Welcoming new hires to your company with an onboarding pack is a great way to demonstrate your ethos and make your new employees feel valued. Onboarding packs, or swag boxes, usually contain a range of branded products that are both practical and fun, such as reusable mugs, desktop items and edible treats, as well as promotional training materials such as a staff handbook or training documents. Getting your onboarding packs right will encourage employees to invest in their new company, boost morale and ensure they feel included even if they work remotely.
Promotional products are designed to share your logo or brand message with the world and selecting items that reflect the values of your company can speak volumes about the way you work. Your branding on products that are practical, attractive and eco-friendly will show your new team members that you are a thoughtful, ethical business and they will be likely to use your products over and over again. Designing your range of promotional products to integrate your company colours and logo can help to promote a cohesive company image and is a great way to spread your brand reach as your new employees use their products outside the office, or even re-gift them.
Essential Promotional Products for New Hires
There are many different types of promotional merchandise and choosing products that suit your business and appeal to the demographic of your new employees is the best way to make the most of the onboarding opportunity. We know that some promotional products work better than others and our recommendations often include:
Branded Desk Essentials
We have a great range of promotional desktop items, including customised notebooks, pens and notepads. You can choose your favourites depending on your company values and your budget, being aware that a branded recycled paper notebook would be a popular low-cost item while a branded Moleskine journal would be a high-value item that has a lasting impact on the recipient. Providing branded desktop essentials that your employees will use on a daily basis in their onboarding packs is cost-effective and provides opportunities for brand exposure, and it also enhances the feeling of being welcomed and valued within the company.
Reusable Drinkware
Reusable cups and mugs are an excellent addition to your employee welcome kits, providing a thoughtful gift that your employees will use throughout the day at their desks or at home. Recycled reusable cups and cups or mugs made from sustainable materials can reflect your environmentally friendly values and show your employees that you have thought about them – particularly in light of the coffee levy in Ireland, which means you’ll be saving them money on disposable coffee cups, too! Sports bottles and water bottles are also popular options for onboarding packs since these are used on a daily basis by many people and give great opportunities for brand exposure as they are taken to the gym, on days out and more.
Branded Clothing
If you have a uniform at work, this can be an opportunity to share your logo widely. If not, however, you can still create a range of branded clothing that allows you to share your logo or brand message with the world. Branded t-shirts and jackets are often a good choice, and we especially love branded seasonal wear, such as hats and gloves, that can be easily added to an onboarding pack and will be much appreciated by employees starting their new job in the winter months. In the summer, you might opt for branded baseball caps or even sun cream, and you can be sure that your employees will appreciate your thoughtfulness and care.
Branded Tech Products
One of the most popular promotional product categories of all is tech products, which are highly desirable and useful at home and in the office. Phone chargers, power banks and wireless earphones are among our most popular choices, and bluetooth speakers are another highly valued option. Many of our tech products are made from bamboo, a sustainable resource, giving you another opportunity to demonstrate that your company is an ethical and responsible employer. Tech products are a high-value gift, usually involving a bigger investment in your onboarding packs, but the return on investment (ROI) is excellent here and we highly recommend including this sort of gift in your packs if your budget allows.
A Personal Touch
Putting your onboarding packs together with care enables you to include a personal touch such as a personalised welcome note, which will increase onboarding engagement and boost employee satisfaction. Carefully curating your packs to include a range of practical and desirable gifts is a great way to ensure continuous improvement in onboarding and we can help you to make the most of industry trends in promotional merchandise to get the best outcomes for your business.
Feedback from your recipients can be helpful in developing your company culture merchandise, and you can adapt your promotional product choices accordingly. Forbes writes, ‘Promotional giveaways should be relevant to your brand… get creative with your offerings and never scrimp on quality’. This is relevant to your promotional product strategy as a whole as well as your onboarding process, and we can help you to design and create unique promotional gifts that you can use throughout your marketing strategy.
Talk to the Experts at Connect Promotions
Here at Connect Promotions, we have many years of experience in promotional marketing and we can help you to design a foolproof strategy to make the most of promotional products in onboarding. We understand the industry trends in promotional merchandise and we can work with you to boost your brand reach and optimise your outcomes. We will walk you through the process of conceptualising and creating a promotional range that works for your business, and we will deliver your products to you or to your event worldwide. Talk to our friendly team today to find out more about working together.
