While it’s true that digital marketing has taken the world by storm, this doesn’t mean you should no longer use traditional forms of marketing.

In fact, promotional materials remain one of the most effective types of marketing because people love freebies, especially good quality, useful ones.

So if you want to achieve your business and marketing campaign goals, you first need to learn how this strategy works so you can apply it correctly.

And that’s precisely what we’re here to do.

We’ll give you all the insights on the types of promotional items you can use, their benefits, and how to use them to help your business thrive.

Let’s begin!

Table of Contents

What are Promotional Materials?

What are the Benefits of Using Promotional Materials?

What are the Potential Drawbacks of Promotional Products?

What Types of Promotional Materials Can You Use?

How to Use Promotional Items in Your Marketing Campaigns

How to Choose the Right Promotional Materials for Your Needs

What are Promotional Materials? 

Promotional materials, also known as swag, are tangible items personalized with a brand’s name or logo, whose main purpose is to increase brand awareness and recognition.

As we’ll show you later, these promo products come in all shapes and sizes and you can even create your own.

Usually, branded products are offered for free to your audience, clients, and employees on various occasions, such as:

• Trade show giveaways
• Speaker gifts at conferences
• Employee Appreciation Day gifts
• Client gifts

But why should I invest in promotional merchandise?

Check out the benefits and you’ll understand.

What are the Benefits of Using Promotional Materials?

Based on our years of experience and industry research, we’ve discovered that this promotional marketing strategy has some amazing benefits.

Enhance brand recognition and brand recall 

Increasing brand recognition and recall is one of the most important benefits of marketing materials.

After all, this is the first step to engaging your target audience, encouraging them to buy your products and ultimately, return over and over again.

Unfortunately, this is not easy to achieve and won’t happen overnight, so you have to be patient and persevere.

Still, according to a 2020 ASI Ad Impressions study, 85% of people who receive a promotional item will remember the brand that gave it to them, so it clearly works.

On top of that, if you offer practical promo products that people will use frequently, like a custom mug or a branded pen, your recipients will be constantly reminded of your brand.

Strengthen and deepen customer relationships

Every brand should aim to build strong relationships with their clients because this leads to customer loyalty and repeat business.

The good news is that this is where promotional items shine brightest. ?

By offering gifts to old and new customers, you make them feel special and valued, which leaves a lasting impression on them and strengthens your bond.

However, to stand out from the competition and impress your customers, you must choose high-quality giveaways.

According to LinkedIn, 72% of consumers believe that a brand’s reputation is reflected in the quality of the promotional merchandise it offers.

Boost employee morale 

Your employees are your company’s most valuable assets and without them, your business could never succeed.

Statistics show that having highly engaged teams increases business profitability by 21%.

Therefore, keeping your employees happy should be your top priority and offering them swag gifts can help you achieve that.

For example, a new-hire welcome kit will make employees feel welcome from the outset and enhance the onboarding process.

Likewise, offering employee gifts for Christmas, their birthday, and important career milestones will make them feel seen and appreciated.

This is extremely important because according to statistics, 66% of employees say they would quit their job if they didn’t feel appreciated.

Cost-efficient marketing

While large companies can use plenty of effective marketing strategies to promote their brands, like social media, direct mail, or email marketing, small businesses need to allocate their resources wisely.

And investing in marketing materials is one of the best solutions because even a small budget-friendly giveaway can generate a big return on investment.

How is that possible?

Well, according to the same ASI study we mentioned earlier, 57% of consumers have kept some of the promo items they received for more than five years and 40% of them kept them for over ten years.

Thus, compared to ad marketing campaigns that often wear out after several months, promo items stick around for much longer.

Plus, when a person receives a cool and practical swag item, they’ll likely tell their friends about it and use it outside their home as well.

For instance, if they get a nice-looking and roomy branded backpack, they can use it when they go to work, on business trips, or on holiday.

Thus, the custom backpack will grab the attention of other people and increase brand awareness.

As you can see, marketing materials have plenty of great benefits.

But do they have any drawbacks?

Let’s find out!

What are the Potential Drawbacks of Promotional Products?

Like any other marketing strategy, even promotional products have a few potential drawbacks.

But by being aware of them from the start, you can effectively overcome them.

• They take time to create. If you’re planning a promotional product marketing campaign, you must factor in the production, delivery, and distribution time.

Of course, the total duration varies widely depending on the size of your campaign and your suppliers.

• You need a good supplier. Without one, it’s impossible to ensure quality and timeliness. However, if you work with SwagDrop, you’ll get more than that.

We offer a wide range of customizable products and can help you pick the right ones.

Then, we’ll personalize them and ship them to you or directly to your recipients to speed up the process.

Since we manufacture and distribute swag in the USA and Canada, we can help you save on time and shipping costs and avoid logistical issues.

• They can get thrown away. If you choose a cheap product that breaks after being used twice, your marketing campaign will fail.

Even worse, this can damage your business’s reputation because it gives the impression that you’re cheap and don’t value your recipients enough.

However, you can avoid this drawback by simply choosing high-quality promo items.

Don’t worry; we’ll give you extra tips on choosing the right marketing materials later.

But for now, let’s see what type of promo products you can use.

What Types of Promotional Materials Can You Use?

Based on our clients’ top choices and feedback, we created a list of some of the most effective and budget-friendly marketing materials you can use in your campaigns.

However, keep in mind that this list is non-exhaustive and there are plenty of other effective swag items you can choose from.

1. Writing instruments

Even if people use laptops, tablets, and phones to do most of their work, this doesn’t mean they no longer write things down.

For instance, they must still take notes during important meetings and conferences.

Thus, branded notebooks, notepads, and pens are practical and will probably never go out of style.

Our clients often choose this journal book set because it comes in seven eye-catching colors and features FSC-certified soy-based ink-lined paper that makes it eco-friendly.

Why we recommend it: You can easily customize writing instruments with your company name and hand them out as conference swag or use them to welcome new employees.

2. Tote bags

Tote bags are some of the best eco-friendly promotional products because they can be reused for multiple purposes.

For example, your recipients can use the tote bag to carry their everyday essentials, their gymware, or their groceries.

And given the growing worldwide concern for the environment, it’s important to show your target audience that your business supports sustainability.

One of our best sellers is this natural-looking tote bag that’s 70%–80% recycled cotton and 20%–30% recycled PET.

Why we recommend it: You can turn a tote into a swag bag full of printed materials, like product catalogs, stickers, and other promo items, and offer it to potential customers at trade shows.

3. T-shirts

T-shirts are without a doubt the most popular type of promotional materials.

They are very practical and very visible which is why both recipients and brands love them so much.

However, if you want people to wear your branded apparel, you must choose quality materials.

So we recommend this durable polo shirt, made from a breathable, matte-finish fabric with moisture-wicking properties, and available in nine beautiful colors.

The only issue here is getting the right size, which is why we recommend:

• Setting up a pop-up shop where your employees can choose their preferred size.
• Stocking up on all sizes for trade shows and other corporate events.

Why we recommend it: T-shirts offer you a lot of design freedom when it comes to customization. 

For example, instead of your company name, you can add a funny or empowering message that promotes your company values while making your recipient more eager to wear it.

4. Tumblers

All drinkware, from coffee mugs and glasses to reusable water bottles, are very popular marketing materials.

However, custom tumblers deserve special attention because most people use them daily on the street, on subways and trains, at home, and at the office, offering many opportunities for others to see them.

Likewise, they are very practical because they keep your recipient’s favorite beverages hot or cold for many hours and encourage them to stay hydrated.

If you want your promo item to stand out, our clients suggest you opt for the Valhalla tumbler, which features a unique skid-proof cork bottom design and sleek body.

Why we recommend it: Tumblers work well as both winter and summer promotional items and will be appreciated by customers and employees.

5. USB flash drive

If you want to leave a lasting impression on your recipients, tech swag is the way to go.

After all, gadgets make our lives much easier both at home and at the office.

The only issue is that many high-quality devices can be pricey, so many of our clients opt for USB flash drives.

They are budget-friendly and practical and easily fit in your pocket or bag.

The Rotate flash drive is one of our favorites because it folds into an aluminum cover that protects it from dirt, offers 8GB storage space, and comes in many fun colors.

Why we recommend it: USB flash drives make great event swag for in-person or virtual events and people can later use them to save important documents and presentations.

6. Hand Sanitizer

Healthcare promotional items, like hand sanitizers, show recipients that your company cares about their well-being.

This has become more important than ever for customers and employees ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

What’s more, people now pay more attention to keeping their hands clean at all times, which means they’ll definitely use this promotional product.

According to our clients, the Clip-N-Go hand sanitizer is a great choice because it’s small and refillable, and people can use the mini carabiner to attach it to their keychains.

Why we recommend it: You can show employees how much you care about them by combining the hand sanitizer with other healthcare marketing materials to create a swag box that promotes corporate wellness.

7. Post-its

Given that we all have very hectic schedules, we need constant reminders of important tasks at home and the office.

Post-its are helpful here because you can’t hit ‘snooze’ and forget about them as you would with a phone reminder.

You can stick them on a visible surface, like your desk, laptop, or home mirror as a constant reminder of what you must do.

Our clients like going the extra mile for their recipients, which is why they usually opt for the Slimline sticky memo pad that also features colorful sticky note flags and a tiny white notepad.

Why we recommend it: Branded Post-its are cool office supplies that new hires will appreciate during their onboarding, but you can also include them in a thoughtful work-at-home kit for remote personnel. 

8. Business cards

Business cards will probably remain irreplaceable handouts because they offer important contact information and can remind recipients of your company.

You can also use business cards to help your company stand out and grab the recipient’s attention using unique templates and fonts.

Likewise, many companies have started using digital business cards with QR codes. 

Our Popl digital business card has built-in Popl technology and a unique circle QR code.

By tapping your Popl card on the back of any compatible smartphone or using the QR code, you can instantly share your contact info, social media, websites, payment apps, and more.

Why we recommend it: We suggest you create a digital business card to impress potential customers at in-person events, but also offer them a traditional business card that will remind them of your company.

Next, we’ll explain how to use promotional merchandise in your campaigns.

How to Use Promotional Items in Your Marketing Campaigns

What our clients like most about promotional products is that you can use them in many different ways to achieve your specific business or marketing campaign goals.

Here are some ideas:

• Increase brand awareness and recognition. Simply hand out practical branded products that people use frequently in various settings, like branded apparel, tumblers, and tote bags.
• Attract potential customers. Displaying and offering eye-catching and unique giveaways at trade shows, job fairs, and conferences will pique the audience’s interest and offer you a chance to spark up a conversation with them.
• Build customer loyalty. To encourage repeat business, make your customers feel appreciated by rewarding them with cool, high-quality swag. Of course, you can sweeten the deal even more with some discounts and free samples.
• Promote new products. Once you launch a new product, you can send existing customers swag bags containing new product samples, printed materials describing the product features, and a promo item to remember you by. Likewise, you can run a contest on social media where the winner gets your new product and a cool promotional product.
• Enhance your brand’s reputation. By sponsoring or supporting community events and offering participants branded merchandise, you can make a very good impression and enhance your brand’s reputation.
• Boost employee job satisfaction. Offer your team members swag items to show how much you appreciate all their hard work and to make them feel special. Even a snack gift basket can boost employee morale, satisfaction, and retention, so it’s definitely worth it.

While there are plenty of other ways you can use promotional items, you should also know how to choose the right ones.

Keep reading to find out more.

How to Choose the Right Promotional Materials for Your Needs

Even if people like freebies, this doesn’t mean they will be easily impressed by any promo products you offer them.

So you should consider the following factors when choosing promotional merchandise:

• Your target audience. Research and identify your target audience’s demographics, preferences, and purchasing behaviors to pick promo items that resonate with them.

Likewise, if you’re choosing employee gifts, you should ask around about their hobbies and interests to personalize your gifts.

• Your marketing goals. As we’ve already discussed, you can use branded products to achieve various marketing goals.

However, you should first define these goals and then pick the most effective swag.

• Your budget. Use a marketing budget template to start planning your resource allocation.

Determine how much you can afford to spend on promotional materials and then look for items that offer the best return on investment.

Having a written plan will help you stay on track and avoid overspending.

• Quality and durability. Always choose high-quality promo products that your recipients can use for a long time to maximize your marketing campaign’s effectiveness.
• Measure effectiveness and seek feedback. You should always measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns to make sure you’re allocating resources correctly.

Likewise, this will help you identify potential weaknesses and allow you to optimize.

This is also why it’s very important to seek customer feedback.

By addressing customer concerns and complaints, you’ll enhance their satisfaction and build loyalty. 

There you have it; all you need to know about promotional materials.

Now, it’s your turn!

Over To You

With all the insights we’ve given you, you can now make the most out of promotional materials.

Just remember to choose the right marketing materials depending on your business and campaign goals.

Should you need any help with that, you can always contact us.

And for more swag ideas, just browse our SwagDrop shop.