Utilizing Branded Giveaways To Maximize Trade Show Traffic
Every trade show booth, besides having a great show display, should have really great and memorable branded giveaways (i.e. promotional products) to put in the hands of prospective customers and clients.
The question is, and always will be, what promotional products do I choose to help my brand or company stand out from the rest at the trade show?
After doing some research on this very subject, we have found common strategies among industry experts that we will detail here.
Choosing the right promotional product from a catalog of thousands of items may be daunting — that is, if you have no strategy for how the product will communicate your marketing message and haven’t thought about what item best represents your brand.
What do you want this branded giveaway to communicate?
Perhaps your company is environmentally conscious, believes in recycling and reusing durable, high-quality products with great functionality. If so, why not choose an Eco-Green Re-usable shopping bag, similar to the ones you see at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Not only do these bags last and perform a necessary function, they communicate that your company consciously chose to represent itself with an Eco-friendly and practical product.
And how about selecting a promotional product or trade show giveaway based on cost alone?
Well, what we’ve found out in this industry is that the cheaper the free giveaway, the less value you communicate about your company and the less likely the item will last long enough to be used repeatedly by your prospective customer.
Do you really want to save money by ordering a bulk amount of relatively cheap promotional products that can be put in thousands of people’s hands, only to be thrown away, seldom-used due to its lack of usefulness, or worse — fall apart days after the trade show from poor workmanship?
These are some of the pitfalls to buying inexpensive promotional products and giveaways; and the strategy your company ought to be employing is buying something slightly more expensive, better thought out, and properly targeted towards your end client.
Making Giveaways Last
We believe in making purchases that last. Not only do we want to extend the reach of our customer’s branded message, we would like to ensure that the life cycle of your promotional product is also extended by making the smart choices for your branded giveaways.
Did you know that, on average, a recyclable, well-made tote bag that you give away at a trade show will be kept for 4 years?!? Tote bags are quickly on the rise among conscious consumers who want to reduce waste and eliminate using plastic bags at the grocery store.
It’s a smart choice for a company wanting to communicate responsibility to spend a little more on a promotional product that has both utility and a built-in marketing message that conveys environmental consciousness.
Another long lasting, high-quality promotional product that we would recommend to have a long life, both in terms of product life cycle and usage with your potential customer, is the BPA Free Tritan (TM) Hydro Collection thermos.
An extremely popular promotional product right now with our clients that has proven to spend years in the end user’s hands, cars, offices, and trips to the gym!
Lastly, just as no one can avoid drinking water, it’s very rare that one doesn’t have a favorite hot beverage, such as coffee or tea, that they like to have with them on-the-go. Why not select a smart, stylish, and very practical insulated Lux Bamboo Tumbler to enjoy your hot beverage anywhere you go?
This product is not only eye-catching, it conveniently fits in most cars’ drink holders, has double-wall insulation, and stainless steel lining, along with a slide-lock lid to keep spills from happening while on the move. The intelligent choice for the discerning consumer.
Remember that whatever your choice for promotional products and branded giveaways at your next trade show, select products intelligently that will:
A) Stand the test of time
B) Get the maximum amount of usage from the potential customer
C) Represent your brand effectively through its quality and functionality and
D) Effectively communicate your marketing message through all the above choices.
Be sure to check out our line of Environmentally-Conscious Promotional Products for your next appearance in the trade show arena or to expand your brand’s reach and visibility.
