22 Merch Ideas To Spread Brand Awareness

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People are tactile beings. We love to hold and feel things. That’s why merchandising is a reasonable form of advertising. People who love your brand will go the extra mile to spend on products that have your logos.

To step up your advertising game, we present 22 cool and unique merchandise ideas you can sell or give away. They’re not only cheap; most people also love them because of their usability and beauty. So let’s hop on and actualize these ideas for your next merch planning. 

• Tote bags

Tote bags have become more relevant these past few years because of increasing interest in sustainable products. As people get less interested in plastic bags, more people find love in tote bags.

The best part, they are easy and cheap to make in bulk. And you have unlimited options to customize— either through embroidery or printing. Placing your brand name is that easy. In hours, you’ll have mass-produced merch that your loyal followers could go crazy over.

• Plant pots

Since the pandemic started, people have eased their day-to-day lockdown anxieties through planting. So if you’re looking for a fantastic way to market your business, look no further. Shower your followers’ raging obsession by creating cute and artsy plant pots.

Pots are cheap and even welcome your creative stint. You can make it any shape and any materials you desire. There’s ceramic, plastic, metal, and wood at your disposal. But what really is cool is that you can plaster your brand name in it in ways that are not tacky. You can put it below the pot. Or you can lessen the size.

• Power banks

Nowadays, where phones are a necessity, who doesn’t need a reliable power bank? Almost always, a power bank saves the day.

In the past, power banks were costly, usually around a thousand dollars. They’re often big and bulky. In short, they’re not that accessible. But not today. You can get them cheap if you buy them in bulk from a trusted tech manufacturer. It’s easy to customize too. Then give them away as gifts during Christmas parties, during events, local outreach, etc.

• Pouches

Pouches will surely be a crowd favorite. Everyone needs something to hold all those paper, cards, and chords lumping in our bags.

Pouches are made of cheap materials. And they can also be environmentally sustainable because they can be reused over and over. Adopt your brand colors in creating one; then, you’ll have a branded pouch ready for giveaways or to raise brand awareness. 

• Tumblers

Get your brand name up in the crowd with a customized tumbler. Everyone is fed up with plastic bottles and containers today. Hence, it’s relevant more than ever to carry a sturdy water bottle.

So if you have a tumbler merch, expect people to spend money on it. You get unlimited options to brand tumblers. It’s easy to print logo stickers or have brand names carved on the bottle. Either way, tumblers, in their usability and sustainability, will surely get a market share.

• Mason jars

Mason jars have been receiving some love lately. More people prefer glass materials over plastic. And mason jars can be used as anything — as plant pots, water containers, dishwashing soap containers, etc.

Since everyone loves Mason jars, everyone will come up running when you give them at events in exchange for some good old word-of-mouth marketing. 

• Pens

As usual, pens have been at the forefront of merch advertising. And why not? It’s super easy to get, very cheap, and you can name it every way you want. You can carve your logo or put some stickers or embellish its box and many other forms of branding. 

• Caps

Caps are not everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re still excellent promotional products. Give it or sell it — either way, it places your brand name up there to be recognized. Embroidery works to rebrand such cloth-based products. 

• Speakers 

You can never go wrong with tech products for promotion. Speakers are one of those favorite tech products. A little bit pricey compared to other products such as pens and shirts, but speakers are harder to get. So it will surely be a crowd favorite in promotional events. So there are more chances for people to spread the word about your brand. 

• Umbrellas 

Umbrellas are a necessity. That’s a fact. So no one can turn them away, especially when given for free. And even if you wish to sell such merch, people will still buy tough, not to mention beautiful umbrellas.

Umbrellas are made of cheap materials that can be easily mass-produced and easy to rebrand, sell, or give away. Plus, because of its widespread use, your brand name will be visible widely.

• Stickers

If you don’t have much money to create expensive materials for merchandise, you might use stickers. Just print out cute and artsy images or sticker papers and give them free handouts to promotional events. Make sure not to cramp the stickers with logos and names as they may tend to be unuseful. 

• Stationery

The stationery is cheap and pretty. Plus, you get so many ways to place your name on everything: on papers, on pens, on rulers, on highlighters, etc. Especially if your demographics are kids and girls, stationery materials are the best product to catch their attention while spreading your brand’s goodness and beauty.

• Keychains

Keychains are popular giveaways at events for reasons like it’s cute, small, and cheap. But there are better ways to make your keychains as unique as possible. This can be with small usable things such as keychain lighters, keychain bottle openers, keychain pens, keychain picture frames, etc.

• Reusable straws

Save the turtles! A lot of people nowadays see the importance of using sustainable things in their everyday consumption. Examples include glass bottles and the most famous — reusable straws.

This is all the more important for people who love drinking coffee and other beverage takeouts. So why not capitalize on this movement, either to spread awareness or to just earn money. There are many ways you can repackage metal and glass straws so people will always carry your brand name.

• Utensils / Cutlery

This is another mundane product that everybody will just love to have. And like reusable straws, you can use this to market your sustainable brand. Plus, you can choose from several environmentally friendly materials: wood, metal, glass. Then you can carve your name on it pretty quickly. Or you can also stitch your name on its package, usually made of thick cotton, or engrave it on a wooden box. Either way works as a tool to disseminate your brand identity out into the world.

• Alcohol / Sanitizers

If there’s one thing people value more nowadays, it’s alcohol. So giving them free rubbing alcohol with your brand name in it entails likeness and conversation. Plus, you can buy a generic container and purchase alcohol in bulk, so you’ll have repackaged and branded sanitizers in time.

• Gym / Yoga Bands

Gym bands are cheap to make. And it’s relatively easy to rebrand. Once you get a good quality band supplier, you can hire a printing agency to repackage the generic gym bands and make them your own.

• Champagne

If you’re part of the liquor and food industry, champagne could be excellent promotional material. Either for selling or giveaways, no one would reject a nice bottle of champagne. Yes, it’s luxurious, and because it’s extravagant, everyone would start talking about the brand’s name once they get their hands and taste it. 

• Tape Measure

Tape measure — another effective merch product that almost everyone will find helpful. Guaranteed you won’t spend a thousand dollars to make these. And they’re also customizable. You can put your logos in hidden places and still retain their valuable features.

• Scented Candles

Since many people stay at home these days, the interest in house products skyrocketed. Interior products such as scented candles are avid favorites because they instantly level up a house’s coziness.

So make sure you use this product as part of your merchandising strategies. It’s easy to make one if you choose to. And the raw materials are inexpensive enough. Or you can choose to buy them from a small business owner. 

• Soaps

For hygiene brands, soaps are excellent merch products. By using a few cheap ingredients, you can create your soap in no time. And even if you decide to buy in bulk, lots of freelance soap makers offer customized products. This means, at a small amount, your business will have created a beautiful signature soap.

• Socks

Not many brands use this, but this is another cheap way to promote your brand if your business is part of the garment industry. Why not? Everyone uses socks in one way or another, at work or home.

And you have hundreds of options to design it the way you see fit. Incorporate the colors of the brand and also the style. Make it quirky and fun or minimal and monotone, depending on the personality of your business. And own it by embroidering your logo and brand name.

Final Words

A merch material can only be advantageous if it shows your brand name and logo on it. Because otherwise, you lose that chance to spread brand awareness and boost recognition. There are easy ways you can design a logo through DIY logo maker tools or have them professionally designed along with your other branding materials.

But whatever industry you’re in, merchandise products are easy ways you can penetrate your target market without overly spending a significant amount. So try these ideas and see if it works on your brand. Write down in the comments if you have other best merch ideas.