5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

Finding the right product to brand for a giveaway or gift can surprisingly be a difficult and challenging task. And the fact is that no one wants to be that guy with 50 left over boxes of awkward looking aprons sporting your company logo lying around their office.

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

That's why I put together this guide on 5 promotional gifts that truly work at driving new business and keeping your current customers.

But before I get into those 5 products you should first understand that every business and every promotional campaign should have a defined goal on how those promotional products will benefit their company.

It can be as simple as brand awareness, or it can be complex and even be used as part of your sales funnel.

The best way to make sure a promotional product works for you and your company is to make sure your goal is known, stated and written down.

Because no matter what product you choose, the bottom line is that the promotional product is only going to work if you choose it based on how well it will achieve your goal(s).

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

1. Gift cards

No one will pass up receiving a gift card for something they love. In fact, it's one of the most popular items people remember when asked to recall promotional products they received.

The best part about gift cards is that there are several ways you can tailor them to your company.

One is if you're giving away a gift card good for another company you can brand the envelope, or in some cases, you can even brand the actual gift card itself. For example, Amazon.com allows you to personalize their gift cards with a custom image.

Now if you're giving away a gift card that is good for your company services or products then it should be a no-brainer to brand the gift card itself and the envelope.

For maximum effectiveness, you might also want to mention that you're giving away a gift card to the recipient on your company's social media accounts, such as Facebook and Twitter. People love seeing that and will share and comment on your post.

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

2. Food Baskets

Who doesn't love free food! Gift baskets have been a staple for years and are not going away.
What makes branded food gifts extremely effective is that most people don't just eat the food themselves, they share it with others. So you're almost guaranteed to spread your company's message to someone else.

To make your basket more effective you should tailor it to the type of audience it's going to. For example, if it's going to someone who loves cookies, then send them a basket of custom printed cookies.

And if you're stuck and not sure what your recipient likes, here is a good tip. Check out their Facebook page to see what their interests are.

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

3. Fridge magnets

Check your refrigerator and count how many company magnets you have. Chances are you have at least one branded magnet clinging to its shiny surface.

What makes refrigerator magnets great promotional gifts is not just that people will use them but also that they have such a long life cycle.

Most of these magnets last an extremely long time and people just don't usually tend to discard them once they're in use.

So that means your company will be on display in your customer's (or potential customer's) kitchen for years. It's kind of like having a mini "billboard" in their kitchen.

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

4. Pens

It may seem like an obvious choice to give away custom pens with your logo, but it's also highly effective. It's been found in a recent study by PPAI Research that people recall pens more than any other inexpensive promotional product.

And if you look around your house and office I'm willing to bet you can easily find at least one promotional pen laying around.

Custom pens are an extremely diverse product in that there are so many different options to choose from.

The key to making the right choose about the style, color, and other options, is to relate those options back to your goal. What type of pen, color, and style can you see helping you achieve your goal?

What would you imagine the pen looks like that would create the best effect on your customers?

Once you can answer that question, you'll know exactly what pen to use for your promotional needs.

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

5. Watches

The promotional power of watches is astonishing! They are one of the most highly remembered promotional gifts in the $25 and up product range. But they don't need to cost that much.

In fact, cheap branded kids watches were so successful in Burger King's value meals that kids begged their parents to go to Burger King just so they could collect them all.

Watches can also be used as functional gifts for special occasions. For example at a fitness or sporting event, watches can be given out to participants who can then use them while they participant.

Their possibilities, styles, designs and uses are endless. So whether you're looking for a premium or inexpensive promotional product, watches offer just the right uniqueness that gets them remembered time and time again.

5 Surprising Promotional Gifts That Work - The Promo Shop

The Promo Shop are headquartered in the Atlanta area and  offer free shipping on THOUSANDS of promotional items. Their mission is to provide the best customer service, products and suggestions to promote your business. They have THOUSANDS of customizable promotional items on their website!