Should you spend money on promotional goods?

Lately, I have been paying attention to promotional goodies, and was impressed at how many items I got for free and actually use on a regular basis. For example, at the beginning of the year, my bank gave me an agenda with my name engraved. I know, it is 2014 and no one uses an agenda anymore, but I thought it was a nice gesture (I still have a strong opinion about the bank itself, but at least they did something nice) and took the calendar back home. Now I take my agenda every time I go to town and use it as a notepad. I write down my list of errands, the grocery list, and how much I spend on construction material, so I can easily remember to update my accounts once I get back home. While I wouldn’t buy an agenda, and would write my errands at the back of a grocery receipt, actually receiving a promotional one converted it in one of my most used items.

Back when we were crossing the US on a motorcycle, we stopped for breakfast in a casino in Las Vegas. For $5 or so, we got a huge buffet breakfast and a free t-shirt! Space was limited on the bike, so I had only brought two or three t-shirts, and as we were 3 months into our trip, even if the t-shirt wasn’t great, I was happy to wear it for a change, and it converted into my pyjamas. Now that I am back home, the Vegas t-shirt still serves as PJ, or occasionally as a work t-shirt when I am painting or doing something physical. I don’t care about it the way I do my other shirts, but I have worn it more than I have some of my paid shirts.

What is my point with all that? Whether your company gives away pens, beer mats printed at Onlineprinters,  shirts or agendas, you are basically getting some really cheap brand promoters. Every time I wear my casino shirt, people can see the name of the business. Even better with pens, as people generally leave them behind, forget them at a friend’s house or when they write a check. A pen can travel a lot! In my drawer right now, I have a pen from a credit union in Florida. No idea where I got it. I will probably lose it in a month or two and it will have a new life somewhere else, while promoting the credit union some more.

The pen is pretty basic, and must have cost $0.30 or so to make. Think about it, as a small business owner you may not have a huge promotional budget, and may be thinking that all those goodies are for big companies who have money to throw out the window. But really, it can get your name out there, and on the odd chance that people will convert them into their most used items like I did, even more.