You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
..what do you actually use/is useful?
I've a budget, and want to make it actually work/be used.
Business is in education / sustainability / outdoors.
Buffs
You can never have too many buffs.
Bottle openers.
Engraved tick removers.
Personalised Kendall Mint Cake.
pens.
i judge a company by their free pens.
oh! so its not porno stuff..............
[url= https://www.haribo.com/enGB/home.html ]There can be only one..[/url]
Poundcoin keyring.
Cotton bags.
Powerbanks.
A folding meter stick is much coveted in our office.
Usb keyring.
Stress balls
Swiss army knife
You can never have too many buffs.
A good point, well made. I was erring towards buff or hat.
Engraved tick removers.
Along with a scary 'so, if you get a tick, you are going to DIE leaflet?
i judge a company by their free pens.
Another perennial favourite of mine - too cheap, and the company is cheapskate and I won't use. Too posh, and clearly I am paying too much money for the service. Just right, and I use it.
Usb keyring.
Got that covered, with suitable lanyard attached...
Is this a request for stuff [i]we[/i] think would be good for [i]your[/i] business ?
Bottle Openers
Small penknifes
Buffs (mentioned)
Small LED key ring lights
..
Bottle openers.
This - I once got a great little CNC alu key ring bottle opener from Wiggle and loved it.
Or you could get key ring LED torches like these:
[img] 
[/img]
Along with a scary 'so, if you get a tick, you are going to DIE leaflet?
I would title it, "If you are reading this, you're already dead."
A whistle
Reflective trouser clips
Cow bells
Hand warmers
Wild flower seeds
Perhaps you can get small dry bags printed up (useful for wallets/phones).
Question; are you marketing only to the recipient of your largesse or are you hoping for some knock-on advertising? Pens and the like rather fail at the latter. Buffs, clothing etc are rather more successful.
SatPhones
Breitling GPS tracker watches
GPS receiver darts
Drone
Fireworks or Flares
stress balls worked well for us !
Branded brollies are great for us, but may not be for everyone...
the only persistent free thing I have (still, after 17 years) is a mini swiss army knife. Good for nail cutting, innit.
BUT I hate receiving free stuff with no point. Waste of money and resources. Make a charitable donation on everyone's behalf instead.
Does anyone really use a company after being given some plastic tat/promo/freebies? Does it really sway you?
Edit
As above, save money/landfill/the planet
I've liked the couple of water bottles I've got before. Lots of space for text as well of course
Plastic ruler.
Just give them a quid each.
Oops we're slipping. Promo c&h of course, the gift that's always goes down well 😉
Who is your target audience? Who is buying your services?
Whats your budget
Having a businesses name in front of you as a reminder obviously works.Houns - Member
Does anyone really use a company after being given some plastic tat/promo/freebies? Does it really sway you?
Using gifts as an advertisement to others also works.
This isn't rocket science. The question is; are those seeing your branding in a position to influence purchasing decisions.
Promo c&h of course
I can think how to brand only one of those.
Pens are best, and pass the ‘actually useful’ test. Hats could work if your company has a good logo/interesting name and it’s a good hat. All depends on your budget for giving away stuff really.
insulated mug, the kinds with a lid on that keeps your brew hot for a while after.
I was at a security conference a few weeks back. One of the more popular stands was giving out free beer.
Cheers all. I too want to avoid landfill tat, and I do want knock on advertising in schools.
So far I'm looking into hat/buff, brolley and clipboard (one with wet day cover)...
Lovebeads.
^^^ Yep teachers love these (so I've heard).
Got that covered, with suitable lanyard attached...
If the recipients have been properly trained they should be dubious as hell about a USB drive from a vaguely known source.
Pens and beer/coffee might get my attention without serious spending which would then get into the bribery issues so best avoided.
Cute, cheap, stickable-on-a-monitor-with-your-company-in-constant-brainwashing-mode.
Pick all 3.
[img] 
[/img]
A tatttoo. On the face. Make sure it’s backwards so your customers can read it in the mirror.
Not USB sticks, powerbanks or stressballs.
The USB sticks won't have enough capacity to be useful. And anyone who puts a gift USB stick into their PC is asking for trouble.
Everyone is giving out crappy powerbanks at the moment, ones that look like they'll explode after a few charges.
Stressballs = landfill.
Buffs, bottle openers, brolly is good. I got a little zippy bag thats good for cables/chargers, that gets used when I travel.
[img] https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRlzSE2OI1xlUBreRhE504S2KJXauSIUWL4anRG4mejP1QMR1D1 [/img]
Or a nice kite.