What Is a Swag Box?

There’s a lot of hype surrounding swag boxes these days, but do they really live up to the hype? Are they worth the investment? Swag boxes can be beneficial for all different types of businesses — including yours. 

So here’s what you need to know about swag boxes and how you can create some of your own: 

What Is a Swag Box?

A swag box is a box that’s filled with branded merchandise and promotional products. These products don’t necessarily need to be anything spectacular or particularly valuable. Instead, they just need to be useful and fun. They should also match your brand vibe and aesthetic.

What’s the Purpose of a Swag Box?

Why would you spend money on these boxes? What’s in it for you? Here are some of the different reasons why swag boxes can be beneficial: 

• Build rapport: Swag boxes help build rapport with recipients. It shows them that you’re going above and beyond. It shows them that you care. You’re speaking their language through free stuff. 
• Promote your brand: Swag boxes also help you promote your brand. These boxes are filled with tons of branded items that can essentially market your brand for you. Recipients can show off these items and spread the word about your amazing brand and great products. 
• Incentives: Swag boxes can also act as incentives to get people to complete a certain action. Say you want to increase sign-ups for an event or even your email list. You can offer a swag box as an incentive so that all sides benefit. 

What Are the Different Types of Swag Boxes?

There are four different types of swag boxes to choose from: swag boxes for employees, customers, events, and marketing. You can choose to use any combination of these four to benefit your business.

1. Employee Swag Boxes

You can provide swag boxes to your employees to show them that you value their hard work. After all, a company is only as good as its employees. You can provide swag boxes to new hires during the onboarding process to get them excited about their new career journey. 

You can provide swag boxes to top employees to act as an incentive for better performance while also showing appreciation. Finally, you can use swag boxes to celebrate reaching company milestones. 

2. Customer Swag Boxes

You can provide swag boxes to your customers to show them that you appreciate their business. Swag boxes are going to impress your customers and help you win brownie points over the competition. 

You can provide swag boxes as part of a customer loyalty program — effectively incentivizing repeat purchases. You can also provide swag boxes to new clients to start the relationship off on the right foot. 

3. Event Swag Boxes

You can provide swag boxes to event recipients as a “thank you” for their attendance. This is especially important in virtual events. Swag boxes can help bridge the gap between the online world and reality thanks to fun, cool, and useful products. 

4. Marketing Swag Box

Finally, you can provide swag boxes for marketing and promotional purposes. For instance, you can provide swag boxes to prospective clients to help win them over. You can provide swag boxes to online influencers to boost your marketing efforts. Finally, swag boxes can help market and promote your brand indirectly. 

Say you gave a top customer a swag box with a bunch of branded products. They then use those products in their everyday lives and it sparks a conversation with a friend, family member, colleague, etc. You now have a potential new customer as a result of your swag box. 

How to Create Your Own Swag Box?

Creating your own swag box is easy if you follow the right steps. Here’s what you need to do to create an effectively branded swag box: 

Step 1: What Type of Swag Boxes Do You Need?

First, you need to decide what type of swag boxes you need. Are you looking for employee boxes? Customer boxes? Event boxes? Marketing boxes? All of the above? 

Determine where your needs are and choose accordingly. Perhaps you could start out with one type of box and expand to others as your needs and business change. 

Employee boxes are always a great place to start. This is especially true right now when many employees have been working from home for such a long time and might be feeling burnt out. Providing your employees with a swag box is a small gesture that can go a long way. 

Step 2: How Many Boxes Do You Need?

Next, you need to determine how many boxes you need. Determining this ahead of time will help you set your budget and find the best deals for your swag products if you’re able to shop in bulk. 

Obviously, making this determination will be easier for certain types of boxes than others. If you’re making employee boxes, you only need enough for all of your employees. On the other hand, if you’re making marketing boxes, the amount is really up to your discretion. 

Step 3: How Much Can You Spend Per Box?

From there, you can set your per-box budget. Think of swag boxes as an investment that will earn you a return. At the same time, keep in mind that swag boxes don’t have to be incredibly expensive in order to be effective. 

Step 4: What Items Are You Putting in the Box?

Now it’s time for the fun part — choosing what types of items you’re putting in the boxes. Make sure to include a range of different items. It’s also a good idea to include complementary items. 

Some great things to include in swag boxes include t-shirts, reusable water bottles, sunglasses, notebooks, pens, socks, and more. 

Step 5: Choose, Design, and Order the Boxes

While the contents of your swag box are important, the box itself is important too. You should use branded boxes to match your branded swag items. 

Working with a company like Box Genie can help you come up with the perfect box type and design for your swag boxes. You may also want to consider incorporating packaging extras like inserts and fillers to further add to the experience. 

Step 6: Distribute the Boxes

Once everything has been ordered, you can assemble and distribute your swag boxes. If you want to add a more personal touch, you can include a handwritten note to your employees or customers. 

Wrap Up on Swag Boxes

Swag boxes are a great way to go above and beyond while staying connected in an increasingly virtual world. If you’re interested in using swag boxes for your next event or marketing initiative, reach out to Box Genie. Box Genie can help you create custom swag boxes that incorporate your brand colors, font, logos, and more. 

You can either create your box from scratch or use one of our pre-made templates. If you need any help along the way, you can always reach out to our experts for tailored recommendations and assistance. 

Sources:

1. How to Improve Your SWAG Efforts in the 21st Century | Forbes
2. How to Host a Virtual Event: Your Guide From Planning to Presenting | Eventbrite
3. 33 Sensational Swag Bag Ideas for Work, Events, & Clients | SnackNation