Do you want to attract more customers to your business? Or show your employees how much you care?
Consider gifting them with some customizable swag!
From adding your logo to customized personalizations, you can turn many products into a show of appreciation while promoting your business at the same time.
Before you start ordering up hundreds of pens with your company name on them, here are some guidelines you should follow when it comes to how you order your swag:
What is Swag?
Swag is a term used to describe custom promotional products that can include anything from desk accessories to candles to mugs and water bottles.
Companies and brands will often use swag as a means of showing appreciation to their employees or helping customers develop an emotional connection by giving them a piece of their favourite brand to have at home.
It’s a great way to show people that you care about them!
When you’re a company that sells a product or service, it’s also a good way to raise your brand’s awareness by making your name and logo familiar to people beyond your customer base.
As an employer, it’s a personal way to show your employees that you are grateful for the work they do.
If you’re interested in using customizable swag to build your brand or show appreciation, there are some key factors to remember when ordering these products from a supplier or designer.
Let’s look at the ways you can make the most of your customizable swag and how to avoid mishaps when ordering:
How to Order Customizable Swag
It’s easy to hop online and fill out an order form - but before you hit “check out”, you should take these factors into consideration:
DO Send a High-Quality Logo or Image
When it comes to customizable swag, the final product is only as good as the image you send the creator. In the case of our laser engraving, we need a simple high-contrast image for the best results.
Otherwise, the best image format for most suppliers is an editable vector image in a .pdf document. But when it comes to images with a lot of colors, PNG images retain the best color quality.
Before you order any sort of customizable swag, check with the supplier or designer to see what their preferred image size and format are.
DON’T Skimp on Product Quality
Despite the emotional reasons to reward employees and customers with swag, you want to ensure that the product you give them stands up to the test of time.
Customers, for example, will judge the quality of your company based on the quality of your swag so products that break easily and don’t stick around can’t promote your business.
While going for a low-end product price-wise may seem more cost-effective, think about the longevity of the swag. Ask the supplier or designer about the quality of their product or inquire about their money-back guarantee.
DO Proofread Your Content
Whether you are printing a message or spelling someone’s name, you want to make sure you proofread your content before finalizing your order.
If there is a glaring mistake on your order, the supplier may pick up on it and contact you. However, companies that customize swag are busy fulfilling many orders - spelling and grammatical errors can be overlooked.
All in all, you don’t want to end up on a list of funny spelling and grammatical mistakes!
DON’T Order Last Minute
While companies like Etchified create high-quality products in a timely manner, we still want to take care that the job is done right.
If you are looking to make a large order, do not place it last minute.
For example, we offer 1-3 day shipping on personalized items but orders over 12 items need 7-10 days for production.
Keep this in mind if you have a deadline for your customized swag.
DO Use Your Current Contact Information
When you order customizable swag, the supplier wants to ensure that you are getting exactly what you paid for.
If they have any questions for clarification or need to contact you over the shipping time, they need your current contact information.
Make sure you give the supplier a phone number or email address in which you can be reached - or at least the contact information of someone who can answer questions if needed.
DON’T Ignore Your Budget
Yes, we talked about choosing high-quality products to ensure longevity but you also have to be mindful of your budget when ordering customized swag.
While promotional swag is a great investment for your company, you don’t want to go overboard and spend more money than necessary.
Look at how much you can afford and divide it by the number of products you want to have created. Once you have that number, you’ll have a good understanding of what you can afford.
DO Choose Something Useful
Whether you are showing appreciation to a customer or an employee, branding some swag is also promoting your business - so you want to make sure you are choosing a customized product that won’t be easily discarded by the recipient.
While plain coffee mugs and keychains are common products to customize (and, in their own way, useful), think about swag that will be used by the recipient on a regular basis.
Good examples of these types of products include insulated coffee mugs, tumblers and even cutting boards!
Swag It Up!
Ready to get started on ordering some amazing customized swag for your company or business?
Check out Etchified’s catalog of products or learn more about our process in the FAQ section of the site.
Just follow our Do’s and Don’ts of ordering customizable swag and you’ll end up with a product perfectly suited to your business as well as your customers or employees.
Happy swagging!