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You know how you always hear "give something away to attract new clients"?  Well, everybody seems to give the same old stuff - articles, audio, etc.  Don't get me wrong.  A lot of giveaways have great value.  Sometimes businesses give away too much, but usually it's designed with the end users best interest in mind.

Giving things away for free is a fantastic way to get contact information, build subscribers, run contests or make product sales. But what kind of goodies might be creative, interesting, innovative? Here I'll share just a few ideas.

#1: USB Drives

Buying a USB drive on eBay only costs a few dollars. If you're buying them in bulk, you can get them even cheaper.

Take a bunch of USB drives and load them up with videos, audios or text content. Then give the USB drives away. That can have a much higher perceived value than having people download the files themselves.

#2: Pens

I love pens.  Pens are one of my passions.  (Check out my all time favorite pen hereon my Pinterest board, the Cross Year of the Dragon - ok, I digress).  As a giveaway, you can brand both high quality pens and low quality pens. While some people won't go out of their way for a pen, it could be a great item to include in a product. And a reminder of where to find you if you add your website or company name.

#3: Cups and Mugs

What if you came up with a cup design that people would actually want on their counters?  Instead of just putting your logo on it, think of creative designs, sayings, images you can include.

If you can come up with a unique design that people love, they'll definitely go out of their way to get that cup.

#4: DVDs and Videos

Another creative giveway - free DVDs or videos. While the up-front cost in creating videos may vary, once a video is created it becomes a very affordable item you can give away forever.

Printing a new DVD only costs a few dollars. Giving away an online video is completely free. And videos have a very high perceived value, making it an ideal giveaway item.

#5: T-Shirts

Much like mugs, you want your shirt to be unique. Don't think in terms of just adding your logo.  After all, people may not be inclined to be your walking billboard...

BUT

What if you try to have something funny, conscience-boosting, or shocking on the shirt? For instance, consider including an infographic or a quote with an image. Make it a shirt that people will want to wear...then add a small logo on it.

#6: Old Stuff

If you have old items sitting around that probably won't ever sell, you may be better off just using it as a free giveaway.

Do you have a batch of CDs sitting around?  Instead of hoping someone will buy them (which they probably won't), you can make good use of them as free bonuses.

#7: Quirky Objects

Quirky objects can include stretchy plastic toys, odd electronics and other small, portable objects that do strange things. These objects may not be particularly useful, but can be fun giveaways. If you can find some way to tie it back to your brand or product, even better.

I bet you can come up with other items you can giveaway in your business. Feel free to mix and match what I've suggested, or simply use these ideas as inspiration to come up with your own.