Promotional Giveaway Ideas: How to Take Promotional Items to the Next Level

Trade show giveaway ideas

Promotional Giveaway Ideas: How to Take Promotional Items to the Next Level

You know all about the promotional giveaway basics and why you should incorporate them into your trade show marketing strategy. You know that they are a great marketing tactic for attracting attendees to your trade show booth. And you know that promotional giveaways are ideal for reminding attendees of your brand long after the show is over. In fact, according to a research study by PPAI, “The Influence of Promotional Products on Consumer Behavior,” 88% of consumers recalled the advertiser from a promotional product received in the past 12 months.

But, how do you ensure that consumers remember your brand? Here are 4 promotional giveaway ideas your trade show team can use to help take your trade show to the next level!

Promotional Giveaway Ideas: 5 Ways to Take Them to the Next Level

1. Analyze Your Target Audience

One of the most important, yet most frequently missed steps of planning promotional giveaways for trade show is market research. Consider the needs and wants of your target audience, the goals of your trade show marketing strategy, and your trade show budget before selecting the ideal promotional giveaways for your trade show. Then, align that information with items that are most frequently used. In terms of frequency of use, PPAI’s research findings show that calendars/planners, computer products, and electronic devices & accessories take the top three spots.

For example, if your brand is exhibiting at an environmental trade show your team might consider offering a recycled calendar/planner, electronic device, or ‘green’ accessory.

2. Align Your Promotional Giveaways with your Brand

Choosing a promotional giveaway to represent your company at a trade show can be a difficult task, but by aligning them with your brand’s marketing strategy your company can make a notable impression on your audience. PPAI notes that consumers find brands more favorable and are likely to recommend the product when the company offers a promotional giveaway rather than just using television or print advertising.

So, instead of choosing a gimmick or something unrelated, choose an item that represents your brand, reflects your company’s motto, or teaches your target audience more about who your brand is and what your brand stands for. Is your company selling office supplies? Health items? Organic food? Technology products? A great way to select an appropriate item is to think of something that stays within the theme of your brand and is useful to your consumers!

3. Don’t Just Give Items Away

When it comes to selecting promotional giveaways for your trade show, branding is everything. Every item should not only be branded with your logo and company name, but it should be another chance for your brand to collect contact information or close a sale. If giving away items at a trade show does not immediately result in either of these two outcomes, then it’s time to redefine your strategy.

The easiest and best way to collect trade show leads and close sales from promotional items is by gathering contact information from each consumer in exchange for the item. Your team can do this by encouraging attendees to connect with your brand on social media, download your app, sign up for an email list, or write down their contact information for a chance to receive a larger prize. By exchanging promotional items for contact information, PPAI states that your team is likely to conduct repeat business with 85% of consumers that have worked with your brand in the past while increasing your business with new clients by 11%.

4. Promotional Giveaways Do Not Run Your Trade Show Booth

Promotional giveaways are a great tool for trade shows, but they cannot (and should not) be your brand’s sole trade show marketing technique. Maximize sales leads by combining the use of promotional items with a number of other trade show marketing tactics such as trade show games, product demonstrations, or hire trade show event staff to approach and interact with attendees before offering the giveaway.

5. Consider the Value of Your Product (and What Message It’s Telling)

Any promotional item you select to represent your brand will relay a message to the consumer – and this message is value. An article on Marketing Sherpa mentioned three types of values your product can have: incredibly useful, extremely valuable, and exclusively cool.

Extremely useful products are items like mugs, pedometers, microfiber cleaning cloths, pens, or totes that are seen as handy items to have, meaning frequent use and exposure to your brand! Valuable promotional giveaways are meant to be impressive to the consumer like a flash drive, electronic accessory, or high-quality notebook. These items will show your customers that they are valued by you and worth a lot to you (literally). Then, there are the cool products like a deck of cards, massager, lint brush, drink koozie, or rain poncho that will leave your consumers thinking they received something unique and memorable!

Promotional products are an excellent marketing tool to reach consumers in a favorable way. People desire giveaways that are useful and for an advertiser the frequency of use means more exposure to your brand. PPAI found that 55% of people tend to keep their promotional products for more than a year. Why not sit down with your team and select a product that will result in high recollection, recurring exposure, and a positive impression of your brand? Select your promotional item carefully, and watch your sales sky-rocket!