Employee swag gifts can boost employee engagement and build a strong company culture, while effectively marketing your organization-if you do it well.
While plaques or paperweights may come with heartfelt appreciation, they tend to end up on office shelves-a missed marketing opportunity, not to mention a waste of resources. No one can see your logo on the shelf behind last year’s family Christmas card photo.
A better strategy for employee gift-giving is to offer branded versions of frequently used items, such as mugs, badge holders, or metal key chains. When your employees actually want to use the gifts you give them, they feel appreciated and morale around the office improves. If they use those gifts outside the office, they promote your brand at the same time.
Increase your company’s visibility and grow your brand while recognizing the employees at the heart of your business with high-quality custom employee swag gifts from Southwest Solutions.
Custom Mugs Beg to Be Photographed
A custom mug is a great gift for your employees for three reasons:
- Everyone can use it. Mugs aren’t just for coffee! They can be used to enjoy other hot beverages such as tea or hot chocolate, as well as cold drinks like water, soda, and juice. A customized mug with your company name or logo makes a great desk decoration and even a handy place to store pens.
- People love to post them on social media. #butfirstcoffee has been used more than three million times on Instagram, and nearly every post includes a mug! If that mug has your company name on it alongside a fun saying or design, you’re making brief and subtle contact with every person scrolling through the feed. Get your company name and logo in front of an internet audience by giving your employees photo-friendly mugs from Southwest Solutions. We have many different options, from engraved mugs to insulated tumblers to custom glass mugs, all with options for customization.
- They’re long-lasting. You’re investing resources in promotional employee products that help turn your team into built-in brand ambassadors. Of course, you want to get the biggest return on your investment. An employee who drinks coffee from your mug every day might interact with that one gift thousands of times. Get something that is well designed and built to last, and you’ll continue to experience payoffs in morale long after your initial investment.
Custom Printed Badge Holders Build Community
Custom printed badge holders are the ideal employee gift for organizations looking to foster a sense of community and belonging.
Successful organizations thrive on teamwork. Give new employees a branded badge holder as a way of welcoming them to the team. (We have these in our own office and call them Zoop Zoops! It brings such an enjoyable and fun touch to the workplace!)
If you require employees to display their badges, support them in that endeavor with a gift of a custom branded badge holder. Not only is it a thoughtful gesture that fulfills a specific need but most people won’t bother to switch to something else.
Now your employers are wearing that great gift around the office every day. Each time they look at their colleagues, they get a visual reminder-we’re all on the same team. These subtle reminders help increase morale in the office and encourage cohesive collaboration.
The benefits of giving your employees branded badge holders don’t stop outside the office. Most employees don’t take their badges off during lunch breaks or immediately after work, so your logo will get additional visibility around town as they run errands. A branded badge holder helps get your company name and logo seen by post office clerks, restaurant workers, and dry-cleaners.
Custom Metal Key Tags Are Effective and High-Use
Metal key tags customized with your organization’s name are one of the best gifts you can give to reward your employees and subtly promote your company.
There’s a good chance your employee will begin to use it immediately, appreciating the reassuring weight of the metal and attractive, yet functional appearance. Thanks to the high perceived value of a metal key tag, it might stay in use for years or even decades. They can even become ingrained in the employee’s visual memory as a way to search for and identify their keys.
As the employee goes about their daily life, they take their keys out for more than just unlocking the car door. A custom metal key tag with your company name could be shown to any number of people, from the cashier scanning your employee’s loyalty program key fob to anyone watching them entertain a baby on the bus.
These are just three of the many options that can be used to start an effective employee appreciation campaign – and two out of these three are under $5 each! Raise employee engagement, increase morale, and market your company at the same time using custom promotional items. Southwest Solutions has the ability to create countless types of custom gifts to show your appreciation for your employees. If you feel proud of the gift you’re giving and confident it aligns with your overall brand, you can’t go wrong.
If you’re not sure how to choose impactful employee gifts that boost morale and support your marketing strategy, give us a call at (520) 207-1900 or send us a message for expert advice! We’d love to work with you to design promotional items that meet your employee appreciation goals and increase your brand presence.
