People – as both consumers and employees – keep about 10 promotional products at any one time, including pens, T-shirts, tote bags and drinkware, that they like and use for an average of between six to eight months in their homes and offices.

The longer a person keeps a product branded with your company name and logo around, the more your business name stays on their mind. Plus, people often share or pass on these products (think a logoed pen or mug) when they’re done with them, giving your logo even more valuable views.

If you’re considering adding promotional products to your marketing and employee retention efforts, here are the 10 types of promotional products that people will use consistently all year:

1. Outerwear:

Among the promo wearables that get used – and seen – the most often, branded outerwear (think: winter jackets, rain coats, parkas, hoodies and more) is a good investment. Companies use jackets as part of their employee uniforms, special employee gifts, customer giveaways and branded merchandise for sale. For example, some higher-end car dealerships even give customers a fleece jacket with the car brand and logo laser etched onto the front. The more appealing the garment, in terms of style, colour, technical features like water resistance, and durability, the more often a user will wear it, offering your brand almost unlimited exposure.

Tip: When you’re considering what type of promo items to invest in, custom apparel is among the most effective tools – consider jackets, hoodies, T-shirts and more.

2. Tote bags:

A pretty ubiquitous item, tote bags can be used anywhere by anyone, and they’ll definitely be reused. For example, if you give every attendee at a trade show a branded tote, they’ll carry their brochures and add extra collateral as they visit various vendor booths on the tradeshow floor. When they return home, they’ll most likely use that bag when they go shopping, hit the gym or head to school. Plus, these bags come in various sizes, dimensions and colours to fit all brands – and you can screen print, digitally print, sublimate, embroider or attach a heat transfer to them.

Fun fact: The average tote’s lifespan is equal to that of more than 700 disposable bags. If you include a tag or note with your gifted bag, include a fact like this along with a message about your company’s commitment to the environment and reducing your carbon footprint.

3. Drinkware:

Here’s another item that anyone, anywhere will welcome and use over and over. Consider investing in drinkware in the form of coffee or tea mugs, travel mugs, water bottles, fancier plastic or glass commemorative cups, or wine glasses. These items fit into lots of packages: employee (or customer) welcome packages, wellness program kickoffs, event giveaways and more. Again, because there are so many styles, colours and types, you’ll easily be able to find drinkware that matches your brand, giveaway theme and ideal user.

4. Smartphone accessories:

About 66% of Australian adults own a smartphone and that number is projected to rise to 74% by 2022. Tap into these promising statistics with branded items like phone cases, phone stands, earbuds and headphones, and car chargers and adapters. Tip: Headphones offer more space for your branding. Piggybacking on techy items, people also love to receive and use portable USBs and flash drives.

5. Sunglasses:

Another item that everyone can use and benefit from, stylish sunglasses that protect against UV rays are a sure promo winner. With hundreds of millions of pairs sold worldwide each year, you can’t go wrong giving these out to employees at a company barbecue, residents at a community picnic or attendees at a music festival. Extra points if you choose on-trend or unisex styles and colours.

6. Headwear:

Everyone can use another hat – and there are so many different options in the marketplace for styles (caps, knit beanies, sun hats, plastic visors, cowboy hats, bandannas and more) and imprint options, like puff embroidery or a patch. Whether you use these as part of an employee uniform, a giveaway at a company event, as part of a charity walk or a customer giveaway, if people like the headwear, they’ll wear it long after the event or day they received it, offering your business lots more impressions. Plus, if you own a restaurant or destination- or event-themed business, logoed hats are a natural item to sell as branded merchandise.

7. Writing instruments:

Among the most-gifted, high-staying and affordable promo items, you’ll never miss the mark with writing instruments, including pens, pencils and markers. While the promo space offers almost countless pen options, our best advice is to not cheap out. The writing instruments you gift need to be high quality; otherwise, people will toss them aside. Investing in better pens ensures they’ll stay around longer. Plus, there are custom options – like antibacterial pens – that you can choose for medical environments, for example. More expensive, higher-end pens are great options for employee anniversaries and milestones, along with thank you or holiday gifts for your best customers.

8. Desk accessories:

Most people spend 30 to 40 hours a week in their offices, so custom desk and workplace accessories are a sure bet. Consider gifting these items: pens, mouse pads, sticky notes, notepads, calendars and day planners. Whether you give them to your employees or customers or both, these items usually remain in a person’s office for about a year. An attractive calendar that makes it onto a person’s wall or desk offers a whole year of repeated impressions for your brand – for the giftee and anyone who visits his or her office.

9. Wellness products:

With health and well-being such a priority, many companies have started wellness programs, giving out special packages that include logoed water bottles, pedometers and even jump ropes to employees who choose to participate. Medical or fitness also often give new patients a welcome or thank you gift for their patronage that might include a logoed water bottle, lip balm in lots of colours and flavours, and hand sanitiser. For companies or organizations that want to promote stress management, adult colouring books are where it’s at – people love to focus on colouring the intricate designs, which help them relax. Plus, since these items are relatively new to the promotional space, your logoed book will stand out.

10. Tracking gadgets:

Don’t discount the popularity of Bluetooth and other GPS tracking devices. You can gift a Bluetooth tracker that attaches to keys, luggage or a wallet, really, anything that someone doesn’t want to lose. Then, the user relies on a smartphone app to locate a lost item that’s attached to the tracker. These are great items because they offer a user peace of mind during a very stressful situation.

Whether you’re giving away promo items to your employees and customers, invest in products that people need, use and love – that way your upfront investment will pay off in dividends. Remember, the longer and more often someone uses your branded item, the more likely they are to call on you when they need your product or service.