Marketing Your Non-Profit Using Promotional Products

Your non-profit might not be a money making endeavor, but it’s still a brand, and the rules of marketing apply just as they would apply to profit-seeking businesses and their brands. Just because you’re not a profiteer doesn’t mean you can afford to slouch on marketing. Your organization has an important mission. You’re changing things for the better. Your brand symbolizes a cause, and it’s important that as many people as possible see you, recognize your cause, join your cause, and support it. And to get that brand visibility, you can’t shy away from marketing.

Branded promotional products are proven to be an effective form of brand representation; that’s why there’s no successful organization, profit-seeking or not, that hasn’t made use of them to boost brand awareness. Branded products are filter-proof. Just like billboards, your marketing target has no way to exit or block a branded product from view. It exists in the real world, giving three dimensional presence and weight to your brand. And if it’s an object that calls for everyday use, like the classic promotional ballpoint pen, even better, because now the marketing target is inclined to directly engage with that brand representation. GoPromotional, a leading branded products distributor in UK, claims that non-profits make up 30% of their customer base. The need for building awareness for a cause makes products with logos an integral part of their marketing strategies. Don’t sell your non-profit short. Consider these four fun and relevant promo product ideas for 2021.

Webcam Covers

Unless you haven’t been paying attention to the news over the last several years, there’s a good chance you’re a little creeped out by your webcam. It could be the KGB, it could be the NSA, or it could just be some guy who phished his way into remote access to your computer, but in general, that tiny pinhole camera — which those of us outside the work-from-home crowd don’t exactly use much — sometimes seems a little more like a liability than a helpful tool.

Lo and behold, dedicated webcam covers are now a bona fide product, and available as a branded promotional product at that. A huge step up from stickers and sharpie smears, a webcam cover will either be a thin, stick-on fixture with a mechanism for covering and uncovering your camera, or an object that fits over the rim of your laptop screen, to be removed when the computer isn’t in use. When the webcam is covered, users can breathe a sigh of relief, all while viewing your glorious brand logo. This is a conscientious, modern product that addresses modern concerns, perfect for a nonprofit. On top of that, they’re absolutely cheap, great for those on a budget looking for the perfect giveaway item for events.

Water Bottles

Personal, reusable water bottles have exploded in popularity. As developed countries have started to recognize the dangers of soft drinks and the importance of proper, consistent hydration, water bottles are becoming one of the many ways we can personalize our style and express our individuality. They’re a practical fashion symbol, and many who purchase a reusable water bottle will make use of it every day.

That’s why these water bottles are a perfect promotional product. The user is extremely likely to bring a branded water bottle to events, especially outdoor events where your brand will see extra exposure. Branded water bottles come in just about any shape, style, and color. They’re available in plastic, aluminium, and glass. If your non-profit represents a green cause, a reusable water bottle is an absolutely ideal promotional product candidate. We’re now all too familiar with the wastefulness of disposable water bottles, and an ecologically focused nonprofit should make an effort not to contradict itself by distributing branded items typically seen as quasi-disposable, like pens and other cheap plastic items. A sturdy water bottle is a fantastic choice in this case.

Sling Bags

What’s that? Is it the latest evolution of backpack technology? Could it possibly be the hottest breed of unisex bag taking over universities, metropolitan centers, and small cities alike? Does it look kind of weird? These may all be true of the sling bag, the solution to all those who prefer to one-strap their backpacks but have long suffered the drawbacks of bags not designed for such use.

The sling bag is not only an item that will see everyday use, it’s also just new enough on the scene to be noticeable while being established enough to be desirable. Not everyone has a sling bag, but most everyone who’s seen one is curious about trying it out. This is a functional product that will be used by commuters and pedestrians, leading to high visibility. Speaking of visibility, a sling bag offers quite a bit of printable real estate, so your brand logo can be loud and proud. If you want your nonprofit to get some attention on the street, consider a branded sling bag for use in event raffles, promotional giveaways, and as donation rewards.

Headphones

There’s been something of a consumer debate this past generation. The earbud, an absolutely ubiquitous technology refined and popularized in the era of the iPod, is up against the can. For those not in the know, old-school headphones that go over the ear are now called cans by anyone who can be considered cool. While earbuds have now entered the wireless age, with Apple’s AirPods setting the stage for an armada of imitators both successful and not, cans are still in the middle of their own renaissance. 

Both are available as branded promotional products, but for our money, we choose cans. The larger the product, the easier it is to identify the branding from a distance. Cans boast better fashion potential and visual presence than low-profile earbuds, in addition to that useful surface real estate. The inherent, bold fashion statement of these conspicuous headphones and a clever, visually appealing, space-efficient logo will work hand in hand to drum up interest in your nonprofit, especially if it’s in your interest to look hip, modern, and approachable as an organization, and if your aim is to get support and ultimately donations, then trust me, it is.

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