I've never been a fan of the branded giveaways, mainly because I have close to 100 pens I've gotten from various trade shows since the 90s that have more dust on them than anything else and scratch pads from agents no longer in the business.  I pulled out one pen while meeting with my title rep and it was a pen with her and two assistants that hadn't been in the business for over a decade.  We laughed about it being a collector's piece.

I've never once called a vendor because of their giveaway.  The closest thing is in the "Agent Connect" Listing and Buyer needs meeting I host, our insurance rep gave out letter openers with her info on them.  My parents needed another insurance rep for a property they were buying as their existing ones were either quoting the moon or unable to write on it.  I happened to have her opener on my desk (that is the one thing I use more than any other giveaway and I have some dating back to the late 90s as well) and pulled her info off of that... as opposed to going through my emails.

This year, my pop-by item is branded coffee mugs with bags of coffee purchased from a local Veteran owned Bean Roaster: Lonesome Rider Coffee Company

but, I've never been big on handing out Tchotchkes; after joining Buffini & Company I learned about pop-by gifts.

These are themed items to the season, the holiday or the occasion, so they are not really mass produced items - more like batch bought gifts that you include a clever tagline with, so there's no printing on the product, it's about the card and the face to face value of the 5 minute doorstep pop-by.

e.g. On father's Day I drop off a 4 pack of Dad's Root Beer or in October; mini-pumpkins. At Thanksgiving I give out fresh baked apple & pumpkin pies. It's about face to face time, not the item.

I have a long list.... 

floating boat key chains, glass cleaning cloths, pens, chip clips,  bug bite/bug spray/ sun screen kits to keep on the boat, pizza cutters, flashlights, shopping bags, engraved cups, branded photo coasters .... others I can't recall at the moment.

Makes clients happy, keeps me top of mind when they use it.  

Doo-dads, leave-behinds, knick-knacks, novelties & the like all catch the eye. Then, market as you please or include in your advertising. The "junk" gets discarded but the curious gets kept. Money well spent for the business model

Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573  I am using old fashion Jumbo just listed and Sold Cards -  Also A FaceBook Community Page -  on the holidays I deliver a sweet treat 

I did football calendars for several years (lately, not so much as our team has been stinking!) I do have tons of pens and they are a big hit with clients - and my boys! LOL

I give buyers an iPad and a paper pad and pen to take notes during tours. They often ask for "another one of your pens" when we see each other after Closing. 

My business model does not include branded promotional items.  I do keep in touch with clients.  Popping by is not my style. 

I don't do much self-promotion at all these days really. I promote my listings and work mostly via referral . . . I refer out more than I take. 

I am not big on handing out anything.  My marketing dollars goes towards direct mail and direct contacts.  

I stopped mailing out calendars several years ago when I realized that we received twelve of them in the mail in one year. I love to send out Flag Pins on Memorial Day & the 4th of July.  They are useful, have meaning and very inexpensive.

Andrew Mooers | 207.532.6573 I always used pens. I purchased the least expensive clickable pens (BIC Click) and passed them out like candy along with my business cards with the thought in mind that chances are the pen would get passed around and thus make many impressions further then just the person I handed it to. I also purchased expensive pens that I gave out at closing as I knew they would hang on to it and think of me if a referral situation would present itself.

Being in Hawaii I have had great luck with towels. First custom terrycloth but this year for our 25th anniversary we had custom Turkish towels. They are so worth it.

I send out offers of value with quarterly mailing and offer tickets to popular yearly events. Clients love it!

My opinion, Buffini's pop by's are just lame. 

My brokerage buys those kinds of things for us to give to clients.  We have a variety.  

My marketing has been around the annual non profit Carmel Art Festival here in Carmel-by-the-Sea--which I've been involved with since 2001 and now head.  We recently started a gallery magazine and my involvement is all over it with that, plus "popping in" with the magazine. I've gotten some nice business from that association.

Most of my business is referred from past clients or from the art world.  Just don't see me handing out stuff except at closings.  And, of course, socializing which we do a lot here.

The most effective items are your business cards handed out face to face. 

On that topic, make sure your business cards have your current photograph.

I doubt that any of these have any impact in bringing in new clients so I use them sparingly, mostly to staff, colleagues and referral partners.

About thirty years ago I got suckered into buying 50 calendars, unfortunately they have an expiration date on them that ran out long before they made it into deserving hands.

Since then we have used caps, jackknives, notepads, and pens/styli. 

Generally high end items that may be treasured and kept by those who receive them.

I've given out college football schedules and those were a hit in the past. Of course, the Triangle is a huge college football area. I personally think pens and pads are the most useful. Our dentist gives out amazing pens and my family with fight over them. Not literally of course.

I do have pens & some clients that specifically ask for them; I got water bottles for a softball team that I sponsored; have reusable grocery bags; thought about ditching the calendars but too many people asked for them; and will be hosting my umpteenth annual pie event in a couple of weeks.  

What wotks best? In regard to promotional advertising.
This depends on EVERYTHING.
For example, at shows (aka tent with displays) the word FREE proximately displayed draws crowds. But the trick is how you make giving away your money actually profitable? When the crowd arrives, you must be prepared to get something in return for your money.
There is another population of 'haven't mets' that may be worth attracting. Doing so is not less relevant than wrapping ones ride into a big commercial. Wrapping works. It works even better if the advertising incudes a cultivation mechanism.
When I work within a specific theme, let's say for instance artist who create works worthy on hanging on the wall.  My swag is laser engraved with the event name "Dunedin Art Harvest" and "Beaming with Possibilities." This is extremely beneficial in the context of the conversation that will have transpired during their visit. The slogan and conversation are meaningful.
I like promotional items that are CONTROVERSIAL. Meaning it engages in the conversation the population is having with itself or their family or neighbor.  The favorite of the past 6 months has been, "NOT SORRY" printed on the front of a T.  It triggers an emotion in every reader. Some will even snark out 'Not sorry, me neither!"  The words trigger the baggage they carry. As they pass, they soon realize on the back of the T is a big add for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I explain I''m not sorry for eating both pieces. "What are you not sorry for?" Nearly always they accept the offer of a FREE T with the requirement to 'wear it now."
"What has that to do with real estate?" you ask. About as much as a calendar. But rarely does a calendar inspire family, friends or neighbors to inquire how they can get a T.  Of course, the T is branded with real estate solutions that only I can provide.
And finally, the 'have met' population gets locally themed swag if I have not identified what they are passionate about.  This year I retrieved about 25 wooden crates from the local liquor store. These creates are well branded with what they formerly contained.  My alteration via a laser engraver will be to add a popular destination such as Prohibition Kitchen and shape the plank into a directional arrow.  The recipient can stick this 'vacation spot' directional arrow wherever they choose. Of course you should be aware by now that such efforts are a collaboration with PK or whatever company is the target. I just may have a prominate adverstisment throughout the Prohibition Kitchen.
But the easiest and most appreciated mass produced promotional item has been the shopping list attached to magnetic with my data. Returning to a house 10 years later so see my newest shopping list on the fridge tells me someone is using it. Those Samsungs with the touch screens and IOT cameras will put this idea to bed soon.
Of course, I am aware that when most refer to promotional advertising, they expect it to be passive, write a check, mail it out. That not the way I roll. My budget is smaller, my implementation is thoughtful, my response rate exceptional. 

I haven't done any promotional materials- but I can offer that lots of my colleagues tend to stop over with fresh ground coffee beans prior to a pitch meeting that works well. In meeting with a buyer- stopping at a local bakery or showing up with fresh made cookies tends to work well (especially Levain cookies which is local- and is now expanding nationally)  Also since this is a walking town- a good umbrella may be a worthwhile give away.