The decision to invest in promotional products as a small business can be incredibly daunting. First, there is the cost involved. And second, there is the fear that you won’t be able to track the ROI of obscure metrics like “brand awareness”. Yet there is an argument that says you can’t afford to not invest in promotional products for your small business.
In this guide, we’re looking at the role of promotional products in the small business marketing plan and how you can make them work for your company.
Promotional products can help to start conversations with your ideal target customers. They’re perfect giveaways to capture attention of early adopters and turn them into lifelong brand advocates. They can be used to spark influencer relationships in your sector. And finally, they also help to establish your small company as one to watch – after all, only a successful small business would be investing in things like freebies and giveaways.
Promotional products allow small businesses to compete with larger brands by creating visibility, trust and familiarity through everyday use.
You need to think carefully about why you are creating promotional items and what you hope to achieve. Often, you will have a specific event in mind that would benefit having items to give away. Here are some of the top considerations when creating small businesses freebies:
It’s often tempting to choose the smallest possible order amount, but this will make each item more expensive and could also leave you with decision paralysis about what to do with the items. When each item holds more individual value, you might struggle to decide how best to use them. But if you have more items and they have less individual value, you will be more willing to take risks and make decisions about how to distribute the freebies.
If you hesitate to give items away, you’ve likely ordered too few.
Colour is a powerful branding tool, so don’t forget to include this in your designs. By choosing promotional items that are in your brand colours, half of the work in brand recognition is done for you. Then you can focus on the design to make sure it’s something that captures the attention of your ideal target audience.
When working with your designer, try to avoid linking the designs to a specific event or time. By choosing evergreen designs, you can take leftover stock to your next event without worrying about it being out of date or irrelevant. This is often what helps small businesses to get over the fear of ordering large volumes of stock, as it means they’ll always be ready to run a promotion.
The ideal promotional product is one that the person will use every single day out in the world.
| Product Type | Cost | Daily Use | Distribution Ease |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pens & Lanyards | Low | Medium | Very Easy |
| Water Bottles | Medium | High | Moderate |
| Umbrellas | High | Seasonal | Selective |
Take your time to land on the ideal product that suits your brand and will enable you to connect with your ideal target audience. With the right design and colours that are on-brand, you can increase brand awareness within your sector and connect with influences, customers and prospects with ease.
Explore affordable promotional products designed to help small businesses grow.
Are promotional products worth it for small businesses?
Yes — they help build awareness, credibility, and long-term visibility.
What’s the safest item to start with?
Everyday items like pens, bottles, or stickers with evergreen branding.
