To maximize your brand’s visibility at an event, you need to be a little generous and not shy away from spending a small amount of money on giveaways. Emphasis on the ‘little’ and ‘small’ because while you’re not about to give away swathes of cash or luxury goods, you still want people to take home something that will remind them of you. It could be a pen, small snacks, or a sticky notepad, or all of them in one giveaway bag. However, these items are sometimes considered cheap, and are therefore given quite the bad rap, but sometimes you don’t really have the budget to go any bigger.
The thing is, low-budget doesn’t necessarily mean low-quality. Take printable wristbands as an example. They’re known to be inexpensive accessories, but because they’re made from durable materials and highly customizable, they’re used in many giveaway events. Here are some quality yet low-budget giveaway ideas that won’t weigh down your pocket, but sure will weigh down on memorability:
- Hand sanitizer. This should actually be a no-brainer for big events where everybody will be shaking a lot of hands. This not only encourages people to be healthy and clean, but guests will always keep you in mind whenever they pull the sanitizer out of their bag to use. Bonus: You can even give away sanitizers with holders that could be easily strapped to a bag. That’s extra visibility!
- Lapel pins. It’s easy and cost-friendly to order hard-enamel lapel pins with your brand’s logo. You can give these items away as a reward to loyal customers who have spent a certain amount at your shop, turning the pin into a collectible item that will look the same for years to come.
- Smart wallets. In this age of technology, people are more likely to be holding on to their phones more than anything else, so for precisely this reason, smart wallets are a great giveaway at any event. Simply slap on your logo on the back and boom! Instant visibility! On the plus side, guests will always remember you when they think of how convenient their new smart wallets are.
- Microfiber cleaning cloth. It’s small, light, inexpensive, and is something everyone has a use for. Give it away with its own casing, with your brand or logo emblazoned on it for good measure, and your customers will always remember you whenever they take it out to clean the surfaces of their laptops, tablets, smartphones, and glasses.
- Bottle opener keychain. Branded keychains have always been a giveaway staple, so why not step it up a notch and give away branded keychains that are also bottle openers? They’re small, compact, and easily attached to keys so they can be quickly whipped out in the event of a bottle needing to be opened. Besides being useful at surprise beer parties, it could also be a practical tool for anybody to have on hand.
- Tote bags. Plastic consumption is at an all-time high, so tote bags are a wonderful giveaway, especially if you know your guests and clients are very green and eco-friendly. Canvas tote bags are cheap and tough, and are perfect carriers for your brand and logo, and can be carried around for all manner of occasions such as grocery shopping, trade shows, a day out in the park or beach, or to school. It’s an easy way to make your brand more visible and help out the environment at the same time.
- Coasters are also a great giveaway as they can literally be just the image of your logo that clients can take home with them. More often than not, they will be left lying around on tabletops for everyone to see, giving you exposure, and your clients a moisture-absorbent surface upon which to place their drinks.
- Branded mints. You don’t have to be a popular snack company to give away freshness to consumers. Stick your brand on a small mint dispenser and give them away at your next event. Customers will be glad to carry around a pack of freshness for emergencies or random mint cravings, and you’ll be getting more exposure with the customized label.
Always make it a point to check the quality of the items that you will be giving away as gifts. Remember that you don’t have to settle for less just because you’re on a tight budget, and you want your giveaways to be useful and of high quality— just like the service or product that you provide your loyal clients.
