5 Ways to Put Promotional Bags to Work for your Business

Promotional bags are popular, and it’s easy to see why. Bags are versatile, practical and handy. They’re easy, fun and cost-effective to design and produce. Promotional bags are also increasingly in demand as an eco-friendly alternative to wasteful, disposable plastic bags. Yet even with all of these benefits, are you still scratching your head a bit about how to put promotional bags to work for your business this year? In this post, we look at five creative and proven ways that you can tap into the bag trend to achieve your business goals.

Five Ways to Use Promotional Bags to Build Business

For Competitions and Giveaways

Competitions and giveaways are a proven tactic to generate renewed interest in your products or services. You can host a competition at any point in the calendar year, especially during those times when business is slow or when you’re a few months out from a special launch or campaign. People of all demographics love competitions as the prize is usually some sort of special freebie, like promotional bags. Prizes should be interesting and enticing to encourage people to participate. Bags are a great choice as they offer a large surface area for your business logo or message and they’re durable, functional and increasingly popular as people look to replace plastic bags.

For example, Penguin Books Ltd just ran a competition to promote the publication of a new book by Kate Atkinson. Penguin partnered with a bespoke embroidery designer to create a special reusable bag inspired by the book, Transcription. To enter to win the bag, people filled out a simple entry form online and the winner was publicly announced in November 2018. In this case, the bag likely encouraged people to engage with Penguin and drummed up interest in a new book. 

No matter what business you’re in – from book publishing to beauty products to dog walking services – you can plan a fun and engaging competition to bring attention to your brand. One idea is to encourage people to follow you on social media and enter every new like or follow into a drawing to win one of several customised totes, cosmetic cases or rucksacks. Take advantage of the “bag bonus” and consider filling every winning bag with a bunch of other goodies or marketing materials!

At Corporate Events

Chances are, you have some sort of corporate event scheduled for 2019. According to Eventbrite, more than 1.3 million business events are held every year in the UK. Promotional bags are a savvy addition to any tradeshow, client event, exhibit or corporate retreat. Giving away branded bags will help attendees or customers build awareness and engagement with your brand. And, as we mentioned above, people always love freebies! As a bonus, bags have great advantage in that they magnify your brand or message every time they get used by people while out and about. 

A few of the most popular choices for event bags include tote bags, drawstring bags and rucksacks. With so many options available, you also have an opportunity to design a bag that embodies the theme or focus of your event. For example, if your business is related to athletics, exercise or travel or perhaps a healthy lifestyle brand, consider a reflective drawstring bag that people might use when walking, jogging or cycling at dusk. 

Loyalty Gifts for Staff

A business is only as strong as the people that run it! To keep the best people on board, look for opportunities to thank your team for their great work. One thoughtful way to do this – and to encourage strong performance and commitment at the same time – is to reward your staff for achieving milestones like internal sales goals or longevity with the company. For example, you might gift a special luggage bag when a staff member reaches their five-year anniversary with the company. Here’s a great hard case trolley bag with four spinner wheels and extendable handle.

You might even establish an entire service award plan that people can strive for. This could be a series of luggage bags of increasing value that are gifted over time. At a 10, 15, or 20- year anniversary, you could award a high-end business bag on wheels, like below, with an exclusive design cabin.

Run a Promotion

Are you launching a new product this year? Opening a second or third location? Make the most of the moment with a special promotion! One successful tactic is to give away bags to everyone who participates in your promotion – remember, people love freebies.

Tote bags are a great option because they’re low in cost and can be produced quickly should you find that you need more in the middle of your promotion. They’re also lightweight and easy to send in the mail should you want to run your promotion both in person and online. Give away a tote bag when someone buys a new product, visits your store, spends a certain amount of money or writes a review of your service. The promotion possibilities really are endless.

Onboard New Clients or Employees

Are you hoping to expand your business or hire more employees this year? Why not use a promotional backpack or rucksack as a special way to welcome new clients or staff and help them feel valued and appreciated? The gesture will make a great first impression and promote your positive, caring company culture.

Ordering a larger quantity of bags to have on hand will help you keep costs low so that you can make this a sustainable and scalable part of your onboarding process.  Here’s a popular and trendy urban backpack that would make a perfect welcome bag for new clients or employees. We’d certainly remember your business if we were gifted one of these!

We hope this post gives you some ideas for how to put promotional bags to work for your business. We’d love to hear how else you’ve used bags or what goals you’re trying to achieve this year. Chances are, there’s a bag and a strategy that can help you get there. Please get in touch with us today!