Promotional items are a staple of every successful business model. Once an event comes along, we provide our clients and customers with some of the most interesting and high-end merch around. Plus, we can award them with additional items to show our appreciation for their loyalty. And it’s not just the clients who get a gift or two, but the employees as well. After all, they invested their time, money, and expertise into making our brand what it is. So, it’s a batch of high-end products for them, too.
But there are times when we have to think in terms of budget constraints. How can we provide interesting promotional gifts that don’t cost a lot of money, but still manage to evoke a powerful reaction from our clients and employees? Well, that’s what this article is here to help us find out.
The Impact of Small Budget Promo Items
It may sound odd to someone who isn’t doing business, but promotional items are actually far more impactful than they might appear. What’s more, they’re far more effective than regular ads, and even social media marketing can’t compete.
The reasons behind this effectiveness of promotional products, even cheap ones, are evident. Namely, a product is something we can physically use, an object that we will get a lot of mileage from. More than half of all recipients of promo items use them at least once a week. That’s four times a month per item, giving our brand plenty of exposure. To put it simply, the impact is huge, and there are plenty of benefits to promotional items. Let’s cover some of the key ones below.
Appreciation
Employees and customers like to feel valued. Sure, they’ll admire a professional brand with a good business ethic, but the truly great brands strike that emotional note. Namely, if we can get the recipient to feel something powerful after receiving a gift, we’re on the right track.
And as unbelievable as it may sound, even a small gift like printed shopping bags or personalised badges can accomplish that. If we provide an item to our employee or customer at just the right time, they’ll be aware that we’re looking out for them, even during their toughest periods. Not only will they appreciate being…well, appreciated, but they’ll remain loyal to the brand for years, if not decades.
Acknowledgement
As stated above, employees put a lot of time and effort into pushing the company forward. As someone who also started at the bottom, we can empathise with that sentiment. After all, it isn’t easy to work in a hierarchical company, especially in today’s competitive markets.
Naturally, it’s our job to let the employees know that we appreciate their work. We have to acknowledge that by the most direct and obvious means possible, i.e. via a corporate gift. Not only will it show that we care about our employees, but that we’re willing to actually invest money into their well-being and happiness at the workplace.
Celebration
Sometimes, either our long-time clients or our employees might reach a new milestone. With clients, it can be a life-changing event, or a professional change for the better. For our employees, it’s going to be events like promotions, pay rises, successful projects, or record units sold (or services rendered).
These events are a perfect opportunity to give our recipients a small, inexpensive gift. It’s a token of congratulations on our part, and aside from making the recipient feel good, it serves another important purpose. Namely, by giving someone a gift during a major milestone, we’re letting them know that we’re paying close attention to their professional and personal growth. If a client or an employee knows that a brand cares about them to that extent, they will remain loyal to it.
Best Times to Use Small Promo Gifts: Clients and Customers
Holidays
If we know enough about our clients, we can target the specific holidays they celebrate and provide a small promo gift around that time. For example, some might celebrate Christmas, others might celebrate Hanukkah, and so on. By targeting these holidays, we let the clients know how much their patronage means to us.
Of course, we can always opt for a holiday that’s celebrated by everyone. Some of the options include national holidays, as well as the very end of each year. A small gift during these periods is more than enough to show our respect for our customer base.
Big Accomplishments
Let’s say that our favourite customer has just successfully launched a new business, or became a CEO of a company. Alternatively, they might have just published a new book, received an award for a sporting event, or achieved something else professionally. Whatever the case may be, we can always give them a small gift as a means of congratulations.
Support is always welcome, be it in the best of times or the worst of times. If we send a gift while our client is celebrating a major accomplishment, it shows them how much we care about their success. We want them to grow, and with these gifts, we will be there every step of the way to help them if and when necessary.
Product Launches
Our clients might be into the same business as us, and launching new products is therefore expected. So, since it’s a major event, we can show that we’re supportive by providing a product of our own as a gift.
Of course, product launches can happen on our end as well. So, what do we do to show our appreciation for our clients then? Well, we can either offer special discounts on the new product itself or we can simply offer a small gift that’s somehow related to the product launch. In other words, we can treat it as a minor event and use it to attract new clients and retain existing ones.
Milestones
Clients, much like our employees, build their success in milestones. And if we want to stay in the loop when it comes to following our clients and their success, we will need to provide a small gift once every milestone, minor or major, is achieved. That way, we can reduce our expenses, but also show that we’re actively following our clients’ careers. More importantly, we will be building a routine, a continuity of sorts, and continuities are key for long-term client-business relations.
Thank-Yous
What is considered a thank-you gift? Well, it can be anything small, inexpensive, and useful. These are the types of gifts we will provide our clients every now and again, as a token of gratitude for using our services. Furthermore, if we’re the type of business to sell products, we can add a promo item or two with each milestone purchase. Clients love being surprised by free stuff, and it will motivate them to support the business onward. And the more they support us, the better our thank-you gifts will become over time.
Best Times to Use Small Promo Gifts: Employees
Holidays
With our employees, we have a bit of an advantage when it comes to holidays. Namely, we actually know their history first-hand, so we can focus on special dates during the year and target the employees with gifts accordingly. In fact, we can even customise them based on the individual employees themselves.
Of course, we also can’t forget about national holidays and end-of-year shifts. What’s more, we can use December as the perfect capping-off opportunity and order a batch of inexpensive thematic gifts for our workers.
Work Anniversaries
Some of our employees will have been with our company for anywhere between a year and 40+ years. As employers, we need to respect these anniversaries and provide a decent, yet small gift every time. Naturally, when it comes to major milestones, like 5-year anniversaries, 10-year anniversaries, and so on, we will opt for something bigger and more high-end. But on a yearly basis, we can always go small. Our employees will appreciate the sentiment either way.
Professional Accomplishments
Whenever we promote an employee, we’re motivating them to progress further and put their best foot forward professionally. It doesn’t matter if it’s a pay rise, a new position, a new office, or a combination of the above. Progress is progress, and awarding that progress is definitely something we should be looking into.
So, as our employees are receiving that promotion, we can provide them with a small token of appreciation, i.e. a congratulatory gift to go along with the new position. It might be small, but it will be an extra boost of motivation for the employee going forward. Plus, employees share their experiences. Therefore, if other workers hear about this company policy of promotion-related gift-giving, they will try to progress faster themselves. Not to mention that people outside of our company can hear about this policy, sparking new interest in our brand and services.
Birthdays
Celebrating a milestone or a professional achievement is one thing, but birthdays are different. They are a bit more personal and close to the employees’ hearts than anything related to their profession. So, while they will definitely appreciate our milestone gift, our birthday item will blow them away.
Once again, it doesn’t have to be a major item. Something small and useful will do the trick just as well. But with these gifts, we should go a bit deeper into personalisation. Instead of the usual corporate messaging and logos, we should opt for something near and dear to the employee. It will reach an additional level of respect and admiration, on both sides. And that will ultimately result in a stronger and more productive work ethic.
Thank-Yous
Thank-you gifts are more or less the same for both employees and customers. When you get down to the brass tacks, they’re small tokens of gratitude for everything the person has done for the company. With customers, it’s their continued patronage, and with employees, it’s their hard work and dedication.
Unlike other gifts, thank-you items ought to be unplanned and unexpected. Imagine the morale boost by surprising an employee with a personalised thank-you gift! That day alone will see a massive spike in productivity. And, as is always the case, we can expect some positive word-of-mouth information to circulate about our brand afterwards.
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Lasting Impressions of Budget Promo Merch
We’ve mostly discussed the short-term effects of budget promotional products. And though we did touch upon the long-lasting ones, let’s get a bit more in-depth on the subject. After all, promotional items, pricy or cheap, are the driving force of any business. In fact, they are more effective at retaining clients and employees than any other method out there. The same goes for attracting new ones and expanding the brand as a whole.
Brand Recognition
Most people look at the term ‘brand recognition’ and immediately think of logos, slogans, colour schemes, marketing campaigns, and the key people in charge. And they would be absolutely right. All of those elements go into proper brand recognition and companies across the globe are using them. But we’re here to talk about the role of budget marketing items and how they relate to this concept.
By giving away small gifts frequently, we create a certain office atmosphere, if you will. We’re giving off an air of generosity and respect for both the employees and clients. And since both good and bad news travels fast, it won’t be long until other people take an interest in our brand. Namely, they won’t only associate the visual aspects of our brand with us. Instead, they will link proper business practices and company loyalty to whatever it is we do. In short, the gift-giving will be part of our brand, and it will be the first bit of information people share about us with potential new customers and workers.
Customer Loyalty
Loyalty is reciprocal. In other words, if we show how much we want to communicate with our employees and customers alike, we can expect the same kind of treatment back. This line of thinking is especially important when it comes to customers, since they are the ones who will generate our revenue. And since people love to receive more value for their money, a promo gift here and there will be an excellent strategy to keep the customers satisfied.
Lead Generation
We can’t stress enough how vital viral marketing is. As we’ve stated multiple times in this article, a satisfied customer is one who will constantly talk positively about us to their friends and family. That can begin a chain reaction that will ultimately bring new consumers to our doorstep, plus it will spread the word of our company to potential investors and partners.
Positive relations with customers always result in more revenue, and a potential partner will not invest in a brand that mistreats its consumer base. The same goes for employees — a high-quality work ethic always translates into productivity. And it’s that productivity that investors want when they put their money into a project or a brand.
Marketing Material Ideas
Magnets
Broadly speaking, a magnet is one of the most inexpensive gifts that an employee or a customer can receive. Plus, it’s one of the most diverse. We can literally use any shape, colour, pattern, and design to show off our brand, and the more creative we are, the better.
Magnets are also surprisingly versatile. Normally, people use them to attach important documents on refrigerators, freezers, and microwaves. And oftentimes, a single magnet will remain on a fridge for years. That right there is excellent marketing, since anyone who sees the magnet will think about our brand.
Pens
Everyone needs a pen, be it for signing official documents, taking notes, or even scribbling. These are all very valid reasons behind pens continuing to dominate the promo items market. Simply put, there isn’t a single brand out there that hasn’t sold or given away at least one pen in its existence. And yes, part of the appeal of pens is the very fact that they are inexpensive and useful.
Tumblers
Of all the items on this brief list, tumblers are the most unique. They look like mugs, but are made out of more durable materials. In addition, they have the same capabilities as thermal bottles, but are smaller and more compact than them. Finally, they hover around the same price range as personalised umbrellas and flash drives, for example. All in all, they make for perfect inexpensive promo gifts that any recipient might appreciate.
T-Shirts
It just wouldn’t be a list of promo gift ideas without T-shirts. Not only are they useful items that everyone will wear for years, but they’re perfect advertising tools. Let’s face it, if we constantly see a company logo on a shirt that one of our friends wears daily, we will likely do some research into that brand. As is the case with all other forms of apparel, promotional T-shirts are indispensable tools for any brand worth its salt.
Travel Gift Ideas
Luggage Tags
We can’t afford to lose our luggage when taking that important business trip. But if it does happen, a good luggage tag will come in handy. If anyone happens to find our luggage, they can contact us easily, thanks to the contact information on the tag itself. Plus, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with materials ranging from plastic to faux leather.
Business Card Holders
Our employees will want to network on their trips, so they’ll need a good tool to store all of those business cards they’ll receive. A typical business card case will, therefore, make an excellent promotional gift. And since it’s small and compact, it will fit anywhere within the employee’s luggage without any extra weight.
Neck Pillows
What better way to show our recipients that their comfort is our concern than with neck pillows? These promo items are especially useful for employees that travel by bus or train often, especially with long, overnight drives. With a decent neck pillow, they will be able to catch some sleep even in an uncomfortable seated position. Furthermore, a pillow has plenty of room for some clever brand advertising, which is always a bonus.
Travel Bags
As far as inexpensive promo items go, travel bags are the priciest, but not by much. That is to be expected, however, since they offer a lot of value for their worth. Firstly, they have lots of space for carrying different items. Next, they are durable and will see a lot of mileage. Finally, they have plenty of room for proper advertising, and since they’re travelling almost as often as their owners, plenty of people will be seeing them.
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Promoting a Brand Under Budget
If this article has any lesson to teach us, it’s that we can achieve a lot without spending too much. It simply takes a bit of ingenuity, timing, and dedication. When we give away inexpensive promotional items properly, we can expand our business greatly and improve both our customer and employee relations. And that can open doors for more successes, as well as promotional gifts of higher value.
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Out of fresh ideas? See our new products. If you have any more questions about promotional products, you can contact GoPromotional. You may call us at 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today. We have been in the business for years and know the ins and outs of the industry better than anyone. Give us a call, and let’s talk about all things promo products!
