Whether you’re a brand new business or a longtime establishment looking to explore new marketing avenues, this blog is the resource you need to get started with promo!

When our clients are trying to build a promo collection, we always recommend beginning with the basics. These are the tried-and-true marketing staples that businesses have relied on for decades to spread awareness and get people talking about their brand. With the classics doing the heavy lifting at the beginning of your promo journey, you can begin experimenting with new items over time to build out a well-rounded promo line.

We argue that the promo basics - the quintessential branded items for any industry - can be boiled down into five categories: T-shirts, Hoodies, Hats, Pens, and Drinkware. Each of these items is broadly applicable to a wide audience, and can easily become a part of your customers’ daily lives. Read on to learn why each one is a great choice for promo beginners, and see some of our top recommendations by category.

T-Shirts

It doesn’t get any more classic than branded t-shirts, and their ubiquity and versatility are what earns them the top spot on our promo basics list. From employee or volunteer uniforms to workout attire, pajamas, or a casual dressed-down look, t-shirts can be used in all sorts of ways. Moreover, wearing a t-shirt representing a favourite band, store, or sports team is a form of self-expression that people of all ages have been using for over half a century!

The bottom line is that t-shirts are a necessary staple for any promotional apparel line. To start your branded clothing collection on the right foot, you can’t go wrong with this comfy unisex t-shirt from Gildan. This high-quality, mid-weight shirt is a blank slate, ready to be customized for your unique business and audience.

Hoodies

Hoodies, like t-shirts, have earned their spot in the promotional apparel hall of fame. Just like t-shirts, hoodies offer a wearable form of self-expression that is easily noticeable and quite versatile. Plus, they’re even more comfortable!

A hoodie or sweatshirt can be found in pretty much everyone’s wardrobe, making them an obvious choice for any promo collection, especially in the fall and winter months when coziness becomes a priority and your customers become more likely to choose heavier clothing options or layer sweaters on top of their shirts. The Bella + Canvas Unisex Sponge Fleece Pullover Hoodie provides the perfect base from which to create your ideal promo hoodie. It’s available in a whopping 30 colour options and a wide range of sizes from XS to 3XL!

Baseball Caps

Baseball caps aren’t just a summer thing anymore, they’re a year-round accessory, and they’re worn by everyone from kids' sports teams to stylish trendsetters, to outdoor enthusiasts. Not to mention, they’re commonly included in staff uniforms at many customer-facing businesses.

If you’re going to include one piece of outerwear or headwear in this year’s promo haul, it’s got to be a baseball cap. Take it from us, year after year, caps are one of our hottest promotional items! Our simple but stylish Medium Weight Unstructured Cap is a great piece to start with to keep your promo designs clean, versatile, and appealing to a broad audience.

Pens & Drinkware

If we had to choose two non-wearable promo items for a beginner promo collection, we’d have to opt for pens and drinkware. Both are incredibly common promotional items that possess their own unique strengths.

On one hand, custom-branded pens might just be the ideal giveaway in educational, business, or corporate settings. Pens provide a high-use, lightweight, compact, and inexpensive product to spread your branding far and wide. If that all sounds good to you, you may want to consider the plastic , or metal Ritz Pen as your next promo product - two of our current favourites.

On the other hand, drinkware like mugs and water bottles represent a product category used by pretty much everyone. Plus, they offer a larger surface area for your business logo, which makes them more likely to be noticed in public spaces or areas where people aren’t likely to need a pen. The 11oz. Full Colour coffee mug offers you complete creativity for your custom design, while the 16 oz. Swig stainless steel bottle is a durable drinkware option to take on the go.

For more great resources to guide you through the promo process, make sure to keep up with our blog, where we’re always posting our best marketing tips and hot product features!