Tech giveaways people want today and tomorrow
When it comes to promotional products, there’s one thing so obvious that it’s easy to forget: You have to be seen to be remembered.
And what better way to be seen than by giving someone a product they’ll use on a weekly—or better yet, daily—basis.
According to PPAI media (PDF), 41 percent of people hold on to promotional items between one and five years, with 18 percent of them keeping items for 11 years or more. Eleven years is a long time when you consider that the first iPad® is less than 9 years old.
In a country where most people live with a small computer in their pocket or purse, and people spend their days jumping from screen to screen, it’s easy to see why technology giveaways are an excellent way to help keep your name in the public eye.
When it comes to technology swag, remember to look to the past to see what your recipients loved. Look to the future to determine what they’re going to love. Then, remember the old adage: Give the people what they want!
What worked? What’s next? What do you want to achieve with your technology giveaways?
To start, ask yourself what worked well in the past. What promotional products were most popular? What products brought in the most business, and which call to action helped spread your brand?
Armed with that information, determine what you want to keep and what you want to change. PPAI Media suggests various ways to track a call to action, including using a special hashtag on your designs to prompt customer use in social media or printing a custom web address to track site traffic.
Of course, PPAI Media also points out that many companies choose to use only a name and logo on their tech swag, so do what works best for you!
Who is this for? Where do you want your brand to be seen?
The obvious answers, of course, are “Everyone” and “Everywhere,” but it’s worth taking the time to consider your audience. Where do they spend their day? How do they spend their time? Is your product or service geared toward men or women? Will the technology swag be gifts for staff members or destined for trade show giveaways? Are they meant for millennials or all age groups?
Katy Thompson, director of human resources at Valley Metro, Roanoke, Va., chose a tech giveaway that managed to be both fun and practical. “Everyone got an Adhesive Cell Phone Wallet for Employee Appreciation Day,” Thompson said. “We thought they were kind of unique, something that you don’t see every day. Our drivers have to pre-trip and post-trip their vehicles with a CONAR card, which has to be kept separate from their ID badge. The cell phone wallet allows our employees to keep their CONAR card with their phone and their ID in their wallet.”
Perfect for quick trips to the store, business trips and much more.
When are you giving them away? How much are you planning to spend on tech giveaways?
Respondents to a 4imprint customer survey said they purchased promotional products in 2017 primarily as giveaway items to use at trade shows and expos. Plus, we know higher value products often bring more leads and add a bit of a “wow” factor. And, if you’re on a budget, having various price levels for your promotional technology products can help you maximize your marketing budget.
Consider, for example, a pen—a very common but extremely useful giveaway that can stay with a client for years, keeping your brand readily at hand. But, when you couple the useful pen with technology, such as in these USB Pens, you’ve added a special touch at an affordable price.
Transfer data and pictures while taking notes.
Or, if you have the ability to bump the “wow” factor substantially, you could offer a special giveaway like a Moleskine® Evernote smart notebook. Designed for the person who loves pens and technology, this specially designed notebook allows you to capture your handwritten notes via an app, which then stores your words as searchable text.
Durable notebook features a bound hard cover for long-lasting use.
To maximize these tech giveaways, offer a free pen to anyone who provides contact information at your vendor booth, and include a chance to win a USB pen or a smart notebook as a grand prize. Alternately, you can offer USB pens to anyone who attends a short seminar lead by one of your sales representatives.
Why are you giving them a promo product?
This question brings us back full circle as we ponder what technology giveaways we want to offer and to whom.
Sometimes, the answer is because you want to be the company that promotes itself with today’s hottest technology. Or, even better, tomorrow’s technology!
With smartphones becoming more and more commonplace—a remarkable 8 in 10 Americans already own one—the market for touch-screen gloves is expected to grow 15 percent in the next four years. And with the bill for cell phone repairs reaching $4 billion dollars per year, smartphone cases will always be practical and in style. And what phone user doesn’t need a spare power bank or a dual USB cable that allows them to charge multiple types of devices?
As for the tech of tomorrow, 32% of survey respondents say they own an AR/VR device, while 15% say they expect to buy one in the next year. That means VR viewers might soon get monthly, weekly or even daily use.
Regardless of whether the person you’re giving your promo product to is a long-term employee who deserves special recognition or a marvelous client you want to acknowledge, putting some forward-thinking promotional technology products into their hands just might get you the brand recognition you seek.
Ultimately, picking the perfect tech giveaway means finding the item that’s just right for your recipient—and just right for your brand.
Great tech giveaways everyone will enjoy!
Send
your name and email address to 
