If you need a fresh idea to give your business engagement a push, consider hosting a promotional giveaway this year. Promotional giveaways are a smart way for businesses to increase engagement and garner more interest from potential customers. Signing up for a giveaway means customers will be more familiar with your business and are more likely to follow up and make a purchase. However, not all business owners are familiar with how or when to run a giveaway. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on the most popular promotional giveaways of 2022 and the practical products to include as prizes.

Types of Giveaways for Your Business

Once you know you want to host a promotional giveaway event, you must decide where and when it will take place. There are plenty of opportunities for your business to break out a promotional giveaway, and giveaways can even be their own event. Consider the following for inspiration regarding the best times and methods to hold a promotional event or giveaway.

Social Media Promotions/Giveaways

If your business doesn’t already have at least one active social media account, it’s time to put your brand out there. Social media marketing has exploded in popularity and practicality over the past few years, and social media users don’t seem to be going anywhere. For this reason, social media promotions and giveaways can be incredibly effective. Who would say no to free merchandise? Social media giveaways offer businesses the chance to attract new potential customers and gain followers. Giveaways also help you build engagement with your audience, bringing you closer and building trust along the way.

In-Person Event Giveaways

As in-person events like exhibitions, conventions, conferences, and more start to make their way back into annual rotations, it can be helpful to prepare giveaways and promotional materials. Potential clients and customers always expect business cards, swag items, and other promotional items at events like these. Hosting a giveaway with higher-quality promotional merchandise could be just the thing your business needs to stand out on the show floor. Plus, customers are more likely to hold onto quality merchandise such as apparel, hats, and other accessories, especially if the design is appealing. This helps boost your brand recognition among interested customers.

Virtual Event Giveaways

When your business attends a virtual event such as an exhibition, conference, or other remote gathering, it can be difficult to find ways to stand out from the competition. Hosting a virtual giveaway or raffle can help your business separate itself from the sea of business names. Just like in-person giveaways, offering your promotional materials remotely can also help build brand awareness through the potential customers who win your merchandise. The benefit of remote events is that there are often more interested parties in attendance, which means more eyes on your business.

Retail Giveaways

Finally, if your business is situated in a retail location, you can opt to host your own in-store giveaways. You don’t need the excuse of a fancy event like a conference or exhibition to run a promotional event; simply hold a raffle for your store’s customer base to get people excited about visiting your store. Small, local events like these are the perfect way to give back to your loyal customers for shopping with you and supporting your business. Additionally, you can attract new customers and set yourself apart from the competition with promotional giveaways. Just make sure to market your giveaways through traditional and digital methods to spread the word and encourage more sign-ups.

The Best Promotional Merchandise for Giveaways

Now that you know the popular opportunities to host your giveaways, you need to decide which promotional products to offer. Some items are more effective at promoting brand recognition and setting impressions than others, so make sure you order your custom business merchandise with care. Consider these examples of custom merchandise that make perfect giveaway prizes.

Apparel Items

Apparel items are often the promotional materials that customers value most. When customers receive free apparel items, they are more likely to keep and wear them. In turn, this means more engagement and brand recognition from the wearing of these items. Popular apparel options include t-shirts, sweatpants, hoodies, headbands, and more.

Accessories

Promotional accessories include anything from tote bags to enamel pins. There is a wide range of accessories to choose from while customizing your promotional materials, so you should thoughtfully consider your target audience to select the items that will provide the greatest appeal.

Whether you categorize them as apparel items or accessories, one thing is for sure—hats have some of the longest lifespans of all promotional materials. The sturdy makeup of hats will allow them to last much longer than the print or seams of a t-shirt. Hats are a stylish choice for customers of any age, which means anyone would be happy to receive one. If you’re looking for an accessory that your customers will get the most use out of, choose custom hats.

Office Supplies

Office supplies are the next most effective promotional materials to offer. Whether they work in an office or not, consumers use writing supplies daily, which means these items will generate dozens of impressions each day. Some smaller workplace items, such as desk calendars, custom pens, mousepads, and more, might be a bit underwhelming to offer by themselves. However, you could consider packing several of these items together to form a functional bundle that includes everything a customer uses daily. Don’t forget about other practical items like water bottles, lunch bags, and notepads.

Business giveaways are becoming increasingly more common, especially in the social media world. This just goes to show how effective marketing giveaways can be for a business—you’ll be able to attract new customers and reward your current customers for being loyal shoppers. As you schedule and choose materials for your giveaway, remember these examples of the most popular promotional giveaways in 2022 and practical merchandise items that you can include as prizes.

If you need a source for these prizes, check out our stock of custom hats—including bulk fitted hats and more—here at KBETHOS. We carry high-quality hats that will last your customers for years.