Trade Show Season Tips: How to Pick The Best Swag For Your Brand
ORCA COMMUNICATIONS INVITED STACY EICHEL, OWNER OF PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS COMPANY MORE THAN STICK FIGURES, INC, TO WRITE A GUEST BLOG POST SHARING HER EXPERTISE WITH OUR CLIENTS AND FOLLOWERS ON THE TOPIC OF TRADE SHOW MARKETING AND HOW TO PICK THE BEST SWAG FOR YOUR BRAND. ANY COMPANY THAT ATTENDS SHOWS REGULARLY WILL WANT TO READ THIS!
Swag. Promo items. Giveaways. Gifts. FREE STUFF. Whatever you or your clients call it, it makes an impact. Here are some trade show season tips to make your company stand out without all the hassle!
People will take free stuff without even thinking about it. It’s what they do with that free stuff once they leave the conference or convention that is key to its success. If it ends up in the trash it was a waste of valuable marketing spend and effort.
What to consider when selecting swag for your brand
Budget
Spending a bit more for an item that will impress the recipient and that they’ll actually use makes more sense than buying a lot of meaningless swag items they will never use again.
Ease of transport
How many shows do you have each year? How many locations? Will you ship them to each location or bring the items with you? Will it cost a fortune to ship?
– Will people use the item or will it go in the trash?
– What is the goal?
o Getting them to your booth?
o Tracking their usage? Consider a movie date gift card or a pizza night gift card. These items require filling out a registration (and any information you wish to have them provide) in order to redeem.
– Does it represent your brand either in look, feel, vibe, or use?
o Is it your brand color?
o Are you a drink company? Consider a cup to drink it out of.
o Are you a security tech company? You might go with a custom-branded webcam cover.
– Deadlines and inventory
o For small conventions you should always order 2-3 weeks in advance to confirm inventory. For larger conventions where you would need thousands of an item, you should consider starting your process 3-4 months in advance as this is often how long it would take to order items from overseas.
Useability
As much as everyone contacts us for ‘something different’ the truth is that most customers go for the usual – Mousepads, pens, adhesive phone wallets. These items are successful because they get used without overtly screaming any specific brand name.
One of our customers continues to receive a HUGE response to a brightly colored (their brand color is lime green) luggage tag that they repeat every year. Their customers always ask for them because they make finding their luggage while traveling that much easier. They are NOT a travel company, but this is something that brings people to them at their shows.
A few small items that work for ANY type of company are:
Mints
Gum
Sanitizer
Small travel kits
… anything anyone would want while traveling for business and networking with many people in just a few short days.
Apparel is always something people request but we tend to steer people away from anything that has a size component for obvious reasons. Hats, bandanas, and scrunchies are great alternatives.
Some items have a very high perceived value such as drinkware and tech accessories. When it comes to tech, keep in mind that tech changes and everyone carries something different. You should always consider what works for the masses.
If the show itself provides a bag, save your money and do something else unless it’s a nice bag you believe your attendees will use and carry and become walking billboards for your brand.
Where and how to buy trade show swag
Where to start? There are so many swag companies out there from the small business model to the larger companies you might see on TV advertising swag ‘guaranteed on time’. Newsflash… As a small business myself I have had to ‘rescue’ a few of their customers because their items did not, in fact, arrive on time.
Every single one of these companies has access to the same manufacturers and factories. Consider a few things when choosing your swag.
– Do you want a company that will assist in finding the right items or are you comfortable searching online and choosing something from their catalog?
– Do you want to speak to the same person every time you order? When you have a question about your order? Is there an issue? Are you ok with a larger customer service team?
– Do you want to create a relationship with one company where if something they know you would be interested in is available you know that they will reach out to you? Or if they know that you have an event coming up they can reach out with reminders to get your item on time?
The options for swag are endless. You can choose swag right ‘off the rack’ or you can create something that’s completely custom to your brand. The choice is yours and only based on imagination, budget & how much time you have before your show.
Swag is an important piece of the tradeshow puzzle. It is a great way to get people to your booth where you get to introduce them to your product or service, and they get to leave with a little piece of your brand that is fun, useful, and FREE!
This guest blog post was provided by Stacy Eichel at More Than Stick Figures, Inc, boutique promotional items distributor and graphic design company that has been in business for over 15 years. Interested in working with Stacy on your next trade show? Visit https://www.morethanstickfigures.com/ for more information.