How to Give Out Swag in a Company: The Complete Guide

How to Give Out Swag in a Company: The Complete Guide

How to Give Out Swag in a Company: The Complete Guide

Want to learn how to give out swag in a company? Your search ends here. At Swag Bar, we're the experts in all things corporate gifting and company swag. We've been at it for years now and have helped countless companies develop and execute their swag strategy. And today, we're going to do the same for you.

In this complete guide, you'll learn why giving out company swag is so beneficial for businesses like yours. You'll also learn when giving out company swag makes sense (spoiler alert: it's never a bad time for swag giveaways!). Of course, the bulk of this discussion will feature a step-by-step guide on how to give out company swag.

By the end of this article, you'll feel confident in your next steps. You'll be well on your way to boosting workplace morale, strengthening relationships with key partners, increasing employee efficiency, and growing brand awareness. Speaking of which - let's start with the benefits of giving out swag in a company.

Why Give Out Company Swag?

Giving our company swag can be seen as a form of corporate gifting. And, we recently wrote a complete guide covering why corporate gifting is important. However, we'll summarize the most noteworthy benefits that come from company swag below:

  • Company swag helps businesses stay top of mind with customers, partners, and employees. Moreover, swag is a fantastic way to show your appreciation for someone's business or loyalty. This helps strengthen relationships with the people who are most important to your company. There's a reason why giving clients gifts is so important - it lowers the wall and turns your "client" into a "friend".
  • Promotional products are one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available - company swag pays for itself many times over. Learn more about specifically why marketing swag is important in our related article. But, the gist of it is this: the more places your logo can be seen, the better!
  • Handing out corporate gifts is a great way to show employees that they're appreciated - which can lead to boosted morale and increased productivity in the workplace. Learn more about the reasons to give employees gifts in our blog.

In summary, giving out company swag strengthens relationships with vendors and clients - while also boosting employee morale and productivity. And perhaps most importantly, swag delivers a tangible ROI by spreading brand awareness and serving as a marketing tool. All things considered, this is an area worth investing in! And the first question we need to address in our guide to giving out company swag is - when should you do it? Let's discuss.

When Should You Give Out Company Swag?

There are certain times throughout the year when giving out swag just makes sense. But as we mentioned in the outlook of this article, there is never a bad time for swag! With that said, here are the most popular instances in which you should give an employee, client, vendor, or prospect a piece of swag from your company:

  • As a holiday gift - whether it be New Years or 4th of July, holidays are always a great excuse to give out some swag.
  • To welcome a new client or employee - start off this new relationship on the right foot. We wrote a complete guide on how to welcome new hires - and have an entire list of new hire gift ideas worth exploring. 
  • To show appreciation for someone's business or loyalty - do you have a client or vendor that has stuck by your side for the long run? If so, show them that you see them by sending them some swag.
  • For company milestones (anniversary, reaching a sales goal) - this one is self-explanatory. Reward everyone who has helped you get to where you are - clients, vendors, and employees - with some cool swag ideas.
  • For an event or tradeshow (booth giveaway) - networking at these types of events is typically done through swag. Think about it - the people you're trying to introduce to your company are meeting hundreds of other folks the same day. Give them something to remember you by - it will pay off, trust us. Check out some of the best conference swag ideas or trade show swag ideas we've thought of.
  • When you're trying to increase brand awareness and reach new customers - swag plays a key part in your marketing efforts. And through the best marketing swag ideas, you can promote your brand and reach new customers - on autopilot!

In summary, giving out swag is always appreciated! But there are certain times when it makes even more sense. With that said, let's now move on to our guide on how to give out company swag. This will be a step-by-step process - so get ready to take some notes!

How to Give Out Swag in a Company in 5 Simple Steps

Learning how to give out swag in a company can actually be boiled down to just 5 simple steps. Keep in mind - simple is not synonymous with easy. You'll have to carefully consider all the details of your swag goals and develop a unique plan tailored to those goals. And, while the folks here at Swag Bar can handle most of the heavy lifting for you, you'll have to do some work on your end before we can help. Here are the steps to follow if you're curious about how to give out swag in a company:

  • Develop your swag goals
  • Come up with a budget
  • Choose your swag
  • Find a partner to bring it to life
  • Give the swag out! 

Let’s not waste any more time - here’s how to give out swag in your company.

Step 1) Developing Your Swag Goals

The process of giving out swag in a company starts with developing your swag goals. What do you want to achieve by giving away these gifts? Are you looking to boost employee morale? Drive brand awareness and reach new customers? Strengthen relationships with clients or vendors? All of the above? Something else entirely? Defining your goals is critical - as it will help inform all subsequent decisions in this process (budget, type of swag, etc).

Getting together with the other decision-makers in your firm and brainstorming where you can use the most help is a great starting point. From there, you can start to prioritize your swag goals. Because the reality is, you'll probably have a few goals at the same time - and the great thing about swag? It can kill multiple birds with just a single stone. However, defining your goals is just step 1 - then comes creating a budget.

Step 2) Creating a Swag Budget

This is a bit of a chicken or the egg type situation - should your goals influence your budget, or vice versa? This will vary from company to company - but typically, you'll have to come up with your goals first. Then, you can prioritize how important those goals are to the overall direction of the company. At that point, you'll be able to justify and allocate budget accordingly.

We wrote a complete guide on swag and promotional budgeting. This recourse will prove invaluable as you work through your own swag budget and come up with a figure that makes sense for your unique company. Don't get discouraged if your budget is small at first. Once you can reach proof of concept with swag and show the value behind it, you'll be able to justify a higher budget.

After you have your budget set, you'll be able to reverse engineer the process to figure out what types of swag you can afford - and what quantities you can order. Then comes the fun part...

Step 3) Choosing Your Swag

Now that you've established your goals and created a budget, it's time to start thinking about the actual swag itself. And this is where things can get really fun - because there are endless possibilities when it comes to choosing your swag. We've written a multitude of articles discussing this topic. But, perhaps our most comprehensive resource is our blog post on the best swag giveaway ideas. We also have articles discussing useful employee gifts, client gift ideas, virtual employee appreciation ideas, company swag ideas, and much, much more.

But to spare you the time and energy of reading through these resources, we'll summarize what you need to know right now. Your swag items should feature balance of these important characteristics:

  • Useful & practical
  • Cool & unique
  • High-quality

Now - what specific items are a good choice for your swag needs? Well, there are two ways you can go about it: 1) invest in pre-configured, themed swag packs, or 2) build your own swag packs from individual items. Some of the most common types of swag you can consider are apparel, office supplies, tech products, outdoor essentials, food & drink, and miscellaneous gifts that don't really have a specific category - but are amazing in their own right.

To determine the best type of swag for your unique goals, consider the intended recipient. What will they appreciate the most? No matter what you end up choosing, you're going to want to find a partner that has a track record of helping businesses like yours achieve their goals. And for that, look no further than Swag Bar...

Step 4) Find a Swag Partner to Help Bring Your Vision to Life

Finding swag that satisfies all of these criteria at once isn't easy. But, when you trust your swag process with the folks at Swag Bar, it can be. We have unique, practical, and most importantly, high-quality swag packs for all sorts of uses. And, we've come to be known as the best corporate gifting company in the industry - for good reason, too!

On our site, you'll find awesome pre-configured swag boxes. These are a hit with all our clients - and they continually come back for more, so something must be working! But we don't just do themed packs - you can also build your swag strategy based around individual items. Grab a bunch of custom t-shirts or socks, or go with some more off-the-wall ideas like technology-based goods.

If you're not sure which items are right for your unique business & swag goals, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to help you every step of the way to ensure you get the most bang for your buck from this strategy. We have collections of swag based on your specific goals - including promotional gift boxes, new hire swag boxes, employee swag boxes, client gift boxes, and much, much more.

Discover how simple swag can be through the assistance of Swag Bar! For now, we'll proceed to the final step - making it all happen.

Step 5) Give the Swag Out

You've done your research, you've set your goals, you've figured out a budget, and you've even found the perfect swag partner. Now - it's time to make it all happen! It's go time. And we'll be there with you every step of the way to ensure everything goes off without a hitch.

We'll help you choose the right items, get them shipped on time, and ensure they arrive in pristine condition. Plus, we're always here to answer any questions or concerns you may have along the way. So what are you waiting for? Get started today and see how easy corporate gifting can be with Swag Bar!

Final Thoughts on How to Give Out Company Swag

Now that you know how to give out company swag it’s time to take action. In conclusion, giving out company swag is a great way to promote your brand and show your appreciation for employees or clients. But it's important to do it the right way! Follow the steps in this guide and you'll be well on your way to bringing your swag goals to life.

While each of these tips and tactics above is important, the most pivotal advice we can give is to choose the right swag partner. When you do this right, you don't have to stress over the other four steps. That's because the right supplier can help you navigate all this uncertainty and get the most out of the investment. This means peace of mind for you and a successful swag campaign for your company. Ready to get started? Head over to our site and explore our catalog today!