Using Small Promotional Items To Market Your Business

Using Small Promotional Items To Market Your Business

These days we are all looking for creative ways to advertise and market our home businesses. One of the ways you can do this is by offering free small promotional items or giveaways. I like to use these for in-person business contact when I am out in my community locally here in my home town.

What can you use? I use many things depending on the time of the year and if we are running specials on certain products. The items you use should be inexpensive to keep your costs down. Here are some suggestions:

Pens, Pencils, Markers, 4 Packs of Crayons, Pocket Protectors, Mouse Pads, Business Card Magnets, Window Clings, Stickers, Mini Erasers, Kitchen Gadgets, Childrens Temporary Tatoos, Mini Bubbles, Preprinted Recipe Cards, Key Chains and Key Fobs, Samples of your products and so forth.

I like to turn all of my business cards into magnets. Some of them I use a decorative hole punch and punch a hole in the corner of my business card. I then attach the magnet to the backside being careful to not cover the hole. I then buy decorative ribbon or raffia at my local craft store. I can then tie my magnetic business card onto pens, pencils, citrus peelers, lettuce corers, recipe cards and things similar to those type of items.

I also buy in bulk zip close plastic bags that measure approx. 3 inches by 6 inches in size. If you buy them in bulk from a wholesale company you can get them pretty inexpensively. I then insert my magnetic business card and include one or some of the following items: mini magnets, mini erasures, stickers, recipe cards, mini post-it note pads, key chains, a business coupon etc.

You can also print out your business info onto a self stick label and apply it to the front side of the zip close bag and then insert a sample of your product that you are trying to market. When I do samples, I include samples of our gourmet spices, dips or marinades. I punch a corner hole and tie on a recipe card with a recipe that they can use the enclosed sample with. You can also do this if you sell bath soaps, bath salts, mini tea light candles, etc.

Now, What do you do with all of these promotional items that you have prepared? You can use them while you are out in your community doing your errands and promote your business at the same time! You can also use them as give-aways to those who attend your home parties. They are also great to use if you participate in any of the online Mommy Filler Pack Swap Programs!

When you go to the bank, include one with your bank deposit for the bank teller. Better yet, go inside the bank and hand out a few to all of the bank tellers and customers! When you dine out, leave one on the table with your tip for your waitress/waiter. I also give them to all of the store cashiers when I hand them my payment for my purchases! When I go to the postal office to do shipping, I also hand them out to the postal clerks and customers who are waiting in line! If you stay at a hotel/motel, leave one daily for your maid along with her tip! You can hand them out every where you go!

To make myself into a walking billboard for my business, I made a canvas tote bag that I purchased for $3.00 at our local craft store! I decorated the outside with fabric paints with business slogans related to my home business. I then fill it up with my catalogs, order forms, business cards and my promotional giveaway items! I dont leave home without it! If you sell clothing, jewelry, perfume or anything that you can personally wear, make sure you wear it when you go out so that others can see your products!

There are many ways you can promote your business on a daily basis. I hope my ideas have started the creative idea process within you!