If you have an upcoming trade show event listed on your company calendar, you better start preparing some trade show giveaways!
In this article:
4 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing Trade Show Giveaways
The Importance of Trade Show Giveaways
They’re known for sparking attendees’ interest and generating a large number of viable leads, prospects, or customers. They can undoubtedly charm everyone and captivate their eyes in a swift and unexpected way.
Free gifts are always welcome, but at a trade show, everyone’s offering something to their target audience. You will have to think of ways to keep potential customers’ attention to yourself. That’s why tradeshow promotional items should be relevant and interesting.
But let’s talk real here. Sometimes, charm and appeal aren’t enough to win a spot in people’s minds. Sure, they may find your trade show gift adorable, but does it serve a purpose? Does it capture your recipients’ and target audience’s attention enough to make your brand memorable?
We all know that custom and imprinted giveaways can add swag to trade exhibitions, fairs, or expos. Have you heard a word of dismay from marketers saying that even these free stuff failed to drive traffic to their booths? We guess not.
There’s a lot to consider besides panache and charisma. Although there’s no standard law that states which item you should choose, knowing other buying factors helps. Below are some relevant questions you need to ask yourself when choosing valuable trade show promotional items.
1. Is Your Promotional Item Relevant to Your Company or Audience?
Of course, it’s necessary to pick a logoed product that represents your company, product image, and target market. An item that shares your branding story is a great conversation starter. It creates more potential for brand awareness and word-of-mouth marketing, allowing people to check out your booth. If your product or service satisfies one person, he will most likely share his experience with your brand with two or three other people.
Say your fitness club signs up in a body expo or wellness event. You have to find a product that’s relevant to your brand and useful for the audience. How about stacking assorted sports bottles, sweatbands, or drawstring bags on your booth table? The selection is actually limitless. You just have to carefully decide on what trade show giveaway to offer so you can shake up your promotions successfully.
You can also consider the season. Is the trade show during summer? Then offer promotional items fit for the hot weather. The same goes for special seasons like Christmas.
2. Does Your Trade Show Giveaway Offer Practicality and Convenience?
This question supports the first one. Who would want to receive a trade show promotional item that’s not even useful to them? See, it’s easy to select promotional giveaways for the trade show attendees when you know about the people attending an event.
It also makes sense to choose a freebie that’s not difficult to bring home. Remember, most attendees usually travel to trade fairs via plane or car, depending on how far the event is from their location. So, it would be an inconvenience for them to add something bulky to their luggage.
We’re leaving you with this rule of thumb: stock a pile of giveaways that are not only practical but convenient as well.
Related Item: 5 Different Ways To Print On Promotional Mugs
3. Are Your Trade Show Promotional Items Unique from Those of the Other Exhibitors?
If you really want to keep visitors coming to your booth, consider a freebie item that’s different from other exhibitors. Think and plan for an interesting trade show giveaway that fits the audience’s needs in the most unique way possible.
Instead of going for a typical sports bottle, why not pick drinkware equipped with a special function? A water bottle with a built-in Bluetooth speaker, for example, makes a great giveaway. Not to mention innovative. Give this to winning participants who would join your trade show contest.
The more your giveaway items stand out among others, the more chances for people to remember your brand vividly.
4. Do Your Trade Show Giveaways Fit Your Budget?
All of the above questions boil down to the most important question: does it match your budget? Coming up with the most unique tradeshow giveaway can cost your company. Everybody has a wishlist but, unless your company has a huge budget, these requests will most likely be scrapped.
Be wise with your purchases and ensure that everything stays within your budget. A small, startup business may not have the budget needed for exorbitant promotional items. Instead of buying expensive giveaways, high-quality handmade ones will do the trick. You can even offer some of your existing products as prizes for games. If you can incorporate fun activities during your event, that would let your target market remember you better. That way, even a simple consolation prize of a pen with your company logo would still bring fond memories.
Whether your company has an allotted budget of $2 or $10 per person, what matters is its relevance, uniqueness, and functionality.
Dig a little further. We’re sure that you’ll find the best trade show gift that’s within your price point.
It’s possible to master the game of picking the perfect trade show giveaways if you choose to remain guided by the questions above. When picking out significant yet cool custom items for your trade show event, ask yourself these questions. Make sure the items you come up with will boost your branding effectively without breaking the bank.
Logo X offers a wide selection of promotional products and corporate gifts that will look great on your booth table. We have electronic items, sporting goods, executive gifts, and a lot more. All of these can take your logo on for maximum exposure. For more information about our company and full product selection, visit www.LogoX.com.
Do you have other questions in terms of choosing the right trade show giveaway for your event? Tell us in the comments section below!
Up Next: 5 Unique Custom Trade Show Giveaway Ideas
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on August 28, 2017, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
Great article! I feel the size and weight of the item is really important. Big is not generally better in this case. Bulkier items are not portable, and people would be hesitant to carry them in the trade show. This makes small items such as a pen or a charger great option.