Trade Show Giveaways

How to Choose Effective Promotional Items

Trade show giveaways can be a conduit for attracting people to your booth, which gives you the opportunity to engage in conversation and ascertain interest. Yet, not all promotional items are worth your investment. Some choices may even work against you. So how do you pick giveaways that support your objectives without burdening your budget?

First, you need to define what you want to accomplish by using giveaways – over and above simply attracting people to your booth area.

Consider having your promotional items work double (or triple) duty to support your other marketing needs. For example, you can use a giveaway to help enhance brand recognition, introduce a new product line, provide helpful tips for buyers, or communicate your contact information in an interesting or unusual way.

Once you've determined what you want to accomplish by using your giveaways, start your search for items that are unique and complement your product offering – and accurately reflects the image you need to portray.

Note: An alternative to a free promotional gift is printing a tip sheet or brochure filled with practical ideas related to your target audience’s needs and your product. Event visitors may be attracted to this type of resource information because it serves a specific, helpful purpose. It also positions your company an expert in your industry.

Yet, if a giveaway is more suited to your requirements, there are many quality promotional-product companies that can provide helpful counsel to you, based on your objectives and budget. You can source these companies easily through a web search or through professional referrals.

It is beneficial to contact two or three companies for comparison purposes. With each representative you contact, discuss your needs, budget parameters and overall goals for your trade show giveaways. Listen to the input and recommendations from representatives, compare pricing, and confirm product delivery deadlines to ensure you will get your promotional items in time for your trade show.

An easy way to contact multiple companies and receive free quotes, is to use the following BuyerZone online tool. You submit one request and receive feedback and pricing from multiple providers of promotional items.

Whether you select paper pads, bouncing balls, ice scrapers or miniature globes, make sure your giveaways have a connection to your product. Then, at the show, hand out your giveaways selectively. Don’t have them available for anyone to take. You also may ask your booth visitors to give you their business cards or other qualifying information to receive the promotional gift.

By doing so, it will give the promotional item more meaning and help you with your post-show follow-up initiatives.