To find out how to better market my business I did a little survey in a Facebook group of 3k+ women.
I asked the following question: If you could get a freebie, what would you think is useful to you?
The overwhelming response was … Pens.
Say what?
Yup, pens.
I wasn’t really shocked though.
When I go to someone’s home, I usually find over 100 pens (half of which do not work!)
Lesson of the day: stop taking freebie pens!
Another popular answer?
Reusable tote bags.
To be honest, this is one of the first things people ask me to recycle for them. Usually, these freebie bags are not a good size or made of strong enough material to actually be useful.
Next on the list – water bottles.
When I organize a kitchen, inevitably I am getting rid of at least five unwanted water bottles that my client got for free.
What do all these items have in common?
They are cheap to produce and in the off chance you DO use it, you remember the company that gave it to you.
The thing is though, that by taking these free items, you devalue the item.
One woman commented on the post saying, “I love free pens because I never know where my pens are so I always take more!“
If you invest in a good pen, you will always know where it is and you will want to take care of it.
Why? Because you paid for it and took the time to choose the one you liked.
By taking these freebies, we encourage this type of marketing.
If we refuse these items, we send a clear message to companies that we do not need these products- if no one takes them they will stop producing them. (Thus saving the environment of useless plastic items that most likely get thrown away).
The exception to this is when a company gives out a top-of-the-line product, then people really take care of it! (Hint hint, iRobots as the new freebie!)
No matter what the item may be, I am not willing to take or give an item as a freebie that someone may not even get the full use out of, let alone recycle it properly when they’re done using it!
Which promo items will you stop taking?
Which have you found useful and why?
I really want to know- so drop a comment below.
If you are drowning in pens, or other freebie items around your house and want to declutter- book a Done In A Day Declutter session today!