The Principle of Reciprocity: How Branded Giveaways Can Boost Your Sales

The Principle of Reciprocity - How Branded Giveaways Can Boost Sales

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How Promotional Giveaways Can Boost Your Sales

According to the latest statistics from the United States Census Bureau, there are over 27,000,000 companies in the United States.

How do you make your business stand out from the rest?

Some businesses see that things have gone digital and have decided to put their marketing focus there. While there has been a major shift, there is still merit to some old-fashioned marketing techniques.

Business giveaways are still a fantastic way for your brand to connect with its audience. Don’t discount the power of free stuff.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the ways you can use branded giveaways to heighten your sales and awareness of your brand.

Business Giveaways: Everybody Likes Free Things

Everyone loves something for nothing. If you’re at a convention, you’re likely to grab the free swag they have available. You’ll probably breeze past a lot of the booths selling things unless they’re selling something that’s interesting to you.

When you get back to your hotel room that night or back home later in the week, you’ll look through your bag. You might look at the company that gave out the LED flashlight or the one that gave you the Post-it Notes.

You might not research the company right away. But months later, when you use that flashlight or sticky note, you’ll be reminded of that company. Then, you might decide to take a deeper look at the company.

On average, people keep promotional items for at least eight months. That’s eight months of your company right in people’s line of sight, and in their homes or offices.

Giveaways Make People Aware of Your Products

You can do business giveaways in one of two ways. If you create products or a service, you can give that away to a lucky winner. Or, you can give away free swag.

Both are effective but work in different ways.

A giveaway can get people excited about your product and can be a great way to get people to do some of the legwork of getting your company noticed.

For example, many people will offer giveaways of their products online. The receivers of the giveaways then share what they’ve won on social media, bringing you more attention. This is a great way to harness the power of social media and make more people aware of your brand.

You can announce the giveaway on your social media. There are even websites, like Rafflecopter or Wishpond, that make giveaways super simple. You can even embed them on your company’s site or blog.

To get more people to notice your company, you can prompt people to share your giveaway. They can earn more entries for the item you’re giving away by sharing it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. They can also earn entries by following your social media accounts and prompting others to do the same.

While you may not get followers who engage with your content on a daily basis from a giveaway, people will find you. The people who need your services will look into you.

This is a great way to use social media, as when someone sees someone they trust posting about something, they’re likely to go check it out.

Give Out Coupons or Discounts

To lure in new customers, give away a free sample, discounts, or coupons. This means that anyone who is curious about your business can give it a try. You’ll likely attract people who were curious, but didn’t want to pay for your product until they were sure it’s what they need. Then, they can try it and see if they want to buy it later.

Giving away discounts can also be a great way to get customers into your store or onto your website.

Make sure you advertise them heavily. Or, you can give them away at schools or conferences to help promote your item or service.

Make sure that your company’s brand and logo are visible, in addition to contact information. Be sure to include a call-to-action so your customers know what to do and by when they need to use the discount.

Time the Giveaways

You want your giveaway to receive the most attention possible, so you need to time it right. If your town has a big celebration each year, give away your items then. Take advantage of a conference coming to town by getting your item in front of those coming in for it.

You can also opt for branded giveaways by handing out swag to potential customers on occasions when there is a lot of foot traffic.

Or, utilize big holidays like Christmas or popular observances such as Boss’s Day to get in on the action. Don’t give away your item your item at random, but make sure you plan your giveaway so that the most people are likely to see it.

Partner with Other Businesses

This is a great idea for local businesses. No man or business is an island. With this concept, you can help one another out by introducing your customer bases to the other business.

Do this by hosting a joint giveaway with a “partner” organization. You can take advantage of a big day in your town, or a big event.

You can either both give out discounts or pair your items together for a free bundle to a lucky winner.

Co-brand your branded giveaways with a non-competing, but relevant businesses to share the cost of your promos. You’ll both receive exposure at half the cost. It’s a win-win.

Keep Your Branded Items Consistent with Your Business

If you want to opt for giving away free branded items, keep them consistent with your business and brand. If you’re a health food store, you don’t need to be giving out branded shot glasses. Instead, go for something your target customers would most likely use.

While pens and key chains are always classics, you can find lots of different types of more unique promotional branded items. Don’t be afraid to get creative.

What Items Should We Give Away?

When conducting your search for business giveaways, you should give away something that not only reflects your business, but also something which your customers will use often.

The goal is, after all, to get people to use your items or services. Think about everyday items that most people use in their home or office and go with one of those items. The more useful the item, the more exposure your business receives from its giveaways.

For more information on branded products, visit our blog.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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