Spring weather is slowly arriving on the scene, with sunny, warmer days becoming more frequent and trees growing back their leaves. And we have to admit we’re not just excited about flowers blooming; we're looking forward to baseball season.

Idea Custom Solutions is based just outside Chicago in Elgin, Illinois. So of course we're still beaming about one of our two hometown teams, the Chicago Cubs, winning it all in the 2016 World Series.

As we've mentioned before, sports promotions are big business and not just reserved for the diehards playing and watching sports. Most of our clients, who are suppliers, distributors and decorators of promotional products, get requests throughout the year from their small business customers for ideas on sports-related giveaways.

Various sports have been used to successfully appeal to a wide base of customers that buy virtually any type of product or service. For example, the Ford Motor Company used football last fall to plug their limited edition version of the Ford F-150, emblazoned with the Dallas Cowboys’ logo and blue-gray color scheme for football nuts.

Leveraging basketball, a local Philadelphia bank tapped into last year's big win for the NCAA champion Villanova Wildcats by handing out celebratory pennants and badges, while national brand Dunkin' Donuts co-branded a Dunkin/Villanova coffee gift card.

Back to baseball, it’s not surprising that merchandise for the Chicago Cubs has sold five times more than that of other Major League Baseball franchises in the past year. Looking at a recent article and list of brands that have added baseball marketing efforts to their lineup, we see everything from home inspectors and furniture repair outfits, to cleaning services and pest control firms. So it is safe to say that sports helps make marketing work even better.

If you are wondering what exact promo products businesses should select, it's all a matter of preference. Promotional products distributors can point out that just about anything available today can be branded — not just with SMBs’ logos, but also with themes.

As such, small businesses wanting to tap into baseball season don’t necessarily need to give out to Major League-grade baseball bats with their logos (unless that's their thing!). Taking a spin though the latest on 2017 ball park promotions, as well as what's offered right now during Spring Training and in the minor parks can inspire some ideas, even for quirky baseball promotional products.

Desk items like staplers, pens and baseball-style stress balls can conjure up thoughts of the national pastime, while giveaways including baseball-themed paper weights and letter openers can easily feature logos. Also, many outdoor products work by appealing to customers of your SMBs. Caps, windbreakers and beach towels are all items favored by consumers who use and keep them.

Also, don't forget that branded jerseys are a big hit, whether ordered to reward loyal and proud employees or as part of sponsoring local baseball leagues. Plus, durables items such as reusable water bottles appeal to just about everyone.

Idea Custom Solutions works with thousands of promotional product suppliers, distributors and decorators each year to enable them to support their customers as they try to boost brand awareness and win customers. We’re here 24 hours a day to help you empower SMB customers to play ball!