Running a small business is tough these days. With the economy in the midst of a midlife crisis and everything, everywhere competing for everyone’s attention all at once, it can be daunting (or downright scary) to even consider the best way to market your brand to potential customers. But for many small business owners, rising to the occasion and facing challenges head-on comes with the territory. One surefire way to make your business stand out is to use customized water bottles for your promotions. In this article, we’ll cover why water bottles make fantastic promotional items and how you can make them work for you.
The Value of Water Bottles
Water bottles are trendy, fun, functional, and can make a difference in people’s lives. Everyone needs to drink water! Water bottles are a valuable promotional tool for one simple reason: people use them every day. How often have you seen someone walking, driving, playing, or engaging in some other activity with a water bottle nearby? It happens a lot!
Outside of their practical purposes (people need to stay hydrated, especially when they’re on the move), water bottles hold a tremendous marketing value. First off, there’s the angle of promoting a healthy lifestyle. That can align well with your brand and drive leads toward your business. Offering eco-friendly and BPA-free water bottles can be even better for your brand image because it shows you care about the environment and the consumer.
Moreover, water bottles are kept for a long time (usually several years) and can spread your brand’s logo, slogan, or message anywhere it goes. This ultimately promoted your company’s brand and eventually boost your brand awareness significantly over time.
Customize Them
To get the most out of using water bottles for promotion, you’ll want to customize them. Some of the best water bottles available on today’s market are customized. Whatever you do, don’t forget to put your logo on every single water bottle you order. Otherwise, you won’t get the benefit of the custom water bottle when you deliver it to your customers.
Offering a wide range of fantastic custom water bottles can help you market your brand effectively. Be sure to put your company’s name, its logo, and relevant contact information on the bottles. That way, when other people see your customers drinking from the bottle, they’ll notice your brand. Find ways to make it stand out with different colors or styles. When others see the logo, they might be more inclined to patronize your organization and become customers at some point in the future.
Offer a Variety
Like many other items, water bottles come in all sorts of different configurations and styles, and are made of different types of materials. Here are just a few of the most popular materials:
- Stainless steel
- Vacuum insulated
- Plastic
- Glass
- Aluminum
Each one has its own pros and cons. Stainless steel is fantastic because it’s easy to clean, durable, and can easily be insulated. Vacuum insulated water bottles are great for hot or cold drinks. Glass has a tendency to make things taste a little bit better. Aluminum is durable and plastic is inexpensive. It ultimately depends on what type of demographic you’re eating to sell your water bottles to, but you can find plenty of leverage with different types available.
On top of materials, you want to offer different types of bottles. There are sports bottles, sip bottles, bottles with straws, wine bottles, tumblers, and myriad other types of bottles that can satisfy your customers. And when you’re figuring out what types of bottles to sell, don’t forget to offer a variety of lids so your customers have plenty of options available to them. And if you want to get real fancy, you can always sell a water bottle with speakers or built-in lights (yes, they do exist!).
Sell Them
Selling your water bottles makes the most sense, especially when they’re fully customized to promote your brand. As we’ve already clearly established, people love water bottles. They’re just a great gift and tool. Selling them can be beneficial to your business. Since you’re already customizing them and offering a wide variety of options, you’re giving your customers plenty of leeway to find something that they’re going to love. With your logo on it, you increase brand awareness.
But selling it for a reasonable price can also drive interest in your business. Especially if the bottles offer exceptional quality. Customers might be more inclined to purchase a bottle from you due to its quality and cool design over the competition. Also, consider the return on investment of custom water bottles. The market size for reusable water bottles is massive and the ones you sell at your business can easily be purchased in bulk, at wholesale prices. That means more value for your company and for your customers. Plus, a much better long-term ROI than many other similar products.
Give Them Away
Using water bottles for promotion makes a lot of sense, but sometimes you can’t go wrong with a giveaway. Whether it’s on social media, at a trade show, or as a gift to your guests, giving away your custom water bottles can be just as beneficial as selling them. People love a free gift now and then. It helps build camaraderie and generates buzz for the company. It also can work well as part of the overall guest rewards program.
They can also be great for social media contests. That’s a way to engage with a large number of people quickly by offering a worthwhile gift. Whatever route you take to distribute your water bottles, you’ll be able to take advantage of a great promotional tool while providing a valuable drinking vessel for current and future customers alike.
