Open your kitchen cabinet (If you’re not anywhere near your kitchen, humor us by being there in spirit.). What do you see? A mish-mash of branded mugs with faded logos that clash with your kitchen vibe—be it shabby chic, french countryside, or no-frills IKEA.
Or, perhaps your kitchen vibe is going strong, without a branded mug in sight. But when you think of the hundreds of mugs you’ve tossed over the years, you cringe over the wasteful behavior. You didn’t ask for those free mugs, and still you have to live with that on your conscience.
“83% said they are more likely to do business with brands they’ve received promotional products from than brands they have not received promotional products from.”
- PPAI 2017 Consumer Study
Unique swag ideas have the power to set your company apart, to make your brand memorable in a sea of forgettable mugs. If you’re ready to think about the value of promotional products in a whole new way, then this one’s for you.
Using promotional products to market your business increases brand awareness by visibly reinforcing your message and mission with your target audience. Good swag holds great value, because it offers an opportunity to not only interact with your customer but to deepen the relationship as well.
The visible reminder of swag is especially powerful in today’s digitally saturated world. A promotional email can be ignored or tossed in the virtual trash. But something tangible offers an entirely different experience for your existing or future client. Makes sense—since they’re quite literally holding your brand in their hands.
“Nearly nine in 10 recipients are able to remember the branding and eight in 10 can recall messaging from at least one promotional product they received.”
- PPAI 2017 Consumer Study
A Time article reveals how companies can win, simply by giving stuff away: “When consumers get something for nothing, they respond in a host of surprising, mostly unconscious ways—and the net result is often that the companies handing out freebies are rewarded well for their generosity.”
If you want your brand to be remembered, your swag has to be memorable. The most effective promotional products leave a lasting impression, and there is an entire strategy to consider before you dive in.
Mugs! Kidding...we’re just making sure you’re still with us.
You probably already guessed that the most effective promotional products have some serious thought put behind them. Swag can be useful, fun, interactive—it can be used for employee incentives, giveaways at events and tradeshows, and customer appreciation.
The type of swag you choose should align with your brand’s personality....and the moment. If your brand personality is more serious, then you probably can’t pull off a rainbow stuffed unicorn. Something more utilitarian, like a business backpack would be a better fit. To align with the moment, if you’re going to a tradeshow, you want the giveaway to be packable and useful. Breakables and bulky items are bad, but socks and portable chargers are good.
“Eight in 10 consumers revealed that their impression of a brand positively changed directly as a result of receiving a promotional product from that brand.”
- PPAI 2017 Consumer Study
It’s crazy to think that giving away a branded stress ball at a conference can amplify the essence of your brand, but hear us out. Sure, stress balls aren’t anything groundbreaking. However, if your service or product puts the client at ease, then the stress ball swag is a smart play since it’s relevant to your brand.
Say you’re a software company whose platform gives teams a chance to de-stress by helping them become more efficient and productive. Then, the stress ball makes perfect sense as part of your promotional products strategy, because it aligns with the mission of your brand.
The prospect or client is clear about what’s in it for them, whenever they go to town with that squishy ball on a stressful day. Now that seemingly ordinary swag idea becomes a powerful branding statement.
Sometimes unique swag ideas become so because they are spot-on with the impact of the messaging. But if you’re looking for out-of-the-box ideas, there are plenty of options here to inspire your promotional strategy and efforts.
Managing swag is fun! Actually, it’s a lot of work. Customizing promotional products includes a lengthy process of researching, approval, ordering, and distribution—among many other things.
You’re busy enough already, which is why embracing technology is a fine way to save time and resources so you and your team can focus on other priorities. Enter, the swag management platform.
The Brand Arsenal is a flexible swag management platform that streamlines the process by combining ordering needs, like promotions and apparel, print on demand, and inventory release. You can use gems like storefront solutions to house all of your approved swag in one place for employees or clients to access easily. Instead of managing the moving parts, the platform does most of it for you—and the Inspired Results team handles the rest.
Ready to make your brand memorable? Talk to us about how you can improve your swag strategy and make a lasting impression.