You’ve packed for the next business trade show in town. You brought a large box of branded pens to offer visitors. Giveaways, as everybody knows, are essential to attract your audience’s attention and get your brand noticed. However, after the show, you can’t help but see that your pens were not as popular as you hoped. 

The truth is that plastic pens are not an exciting gift anymore. First of all, most people are handed dozens of branded pens during trade shows – more often than not, businesses choose similar models, which can have a dull, repetitive effect for the audience. While people tend to keep pens for as long as they work, it’s fair to say they don’t pay a lot of attention to the branded logo printed on it. Besides, when the pen has run out of ink, it’s likely to land in the bin, taking your brand into oblivion with it. If you’re going to get your brand to stand out, you have to move away from the traditional plastic pens.

People don’t need your plastic giveaways 

In an age where more and more people work actively to reduce their carbon footprint and improve the impact they have on the environment, it’s fair to say that a PLASTIC pen is the last thing they want to get. Plastic kills every day dozens of wild creatures. If you’re going to bring freebies to a trade show, you should focus on environmentally-friendly items, such as the collection of merchandising kit from Earth friendly Promos. As a rule of thumb, stationary tends to be the least remarkable gift. Pens are the kind of things people keep inside a handbag for when they need to write down something. Your branded logo is likely to disappear from their mind. Instead, an elegant notebook can be a better-suited alternative, as journals are gaining in popularity. 

Pens won’t get you noticed 

Getting noticed is about being visible when people are looking for you. Let’s be clear; pens don’t provide visibility. On the other hand, SEO support can boost your digital presence. A thoroughly maintained website that uses crawler-friendly technology can make a great deal of difference. You’ll find that working closely with an SEO expert can dramatically improve your visibility online and your digital findability. In other words, your digital content – the keywords you choose to use – can help you to stand out from the crowd. Targeting the current trends in your field and answering your customers’ most pressing questions via your content strategy can propel you on top of the SERP. 

Do something unique; pens are boring 

Last, but not least, keywords are essential, but every actor in your niche shares them. You can’t rely on search terms only to build a memorable presence. You need to create something unique that nobody else has done. You need to tell your unique brand story. Video content is the best approach to showcase your personality and give your brand additional depth. You can create a channel on Youtube to reach out to your audience, for instance. 
In conclusion, it’s time to ditch the pens. Not only are they going against your audience’s environmental values, but they are also an easily forgotten item. Instead, you need to focus on ticking all the right boxes, not only in terms of eco-friendly responsibilities but also engagement and visibility.