The $5,000 Swag Mistake: 7 Things to Check Before Ordering Promotional Products
By La Toya Olson
The $5,000 Swag Mistake
7 Things to Check BEFORE Placing a Large Promotional Product Order
Because finding out you made the wrong choice after 500 products arrive is a very expensive lesson.
Promotional products can be powerful marketing tools—but only when they're chosen strategically.
The wrong product, poor-quality decoration, an unexpected freight bill, or a missed event deadline can turn a great idea into thousands of dollars sitting in boxes.
Before approving your next promotional product order, check these 7 things first.
1. Are You Buying for Your Audience—or Yourself?
“I like it!” isn't enough.
The person choosing the promotional product isn't necessarily the person who will be using it.
Before ordering, ask:
Who is receiving this?
Think about their age, lifestyle, industry, interests and where they'll actually use the product.
A great promotional product should make the recipient think:
“Oh, I'll actually use this.”
Not:
“What am I supposed to do with this?”
Why it matters:
The more useful the product is to your audience, the longer they're likely to keep it—and the longer your brand stays in front of them.
2. What's Your REAL Goal?
Don't start with:
“We need some swag.”
Start with:
“What do we want this swag to accomplish?”
Are you trying to:
Generate leads?
Attract people to your tradeshow booth?
Thank an important client?
Increase brand awareness?
Launch a new product?
Reward employees?
Encourage referrals?
Get people to book an appointment?
Stay top-of-mind after an event?
Your goal should influence the product you choose.
Why it matters:
Promotional products shouldn't just carry your logo. They should support your marketing objective.
3. Have You Calculated the REAL Cost?
That $4.25 product isn't necessarily costing you $4.25.
Your final cost may also include:
Setup charges + decoration + additional print locations + freight + rush fees + taxes
Suddenly the product you thought fit your $5,000 budget doesn't.
Before approving an order, know your landed cost—not just the advertised product price.
Why it matters:
No surprise invoice.
No scrambling for additional budget.
No discovering halfway through the order that you've spent more than expected.
4. Will People Actually Keep It?
Here's one of the simplest tests you can use:
Would YOU throw this away?
If the answer is yes, there's a good chance your customers will too.
A $2 product someone throws away tomorrow may actually be a worse investment than an $8 product they use for two years.
Think about products that become part of someone's:
Desk. Car. Kitchen. Gym bag. Office. Travel bag. Daily routine.
Why it matters:
Every time they use it, your brand gets another impression.
Buy usefulness—not just quantity.
5. Is Your Logo Taking Over the Product?
Bigger isn't always better.
Businesses naturally want their logo to be seen.
But there's a point where merchandise stops looking like something someone wants to own and starts looking like an advertisement.
Consider whether the recipient would actually wear, carry or display the product outside of your event.
Sometimes a smaller logo, creative design, subtle placement or clever message can dramatically increase how often something gets used.
Why it matters:
The best branded merchandise doesn't always scream “PROMOTIONAL PRODUCT.”
If people love the product, they'll advertise your business willingly.
6. Did You Leave Enough Time?
This mistake can become expensive very quickly.
You need 500 products for an event.
The event is in two weeks.
Then you discover:
The colour you want isn't available.
Your quantity isn't in stock.
Your artwork needs fixing.
Production takes longer than expected.
Shipping gets delayed.
Now you're paying rush charges—or worse, your products arrive after the event.
Why it matters:
Ordering early gives you more product choices, more decoration options and less chance of paying unnecessary rush fees.
Your event date should be one of the FIRST things you tell your promotional products rep.
7. What Happens AFTER You Give It Away?
This is where promotional products can become much more powerful.
Instead of simply handing someone a product, ask:
What do we want them to do next?
Scan a QR code?
Enter a contest?
Book a consultation?
Visit your website?
Follow your company?
Request a quote?
Join your email list?
Refer someone?
Your promotional product can become part of a larger campaign instead of being the entire campaign.
Why it matters:
A giveaway gets attention. A strategy can turn that attention into a lead.
Before You Spend $5,000 on Swag...
Ask these 7 questions:
Who exactly are we giving this to?
What do we want the campaign to accomplish?
What's our true landed budget?
Will people actually keep the product?
Does the branding make the product more—or less—desirable?
Have we allowed enough production time?
What do we want the recipient to do next?
If you can't confidently answer all seven, don't place the order yet.
A few minutes of strategy before ordering could save you thousands of dollars—and dramatically improve the results of your campaign.
Don't Just Buy Swag. Make Your Swag Work.
At Go2Girl Promotional Products, you don't have to spend hours scrolling through thousands of promotional products trying to figure out what to buy.
Give us:
Your audience.
Your goal.
Your quantity.
Your budget.
Your deadline.
We'll help curate promotional product ideas that make sense for your campaign.
Not sure what to order?
That's exactly what we're here for.
Tell us about your next campaign and we'll help you find branded merchandise designed to be used, remembered—and get your business noticed.
Go2Girl Promotional Products
Your personal shopper for branded merchandise 💕