If you own a small business, giving away promotional merchandise is a great way to promote your brand. It is a great way to connect with your customers or prospective customers and earn their loyalty. When you offer a free gift, most people would accept it. Now, if you custom design the merchandise to carry your company’s identity, it would spread brand awareness through your customers. All you have to do is find a supplier, get them to send you custom merchandise carrying your logo and tagline.

For small businesses, five of the best promotional merchandise are:

1. Promotional umbrellas

One of the biggest benefits of promotional umbrellas is that they act as portable billboards. Due to their size, umbrellas are hard to ignore. Moreover, umbrellas are extremely useful and your customers would see them as valuable gifts.  An umbrella is something that anyone can use, regardless of age and gender. Unlike many of the common types of promotional merchandise, an umbrella also lasts long. Such a durable product would not only ensure brand exposure for an extended period of time, but you can also place a bulk order and store them for later.

2. Promotional caps

Especially if you are trying to promote your business among the younger generation, caps are a great choice. You can design the caps based on the latest trends to make sure that your customers would like them and find them useful. One of the factors that make caps perfect for small businesses is their cost. Caps are quite cheap and you can easily order a bulk number of promotional caps for a major giveaway. Caps offer the option for endless customization and can help your brand stand out with prominence.

3. Promotional USB flash drives

Although quite popular, promotional USB flash drives would set your brand apart from the rest. After all, USB flash drives are extremely useful and your customers would appreciate receiving one for free. A prime advantage of promotional USB drives is that they are extremely portable. The chances are high that individuals would carry it to places like their office, where others would notice it too. Essentially, this is a great way to improve brand exposure. A gift such as a USB flash drive would also help you build strong connections with your customers. It helps to build an impression that you care about what your customers would find helpful and do not hand out merchandise just for the sake of it.

4. Promotional power banks

If you can afford it, promotional power banks would be an excellent choice due to their sheer utility. Almost everyone owns a smartphone and would see a power bank as a valuable gift. Promotional power banks would be especially great if your business offers tech products. Those receiving the merchandise would quickly relate it to your brand and would get a good impression of your products. Moreover, people tend to share smartphone accessories like power banks with others, which makes them great for brand exposure.

5. Promotional shirts

You would find promotional shirts to be a convenient choice if you are looking for merchandise to gift your employees with. There is nothing wrong with employees wearing a shirt with the logo of the company they work for. It wouldn’t seem like you are making them advertise your brand deliberately. Instead, such a gift would help to enhance employee satisfaction. It also helps to put up a good image in front of your customers by displaying professionalism. Promotional shirts are also a suitable gift item that you can give away to customers attending an event by your brand.

Hence, the options are plenty of small businesses looking for promotional merchandise to give away. The leading suppliers of custom merchandise offer products for every type of business. You can choose from an amazing range of options based on your budget and preferences. The right merchandise can go a long way in securing brand loyalty.