Promotional gear, goodies, swag—whatever you call it, items with your company name and logo are a great marketing tool. They provide a way to connect with customers, improve brand awareness, and help drive your sales up. Crane, a home appliance and wellness company, uses promotional gear to promote their brand and products at various events and trade shows. The company hands out free swag bags with lip balm, candy, magnets, and an informational card about the company.
Joe Grotto, the marketing and sales specialist for Crane, says promotional items have a direct impact on the company’s image and sales figures.
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Joe Grotto, marketer with Crane, explains why the company uses promotional gear.
“The right product giveaways, coupled with educational material, can generate demand, leading consumers to make a purchase or push for your products to be added to store shelves,” he says. “The promotional items can help open new revenue channels and generate interest from new market segments.” Whether you plan to give out freebies at the next trade show you attend, or want to give your employees some logo-clad apparel to wear around and promote your business, the reasons to buy promotional gear are just as plentiful as the number of places you can purchase it. With Grotto’s help, we compiled a list of affordable places to buy promotional items for your company.
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Vistaprint
You can order more than just business cards through Vistaprint. This popular online retailer offers educational material in all shapes and sizes. You can also order signs, banners, hats, tote bags, and small office supplies like pens, letter openers and mouse pads. If you’re looking for apparel, Vistaprint probably isn’t your best option, as its main focus is paper products and office supplies.
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Clik here to view.4imprint
4imprint is another online retailer, and you’ll find a bigger selection here. From stadium cushions to backpacks, there’s a lot to choose from. You can request free samples and get some assistance with artwork if needed.
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Clik here to view.LogoUp
LogUp is a great place to get apparel. While they have all the knick-knack gear too, LogoUp excels at apparel, and offers a large variety of clothing options. From polo shirts to fleece jackets, everything you can think of is available. You can even order name brand clothing like Nike workout shirts or an Eddie Bauer jacket.
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Clik here to view.Staples
If you want to see and hold the gear before you buy it, you can check out a local office supply store like Staples. Most of their items are, not surprisingly, office items. However, there are a few t-shirts to choose from too. Some business owners prefer to buy from brick-and-mortar store like this, and similar office supply chains offer promotional items too.
A few things you should know before you buy:
- The more you buy, the cheaper it is
When buying promotional gear, the price per item gets cheaper the more you buy. For example, on the Staples website, ball point pens are $1.79 each if you buy 250-499 pens, however, if you buy 500-999, the price goes down to $1.66.
- Expect minimums
Most promotional retailers require you to make a minimum purchase. If you’re a small company, make sure whatever item you decide on is one that has a long shelf life. If you decide to buy 500 pens, they could be around for a while.
- Expect a setup fee
In most cases, a set up fee will be tacked on to your bill. For example, with 4imprint you pay a $40 set up fee that covers one color and one location. It gets more expensive if you have a rainbow of colors in your logo, or if you want several places to be embroidered or stamped.
Where do you get your promotional gear? Share your favorite spot in the comments section below.