3 Ways to Choose a Branded Promotional Product People Will Love

There’s a reason branded promotional items are one of the go-to marketing pieces for trade shows, conferences, and other large corporate events. It’s because everyone loves a freebie, right? But just because sought-after promotional products are an easy way to get attention, it doesn’t mean finding the right branded promotional items to market your business is easy. What is the right product that will support your brand well and that people really want to use?

We’ve all seen promotional giveaway items that are uninteresting and are more of a nuisance since “not only do I have to carry this around all day with the rest of my stuff, but then I feel bad about tossing it in the trash when I get home.”

You don’t want to spend all that money on a promotional product just to find out that people throw them away further down the trade show floor. To avoid making any mistakes, here are my top 3 tips for choosing a winning promotional item for your next big event.

Think About Your Audience

Yes, everyone likes free stuff, but in today’s world of marketing, free stuff has become the norm for generating leads. So, because giveaways at trade shows, conferences, and events have become such a mainstay, it takes more creativity to get someone to truly say, “Hey, I want that!”

That means that throwaway, trick-or-treat type of giveaway items just don’t make the cut. You have to think about your audience and what kind of items they find useful, fun, and worthy of holding on to.

Take a deep look in to your ideal customer, and then think of the things they may use while at work and at home. Do they travel a lot? Do many of them work in home offices? What would they keep on their desk? What do they do for fun? Do they have kids?

All of these factors play in to finding a promotional item that your ideal audience will find intriguing instead of unworthy of taking up space in their bag.

Don’t Cheap Out

One thing you might find while searching for a great, useful, and relevant promotional item for your audience is that with quality comes cost.

Yes, more value means more money, but in the long run, these are items you’re using to generate leads, so you need to make sure it’s something that actually…generates a lead.

Don’t be afraid to invest more in a quality product. The ROI will be worth it, because when you spend your marketing budget on cheap and uninteresting promotional items for your audience, you’ve actually thrown money away since those items won’t be bringing you any return. To protect your investment, don't give the promotional product to just anyone who walks in your trade show booth. Make them earn a higher quality item by leaving your their business card, filling out a survey, or winning it in a raffle.

Don’t go for cheap, go for quality, and see the pay off.

Get Your Numbers Right

You might still be concerned about cost, but here’s another thing to keep in mind: don’t overbuy.

Almost every marketing manager or event buyer has experienced the mass surplus of items after wrapping up an event at one point or another, and that just means you didn’t get your numbers right.

When determining how many items to buy, take in to consideration that you may not be coming into contact with every person who will be attending an event. Many people purchase the same number of items as people in-attendance, plus some “just in case” extras, and that’s just a waste of your budget.

Take a close look at past events that were similar in attendance, or start tracking how many people come to your event this year so you have a clearer picture the next time you participate in the event. If you are afraid of underbuying, don't worry about it. If you run out of your promotional item, just collect business cards from the people who are really interested in your product or service and mail it to them later with some product brochures or have your local salesperson hand deliver the item and use it as a chance to tell your brand story.

Keep these three things in mind and I know you’ll have a winning promotional product strategy that gains your audience’s attention, grabs leads, and fits your budget. If you need more help with any of those aspects, please give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. I’d be happy to guide you to the perfect items for your audience!

For more trade show marketing ideas, you might like these other posts:

How to Choose the Right Promotional Products to Drive Trade Show Booth Traffic 

Three Ways to Drive More Traffic and Spur More Engagement at Your Trade Show Booth

10 Ideas Using Promotional Products That Will Drive Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth

Make People Fall in Love with Your Brand with Pumpkin Promotional Items

Now that we’re past Labor Day, it’s officially fall! With all the candy and fall decorations taking over the shelves, it’s fair to say fall feelings are in the air, which means now’s the time to get cracking on promotional items for your business’ fall festivities.

From fall carnivals, to community trick-or-treat events, or any trade show or corporate event that happens to fall right during the week of Halloween, these pumpkin promotional items are some of our favorites to get in the Autumn spirit.

Pumpkin Carving Scooper

Carving pumpkins is one of the top fall festivities and past times, but unfortunately it’s a huge mess! It doesn’t have to be with our pumpkin carving scooper that’s perfect for getting out all the innards of your jack-o-lantern. With serrated edges to grab all the pumpkin guts, you’ll also get all the seeds too, which are perfect for roasting! Your logo will has some good horizontal space on the handle.

Pumpkin Flashing Glasses

If you’re not in to getting all decked out in a costume, you’ll love these flashing glasses so you can still get in the spirit. Hand these out at a Fall or Halloween community event to "light up" the mood. These flashing pumpkin specs are sure to make a statement and people will hang on to them, giving your brand long-term visibility.

Pumpkin Trick-or-Treat Bag

Hosting a treat-or-treat event or planning to participate in one in the community? These branded jack-o-lantern drawstring bags are fun and useful way to make a brand impression year after year since these bags are so durable. Or fill them with candy to hand out in your October trade show booths.

Halloween Pumpkins Pen

Everyone’s got a use for pens, so get seasonal with our pumpkin themed ballpoint pens! You can put your brand message or logo on the side, and the cute pumpkin design will be sure to bring some flair to your office or trade show booth. They are under $1 so stock up!

Pumpkin and Fall Festivities Stencil

Crafters, DIY-ers, or really, just anyone with kids will love this pumpkin and fall festivities stencil. With images of a witches hat, black cat, ghost, bat and pumpkin, you’ve got a variety of images to get crafty with.

If you need more help with finding the perfect promotional item for your fall event, please give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. I’d be happy to guide you to the best items for your budget and needs!

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Our Best-Selling Trade Show Giveaways

Choosing items to giveaway at your next trade show event can be overwhelming just with the sheer number of choices available. After all, at Newport Promotions we have over a thousand products to fit every kind of themed event and type of audience. 

Then consider that you have to factor in your budget, what your audience would like or find useful, and how many items you need. This might put you at a complete loss for what giveaway items to select.

Through years of experience, I’ve found that the best-selling and most-popular branded promotional items and trade show giveaways aren’t always the grandest or most expensive, they’re the items attendees will get the most use out of. 

Here are some of our best-selling items to consider for your next trade show or event. You can’t go wrong with any of these great items: 

Best-Selling Cotton Tote

Between brochures, giveaway items, water bottles and wallets, trade show and event attendees need an easy and non-cumbersome way to haul it all around. Help them out and give them a tote bag.

Our best-selling tote not only provides a huge space for displaying your brand, but it’s also eco-friendly since your attendees are sure to use it time and time again.

Double-Ended Lanyards

Give your trade show booth visitors a way to represent your brand all day long with our double-ended lanyards that have two separate attachments. 

This is the perfect giveaway for any event that requires wearing a badge or holding on to other items such as meal tickets, breakout session tickets, etc. Attendees can keep everything right within reach at an affordable cost for you. 

Custom Trail Mix

Hey, everyone’s got to eat, and unfortunately snacks can be hard to find at many trade show and conference venues. Rather than resorting to overpriced snacks at the closest hotel or venue gift shop, give attendees the energy they need right when they need it. 

With our choices of trail mix, salted peanuts, gummy bears, chocolate covered raisins, jelly beans, and more, there are plenty of options for keeping attendees satiated. 

Unique Refreshing Towel

After your attendees eat their snack, make sure they have a quick and easy clean up! 

Our unique, branded refreshing towels are ideal for trade shows and conferences where lots of hands are being shook and people are touching the same door handles, etc. Give your attendees the peace of mind that they can clean their hands, if a washroom isn’t in sight. 

Portable Battery Charger 

Solve one of the most common problems at trade shows and conferences - providing power! 

It never fails, at every big event you’ll always find attendees sitting on the floor by an outlet looking to boost their battery for another couple hours. And if they’re not sitting by an outlet, they’re looking for one!

Our portable battery charger is budget-friendly and the best way to ensure your attendee’s phones stay charged so they can tweet out praise about your booth or presentation. 

If you’re really looking to wow your conference or trade show attendees, we love the idea of bundling all these best-sellers together for the ultimate welcome and hospitality package. These items are guaranteed to get love from attendees at your booth.

If you would like more help in choosing the best branded promotional items and giveaways for your next trade show or event, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. I’d be happy to guide you to the perfect items for your audience!  

For more trade show marketing ideas, you might like these other posts: 

Get in the Game to Get Sales From Your Next Trade Show Booth

How to Choose the Right Promotional Products to Drive Trade Show Booth Traffic 

Use Personalization to Create Unique and Memorable Promotional Materials 

How To Incorporate Personalization So Your Branded Promotional Products Stand Out

There is power in personalization. Say you are at a conference and the event host hands you two boxes, one wrapped with no name and one wrapped with your name on it. Which one would you open first? Probably the one with your name on it because you feel it was chosen specifically with you in mind. Seeing your name on a gift makes you feel special.

There is a trend in promotional products to give clients, customers, prospects, and employees that same special feeling. Big brands are showing us this trend can give your promotional products an extra edge.

Late last year Coca-Cola introduced their “Share a Coke” campaign featuring personalized bottles. People across the globe went nuts for them, and now their rival, PepsiCo, has introduced their own personalization campaign through their Frito-Lay division with customized bags of potato chips.

So, what does this mean for your brand? Delight your audience by taking your promotional products to the next level and giving them something personalized. People like seeing their name on items because it shows you got them something specifically with them in mind. It creates brand goodwill.

Here are two ways you can incorporate the latest personalization trend in to your branded promotional products - both the product itself or the packaging it comes in:

Gift Sets and Boxes

Not only does personalization add a nice touch, but a gift box or package also enhances the look and feel of your item compared to presenting it in a generic gift bag, which can still be nice, but doesn’t have the same touch.

Plus, when giving a gift in a set or box you can opt for either personalizing the items in the gift set and/or you can personalized the packaging with a label or insert card.

Some of our favorite personalize-able gift sets and items available with gift box packaging include golf kits, pen boxes, garment boxes for your logoed clothing items, or sleek t-shirt cans for another fun garment packaging option.

Personalized Logo Items

In general, personalized logo items are the type of promotional product most people think about when they want something personalized. And whether it’s a mug, golf towel, apparel, you name it, well, you can put a name on it.

These kinds of gifts are perfect for showing employee or customer appreciation and their perfect for commemorating events like work anniversaries, annual retreats, or as an award gift. The options for items and occasions are truly unlimited.

The major plus to personalized items? It’s never been easier or more affordable to place orders for personalized products. Gone are the high prices of customization now that it is an expected ordering option among quality service and product suppliers.


If you need help choosing the perfect personalized promotional item for your next event, get in touch and I’ll help you navigate the process: 847-398-5500 or dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

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Get in the Game to Get Sales from Your Next Trade Show Booth

Get in the Game to Get Sales from Your Next Trade Show Booth

In one of my previous blog posts I talked about using games as a unique, fun and effective way to drive traffic to your trade show booth and score big at your next conference or event. Between the interactivity and the chance to win a cool prize, setting up a game is a great way to stand out among the sea of other booths as well as encourage attendees to engage with your booth staff rather than do a quick look and pass.

Here are four ideas to up your game at your next trade show.

Pull Out a Classic with Cornhole

This Regulation Cornhole Game requires a bit of space, which makes it a great game to set up at an outdoor event where you have a booth set up. One way to set the stakes is if contestants make 3 of 5 throws they win a small prize, and if a player makes all 5 shots they win a grand prize, but of course, you can run the game in any number of ways.

Just make sure your cornhole boards are on brand with your logo and colors. Our cornhole boards feature two sets of four bean toss bags and a 4-color process vinyl logo on a two sturdy 2 ft. x 4 ft. frames, which also come in a variety of colors to fit your brand. You'll be taking this game to every trade show and corporate event for years to come.

Spin the Wheel - The Micro Prize Wheel

Easy and fun for everyone to try, ask trade show attendees to spin the wheel for a chance to win a number of prizes. For those who maybe aren’t as coordinated as a skilled cornhole player, spinning the prize wheel is a good way to keep the winning barrier low if you’ve got some crafty prize ideas that are great for generating leads.

Our Micro Prize Wheel is also ideal if you want a game, but don’t have a ton of real estate at your booth. Our wheel only takes up 14” of space on your table, but at 20” tall, it’s something you know attendees will see and want to spin!

Drop a Puck to Win a Prize

Similar to one of the most popular games on The Price is Right T.V. game show, the Puck Drop Game is sure to get people on board with participating and engaging with your team at your trade show booth.

Set the prize for one or more of the slots at the bottom of the game board and let luck and gravity do the rest. The Micro Prize Drop game includes 3 mini pucks as well as printable templates for adding your company logo to the title insert and your specific prizes to the inserts in the bottom of the board.

Everyone’s a Winner with Prize Toss

With eight customizable prize slots, think of Prize Toss as the game where everyone wins! Since some shots are more difficult to make, those slots should be your high-prized items with the easier shots being your more general giveaways. Our Prize Toss game features a large header area for you to promote your brand, logo, or special event messaging.


Have you ever used a game to draw people in to your trade show booth? What was the basis of the game and were you happy with the results?

If you are looking to drive traffic to your upcoming trade show booth, or see how promotional products can help you meet your marketing goals, give me a call at 847-398-5500 or shoot me an email at dona.blunt@newportpros.com. I'd be happy to consult on a unique promotion for your business.

For more trade show marketing ideas, you might like these other posts:

5 Unique Ideas to Drive More Traffic to Your Trade Show Booth

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Three Ways to Drive More Traffic and Spur More Engagement at Your Trade Show Booth

Trade show freebies are a sure fire way to draw someone into your booth, but coming up with an item that will keep attendees around a little longer and get them to engage more than they would with a quick grab-and-go item is harder to accomplish.

By putting forth some extra creative juice in coming up with an interesting twist on a promotional item you can drive more traffic and spur more engagement with your trade show booth, which can only lead to a higher probability of gaining a new prospect or customer.

Here are three ideas to get you started:

Make Your Item Interactive

When you interact with an exhibit or presentation, you're more likely to remember it because you weren’t watching or listening as a bystander. This is why many presenters at a conference will ask audience members to do something like close their eyes, write down the answer to a question or stand to complete a task.

Because interactivity breeds permanence whether that means remembering the experience or establishing a new habit, building interactivity in to your trade show booth is a solid practice for having attendees remember your name and what your business does.

One company that exhibited at the National Restaurant Trade Show in Chicago put this idea to the test with their trade show item of a LEGO piece. This company specialized in building restaurants, so to bring the trade show community in to the main activity of their business, they sent out a unique mailer with their logo stamped on a canvas bag that contained a LEGO brick.

The recipients were then asked via a custom printed card in the bag to visit the company’s booth and bring their LEGO to the trade show. In the booth, the attendees helped the company build a unique structure. Not only was it a fun, memorable and interactive experience, but this promotion drove home the point that their business BUILDS restaurants.

Provide an Incentive

Building off the idea of interactivity, don't just hand someone a promotional product with your company logo on it. Combine the promotional product with an incentive to win more if attendees get involved with your booth and products. A prize for participating and engaging with your company is a powerful win for both you and the attendees.

The National Association of Home Builders used this tactic to encourage rebuilders/remodelers to sign up for their certification program at the National Home Builders Show with a Puzzle Traffic Builder promotional item. In partnership with six other companies on the Remodelers Strategic Council, they gave registered attendees a puzzle tray with instructions on how to gather pieces from the six participating businesses exhibiting at the trade show. The incentive to paricipate was that the first 50 attendees to complete the puzzle and deliver it to the Remodelers Council booth could take their certification test (a $195 value) at no charge.

The incentive idea was successful and profitable. In addition to the 50 attendees who got their certification exam free of charge, 107 other builders/remodelers signed up for the test as well. 

Provide Something Useful for the Trade Show’s Activities

Everyone knows that the most valuable promotional items are the ones an attendee considers useful. If it is useful, people will hold onto it and use it thus seeing the brand time and time again. However, if you could provide a promotional item that was useful at the trade show or conference itself, every attendee might see it and will come flocking to your booth to get theirs. The key is making sure it’s heavy on the side of interactivity so attendees do in fact put it to use and remember your brand.

Popular fast food chain Jack in the Box, used this idea at a trade show where they wanted to stand out from the many other fast food restaurants exhibiting. The theme of the show was baseball and the trade show coordinators arranged for pro baseball players to show up to sign autographs. Jack in the Box capitalized on the opportunity by giving attendees a bag that contained a Jack in the Box branded baseball with a Sharpie pen so their trade show booth guests could immediately put their items to use and get a keepsake out of it as well. Every time guests took their baseball out to show people their autograph, they thought of Jack in the Box. This promotion was a hit!


If you need more ideas for a way to uniquely present your promotional products to drive traffic and spur engagement at your trade show booth, give us a call at 847-398-5500 or send an email to dona.blunt@newportpros.com. 

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Kick Off Your Summer Event in Style with Flip Flop Promotional Items

From “National Cherry Pie Day” to “National Have a Picnic Day”, it seems like everything under the sun has its own day of recognition, including our favorite summertime staple, the flip flop! National Flip Flop Day falls on June 19, so to celebrate we suggest not only implementing a casual flip flop Friday policy, but also handing out some flip flip promotional items to kick off your summer trade show or event in style!

Flip Flop Beach Towel

Everyone can use another beach towel! Between forgetting one at home or having to use the tiny hotel towels at the pool, this flip flop beach towel is an awesome welcome gift for any tropical locale conference or trade show your company may be attending. This towel is also made of 100% cotton, which means it’s ultra soft and absorbent.

Chocolate Flip Flop

We don’t know about you, but chocolate is the way to our hearts, and we can bet it’s the same for your customers, too! These chocolate flip flops are ideal for welcome and hospitality bags as well as favors for your next company event. This item also comes with a variety of colored ribbons to choose from to perfectly match your event theme or brand colors.

 

Flip Flop Stress Reliever

Stress balls are always a promotional item favorite, but this spin the traditional stress reliever shape makes this item fun for summer. The flip flop stress reliever is also a good fit for those with a tight budget that need a good bang for their buck.

Flip Flop Bottle Opener

Summertime is the season of beaches, BBQs and brews, so be sure your brand is always on hand when it’s time to pop the top with the flip flop bottle opener key chain. The bottle opener key chain is another budget-friendly option and comes in the colors black, green, purple, red, royal blue, and silver.

Nautical Flip Flop Frame

With navy and white stripes, rope detailing and a fire engine red anchor as the flip flop’s charm, this frame would work perfectly with any nautical or Americana themed event. Whether it’s a Fourth of July BBQ or your company’s annual picnic, this is a great event souvenir people can hang in their cubicle.

 

Flip Flops in Every Color

If your event involves breaking it down on the dance floor or a cocktail hour on the beach, you might want to consider getting actual flip flops as your promotional item of choice. Our flip flops come in a range of sizes and colors, and they also come in a mesh drawstring bag so guests can sanitarily fit them in their suitcase after your event.

 

Flip Flop Fan

We’ve already given you lots of examples of potential outside events your company could be partaking in this summer, and you can bet that at any one of these events, attendees are going to get hot. Keep guest feeling cool with our eco-friendly kraft paper fan that your customers will be clutching all day long.

If you need more ideas for flip flop themed or other summer-related promotional products for your trade shows or events, give us a call at 847-398-5500 or send an email to dona.blunt@newportpros.com.

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