Reimagine Your Promotional Giveaways For Ultimate Trade Show Booth Success
Want your branded trade show giveaways to actually stand out from the crowd? Here are the do’s and don’ts to ‘gear’ you up for success at your next booth.
Here’s What Not To Do
First things first. Let’s start by breaking down what you don’t want to do when choosing branded products for your promotional giveaways.
Investing Only In the Bare Minimum
Here’s the rub. If you are only investing in minimal low-cost promotional giveaways, you are also sending out the message that you are only willing to invest the bare minimum in your clients.
Those who choose to dish out the cheapest offerings will likewise be missing out on an opportunity to really stand to leave a literally unforgettable impression with the type of stand-out branded merchandise that people will be sure to hold onto.
Give Out the Same Old Stuff as Everybody Else
With such an amazing selection of branded giveaways available out there today, there is no reason that your promotional giveaway picks should have to blend into a sea of stress balls and fidget spinners.
Put shortly, if your promotional marketing campaign isn’t sticking out from the pack, you are not capitalizing on the amazing variety of custom and future-forward products that will set your campaign apart from the competition and really get you noticed.
Focusing on Generic Solutions
Generic swag might speak to a wider audience, but when you stick with the status quo, you are likewise failing to zero in on what sets your brand apart.
If your marketing campaign isn’t bold enough to cater to your target audience, you are not going to leave anybody with a unique impression. After all, guests really want to feel like they are receiving something truly special, and if you focus on making your best prospects feel truly appreciated and recognized, you can count on them thinking of you down the line.
This is why custom branded merchandise can be such a great way to create one-of-a-kind promotional giveaways that really leave their mark.
Handing Out Stuff That Gets Thrown Away
People know junk when they see it, and even if they snag up cheap swag when it is available, they are hardly likely to remember it if they end up tossing it in the trash bin on their way out the door.
Research by the Advertising Speciality Institute has shown that consumers value quality and usefulness over anything else when it comes to deciding what type of branded giveaways they will actually hold onto, so if you don’t give people the type of things they can actually use in their day-to-day lives, you likewise can’t count on them remembering your name.
Try This Instead…
Okay, so now we know what doesn’t work. Now it’s time to dish on some creative solution to avoid those all too common pitfalls and make sure that your branded giveaways really hit the mark.
This next-level advice will help you learn how to knock it out of the park with your promotional giveaways each and every time.
Take the Time to Understand Your Audience
We have already talked about how it can be a mistake to go for the type of branded products that speak to everybody but have nothing special to say in particular.
The type of branded products that you choose reflect directly on the image of your company, and thus, it is important to take the time to zone in on the kind of swag that is not only in line with your branded philosophy but also speaks directly to your ideal target audience.
After all, more is not always better, and even if you have the type of promotional giveaways that everybody is clambering to snatch up, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have won over their support, especially if the people who are showing up to pick up your swag are not the type of people who are likely to invest in your business in the future.
Rather, the best strategy is to go for the type of branded products that really speak to the people you really want to say something to. Creating an insider atmosphere is certainly not a bad thing, especially if it helps you to lock in the type of long term loyalty that really makes branded giveaways pay off.
Remember, when it comes to finding the type of swag that your clients really want to be rocking, facts are your friend, and conglomerating data from client social media profiles, comments and feedback and aggregating this information on spreadsheet forms will help you track patterns and thus give you a more objective idea of their interests and the type of things that they really love to own.
Put Quality First
The fact that ‘cheap promotional giveaways’ is one of the top search terms for branded products says volumes about what the average company is willing to invest in their branded marketing strategy, and while investing in only cheap, disposable goods is hardly a smart way to stand out from the pack.
After all, what good is buying thousands of cheap branded products for less than a dollar if the vast majority of this investment is just going to end up in the trash, both literally and figuratively? After all, the success of a branded giveaways is not so much measured by how much you spend, but rather how you get back, and the type of products that offer the best returns are often not the cheapest.
For instance, products like outerwear top the charts in terms of their ability to generate positive impressions over their lifetime, but you will certainly have to expect to shell out more than you would run a fridge magnet.
After all, 53 percent of consumers cite quality as the top attribute that they are looking for when it comes to branded giveaways, and this means that choosing to buy less of a superior branded product will often make a lot more impactful statement than opting to stock up on cheap let low-quality goods. Even if you are able to invest in less, the people who are lucky enough to snag up your branded giveaways will certainly not be left resenting the half-hearted gesture either.
When it comes to sussing out the type of products that will set your promotional giveaways apart from the rest, don’t hesitate to seize the chance to team up with top leading brands that have earned a reputation for providing the types of goods that are a cut above the rest. When you choose to team up with established industry leaders, people will associate the same positive attributes to your brand.
Use Branded Swag to Create an Experience
If you are just dishing out swag at your promotional giveaways without giving people the chance to feel truly involved in the experience, they are hardly going to remember what your name is about and what you stand for.
Branded giveaways create the perfect opportunity to really let people in on your offerings, and when you give people a memorable experience to go along with their branded gift, yours will be the name that they remember long after they walk out.
The key here is to think of branded giveaways as an opportunity to bring people together and get them talking. The good news is that branded products make for excellent incentives to encourage people to actively participate in your world, whether it be as prizes for games and trivia questions, holders for helpful information packets which can be loaded onto custom USB sticks or even as a medium to spread a message about a cause that you are involved with or care about. The point here is to encourage you, visitors, to provide in the type of face-to-face interactions that will break through personal barriers.
Of course, speaking of spreading the right kind of message, research has found that 42% of consumers will be left with a more positive impression of brands that align themselves with branded products that are eco-friendly, so consider the value giving out the type of promotional giveaways that people can really feel good about rocking by looking into eco-friendly, sustainable and recycled branded products. Even better, pointing out the environmentally friendly attributes of your branded giveaways is an excellent way to break the ice and start a friendly conversation.
Once you have used your branded products to create a memorable experience, the next step is to seize the opportunity to create a concrete call to action using your top promotional giveaways as an incentive to get involved. Walk them hand-in-hand to the next step in solidifying your relationship by collecting emails, asking them to sign up or refer a friend or taking any other type of concrete action that you can reward on the spot.
Finally, don’t hesitate to get creative with your branded products and offerings. Put your own twist on tried-and-true crowd-pleasers like branded socks, portable USB drives, cushy pillows or branded power banks, personalized Bluetooth speakers by opting for creative, customized designs that ensure that your branded products never get lost in the crowd.
Our talented design team just loves taking on custom orders, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us to find out more about how we can help you bring your one-of-a-kind concept to life.