Editor's note: We've revised this post for relevancy and product updates. Enjoy our refreshed content, featuring the best swag ideas for sustainable marketing!
Real talk: the handle-free paper bags peddled by your local supermarket are the least effective way to get your groceries to the fridge in one piece. Are they great for the environment? Maybe. Are they useful? Jury's out. Do they leave you wishing for a bag with handles? Definitely. Although reusable shopping bags and custom totes are not new on the sustainability scene, their popularity has risen over the past decade, thanks, in part, to the prevalence of social media.
Think about the last time you bought a product or tried a new hack: chances are, you saw a friend, a family member, or maybe even a social media influencer using it first. This phenomenon is referred to as social proof - the increased likelihood that, if something is promoted as normal, we're apt to follow suit. Consumers want to feel good about the purchasing decisions they make and will use indicators of social proof - like online reviews, recommendations, and social media promotion - to validate their decisions. So, if a friend or a social media influencer is showing off how useful their reusable custom totes are, you might just feel inclined to grab a set - and feel a little better about yourself in the process.
The buzz over sustainability isn't news, but it is growing, thanks to a huge social network of feedback, finds, and hacks for "going green", from social media swag influencers like Eco TikTok and Green Living Instagram.
Smart marketers are jumping on this trend by promoting products - like custom reusable totes - geared toward eco-conscious consumers, and building brand awareness in the process.
Don't believe us? Check your stash of reusable bags. That canvas tote with a popular magazine's logo? Marketing. The collapsible cooler you received with your last (soul-crushing) fill-up at the pump? You guessed it - marketing. Custom totes and custom shopping bags are incredible promotional marketing tools because they're designed to be reused. While branded pens or custom stickers might end up in the trash, custom totes serve a purpose.
💡Need more sustainable swag ideas?
Customers want to be reassured of a company’s sustainability efforts. What better way to show green initiatives by associating your brand with an eco-friendly product? Not only is it eco-friendly, but the reusable bag is the solution to a destructive alternative. According to Inspiration Green, over the course of one person’s lifetime they will remove more than 20,000 plastic bags from the environment if they rely on their reusable bags instead of using plastic.
Water-Resistant Farmers Tote |
Custom Tote with leather Tag |
Custom Woven Tote |
|
|
Customers want to be reassured of a company’s sustainability efforts. What better way to show green initiatives by associating your brand with an eco-friendly product? Not only is it eco-friendly, but the reusable bag is the solution to a destructive alternative. According to Inspiration Green, each person that switches from single-use plastics to reusable shopping bags will keep more than 20,000 plastic bags out of our landfills and oceans.
Branded mesh market tote |
Custom Trolley Bags |
Custom Cooler Tote |
|
|
|
|
Custom reusable totes are multifunctional, and allow for high brand perceptibility. In fact, ASI estimates that a reusable bag generates an average of 5772 impressions over the course of its use - more than any other promotional product. With generous surface area for your custom logo or message and multiple imprint options, custom totes and reusable shopping bags are a marketing promo MVP!
🔎 More ways to build brand awareness here!
Mini Vinyl Shopper |
Collapsible Custom Tote |
|
|
With an average blank cost of $2-10 per unit, a reusable shopping bag’s cost-per-impression amounts to pennies on the dollar. Here are a few of our favorite ways to incorporate this eco-friendly marketing promo in your next campaign:
Fill a custom tote with branded marketing swag for your next event. Customize a reusable bag, add a pen with your logo, some snacks, and a branded custom water bottle. Top the whole thing off with an itinerary for your event and you've got a perfect swag bag for conferences!
Customize reusable totes with your logo and give them away at your tradeshow! Tradeshow attendees carry around loads of marketing materials. Why not give them a helpful, custom-branded way to carry around all of that swag? Custom reusable totes are simple to buy and customize in bulk, pack nicely, and are super-convenient for carrying small items.
Say thank you to subscribers with custom swag bags. Reusable totes are a simple and cost-effective way to thank someone for their business, and their usefulness will ensure that your logo will be on display the next time your subscribers head to run errands or hit the farmer's market.
💡 Grab a free sample pack, and see how we're doing sustainable swag differently.
Custom Product Ideas For Business Travel
Best Swag ideas For Hybrid Teams
Incorporating Custom Swag In Your Marketing Strategy