Best promotional items for small business

By Samantha O'Rourke

Attracting and engaging the right prospective customers—and making the kind of impression they’ll remember–is one of the hardest things about growing a small business. Once you’ve secured them as customers, the second major challenge emerges: forming meaningful relationships that’ll last.

For many small businesses, attending an industry event like a trade show or conference can be a game-changing decision. Not only are hundreds if not thousands of prospective customers all in one place, but they’re also looking to learn about new companies and services. That alone makes these events great opportunities for small businesses to make a real impression.

A potential downside of these events is prospective customers are likely making lots of connections and hearing plenty of convincing pitches. How can your business, regardless of its size, make the most of these events? One of the most common methods is simple yet effective: giving away branded promotional items.

If you’re wondering how to boost sales for a small business using promotional products or what the best promotional items to give away might be, you’ll definitely want to keep reading. By the end of this article, you should walk away with some great ideas for what to give away at your next event!

What is considered a promotional item?

Any custom, branded item an organization gives away to promote their company (or specific products and services) is considered a promotional item. They’re usually relatively low-cost items, allowing companies to give away large quantities, helping to attract and engage a multitude of potential customers.

Companies often hand these out at trade shows and conferences in order to grow brand awareness and to help achieve sales and marketing objectives. But that’s not their only compelling use; many companies provide employees with customized products as an incentive or reward. For example, many companies provide employees with branded apparel to wear with pride or practical items they can put to use immediately.

What are the best promotional products for 2024 and beyond?

It really depends on the organization, its objectives and intended audience. If your primary objectives relate to exposure and growing brand awareness, for example, you may want to consider common, inexpensive promotional items like stickers or writing utensils.

In other cases, it’s more important to come up with creative promotional products ideas, like umbrellas or sunglasses. Or focus on the kinds of useful promotional items prospects are likely to keep around longer, such as tote bags and stationery.

Next, let’s take a closer look at some of the best promotional items your company might consider, across three main categories: inexpensive, creative and useful promotional items examples.

What are the best inexpensive promotional items?

It’s important to note that there’s a difference between promotional items that are cheap vs. cost-effective—and the difference is quality. As Forbes opens in new window notes, to ensure that your promotional items are effective, “...(you) have to consider the quality, the general appeal and the perceived value.”

In other words, think about what kind of impression your promotional items might make. Durable items demonstrate a commitment to quality, while those made with poorer materials or low print quality can quickly turn off prospective customers.

The good news for small businesses is that many promotional products companies offer great options for all budgets, including plenty of low minimum quantity requirements. 4imprint offers inexpensive offerings across several categories:

• Hand fans are not only low-cost but also unique and useful—making them ideal for conference and trade show attendees.
• Cups and beverage holders are always a popular choice, especially with creative customization to make them stand out.
• Pens and pencils are given out by many companies for good reason: they are cost-effective and highly useful.

What are some creative ideas for promotional items?

Giving away unique promotional items with your logo is a great way to make the kind of impression that will get people talking—improving and growing brand awareness. At the average trade show or conference, attendees are likely to collect dozens of different promotional items, making it even more important for you to make a careful choice. You can stand out by offering something no one else has.

If you want to make a real splash at your next event, consider some less-common promotional products. At 4imprint, we provide a wide range of trending promo items:

• Food & candy are items not every organization will think to offer. Mints, gum, chocolates and various other office snacks are among the most creative promotional products.
• Technology and tech accessories are products most modern professionals appreciate, but not many companies choose to offer. They include charging devices, USB flash drives and other gadgets.
• Toys & novelties like fidget spinners, novelty and sport balls and flying discs are great options if you want to stand out by offering fun promotional items.

What is the most useful promotional item?

If you really want people to keep your promotional products, usefulness should be among your top criteria. By offering useful items with your logo, you greatly increase the chances that customers will hold onto them well beyond the trade show or conference.

Even if some people hold onto their items for their practicality alone, your brand benefits from the exposure. At 4imprint, we offer a wide range of useful promotional items for you to customize:

• Stationery and writing utensils remain highly useful, even with so much of the business world going digital.
• Office items, including stress relievers, picture frames and desk accessories are especially smart choices for longevity.
• Tools and household items such as flashlights, tool kits and multi-tools are the very definition of useful. Offer these items if you want to make sure no recipient will need to ask themselves, “Why should I keep this?”

Are promotional products worth it for a small business?

Yes, promotional products are a worthwhile investment, especially for smaller businesses that find themselves sharing the exhibit hall with larger competitors. That’s because you don’t necessarily have to break the bank to provide quality, customized promotional items that create a more level playing field.

So, why use promotional products? In addition to your organization’s sales and marketing objectives, it’s important to consider which types of promotional products your customers will want. Contrary to what you might think, customers do want promotional items. In fact recent data from PPAI opens in new window shows that “78% of consumers enjoy receiving free stuff from companies and brands they love and nearly 73% want to receive promo products more often.” By making smart decisions and choosing the products that your target audience will find to be both unique and useful, you can drive a much higher ROI from your promotional efforts.

In addition to selecting the right items and customizing them with your branding elements, it’s also important to work with the best promotional items company. Consider 4imprint to experience our 360° Guarantee, where you’re covered from every angle. We prioritize using high-quality materials and are easy to work with.

How do I choose a promotional product for the next event?

Especially for small businesses, the decision of whether to represent your business at a particular trade show, conference or similar event requires careful consideration. Ultimately, you’ll have to determine whether the event will provide enough return on your investment. Giving away promotional products is one of the best ways to ensure that these events will be worthwhile for your business.

It’s also important to consider which promotional products to offer. Again, you should prioritize promotional items that are cost-effective, useful and unique. Here are a few tips for making the right selection and ensuring your next event is a success:

1. Define your business objectives

While you might enjoy browsing the various categories of promotional products, starting with clearly defined business objectives will help you save time as you think about which types of promotional products to offer.

What are your main objectives? Are you trying to build or grow your brand awareness in a broad sense—or do you have specific products, services or initiatives you want to generate excitement about?

For broad brand awareness, things like promotional apparel, tote bags or stickers and decals can bring your brand valuable exposure. You might also consider the types of items most closely related to your industry or the day-to-day realities of your customers—think tech accessories if you’re a software company, for example.

2. Determine your budget

If there’s one thing every sales or marketing professional knows, it’s that budgets can only be stretched so far. Think carefully about how much you can realistically afford to spend on promotional products and keep in mind that offering useful, well-made items will bring value to the organization.

3. Consider your target audience

The better you understand your prospects and customers, the easier it will be to figure out the best promotional items to offer. For example:

• Are you trying to win over savvy decision makers? Consider practical, useful items for their home or office.
• Does your target audience need help with everyday workplace tensions? You could offer something like stress relievers or fidget spinners. Or, if that’s too predictable for your taste, you could go with something more unexpected, like fun snacks or things related to popular outdoor and leisure activities.

4. Compare your options

By this point, you’ve prioritized your business objectives, set a budget and considered your target audience. Now you’re ready to do your competitive research.Try to differentiate your giveaway items and consider unique and trending products. At 4imprint, we offer a wide range of small business promotional items.

5. Customize your promotional products

When you’re ready to customize your promotional items with your logo, 4imprint makes it easy. You can work with our dedicated creative department for help with designing or making over your brand logo, as well as assistance with illustration or design-based elements. Together, we can create branded promo items that will make the right impression at your next event.

6. Get your items into prospects’ hands

Once you’ve received your branded promotional items, it’s time for the fun part—meeting with prospects, introducing them to your business and sharing your customized items. Be sure to collect contact information so you can follow up with your new leads and help them discover how your organization’s products or services are beneficial and why they should do business with you.

Explore 4imprint’s full range of customizable promotional products

At 4imprint, we offer a wide range of customizable promotional products, backed by our 360° Guarantee_®, which ensures that we use the highest-quality materials and deliver your customized products on time.

If you’re still looking for inspiration for your next event, consider checking out our full selection of new products, hot products and 4imprint exclusives. We even offer custom signage and other materials to take your event booth to the next level, and our in-house creative team can help you bring your vision to life. Visit our website to see our full range of customizable products or contact us directly if you have any questions.