Thinking outside the box for imprinted logo items

By Catalogs Editorial Staff

Think outside the box for the imprinted logo items everyone wants

It?s trade show season again. What are you going to give away at your company?s booth? Pens? Coffee mugs? Maybe a tote bag or mouse pad?

These items are fine, useful ? and completely predictable.

If you want your company to be noticed and talked about by show attendees, grab their attention with a unique imprinted logo item. Choose something that makes your company stand out from the competition and thinks outside the box.

Some promotional items are just meant to be fun, while others are meant to be useful. For instance, an ice pick is not only a great promo item for a beer company, it?s also a great ice-breaker when it comes to starting a conversation with a prospective customer.

Once you give somebody a gift, they are more likely to give you their time and attention in return. This interaction helps establish a relationship that could last a long time. Here are some ideas to help you break the ice.

Be trendy and let popular hobbies guide the way

Health and fitness are on many peoples? minds these days, especially since sitting has been dubbed as the new smoking. Doctors and health associations are encouraging people to move more to keep their bodies healthy.

Use this trend to your advantage and give away something associated with moving, such as shoe safety lights. These lights slide onto the back of a shoe and lets drivers, walkers and runners know somebody is there. Other options to consider are reflective bands for the wrist, ankle or waist, pedometers and adjustable headlamps.

Be fun with innovation as your friend

Tie your company?s product or service to the promotional items you?re handing out. It may take some deep thought to come up with the perfect ideas. But, the memory of your company every time the potential customer uses your item is priceless.

For instance, if you?re a company that manufactures items like yoga mats or blocks, give away bendy straws. Preferably with a picture of a person imprinted over the bend. That way, every time the straw is bent, the person is striking a yoga pose.

Or perhaps you are a pest management company. You could imprint your company information on the belly of some very realistic fake cockroaches. People will not forget that one.

Be useful and lend a helping hand

Items that are useful while showing the strength of your company will remind potential customers why you are successful in your field. For instance, if you are in the senior living business, giving away small digital picture frames and USB drives can highlight the challenges of dementia or Alzheimer?s, and how sometimes all it takes to unlock a memory is to show a picture.

Or, if you work for a detergent manufacturer, hand out samples of your product in packaging that looks like a nasty stain. What initially looks like a wine spill or ketchup splat is actually a package of detergent to remove those kinds of stains.

Surprise your audience

Suppose you own a car company, restoration business or body shop. Vinyl clings and magnetic sheets printed to look like an accident has occurred might help people remember you. Place one of the clings or magnets on an unsuspecting person?s car, with your company name and information printed on the back. Advancements in printing technologies will make the scratches and dents look very real. Just be sure to be on hand when the joke is pulled, so you can get the people laughing before they get too upset. This is definitely one where you want know your target market very well.

Many studies have been done about the validity of using promotional products. Over and over, it?s been shown that these items increase the overall image of the company and people have a higher likelihood of patronizing or recommending the business.

According to the American Marketing Association in Baltimore, promotional items are a ?proven, cost effective way of marketing your company to an extremely large audience while doing minimal work?.

Take advantage of every opportunity to promote your business and reinforce your brand. Resist taking the easy way out and choosing to imprint items that everyone else is giving away. Dare to be different. Make your voice heard and your brand remembered.