4 Ideas for Promotional Products That Will Get Your Audience’s Attention

Promotional products are one of the best and most enduring ways to increase brand awareness, drive new business to your company, and keep existing customers engaged. But which products should you choose? With so many options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. 

At Hygrade, part of our mission is to take the guesswork out of promotional products. Read on to learn about some great options that will wow your clients and prospects in 2023 and beyond. 

Why Is It Important to Keep Up With Your Promotional Products?

It is a good idea to change up your promotional products occasionally to keep things fresh. Keeping up to date with your promotional products and refreshing them periodically shows that your company is active. It also emphasizes that your company is forward-looking and keeps up with the times. In a rapidly changing world, this is vital. 

In addition, new items play upon the natural human desire for the new and novel. Updating your promotional products regularly triggers people’s curiosity, which is a powerful motivator for them to check out or rediscover your brand. 

Here are four ideas for promotional product categories that are sure to grab your audience’s attention for all the right reasons. 

Promotional Products With a Tech Flair

As our personal and working lives become increasingly centered on technology, promotional products have followed suit. Therefore, tech items are a great choice if you want to offer promotional gifts that your customers and prospects will use every day. 

Items like headphones and Bluetooth speakers are all the rage, and phone chargers are handy for almost anyone. (97% of Americans now own a cellphone of some kind!) These items are a great choice for audiences that commute or have a technical bent. If your prospective client uses your promotional headphones on their commute, for example, they’ll be exposed to your brand at least twice per day, five days per week. 

Additionally, many promotional tech items on the market are produced by well-regarded brands such as Bose, Sony, and Skullcandy. These items will last longer and be of a higher quality. 

Anything that is long-lasting and useful to your audience in their day-to-day lives is ideal. 

Promotional Products That Blur the Lines Between Direct Mail and Promotion

Online gifting culture has exploded in recent years, and you can harness this trend by blurring the lines between direct mail and promotional products. 

Promotional food and drink items are a great way to make use of this trend. Sending food items with your brand name attached directly to your clients or prospects can send a “sweet” message and play upon people’s enjoyment of receiving nice surprises. Getting a delivery of delicious snacks or beverages certainly stands out from the bills and direct mail postcards they receive every day. 

Chocolates, sweets, soft drinks, tea and coffee, and cookies are a few options to consider. 

Promotional Products That Are Larger and Unconventional

In the past, classic promotional items were small things such as pens, mugs, and mouse pads. And while these can still work in some contexts, they are now so commonplace that it has become harder to get someone’s attention with them.

One exciting trend in promotional products is in large and unconventional items. Luggage, drink coolers, and even cooking accessories are all great options. 

Promotional backpacks have been around for some time, but many styles are now available. Instead of just the typical black, you can get all kinds of colors and patterns. Camouflage, for example, can be perfect for people who enjoy sporting activities outdoors. And for those who travel regularly, high-quality luggage can last for years and be used repeatedly. Additionally, branded luggage stands out at the airport baggage carousel! 

Another exciting development in promotional products is the trend of offering cooking gear and utensils to people who love to cook and bake. Think aprons, cutting boards, rolling pins, and so on. These items put your brand right in the kitchen. Many of these products are produced by well-known and highly regarded brands such as Cuisinart and Samsonite. Again, this means they will be high quality and long-lasting. 

Promotional Products Tailored to Your Audience

The main trend in all these types of promotional products lies in targeting the items to your audience as closely and precisely as possible. While this takes a little extra time and thought, it can pay huge dividends in terms of sending the right message and delivering that “wow” factor.

For people who work at desks, for example, an item like a wireless charging station might be very useful and be well used over a long lifespan. For keen gardeners, an herbal plant growing kit might be the perfect addition to a small kitchen garden. And for those who appreciate good writing utensils, a high-quality Moleskine-branded notebook and pen might catch the eye.

The real key to all this is understanding who your audience is and what they want. Are they marketers who are constantly exhibiting at trade shows and conventions? Are they C-suite executives who appreciate the finest items? Are they a hybrid or remote workforce that spends little time in the office but makes constant use of technology? 

Understanding these key elements will help you figure out the perfect eye-catching promotional item to offer.

Choosing and Sourcing the Perfect Promotional Products 

There’s an art to choosing the right promotional products to get results. They must be appropriate for your business and tailored to your audience. You will likely also have budget and branding concerns to consider. 

We proudly offer a wide range of high-quality promotional products for all budgets and business needs. Peruse our catalog for inspiration, and if you require any advice or are ready to get started, get in touch with a member of our team.