Top 5 Promotional Products to Gift Your Clients in 2021

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty excited to embrace the changes this new decade is bringing. However, with new beginnings come new business proposals. New marketing strategies to be developed. And old ones needing to be revamped. It’s exciting stuff, not gonna lie. But it also brings about new challenges, and with them, complications. This is exactly why it is important to build a trusting customer base, strengthen relationships with your business partners, and get your employees excited about all the possibilities that lie ahead. Wondering how to do this? I’ve got just the thing!

Promotional products are the way to go when you’re looking for ways to grow your company’s business and move up the corporate ladder. By choosing the right gifts to surprise both your clients and employees with, you’re making sure to keep your business in the public eye. This plan of action is that much more significant with a new decade kicking down our doors. 

Here’s my pick of the top five types of promotional gifts to surprise your consumers with! And I promise you, it’s so worth a read.

Strive for Originality

Don’t be one of those people that goes for the first thing they see. USB sticks? Pens? Notepads? We’ve seen those a million times and we’re bored. Why not think of something crazy, like a theft-proof backpack? Or a pencil that grows into a plant? Why not surprise your clients with something out of the ordinary – a totally awesome ethnological gift that tells a story, perhaps? There’s so many things to think of when it comes to promoting your brand, and the sky is the very limit! (Unless your idea of a promotional gift is a balloon ride, in which case – holy hell!)

Stick with the Classics

But then again, why bother with coming up with new ideas? People clearly love what you’ve been putting out, so why change? Sometimes it’s worth sticking with products that have proven successful on multiple occasions – perhaps some tweaks here and there are needed, but that’s always a part of the process. Water bottles with new designs, sunglasses made from new materials, or simply notebooks or planners with new motifs. All these belong into the category of classic promotional products that have never before let entrepreneurs down.

Go with the Trends

It’s true as they say – trends come and go. And the easiest way to make sure your promotional gifts are doing their job is to at least try following the trends – read up on some statistics, put out surveys to figure out what precisely it is that your customer base in particular is attracted to, and consult with your suppliers about which of their products have they had the most sales. For example, in 2019, people loved stainless steel straws, marble pattern, stickers, and phone chargers. Your best bet is to do some digging and have your questions (such as What are likely to be the trends of 2021?) answered by a marketing specialist. 

Green Is the New Black

There’s not much to say about this – with each year that passes, our responsibility to protect Mother Earth is greater. Why not implement green ideas into your business model and use it as a way to not only promote and grow your brand awareness, but also to educate both your partners and your clients? Surprise them with gifts made from eco-friendly materials, such as bamboo, jute, and cotton. Products made from these types of natural resources can be found in all parts of everyday life – bamboo toothbrushes, jute tote bags, cotton apparel, glass water bottles, lunch boxes made of wheat fibre … The possibilities are endless! Sustainable promotional products are a great way to promote both your company and an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Think Practical

Sometimes the smartest thing is to think about whether the recipient will find any use in the promotional gift – is this product something he or she can use every day? Or is it something that will most likely be collecting dust on one of their shelves, before eventually being thrown out? Practicality is the number one aspect of a promotional gift you should look at. When it comes to apparel and USB sticks, the client is very likely to find the product useful. A simple greeting card or a regular boring pen with no hidden features, on the other hand? Although appreciated, not very practical or long-lasting.

Planning out your marketing strategy is one of the best parts of the job – so don’t be afraid of going completely over the top! Trust me, the people will love it. And you’ll love it even more once you start seeing the results these products bring in.