Serving up an effective business gift should be done with some thought. One of the most thoughtful and well received promotional gifts to give is a Custom Water Bottle. Here's why...
- They get reused - Environmentally Friendly
- Daily use gets your brand noticed frequently
- Versatile - Good for Water, Coffee, or even Skittles!
With so many choices, selecting the right promotional Water Bottle can be a daunting task. Here are some considerations to guide you in your decision.
Purpose
Understand why you're giving away a free Custom Water Bottle to someone. If it was as simple as giving away a free water bottle, you could go to Target and buy a cheap water bottle and hand it to them. That totally misses the point.
Face it, the real reason that businesses and events give away custom water bottles is to have their Brand remembered.
PROMOTIONAL
If I sent you a free Stainless Steel Tumbler with my company logo & website URL printed on it, you would understand my intention. I would hope that the next time you were looking for custom printed drinkware you would consider browsing my company's website to find what you need. That Brand Recognition can lead to a sale.
THANK YOU GIFT
Unlike a gift card or cash that is forgotten shortly after they're spent, a high-quality water bottle will leave a long-lasting impression. Your Gratitude will be remembered for months, if not years, to come. Don't go cheap for this purpose. Spend enough to let them know that you're truly grateful for their efforts.
SOUVENIRS
Giving attendees a water bottle printed with an event and date remind them that you shared a good memory with them. A Company Picnic, a Conference, or a Fun Run are all events that scream out for souvenirs. The image printed on these souvenirs is more important than the actual bottle. AND they may return for next year's event to add to their collection.
Consider the Recipient
Don't focus on the Water Bottle yet.
Next to understanding your Purpose for giving the Custom Water Bottle, your recipient is the most important consideration in choosing the right one to give. Here are some things to consider about the recipient...
- Occupation - Executive? Retail Store Employee? Salesperson?
- Lifestyle - Active? Desk Jockey? Commuter?
- Age - Youth? Boomer? Senior?
- Event Attendee - Business? Family? Competitive?
You may not have the answers to all of these questions unless your recipients are a very specific group like a High School Men's Volleyball Team.
More often than not, you'll need to make some general assumptions about the group you're giving the water bottle gift to. Any common demographics can help.
Employees of all ages that work in the office at a desk provides you with enough to know they drive to work and have desk space. A coffee travel tumbler would be a good choice for this group.
A little thought about the recipient will help you determine your budget, the style, and the material of the promotional water bottle gift to give.
Budget
Now that you know the WHY and the WHO, you can start to focus on the Drinkware.
Budget is the first consideration that most companies start with in finding the right drinkware gift. Let's be honest though, a $3.00 plastic tumbler will definitely miss the mark for saying thank you to a C-level executive. On the flip side of that, giving a teenager a $20.00 Stainless Coffee Travel Mug probably isn't the best use of your budget either.
Quantity will have an effect on your decision process because the final budget is what has to be approved. That $20.00 Stainless Travel Mug is easier to sell to the boss if you're only giving them to 50 people.
Looking at your final total budget for the project and the number of people you are giving the gift to will determine a price range for the water bottle gift.
PROs and CONs of Water Bottle Materials
How the drinkware will be used can help you determine which style to choose from.
Cost: $3.00 - $75.00
PROs
- Durable
- High perceived value
- Long Lasting
- Recyclable
- Most are dishwasher safe
- Holds hot or cold liquids
CONs
- Heavier than Aluminum or Plastic
- Heats up in hot temperatures
Cost: $3.00 - $20.00
PROs
- Lightweight
- Recyclable
- Holds hot or cold liquids
- Most are dishwasher safe
CONs
- Easily dents
- Heats up in hot temperatures
Cost: $3.00 - $20.00
PROs
- Taste free
- Long Lasting
- High perceived value
- Hold hot or cold liquids
- Dishwasher safe
CONs
- Breakable
- Pricier Option
- Heavy
- Not for active use
Cost:$1.00 - $3.00
PROs
- Affordable
- Lightweight
- Freezable
- Recyclable
- Easy to clean
CONs
- Not for hot liquids
- Can have odd taste
Get started...
If you search the internet for "Cool custom water bottles" or contact your local promotional products company and ask for "What's new in water bottles", you'll be just as confused as you were before you read this article.
Hopefully I gave you the questions to ask yourself that will help narrow down your options and guide you in choosing the right custom water bottle for your business or event.
Once you answer these questions you can get started in your search by knowing more about what you need. Armed with your purpose, knowledge of your audience and what you can spend to make your project successful.