How many people do you see walking around with T-shirts that are advertisements for the favorite grocery store or gas station? Probably not many
. Even though those types of businesses are in major competition for the same dollar, they don't often use their customers to help promote their product. If you want to promote your product or business, you might want to take a different route.
Think about pens, for instance. If you look around your house the chances are very good that you will see pens everywhere that have some company logo on it. You may have gotten it from a hotel, for instance. Just by picking up that pen, the hotel is getting free advertising and you are able to take advantage of the convenience of the pen. You'll remember the hotel and probably put the pen somewhere where you will use it again real soon.
Some promotional items are more geared toward specific businesses, but still work well in general. For instance a small travel bag imprinted with a company logo and then stuffed with items that can be used for an overnight stay, are great for any travel related company. They would also be nice when someone buys a used car or even rents a nice model. Anything as nice as a travel bag or a toiletry kit makes a great trade show giveaway too.
You can have a lot of fun with the purchase and customization of promotional items. There are a whole bunch to choose from and many of them are quite nice. They also have many options. There are different colors and a variety of materials for many products. You also can imprint pictures and images on many of the items and have them look very original.
Make sure you and your customers can have fun with the products. A Frisbee or a golf ball will usually bring smiles and happy thoughts by the customers and the fact that they get your gift for free is a great goodwill gesture that your customers can't help but remember. They are going to be using them during happy and fun times, so create a bright and happy design and see the customers rolling in.