence and mobility. People can use pens no matter what business they're in and they make for popular promotional gifts because business associates are constantly borrowing and sharing writing utensils. In addition, if a customer takes a pen with your URL on it back to their home or office, they will have a reminder of your business and have on-hand the resources to visit your website.

Flash drives

Putting URLs on flash drives can help keep your company name visible when customers are working at their computers. Flash drives can become increasingly helpful as your workforce becomes more mobile. They allow individuals the convenience of taking their documents wherever they go, whether it be home or on business travel. As promotional products, flash drives are useful devices that can help your customers get their work done more efficiently. Seeing your we address on flash drives while they work could remind individuals of your helpful message, and cue them to visit your website where they can get products. 

Sticky Notes

Putting your company's web address on sticky notes will remind customers to visit your website while they work. Sticky notes continue to be common in the digital age and your customers can stick them to file folders with helpful notes, upcoming deadlines and phone numbers. They can also be stuck to computer screens to remind them of passwords, scheduled meetings and email addresses. Having a URL on sticky notes can repeatedly inform your customer of your website and the products they can purchase through you.

Wireless mouse

A wireless mouse makes for a fun and functional promotional gift that customers can take with them while they work. Even if they already have a mouse for their office computer, they can bring a wireless mouse on-the-go or when they travel for business. Individuals giving presentations or working from remote locations might appreciate a promotional gift that saved them the cost of buying their own. Giving your customers a wireless mouse can remind them that your business is tech savvy and that they can find your products online by visiting the website emblazoned on the device.

USB hub

A USB hub is a useful marketing product that can earn a permanent spot on your customers' desks. Since it's a helpful item that can be used over time, they will consistently be reminded of your generosity. Users can put the USB hubs to work at the office or home, enabling the simultaneous use of multiple devices. The ability to multi-task may help users increase productivity or make using electronic devices a little bit easier. Since USB hubs are plugged into computers, you can create the opportunity for customers to see your company's name and URL throughout the day. When it comes time to order supplies, they might see your web address and be reminded that your company has already given them valuable products to improve their business operations.
 

Everyone's gotten their fair share of promotional products that are useful, but not fun. You still use that chip clip from your chiropractor and you think that magnetic calendar from your dentist is still on the refrigerator, pre-marked with the date for your next cleaning, but promotional gifts can be more than just useful. For your next round of marketing give-a-ways, consider items that will indulge your customers' hobbies and interests.

Corkscrews make a great gift for wine enthusiasts. Customizable corkscrews come in a variety of options that could make any wine drinker happy. They range from small, pocket corkscrews that are portable and could come in handy on romantic hikes to heavy-duty, laser-engraved devices with foil cutters that make opening wine bottles easy. Imprinting your logo on any corkscrew can help aficionados remember your name whenever they un-cork and unwind.

Golf players could work on their game using custom golf tees or a multi-functional golf knife. Not only are you saving your customers the cost of buying their own golf tees, it will give them an easy way to remember which one is theirs. A multi-function golf knife includes features such as a steel blade, bottle opener, divot repair, cleat cleaner and key ring. It's a gift they'll be able to use again and again, which can get your business' name a lot of time on the course.

As people head to the gym in droves this month, outfit them with gear that will help them succeed and remember your business' name. Water bottles, drawstring bags and pedometers make great promotional gifts that customers will use as they (hopefully) shed those holiday pounds. If not, they'll keep them around for the next time they're on an exercise kick.

Gym goers won't face another sweaty weight-machine when they bring their own towel in a new logo gym bag, and the days of fumbling to carry athletic clothes, socks and shoes will be long gone. A pedometer will help runners and walkers alike keep track of strides and count calories burned during workouts. With a new promotional water bottle, exercisers won't suffer from dehydration or the expense of water bottles at the gym.

Exercise instructors, fitness centers and health food stores are some businesses that could benefit from the post-new-years-resolution gym rush and generate brand awareness. Companies giving away promotional products that help customers achieve weight loss goals could have the opportunity to build relationships and gain repeat customers. 

One of the things that is so important about America is its democratic system. Citizens of the United States are allowed to play an important part in choosing their leaders and decision makers. This electoral process is important on every level, from the mayor of a small town to the president of the country.

If you're planning to run for an elected position, it's important that you get your name out there. Your policies and plans may be revolutionary or completely agreeable to voters, but they won't know who you are if you never put yourself and your stance into the world.

Promotional products like campaign buttons are great for making your campaign into a successful one. On the surface it may seem like buttons won't be able to do much, but passing them out to your supporters at rallies, at conferences or even just around the neighborhood will make more of a difference than you'd expect.

The voting public may see a friend or someone they respect wearing your pin, and they'll understand that your election will be what's right for them. With campaign pins you turn everyone wearing one into a personal promoter.