Trying to find effective promotional products to hand out at events can be rather difficult for service-based companies. While their companion (the product-based company) can simply use items that complement their business, many service industry professionals struggle to find and use branded products.

Essentially, there are three ways to consider your branded products, especially when you’re within the service industry. This is especially true when the service you’re offering is an intangible item (like counselling or tutoring services).

1) Consider a product that offers daily function

Selecting an item that’s unique and differs from all other companies might seem like an important goal, but typically, it’s an impossible task. It’s important to remember that the main objective of your promotional item isn’t to stand out—it’s to be remembered, used and passed around. The function of your product should be one of use, before any other goal.

That’s why it’s important to consider the daily schedules of the individuals you’re marketing to when creating marketing materials. For service professionals within the consulting industry, a small calendar with your logo on it serves great benefit. Likewise, tutors can find pencils, erasers and pads of paper to be highly used. While it’s nice to have an item that’s original, if your audience isn’t going to use the item – there’s no point in having it created.

2) Purchase an item that’s complementary to your industry

Similar to those products offering daily use, having a product that’s complementary to your industry is another method of choosing promotional items. An electrician might find products like flashlights to be a useful and memorable marketing product. It helps to remind target audiences of the service, and typically appears during a time when a client is most interested in the services in question (when they’ve lost power to their home).

3) Offer a product that’s highly used

If choosing an item within these two areas just doesn’t seem feasible, opt for an item that offers incredible value in terms of use. These items might be the more basic inventory, but provided they have long-term value –they’re likely to be well received.

Items like stationary, mugs, water bottles, sanitizer or tissues are items used across any industry. This means, regardless of who your target audience might be, the promotional item would be used and shown in virtually any circumstance. These items should be a last resort in comparison to the niche-specific products, but are still effective all the same.

While choosing your promotional products might seem like a mundane or dull task, it’s important to remember these are the items that are representing your company, long after you’ve left the meeting, conference or show. These promotional items will be the “face” to your company when you’re not around. Choosing items that are both useful and specific to your industry is the easiest way to ensure a memorable product brand—leaving a positive impression long after you’ve given it to the customer in question.

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