5 Best Promotional Items for Start-Up Businesses

Posted on February 5, 2020 | Last Updated On: September 22nd, 2020 by

As a start-up business, you need to take advantage of every possible advantage in order to get noticed by the people you want to become part of your business, invest in your company, or become your customers. Investing in the right promotional items for your start-up business can make a significant difference in who gets the message about your business and what kind of message they get.

When adorned with your logo, trademark, tag line and/or business name, these are five of the best promotional items to help grow your start-up business to transform it into a real contender.

1. Reusable Water Bottles

Reusable water bottles are great promotional items because they will be used well and often. People love the convenience and planet-friendliness these bottles represent, not to mention the grab and go ease they offer.

Promotional items like these offer double benefits: You’re not only gaining exposure to the people you give the gifts to, but also those who encounter them during their days as well. This means you get more mileage from your gifting efforts if the people who receive the water bottles use them at the office, when they’re out on a daily run, or even while running errands, grocery shopping. It’s not a “one and done” type of gift that lands in the back of someone’s closet or nestled in their junk drawers.

To make the most of reusable water bottles, ensure the bottles are made well and that your logo is prominently displayed for a promotional item that is sure to attract attention from all the right people.

2. Reusable Bags and Totes

Like reusable water bottles, reusable bags and totes promotional items are green products that will get tons of use from those who receive them. Think about promotional items that have made the biggest impression on you in the past. They’ll likely ones that you found practical in daily living.

Custom reusable grocery bags and totes are customizable so you can put key information, including your logo, about your business on them. Custom laminated bags are the latest craze with options using rPET or Woven materials. They come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors, and even materials. You may even choose to hand out custom folding bags that can be folded neatly and kept on hand at all times so that it’s always available when needed. Giving away durable, quality custom canvas bags and totes can make your start-up the belle of the ball when you attend trade shows and hand them out.

The great thing about reusable bags is that you too can use them as you go about your daily errands to raise awareness in the community about your start-up. You’ll be surprised by how much an eye-catching bag can do to raise your profile on the local level.  You may even be able to strike up a few conversations and make invaluable contacts for your business — just by carrying your bag around while shopping. The best news is that people who receive and use the bag become your advertisers.

3. Wearables

There is a long list of wearables start-ups can customize with business information, logos, websites, etc. that will draw the eye and attract attention. People like getting wearables. It can help them supplement their wardrobes and costs them nothing. It’s a real win for start-ups that offer them because you can give them to your employees and their friends and family, so they can act as free advertisers for your start-up.

Wearable items you can customize vary greatly and may include any one or more of the following:

  • Short and long-sleeved tee-shirts
  • Polo shirts
  • Baseball caps
  • Shorts and skorts
  • Hoodies
  • Sweatshirts
  • Visors
  • Windbreakers and jackets
  • Winter hats
  • Vests

You have the option of many types of apparel items you can have customized to meet your needs and get the word out about your start-up.

4. Branded Umbrellas

Want to talk about a highly useful item? Umbrellas certainly fit the bill. They make great promotional gifts, especially for businesses that come to the rescue of other businesses, such as cyber-security firms, cloud storage start-ups, and more. It’s also a great way to let clients or potential clients know you care about their comfort.

We live in a world where, even with instant access to the most current weather data, surprise downpours and snow showers happen all the time. Having extra, branded, umbrellas on hand at all times, means your clients never need to worry about being caught, unexpectedly, in a rain or snowstorm, they will always have a little extra protection on hand.

More importantly, every time your umbrella comes to the rescue for them, they will think if your start-up. Plus, whether your customers take your branded umbrella to the golf course, their favorite casual dining restaurant, or all points between, they’re advertising your business every time they use your umbrella.

5. Electronics Charging Devices

The promotional items that make the best impressions on people are the ones they find most useful. People really do enjoy getting practical items that will serve them well and not items that are going to get quickly broken by children or, worse, land in the dark recesses of their “junk” drawers.

Electronics are a big part of everyone’s lives today. Giving branded promotional tradeshow items that make it easier for them to use and keep their electronic devices charged and functional helps to make your start-up more memorable to a much larger audience.

Things like wireless charging pads, portable power banks, etc. can make your booth or kiosk the most highly sought after booth at many trade shows and conventions. Charging cables with micro or mini USB connectors imprinted with your logo also make great promotional items for start-up businesses.

You’ll find electronic accessory promotional items available in several price points making them affordable for most start-up businesses.

Get Started Promoting Your Business Today

Making a splash in the world of business isn’t always easy in a marketplace littered with start-ups. You have to create ways to get your name noticed and recognized. Once people become familiar with the name of your start-up, they’ll begin to trust you as a business. Custom printed tote bags & promotional items can be instrumental in developing that name recognition and familiarity necessary to build your brand, so you can compete with industry businesses that are more established. These items will help.

About the Author

Douglas Lober Chief Product Specialist

Doug Lober is Co-Founder and Chief Product Specialist for ReuseThisBag.com. Lober is a passionate environmentalist with roots in the Southern California surf culture. Over the last 15 years, Lober has launched and supported a number of environmental initiatives around the land, sea, and air. Today, he continues to provide and support the use of eco-friendly promotional products for small, medium, and Fortune 500 companies. You can learn more about his extensive background in the industry on Linkedin.com, Quora.com, Instagram.com, Twitter and Alignable.com

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