What's A Good Promotional Product For My Business?

Here's a definition of promotional products: When you get home from a day at a trade show and empty your bag (usually a plastic or fabric bag with a promoter's logo printed on it) the items you've collected from the booths you visited are promotional items. Key rings, pens and pencils, mini first aid kits, and much more (the candy you took from each vendor's table doesn't count) are the most popular and inexpensive items available for promotions, and chances are you will toss many of them and give the rest to your kids. So what's so important about having promotional products for your business?

Choosing the right product to represent your business is critical. Your business card is the number one product that people will refer to after they've met you, either to contact you or to refer your business to someone they know. But an item with your business and contact information on it that they will use again and again is the best way to remain in their sight and on their mind.

The best promotional items are ones that connect with your business. If you are in the interior design field, a measuring tape with your logo is a good tie-in to your line of work. If you are an accountant, an inexpensive calculator is a clever idea. In other words, try not to randomly choose a product when it doesn't relate to your business or when it won't be used frequently.

Pricing of promotional items vary according to the product, the quantity, and the imprint (your logo and contact information). Pens are among the most inexpensive items available, starting at fifty cents or lower, all the way up to golf umbrellas, travel blankets, and engraved leather luggage. Of course, these high-end items are not for giveaways at conventions or trade shows. These are saved for gifts for good clients or important potential clients.

Choose within your budget, and be discriminating. Ask yourself, "Will this item be kept and used often?", "Will the user be reminded of my services by this product?", and "Is the person using the product an ideal customer for me?" If so, order a reasonable amount of products (prices usually get better with quantity, but do not order so many that you must use the same item for the next 20 trade shows). If not, go with the candy for the table. At least everyone will stop at your booth for it.