When looking to inject a little fun into your marketing efforts, what’s one creative idea you can use for a company-branded giveaway or promotional product?
These answers are provided by Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year, and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at yec.co.
1. Make an Unboxing Video
If it’s a product-based marketing campaign, an unboxing video is definitely a good way to market the product. Unboxing not only allows the audience to interact, engage, comment and share their opinions in real time, but they could also purchase the product right then and there. We all purchase from emotion, so if an influencer/ambassador whom they like promotes a product, the higher the chance they’ll purchase it.
2. Turn It into a Trivia Contest
You can put a spin on your giveaway by turning it into a trivia contest. People love to test their knowledge and compete, so using trivia questions is a great way to engage your audience and promote your products. You can relate the questions to your brand so they’re relevant to your content and audience. That way you can rack up more entries for your contest.
3. Have Customers Share About Your Product
Have your customers post on social media about the coolest place they’ve brought your product in exchange for a gift card or giveaway. This works particularly well with products oriented toward travel or going places. If you don’t have a product like that, ask yourself, what does it look like when someone gets the most out of your product? Trade photos of that with a hashtag for a giveaway.
– Tyler Bray, TK Trailer Parts
4. Pose a Fun Challenge
Do a fun, relatable challenge. It could be a dance, skit or anything fun and hip that will definitely be trending in no time. It should showcase your brand and will allow everyone to join and be creative. Create a new unique hashtag for this specific challenge and ask influencers to join as well. In this way, the marketing effort isn’t just seasonal — it’s for life.
– Daisy Jing, Banish
5. ‘Compete’ with Another Business
If you’re on good terms with other companies that offer similar products or services to yours, it can be fun to incorporate a friendly rivalry into your marketing efforts. Encourage customers to show support for your “side” by wearing branded merchandise and sharing photos on social media, competing with another company who does the same with their customers.
6. Ask for Audience Designs
Starbucks used to have a contest where coffee drinkers could decorate its holiday cups and post them online. I think that it’s a great example of getting customers to interact with a product. If possible, ask your audience to design something, like a product skin or a new graphic. It’s a great way to get more engagement for your promotional giveaway campaign.
7. Partner with a Local Nonprofit
Partner with a local nonprofit that complements your brand to raise awareness and interest in your business and the charitable cause. This is a great way to promote your company while giving back to the community at the same time. If you can integrate user-generated content (i.e., community participation) into the giveaway or promotional product, that’s even better.
– Jonathan Prichard, MattressInsider.com
8. Run a Promotion on TikTok
For whatever reason, people are way less inhibited on TikTok, and are more likely to be themselves and let their less serious sides out. That’s why turning to TikTok for user-generated content is an awesome idea. I find that Instagram and Facebook don’t bring out creative user-generated material for contests or giveaways, but TikTok never fails to amuse.