Company branded swag comes in many shapes, sizes, and prices, but the best of the best leaves a lasting impression with customers and team members. If done right, branded promotional products provide brand recognition, lead generation, and brand loyalty.
If you’re looking for more information on how to find the best branded promotional materials, you’ve come to the right place. The best corporate swag, whether unique, stylish, useful, or fun, serves a purpose. Learn more about the benefits of branded swag, including where to find custom products and how to choose the best branded swag for your business.
The Benefits of Branded Swag
Brand Recognition
You want people to recognize your brand. That’s the whole point of a logo and all of that branding you worked so hard to build. Putting your logo on branded products helps to build brand recognition amongst your customers, community, and industry. The more people see your brand in their home, office, or out in the world, the more they will remember it.
Lead Generation
Branded promotional products can generate leads and bring in new clients. It’s a lasting advertisement for the people who receive the swag as well as those within their circle of influence. If someone is wearing a shirt with your brand on it, they become a walking advertisement wherever they go.
Plus, unique, charming, or convenient branded products will generate conversations among those who made good use of or had a good laugh with the items they received.
Build Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty is what keeps customers coming back for more. Giving away branded swag will bring customers closer to your brand, helping to establish the kind of loyal ambassadors who will continue to support your business while telling all of their friends.
If you have a stylish or otherwise desirable promotional product, receiving it as a gift will fill your customers with pride.And if you’re a large enough brand, customers will even pay good money to get their hands on your branded swag. Large, successful brands have worked this strategy out to perfection. It’s the customer who is paying the big bucks for their NIKE shirt, while the brand reaps the benefits of a walking advertisement.
Brand loyalty takes time to build, but it is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to promoting your business and building a lasting connection with customers.
Cost-Effective Marketing
Even though swag can be expensive to produce, it’s relatively cost-effective for its impact when compared to other marketing strategies. Marketing efforts such as billboards, commercials, paid social advertisements, etc., are expensive, and they don’t last as long with your customers.
Branded swag stays with them, regularly reminding both your customers and potential customers of your brand whenever they see, use, or wear your promotional item.
Company Culture and Team Morale
Branded swag isn’t just a marketing strategy; it’s also a way to build loyalty amongst your team. Help your team show pride for the business by giving away branded swag that people will want to show off. Receiving a surprise gift boosts team morale and helps build company culture.
Maintaining company culture is especially vital if you have a remote team. Surprise your team with company swag mailed to their home office every now and again to help them show their company pride and to remind them how much they enjoy working with you.
How to Choose the Best Branded Swag
Choose Promotional Swag That Represents Your Brand
It’s critical that the swag you choose represents your brand. Reflect on your brand guide. Is your brand funny? Serious? Ironic? Helpful? How can you represent your brand through the promotional products you choose? Larry is pretty excited about these custom branded poop bags, but we’re not sure they send the right message about the smell of our brand. 😷
Choose Promotional Items That People Will Actually Use
We’re in the 2020s now, and while this may not mean flying cars and colonies on the Moon, it does mean branded swag is no longer limited to pens, t-shirts, and stress balls. If you want your swag to be memorable, you need to look for unique items that people will actually use. Consider whether or not the item will bring delight or value to someone’s life. Would you use the promotional item yourself, or would you end up throwing it away?
Don’t Overbuy
It may be tempting to buy an extra 10,000 pens to get a better deal, but is it really a better deal if you’ll never use that many pens? Consider how many products you actually need, and don’t automatically fall for the lower bulk price. Promotional products go out of style, and items like pens can get old and stop working after a while. Stick to what you need, and order more if and when they’re required.
Don’t Fall For Passing Trends
Promotional trends are effective, but only if you jump on the trend before it’s overdone. Carefully consider whether you’re at the start of the trend or if the idea has already come and gone. This is another reason not to overbuy. The products you choose might be a fresh idea today, but they could go out of style quickly. Now, what to do with that box of 50,000 custom branded fidget spinners… 😂
Marketing Swag Ideas
The days of getting a pen from every business you interact with are long gone. Today's promotional swag industry has thousands of product options. From tech gadgets to drinkware to clothing, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. You’ll also find a number of unique promotional items that will help your business stand out to customers and your community.
Common Branded Promotional Products
- Pens
- Notepads
- Sticky Notepads
- Journals
- Styluses
- Tote Bags
- Cinch Backpacks
- Stress Balls
- Lip Balms
- Hot/Cold Packs
- Lanyards
- Mouse Pads
- Rulers
- Keychains
- Magnets
- Stickers
- Magnetic Clips
- Wrist Rests
- Candy
Branded Promotional Drinkware
- Mugs
- Pint Glasses
- Water Bottles
- Can Koozies
- Travel Mugs
- Shot Glasses
- Stadium Cups
- Stemless Wine Glasses
- Solo Cups
- Tumblers
- Reusable Straws
- Bottle Openers
- Mini Coolers
Branded Promotional Items for Technology
- USBs
- USB Hubs
- Power Banks
- Essential Charging Cables
- Styluses
- Earbuds
- Bluetooth Speakers
- USB Car Chargers
- Phone Stands
- PopSockets
- Cell Phone Car Holders
- Computer Screen Cleaner
Branded Swag Clothing
- T-shirts
- Ballcaps
- Toques
- Gloves
- Socks
- Backpacks
- Sunglasses
- Underwear
Branded Marketing Materials
- Signs
- Name Tag Holders
- Trade Show Tents
- Trade Show Backdrops
- Banners
- Retractable Banners
- Sail Signs
- Flags
- Lawn Signs
Unique Branded Swag
- Travel Hand Sanitizer
- Antibacterial Wet Wipes
- Mood Straws
- Stainless Steel Whiskey Cubes
- Planting Boxes (Daisy, Spruce, Basil, Tomato)
- Puzzles
- Kid or Adult Coloring Books
- First Aid Kits
- Bluetooth Key Trackers
- Solar Power Chargers
Where to Find Company Branded Swag
General Corporate Swag Vendors
Quality Logo Products, Inc. specializes in custom branded products at affordable prices. They carry products in categories for wellness, pen and paper, drinkware, bags, technology, trade shows, travel, and apparel. They regularly update their products and currently have a wide selection of custom branded hand sanitizer. Plus, they guarantee a match and refund of 110% of the difference if you find a better price elsewhere.
4imprint has been in the promotional branded product business for nearly 30 years. They carry items across a range of categories, such as common products like pens, apparel, and drinkware, as well as unique options like food and candy, toys and novelty, or wellness and safety. They also offer a 24-hour rush service that ships the next day on certain promotional items.
Geek Tech Branding carries the usual swag products, but they specialize in promotional tech, including chargers, solar chargers, cable hubs, power banks, headphones, speakers, and travel adapters. They also offer a wide selection of work from home kits that you can have drop shipped to your employee’s home.
A Little Something Different
FarFromBoring Promotions is known for unique offerings in categories for fun and games, safety and awareness, and eco-friendly products. They also carry thousands of common items across categories for apparel, writing, drinkware, automotive, technology, and tradeshows. A handy feature called “Logo Magic” automatically adds your logo to all of the items on their website, so you can get a rough idea of how products will look as you browse.
SwagUp is the Cadillac of branded swag vendors, with products that are far from your standard swag items. They don’t only provide swag—they provide a full-on experience deliverable by your brand. The site allows you to choose from a selection of high-end products, such as blue light blocking glasses, headphones, luxury chocolate, and Bluetooth trackers, to build a custom swag pack. Even the outside of the box and the tissue inside can be customized with your company branding. Plus, they deliver the swag packs right to the door of your customers or team, making SwagUp an ideal option for remote businesses. Request a free sample pack to see the quality for yourself.
More From Blue Summit Supplies
💡 Where to Buy Bulk School Supplies and Kits
💡 Clipboard Storage Guide for the Classroom, Home, and Office
We’re passionate about workplace wellbeing. Follow our office supplies blog for the latest trends, product comparisons, and more.
If you have any questions or want to talk to someone about office supplies, send us an email or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
For more informative articles about office supplies, subscribe to our email newsletter!
Never fear, you won't begin receiving daily sales emails that belong in a spam folder. Instead, we promise a fun weekly roundup of our latest blog posts and great finds from across the web. And if you lose interest, it's always easy to unsubscribe with a single click.