Promotional giveaways offer an easy way to reach out to customers and get them engaged with your brand. 

Are they still relevant today, when many public relations (PR) campaigns happen in a digital environment? 

Freebies don’t always have to be tumblers or cozies. You can give away ebooks and webinars, for example.

Obviously, you have much more things to offer for free. Read on for inspiration.

Benefits Of Promotional Giveaways For PR And How To Implement Them Successfully

The Small Business Administration estimates there are over 33 million small businesses in the United States. 

If you want to stand out from the competition and the constant noise of marketing campaigns, you have to offer something unique. 

Here are the ways you can make promotional giveaways relevant to your PR campaigns. 

1. Know your audience

A promotional giveaway is only relevant if it is something your audience desires. Your first step to creating giveaways that work is figuring out who your audience is and what they want. 

Sure, you could go with a generic pen, but does that really get to the heart of your company and what you do? 

If you deliver some type of service, you might want to create a refrigerator magnet so your number is always at hand. If you offer food, why not pass out something food related as a giveaway or a sample? 

Think about what speaks to your audience’s pain points. 

2. Consider promotional giveaway nuances

When you offer an item to your potential customers, it can send a message both via the logo or statement on the item and the thing itself. For example, there are subtle differences between giving away a tumbler or a travel mug. 

At first glance, a travel mug might seem like the obvious choice, but if most of your customers drink water, the tumbler might be a better option. If your company sells something related to coffee, hanging out in the kitchen, or home-related, a custom mug might be the best choice.

3. Advertise in the right places

When you offer a free giveaway, you don’t want tons of people coming just to get something from you. You want the audience who is most likely to buy something from you. Start by advertising in the right places with the right message. 

For example, if you want to connect with young moms in Chicago, you would narrow down your ads for social media to reach only young moms in Chicago. You can further define the audience by interests and behaviors. 

Locally, host an event for those interested in what you do. Give a speech. Attend a local art fair. Talk to people and pass out your promotional giveaways to those most likely to become customers. 

4. Engage customers

Researchers estimate customer experience technology is a $641 billion market and growing steadily. 

The best promotional giveaways are the ones that engage your customers and keep them coming back. For example, you might offer a free online webinar and encourage discussion and follow-up. 

Concrete promotional items should relate to what you do and encourage the customers to reach out for additional information or engage with the company in some way. For example, give your customers a new T-shirt occasionally in exchange for surveying them on how well you’re meeting their current needs. 

5. Keep costs down

While it would be wonderful to give every lead a promotional leather blazer or electronic device, giveaways can be expensive. Smaller brands might need to stick with something that costs less to check rising marketing expenses. 

Look for things such as digital giveaways versus products. Go with a magnet instead of a book bag. You can also reserve costlier items for your highest revenue accounts. 

Conclusion

Promotional giveaways are still relevant! Go ahead and give out items to your leads and current customers.

Building good relationships helps develop brand loyalty. Your customers will tell others why they love you, and their friends and family will be curious and check out your products.

Expand your reach and engage your audience with efficient giveaways!