Best Product Giveaway Ideas For Exhibitions
It’s been proven that people who go to exhibitions tend to be high-quality leads. However, that doesn’t mean you can pluck them out of the crowd at will. Exhibitions are highly competitive environments full of people trying to out-promote your brand.
One of the most tried and true tools in a representative’s promotional armoury is giveaways and the remarkable relationship-building that happens as a result of the use of those gifts. Read on to find out what makes the best giveaways at an exhibition.
The Three Guidelines of Giveaways
Giveaways really work for attaining leads and will strengthen brand identity if the following three basic guidelines are covered.
Utility
A giveaway has to be useful. The whole point of having your giveaway used by the customer is to build a rapport between them and your brand. By offering them something useful, they will consciously associate your brand with comfort and utility. People primarily spend money to make their life easier or better; it’s the driving force of capitalism.
The utility your giveaway provides should be a testament to the high quality and premium nature of your brand. As a result, your giveaway should not be an afterthought, otherwise, the entire exercise could backfire and reflect badly on you.
Relevance
Exhibitions exist to allow companies to promote their brand, product and/or service through an interactive medium. This means that whatever you’re ultimately promoting will be present in the mind of whoever attends your stand.
So if you give away a laptop bag when you’re selling VR headsets, for example, your customers might end up slightly confused by your messaging. Try to ensure your item has some relevance and a call to action, so people know how they can call upon you if they need your products or services.
Size
Something large and bold will attract people’s attention, but it may also test their patience if they have to carry it around all day. Bulky items like promotional books or inflatable balloons are more than likely to be left behind.
In today’s society especially, convenience is key. Smaller things are more convenient. Phones used to be the size of bricks, but now they sit in your hand or pocket.
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Smartphone Accessories As Giveaways
Of most branded gift options available, a smartphone accessory is probably one of the best to get right and works perfectly for companies in the portable tech industry. A recipient who uses your phone accessory will often have contact with it, and those around them may well see them using it. This is a type of social proof that is invaluable to marketers.
Phone Covers
You’ve probably cast a glance at the screen of a stranger’s phone a few times throughout your life. You may have noticed chips or cracks in the screen because they haven’t protected it adequately. If you plan to give away a mobile phone cover, it should be stylish, protective and light. For people who do not have a cover, this has immediate worth, as it can be fitted and used there and then.
Mobile Wallets
We are moving further into a cashless society where wallets become useful only to carry your card. But where do you keep the cash and/or cards you have that will be secure and accessible? A mobile wallet is a rather ingenious invention. This small adhesive attachment to your phone makes withdrawing both cash and card easy, combining your highly valuable belongings altogether. This is convenient for the recipient and also protects their valuables by storing them all in one place.
Pop Sockets
This is a fairly new trend, but one that likely won’t be going away. Pop sockets are adhesive attachables that work as both a grip and a stand. It is a rather new trend that is highly popular with social media aficionados. Pop Sockets aren’t an accessory you’ll always see on phones, but their easy and clear use makes them a worthwhile gift.
Clothing Accessories As Giveaways
Good clothing often means good-looking, expensive clothing, but some items can be extremely useful as well as stylish. The best example of this is seasonal accessories.
Summer Clothing Accessories
Summer usually correlates with wearing fewer clothes, but there are a few things that are very much summer staples and a good giveaway opportunity. Hats and sunglasses both have immediate usefulness, especially if you are giving them away at the height of summer.
Winter Clothing Accessories
The winter is often less welcome than summer. The weather can be dull, and the low temperatures can leave you feeling cold. Most likely to be affected are your hands, head, and neck so anything that effectively covers these, such as gloves, a hat or a scarf is likely to have you onto a winner, especially if it is emblazoned with your brand.
Home Clothing Accessories
At home, comfort is key. So whilst it’s fair not to expect your stand visitors to kick off their trainers and put on your padded, cutesy slipper giveaway on the spot, by doing so at home, they may then associate your brand with relaxation and home comforts. If your brand is one that will interest children, this is also a very good avenue to get them to promote you. If there’s anything a child loves to do, it’s to show off their cool gadgets and toys.
Best Culinary Giveaway Ideas
This has to be one of the more obvious ideas for a giveaway. Nice food and drink are always in demand, but you’re probably at a stand, rather than a grill. So, what could a company give away?
Snacks and Drinks
Possibly the most obvious idea is snacks and drinks. People are traipsing around the exhibition event possibly for hours and will be desperate for something to eat or drink. If you are promoting specific food or drink then giving potential customers a taste of your food in a bitesize sample is a fantastic way to prove your brand’s quality. Food and drink also keep them rooted to the spot momentarily, allowing you the opportunity to engage.
Water Bottle
Who doesn’t love a good water bottle? Whether it’s one you keep at home or in the workplace, a water bottle is one of those things that will likely get used daily and be a constant reminder about your brand. If you are giving away water bottles, very few people are going to turn them down.
Recipes
For culinary-related companies, giving away simple and easy-to-read recipes can convince the recipient to get creative in the kitchen. Try to ensure that the recipes are straightforward so that people are successful with their cookery attempts rather than having a culinary mountain to climb.
Conclusion
For every brand and its USP, there’s a perfect gift that follows the three rules of exhibition giveaways that we have outlined above. We hope we have given you an understanding of some of the types of gifts that people value from exhibitors and that you now have a little inspiration for your next giveaway opportunity.