subject: The Power Of Free Giveaways [print this page] The next time you're at a local community festival during the summer, imagine how great it would be to see hundreds of residents walking around cooling themselves with a fan with YOUR law firm's logo on it. You'd only have to pay a small amount to get hundreds of personalized logo fans ready to distribute. Hand them out to festival goers and you've got instant advertising!
That's the power of the free giveaway. Nearly any promotional item you can think of from tote bags to pens can be customized with your firm's name and information. Branding is a key component to legal marketing, as it creates name recognition and you become the first name locals think of when they think "attorney".
What Free Giveaways Should I Get?
There's no simple answer to that, but there's plenty of options for you to explore.
Some of the best ideas for free giveaways are to consider items that are useful to most people on a daily basis. Pens, note pads, key chains, and magnets are all things we see or use on a daily basis. Wouldn't you like your clients to see your name every time they sit at their desk, or pass by their refrigerator?
Consider your budget, and also your niche. Are you a personal injury attorney that specializes in dog attack cases? Maybe a dog-shaped notepad would be a good angle to work - it's memorable and it corresponds to your practice area. If you're planning on purchasing items for a specific event such as a festival you should consider quantities as well. If you're attending a small town event you don't want to be buying thousands of pens when only 200-300 people attend.
Distributing Your Free Giveaways
The more places your free giveaways show up, the more widespread your name will be. Make sure your own office is well stocked with your pens, notepads, and other low-cost free giveaways. Keep a handful of pens and notepads in your briefcase. When meeting with a potential client a free pen is less likely to be lost than a business card!
When you have a presence at community events like parades you should consider free giveaways like candy with personalized wrappers for tossing to the crowd, or practical items like paper fans. If you have a booth or table at the event, your pens and notepads are great to have out on the table along with your printed legal marketing materials. Curious passersby will look to grab a pen and see your guide to car accidents as well.
For the more expensive items like coffee mugs, shirts, and tote bags, you may want to consider using those as client thank you gifts for special occasions such as referrals. Also, at events you can hold a raffle or contest to win these items (provided the event coordinators allow such practices).
Remember that clients are very much persuaded by name recognition when it comes to remembering good sources of professional services. Other businesses like plumbing companies and pizza companies distribute promotional items to remind their customers who to call when they need their services - why aren't you?
