In my small hometown, businesses work together one night in October to provide a fun-filled Harvest Night for the community and as a way to market their business. A hay ride travels up and down main street shuttling people who want to fill their ‘visit downtown businesses’ card. Each participating business stamps a visitor’s card, and when the card is full, it gets turned in to the business council for a surprise gift. Some businesses just stamp the card. Most, however, giveaway something and, wisely, use this night as a marketing tool. Here are is a marketing plan for business giveaways during such an event:
 
If I were one of these downtown businesses, my first choice would be to either giveaway large, imprinted, empty goodie bags or helium filled balloons. The sidewalks and roads are full of people on Harvest Night, and as they use an imprinted bag to gather goodies, they will be walking billboards. The same goes for the helium balloons. Everyone with children will be begged to stop at the business that has helium balloons, and those logoed balloons will proclaim the company information all night long.
 
Because the marketing purpose of these bags or balloons is specifically advertising on Harvest Night, the logoes need to be large, easily read and simple: just a company name. Contact information, if any, could be in very small print. The point of the bag/balloon giveaway is to encourage all visitors to come to that particular business that night. If they know the location of the business, then visitors more easily become customers when they need to buy.
 
However, a company would be short-sighted to stop at only an imprinted bag or balloon. True, their advertising lasts all night, but also true, their advertising doesn’t last beyond the night. And neither does any contact information on it. Accompanying the bag or balloon should be a promotional item with contact information that is longer lasting.
 
One of my favorite giveaways is imprinted mint cards. They’re inexpensive, useful and small enough that people keep them in handy places and use them often, come in cool colors, and have a nice imprint area to show contact information.
 
My second recommendation is imprinted magnet picture frames. Most people attending the Harvest Fair have children, and people with children love to put up photos of their children. There are Halloween versions available, but for longevity, I’d suggest a simple geometric shaped frame. An imprinted magnet picture frame will go straight to the refrigerator, and the refrigerator door is prime logo real estate.

A marketing plan like this: that includes very visible logo placement the night of the event, with an imprinted giveaway with longer life and company contact information, will help a company be remembered when customers start thinking about buying.