Imagine you’re sitting on the train one morning when you notice a young man wearing a trendy shirt with a name on it. You ask what the name is, and it turns out, it’s the company he works for. He tells you a bit about his job, and you can’t help but be interested.
Even if you didn’t ask the man what his shirt meant, you could have easily pulled out your phone and googled the name. The point is, corporate swag is always at work. It gets your brand noticed, creates an image and facilitates networking opportunities.
If you’re looking to step up your networking game but don’t have much time to give, look into branded swag that will do the hard work for you.
Why Branded Merchandise Has an Impact on Networking
You can only be in one place at a time. Promotional products can be everywhere. Logo stickers on people’s laptops, branded t-shirts at concerts and personalized mugs sitting on office desks are all examples of merchandise that can end up anywhere.
When you hand out promotional items that are relevant and useful, they are more likely to be used. Always think of your audience first and the types of products they would find most appealing. For example, millennials love technology, and therefore, items like memory sticks, stylus pens and laptop stickers generate a great response.
The more your products show up in the real world, the more people will see your brand name. This leads to brand recognition, brand promotion and brand retention. It gets people talking about what you have to offer, what makes you different and how your product/service has changed their lives.
How to Get Branded Swag into People’s Hands
It’s not difficult to get promotional items into people’s hands, but you must be strategic about your approach. People love free things, so don’t hand out things just for the heck of it. If you’re attending a trade show event, consider offering a branded item in exchange for information, such as a name and email address.
You can also get branded swag out there through your employees. They are some of your biggest influencers, so why not show them some love with corporate swag such as office supplies, mugs, sweatshirts, water bottles and more. Because they feel a commitment to your brand, they are more likely to use the merchandise for branding purposes.
Bottom line: Branded swag is constantly at work getting your brand noticed and stepping up your networking game.
