At this very moment, I have on my desk a small, plastic, yellow slinky. The name Home Depot is written across the side of it in black letters. I received this slinky in the mail a few years ago with a colorfully printed advertisement. Here it still sits on my desk, and here the company name remains, always in front of me. What do you think is going to happen each time I need to buy some kind of hardware? What company do you think I am going to immediately remember and pay a visit to?

Here lies the power of giving away free things. I have a pen on my desk with the name Railway Service Contractors written across the side. I have never needed to by a train, but I suppose if I ever do, I will know where to go, just as your customers will when they have something that they need from your company. What you give away can vary greatly. Knowing your audience is the best way of getting their attention by giving them something they can really use.

When people receive a letter in the mail and they just know it is an advertisement, what are the odds they will even bother to open it? However, what happens when a box shows up? Who can resist opening it and seeing what they have been sent? What are they going to find in that box? Make it something you know they will love, and right on top of it they will find your advertisement. Use your color printing effectively to make sure the advertisement is just as fun to look at as whatever you are giving them for free. In those moments after the box has been opened you have the person hooked, so why not take advantage of it as much as you can?

Get creative in what you send them. What does a slinky have to do with home improvement? Does it really matter? That is not to say the standard pens, calendars, penlights, or mini-staplers are not perfectly fine things to give people free. They have stood the test of time for a reason, but there is still something to say for the creative giveaways that stick with a person for years to come.

The goal when sending anything to people is to get them to take interest in your company. Sending an advertisement in an envelope is cheaper, true, but it is also more likely to be ignored. Giveaways can create a memorable experience that ensures the people will carry your product name with them for long after they first receive it. Just remember to put that colorfully printed advertisement in the box along with it. After all, you have their attention, so you had better make the most of it.