Jumpstart Growth In 2023 With These Cheap Promotional Item Ideas

Cheap Promotional Items Ideas

• Promotional Products as a Marketing Strategy
• 7 Cheap Promotional Products You Can Order
  • 1. Tote Bags
  • 2. Pens
  • 3. Water Bottles
  • 4. Gadgets/Accessories
  • 5. Hand Sanitizer
  • 6. Towels
  • 7. T-shirts
• Where to Distribute These Items?

When you own a small business or are just starting on your entrepreneurial journey, you probably have a very limited budget to manage. Figuring out how to allocate your resources may be the most difficult part of the job. Should you put more money into product quality for better sales or hire another employee to lighten your load? Should you invest in various software programs to make business management easier or pour money into making a first-class website?

One item that will need a lot of attention is your marketing budget. With the limited resources that you have, how can you efficiently get the word out about your business to increase brand awareness without breaking the bank? You can lean heavily on free tools like social media accounts, but at some point, you may have to spend some money.

Promotional Products as a Marketing Strategy

When you hear the word “marketing,” you probably think about emails, TV/radio advertising, social media, or maybe even billboards. Promotional products can be a very effective way to increase brand recognition among the public. Many of these items can be purchased for a low cost, preserving your marketing budget while still increasing the number of impressions that you are creating.

Promotional items can present your company logo and business name to new customers whenever someone wears or uses the merchandise in front of others. It could be an employee who is using the holiday gift that you gave them. Or maybe a loyal customer won a t-shirt and wears it as they go about their day. Customers can become brand ambassadors with the right giveaways.

7 Cheap Promotional Products You Can Order

There are two things that you need to keep in mind when running a campaign with promotional products; target audience and reach. What items will your target audience interact with the most, and where should you distribute them?

If you are trying to save money while expanding your brand awareness, here are a few cheap promotional items to try.

1. Tote Bags

Tote bags are fantastic items that can serve a variety of uses for the people who own them. Throw on a company logo and you have additional exposure every time they are used. This type of promotional item can be used at theme parks, at the gym, while on vacation, or for everyday purposes, making it worth the relatively low price.

2. Pens

Custom pens are about as cheap as you can get. However, they make for easy giveaways that display your logo to potential customers in the office, at home, or in school. Pens come at a very low price, and it makes sense to order a high minimum quantity to maximize your spending and have plenty of swag to give away at an event or somewhere else.

3. Water Bottles

A new water bottle might be the most popular promotional item out there. Hydration is a key aspect of health and wellness, so plenty of companies are taking advantage by giving away water bottles as prizes or for their employees. With a company logo on the bottle, this item can be customized to suit your budget and build brand recognition.

4. Gadgets/Accessories

Fun gadgets and accessories may cost just a little more, but their functionality will make them a popular choice for loyal customers, devoted employees, and the general population. You could invest in phone stands, branded headphones, phones, tablets, stress balls, and other unique promotional products that can serve a helpful purpose to users. These types of promo products will see a lot of use and could therefore increase visibility for your business.

5. Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer makes for a great gift. Many people now appreciate the merits of having hand sanitizer on the go, especially in the last few years. They are great for giveaways, health/wellness bags, and local events, and can come pretty cheap when ordered in bulk. With every use, you may gain access to a new customer who notices your logo or business name on the container.

6. Towels

Towels are a useful household item, but they can also benefit athletes. These gifts can be purchased in bulk with a minimum quantity, which is a benefit to your overall budget. Think about it. Each towel that you give away or sell came from a one-time purchase. But, that towel could be used over and over again, and every time it is used, more people might see your company logo. The initial purchase is a small price to pay for the amount of exposure that it could yield.

7. T-shirts

This cheap promo item can also be purchased for a lower price in bulk. Any promotional product that falls under the category of clothing can generate tons of new leads for your brand. They are seen often in public at events, at work, in school, in grocery stores, in restaurants, and everywhere in between. Plus, it can be an awesome gift for devoted employees or loyal customers that are looking for some swag to promote the company that they love.

Where to Distribute These Items?

Now you have to figure out how to distribute this investment effectively to achieve the desired reach with your target audience. Cheap promos are useless if no one that might get in contact with your brand ever notices them. Bring some cheap promotional items to the next event in your local community that involves multiple partnerships with other brands. Attend trade shows and bring along some giveaways like pens or stress balls. Offer swag that has your logo printed on it to your employees to boost brand awareness.

With the right items at the right price, you can save on your marketing budget while increasing the recognition of your brand and generating more sales. Conduct audience research to figure out which accessories you can get at low prices that will connect with your ideal customers and start giving those items away.