Promotional products are a great way to reinforce the bonds between your company and your staff. Employees need more than just a paycheck to stay happy and motivated – they need to feel that their company appreciates their efforts. Giving your staff gifts serves two important purposes in your business. It makes employees feel valued and appreciated, and it builds the presence of your brand.



A lot of companies believe that their employees do not do anything after work, and probably do not see people besides their family and co-workers. It sounds ridiculous, but if you look at the gifts traditionally given by companies to their staff, this is the impression you would get. People don’t care about engraved plaques made out of plastic and resin or mounted picture frames with the company logo done stylishly on the bottom. People want things that they can use and admire – things they can show to their friends.

For example, if a person is given a brand new laptop bag and some other small gadgets as promotional products by their company, they are likely to show their friends. Even if they do not, at least they are walking around showing the laptop bag to other people on their way to work. The trick here is to find promotional products that are useful, stylish and at least appear to be valuable. Of course, this raises the bar – and the budget – a little bit, but the whole point of giving your staff gifts is to make them feel appreciated. If you spend as little as possible on their gifts they will pick this up immediately feel under-appreciated.

The ideal promotional products to use as gifts for your staff typically do not have anything to do with work. People might appreciate a stylish desk calculator or a Bluetooth headset for their mobile phone, but they would much rather have a new cooler box or a set of golf club covers. The idea is that if you give gifts that do not have a direct association with your company people will begin to consider your brand at home in their daily lives.

When your staff play golf with other people they will all see your company logo on that person’s driver cover. For a few dollars you will have shown off your brand to other people who are in the same general income bracket as your staff member. If your product is marketed at that income bracket you have three new potential customers. The next step would be inviting them all to a golf day where you would hand out more promotional products, continuing to improve the way that the public and your staff feel about your company.

In any marketing campaign, never neglect the subtle marketing power of your own staff. Giving them promotional gifts and treating them well is the best way to spread good words about your company. Since word of mouth is one of the most powerful marketing tools you can have, it’s in your best interest to keep your staff as happy as you can.