February 17, 2023

SWAG. Stuff we all get. It’s fun and it’s funny. And for lots of people on the receiving end, it’s free!

SWAG is stuff businesses give away. Too often, it gets treated that way.

If you are a business owner, be very careful about your SWAG.

The “Stuff We All Get” that you give says a lot about you as a business. It lasts. It reminds. It brands your business. One way or the other.

Let’s say you are handing out uniforms to the team, maybe safety colored shirts for workforce or logo t-shirts for the crew. Or, let's say you order a few boxes of designed company shirts to give away at the customer appreciation event.

And let’s say you go with the cheapest quote.

Here’s what happens, in chronological order:

1. She grabs her gear and says "Thank You" with a big smile on her face.
2. She puts it on and the smile dims.
3. She wears it to work, or chooses to leave it in the drawer. No one is smiling now.

That problem is exponential. Customers are hard to keep, and staff is even harder. Now more than ever, everything that you do matters. Even more if it has your name on it.

Your promotional budget is tight and it needs to be. Especially with lower priced competition threatening to steal your lunch. It’s hard to fight that, and sometimes it seems smart to resort to cost cutting. Remember though, no one wins a race to the bottom.

Your brand matters. A little bit more spent on quality, expertise and excellence can mean everything to brand identity, reputation and loyalty.

Business is hard today, and every dollar saved counts. So does every dollar that is spent.