Cheap Promotional Ideas

Marketing could honestly be defined as an art form. Different forms of marketing appeal to different people, and it takes a lot of time and energy to come up with pieces that will be displayed to the world. Some marketing professionals are amazing at what they do while others fall behind. Either way, marketing is a crucial aspect of any business.

Whether you own a small business or are part of a large organization, you probably work within a defined marketing budget. These resources must be used effectively to communicate a compelling message to existing customers and new audiences, convincing them to buy your product or service.

One effective way for small businesses to increase brand awareness and build a customer base is through promotional product marketing. As a follow-up to our guide to guerilla marketing, we'll now spend some time supplying you with some of the best ideas for affordable promotional products for building brand awareness.

What is Promotional Product Marketing?

The idea is a simple one. You want more people to know about your business and you want to build excitement around your brand. The main goal is to inform new customers about your organization and the product or service you provide. Promotional products are items that you can purchase and have printed with company information such as a logo or the name of the business or both.

You then give these promotional items away to existing customers, members of the public, or even your employees. Whenever they use those products, other people can see the brand information, resulting in impressions for the company.

Are Cheap Promotional Products Effective?

If you are restricted by a tight marketing budget, you have to be strategic with using those resources. Cheap promotional items can maximize your spending because they can lead to tons of impressions for the brand in the public space.

Let's say you give away tote bags to consumers. Just one tote bag could be seen by many others when the owner carries it around, all for just the initial cost of the bag.

You also need to know where to distribute these products. Should you look for local events or trade shows where you can host a booth and give away small items like hand sanitizer? Will these items be prizes in a social media contest?

With the right giveaways, your promotional products could dramatically increase brand awareness, especially in the local community, all for a low price.

Ideas for Cheap Promotional Items

If you are hoping to find inexpensive promotional products, there are plenty of options available that you will not need a huge budget to purchase. These low-cost items can be perfect for giving away at your next event, at a trade show, as a holiday gift to team members, or to excited customers.

Office Supplies

While they may not draw the attention of a larger, more visible product, custom office supplies make great cheap promotional items. Custom pens, notebooks, mousepads, laptop bags, and other similar items can be very useful to workers, which means that you are providing value to everyone who receives the items.

This could lead to higher usage and more visibility for the business, which can in turn boost future sales.

Clothing

One of the more visible promo categories is clothing. These giveaways are very effective at catching the attention of passersby, as clothing is one of the most noticeable aspects of a person.

Order affordable branded aparel such as t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, or pants in bulk to take advantage of a better price and boost advertising by leveraging these accidental brand ambassadors.

Gadgets

Who doesn't love to receive a helpful gadget as a gift? Investing in tech giveaways that are useful in a digital world can lead to free impressions for years to come as long as people continue to use the promotional products.

Phone stands, wearable technology accessories, Bluetooth devices, and flash drives are all items on which you can print your logo and become a more visible company.

Wellness Items

Promoting health and wellness as a company can go a long way toward building a positive reputation among your employees, your target audience, and the greater community. Plenty of wellness giveaways  would work for a brand without a big budget, including hand sanitizer, stress balls, and wellness swag bags.

These items show that you care about health (opens in a new window) and can increase sales as well.

Sports-Related Items

If you need to save money on your marketing, then maximum exposure for your promo items can help. Large sporting events are a perfect location for spreading awareness to a large audience at the same time. Some products that would fit well with this strategy include foam fingers, koozies, stadium seat cushions, stadium cups, and drawstring bags.

A sports fan will come across a ton of people while at a big event, so your logo could be seen by tons of eyes for a very low initial price.

Fitness Products

Along the same lines as the wellness category, fitness is a big part of many consumers' lives. To save money on your promotional marketing, consider items like headbands, resistance bands, reusable water bottles, gym bags, or fitness clothing.

These items will fit within your tight budget while still causing awareness of your organization to increase. They also make great gifts for employees or loyal clients.

Running a Promotional Product Campaign

When you have to worry about the price of your marketing efforts, then promotional giveaways can be the perfect solution for your company. It allows you to save money on extended campaigns by making a one-time purchase, but will still display your logo to many audiences.

The key is to choose the right items that will connect with your target audience for the right price. You can browse a promotional marketing website to find the perfect promotional item that will fit within your budget and still achieve the desired effect.

Whether you invest in tote bags, portable hand sanitizer containers, t-shirts, gym bags, or foam fingers, invest in items that you can print your logo on and promote your organization or product effectively while staying under budget. Need help? Reach out and contact us at any time.