Cheap Promotional Items

notjustamum

Hi all

I work for a small social enterprise not-for-profit community interest company. The company has only been trading for 1 year.

I've been offered a stand at a Trade Fair next month and I noticed that most of the companies will be giving away freebies and promotional gifts.

I have leaflets and business cards but am on a very tight budget and wondered if there was a company which catered for promotional items for not-for-profit companies.

Any ideas on what items I should get? There seems to be a lot of companies selling pens, keyrings, mugs, tote bags etc which are ideal but it works out very expensive.

Advice appreciated peeps!

paddyrg

Why join in with the tat-giveaways which as a NFP you really ought not be wasting. So much trade fair stuff gets binned, including the generic plastic rubbish. And you can't compete with a for-profit company that can afford loss-leaders.

What sector is the NFP in? If I were you I would spend your money on some good communications, a short pamphlet that gives more detail, a bowl of sweets, and only hand stuff out to people who you may actually do a deal with (not just bored people playing merch top trumps).

notjustamum

Thanks for that reply.

We are a care provider offering respite breaks for disabled people. I will have our business cards and pamphlet but it just seems a bit sparse having a table with not much on it and it does seem to draw people in when you are offering freebies.

The sweets in a bowl is a good idea but I will be up against the big companies with their exhibition stands, etc. and feel a bit out of my depth. If I could order just a minimal number of pens and bits then at least I'll have a conversation starter!

I've priced some pens and they started at approx 13p each, which is not bad but I would have to order a minimum of 500 and pay a set up fee, postage and VAT which bumps the cost up to nearly £200. Is there anything cheaper out there anyone?

paulwf

How about a competition such as a prize draw? Get some goodies together such as a hamper and then get people to drop their contact details or business cards into a box and draw out a winner at the end of the event.

It will cost you £50 tops or less if you get donations and even better you will have lots of contact details. I really can't see the point in doing free pens.

A good tip with trade stands is don't stand behind it and hide away, get out there in front of your stand and smile and start up conversations with people and generally get out there. So many people on stands shy away from contact with customers and look grumpy.

Horace

There are some social enterprises in Birmingham who can make bags etc. The one that springs immediately to mind is the Textiles by St Annes (they make bags, cushions and supply hotel chains etc with table linens), they don't have a website as yet but you can contact Erica Barnett on 0121 328 2837

Most of the promo stuff given away by companies is tat which gets chucked or given to the charity shop or used dependent upon what it is. However there is also a social enterprise that does design and print and makes/sells promotional items - https://www.jcp.org.uk (look under Jericho Print & Promotion and there is a cupcake business called Frost and Snow https://www.frostandsnow.co.uk

I came across these social enterprises at a FindItInBirmingham networking event until then I wasn't even aware of social enterprises.


I tend to visit stands where I can try and win something like a bottle of champagne etc. Sweets tend to be fattening and you tend not to stop and talk to the person on the stand, putting business cards in a goldfish bowl to win something keeps the visitor on the stand for a bit longer and you can talk. There is nothing worse than going to a stand where the staff are grumpy or are standing around in deep conversation with each other and not paying attention to what is going on around them - I have walked off many a stand when this has happened and that company hasn't had any of my business either - I tend to visit stands where those manning them are more engaging.

One tip, take a bottle of water with you and maybe a bite to eat (food and drink in exhibition halls are notoriously expensive) and wear low heels because you will be on your feet all day.

notjustamum

Thanks to you all - you've given me some really useful tips.

I'm not really sure of the etiquette when manning a Trade Stand but it would be really helpful if I could buy a nice item - say for £30 and sell raffle tickets cheaply - just enough to recoup the cost of the prize and that would get people talking and I could attach the raffle ticket to one of our business cards so people can go on our website to see who won.

Is this something that is ok to do?

Keep the suggestions coming!

Thanks again

paddyrg

No, don't sell raffle tickets, entry is by business card (also have a stack of blank cards for people without real ones) - follow it up with an email to everyone thanking them for their entry, and then start following up individual leads. Even £200 or £50 worth of prize is better than plastic stuff. I've done my share of trade fairs, the plastic stuff is wasted money

Savvy_Sue

I know where paddy is coming from, BUT I do have a couple of promotional pens which are quite useful: one is in the car, it came from a company who do tyres. I am reminded of their existence every time I use that pen, so guess who I called when someone knifed two tyres?

I agree that the business card prize draw is a good thing, although I think you need to have a sign up saying that entering the draw allows you to contact them afterwards. (data protection / email opt-INs ,,)

Just remembered that our local ink cartridge refilling biz sometimes has small squares of chocolates with their biz name and details on each wrapper. A bowl to help yourself while you're waiting on their counter. Presumably they hope some people will keep the wrapper.

Anastasia

I think pens are the only useful freebies that people use. People love to get free pens. You can google promotional pens for the cheapest.

Josh01

You can give various types of corporate gifts. There are several gifts that are available for different budget. You can pick the best which suits your business and use it to promote your business. Most probably you can use the promotional bags with the company’s name printed on it. This helps in promoting the brand of your company.

pitkin2020

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I know where paddy is coming from, BUT I do have a couple of promotional pens which are quite useful: one is in the car, it came from a company who do tyres. I am reminded of their existence every time I use that pen, so guess who I called when someone knifed two tyres?

Whilst I agree pens are a good idea, based on the OPs business they won't bring much repeat business. The services they offer aren't something you would need reminding about like tyre fitters.

notjustamum wrote: »

Thanks for that reply.

We are a care provider offering respite breaks for disabled people. I will have our business cards and pamphlet but it just seems a bit sparse having a table with not much on it and it does seem to draw people in when you are offering freebies.

The sweets in a bowl is a good idea but I will be up against the big companies with their exhibition stands, etc. and feel a bit out of my depth. If I could order just a minimal number of pens and bits then at least I'll have a conversation starter!

I've priced some pens and they started at approx 13p each, which is not bad but I would have to order a minimum of 500 and pay a set up fee, postage and VAT which bumps the cost up to nearly £200. Is there anything cheaper out there anyone?

The draw is your best bet, you are offering something for free and in return you'll get a lot of contacts. Its the best form of selling as you aren't actually selling anything at this time. By taking all their details you can then contact them after the trade show and show them your services. Not only doing it this way your not competing with everyone else at the trade show for attention but your also targeting clients directly and giving them time to look over the information. If you get your timing right of a few days after the show you'll also be the last contact on their mind!!

As for prizes speak with some of the companies you are currently dealing with on a day to day basis and see if they would be willing to donate a few prizes. If you can't get enough than £50 won't break the bank and you should be able to get a few good prizes out of that. You don't need raffle tickets as they will use business cards and just get a pack of plain white business cards for those that haven't got one at hand.