You realise that promotional gifts are crucial for your marketing campaign. People have a favorable view of your business if you start giving these gifts. The first thing on the list is to decide what item to give out and how much to spend. You are providing something for free, and the returns are not quick. Therefore, you need to be careful how you spend the company’s budget for these promotional gifts.

Waiting until the last minute

If you intend to distribute these gifts during the holiday season, you need to have a plan already several months ahead. You don’t want to wait until the final minute to do it. At that point, many other companies are also asking for promotional gifts, and you won’t be the priority. The cost could also go up even if you decide to order in bulk. Also, it takes time to create some of these items. If you are asking for something which they will customise, it might not be easy to finish your order in time.

Using generic items

Over the years, you already saw different types of promotional items given to a lot of customers. You might feel like there are no more items left. Take your time to brainstorm and not order generic items because you want to hand something out for free. People will not find those items useful, and they could end up in the trash. You should spend money on practical things that people will wear or use. Survey customers to find out what item people want to receive for free.

Making the process complicated

If you are giving out free merchandise, do it without asking a lot in return. You can have a game or a competition, but it should only be for fun. If you ask a lot from people before they get the free item, they might lose interest. They will also see it as another scheme to entice them to buy something they don’t need. Your goal is to be a company that gives, but given what you were asking, it seems like you only want to receive the benefits.

Blowing up the name and logo of the company on the product

Whatever product you decide to give, make sure that the advertising part is subtle. Don’t give shirts that have the name of the company all over the place. People will find the shirt unattractive. They might wear it once and decide to throw it away after. You should minimize the name and ensure that people will keep using the item. You don’t want them to feel like you are only using them to make your company famous.

Giving promotional gifts is quite tricky. On the one hand, you want to thank your customers by giving them something for free. On the other hand, you worry that your efforts won’t work and could even backfire. By avoiding these mistakes, your campaign will go a long way.

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