- ETMG Social Media Team
10 Tips for Planning Your Next Promotional Giveaway Campaign
Giving a well thought-out promotional giveaway to your potential clients or event attendees is one of the best ways to continue reminding folks about your company. Here are a few tips to help you plan your next campaign:
Start with your budget and the quantity of items you plan to give away. Quantity is critical as it sets the initial scope of your search. Looking for 10 of something is much different than looking for 5,000 of something. Items vary greatly in price (e.g. a pen might be $2 or it could be over $50). A budget will help you establish your search parameters.
If you’ll be handing out giveaways at an event, it can be tricky to determine how many items you should order. The general rule of thumb is to order 10% more than your total expected attendance at the event. If your giveaway has a higher perceived value with your audience (e.g. t-shirts or coffee mugs), we recommend ordering 20% more than your total expected attendance.
Check to make sure your desired item is in stock. Ask specifically how many are available in your desired color(s) and sizes. If the manufacturer is out of stock in your item, ask if and when they’ll be able to restock. It never hurts to ask, but it can be problematic if you don’t.
Order your item as early as possible. This tip especially pertains to items that you have your heart set on or if you’re ordering a large number of items. Typically, about 20% of all giveaways are out-of-stock at any given time or only available in limited quantities.
When determining what item to give away, choose something that communicates your brand and that will be perceived as having value. Chose products that are useful and be mindful of their impact on the environment. It's better to not offer a promotional item, than to offer an item that your customers think is wasteful and irresponsible.
Design your giveaway in a manner that ensures an optimum return on logo size vs. item size. If you want to put your logo on a pen or a tote bag, make sure that the writing and/or graphics don’t overwhelm the item. Similar to writing with ALL CAPS, branding that is too large for the item can be perceived as yelling.
Order a sample and take it for a test drive before placing your order. Whether it’s a pen, a T-shirt or a mug: reviewing and playing with a sample will be the best way to determine if your selected item really will make the right impression on your customers or event attendees. When in doubt, check it out.
Request and review a virtual proof. This is the only way to ensure the manufacturer will be reproducing your logo or slogan on your desired item in the right size, in the right location and in the right colors.
Be aware that federal law requires all manufactured goods include labeling indicating where they were made. This means the small but noticeable phrase, “Made in the USA,” or “Made in China” may not appear on a mock-up of your item, but it will be on the actual physical giveaway item — another good reason why you should request a sample first before ordering.
Hire a Giveaways Distributor. Giveaways Distributors know how to obtain the best possible products while simultaneously saving you time, money, and hassle.