If you’re planning to host a booth at a conference, you need to get your promotional items figured out fast. Attendees expect to take something away with them with your contact details on, but this doesn’t have to be as boring as a leaflet or a business card.
Put in a little bit of thought, and your promotional giveaway item could be the must-have item of the conference. You could have people lining up to get their hands on your freebies. But, how do you strike a balance between choosing something useful and desirable, while still keeping it relevant to your company? And how do you make sure you achieve a good return on your investment?
Let’s explore some of the ins and outs of conference giveaways and how you can make the most of this opportunity to get your business details into the hands of a captive and engaged audience.
What makes a good promotional item?
You need to strike a balance between items that are desirable but not too expensive. They should also be practical, but also serve the purpose of passing on your business contact details. Examples of perfect promotional items include:
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A lanyard with a fun design, a cheeky slogan and a pouch containing details about your company
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A bottle opener with your logo and website printed on it
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A reusable coffee cup with your company details on it
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A tote bag for attendees to carry all of the other promotional items they receive
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A pen and notebook for taking notes at the conference
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Sunglasses with your branding on the arm
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A reusable water bottle with your company branding
If you are giving away a high-value item like sunglasses or water bottle, you can also hand this over with a leaflet or business card from your company. Individuals might also expect a bit of a pitch before they can grab their freebie. In some cases, you might also ask them to sign up to your mailing list (have an iPad handy) before you hand over the loot.
How do you measure the success of promotional items?
Measuring the success or ROI of your promotional items is often difficult, but not impossible. A simple way to achieve this would be using a signup form on the day. This will allow you to segment your audience based on individuals you met at the conference.
You could also use a QR code that directs individuals to a special landing page for the conference. This will also allow you to segment your audience based on event attendees and determine the success rate of your promotional campaign.
Consider your initial investment and then determine the sales you have achieved on the back of the event. This should give you the ROI, but remember that some people will prefer to find you directly. To capture these too, try adding a field to your signup/new customer forms to learn where they first heard about you. Attribution can help you to determine the best avenues for promoting your business.
Are promotional items worth it?
When done correctly, promotional items are certainly worth it. However, there are a few pitfalls you need to avoid.
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Make sure your promotional items are evergreen so you can use them at multiple events. If you brand them for a specific event, any unused items will be wasted.
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Be realistic about how many items you need. While it’s cheaper to buy in bulk, these costs will be lost if you are buying more than you could ever give away.
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Consider the environmental impact. Individuals will be more concerned with the environmental impact of your promotional items, so try to avoid anything that looks cheap and destined for landfill.
