Monday 28 September 2009

Grab an Umbrella for a Promotional Hit!

Grab an Umbrella for a Promotional Hit!

Promotional Umbrellas have proved a great success in the promotional product world and have gone down a storm with customers, employees and business associates. The reason that they are so popular is due to the fact that they are so usable, that they will always be a welcome gift. Of course you will want to choose an umbrella of relatively high quality as with any promotional gift as they are representing and advertising your company. So if you are looking for a good quality gift that someone will be pleased to have then look no further than a promotional umbrella.

Added to the fact already discussed that umbrellas are a welcome gift due to their usability, they are also welcome as they do not come cheap to buy in shops. If someone is looking to buy a good quality umbrella in a shop it is going to cost them in the region of £15- £25, definitely not a cheap throwaway item. Especially when you think how easy it is to lose an umbrella, to leave it in a cafĂ© or restaurant, it is done all the time! So buy choosing an umbrella as a promotional gift you are choosing to advertise your company and to please your customer or client as umbrellas will always be appreciated.

Another excellent reason for picking a promotional umbrella is simply their use. Just think how often it rains in this country and how often when you are own your way to work you get stuck in a downpour and get to work like a drowned rat! Well just think how thankful your customer will be next time it rains and they pull out the umbrella that you have given them! It will make them think of you and your company and be grateful to you and may make them want to get in touch with you to do business.

Perhaps the most obvious reason for promotional umbrellas being such a favoured item is that they are like walking billboards for your company. Literally when it starts raining your slogan or logo is going up into the air for the world to see. More than any other product (excusing bags) umbrellas are out their for the whole public to see. Even if they do get lost or left somewhere, they will always be picked up by someone else and your message will be passed on because no one is ever going to throw away a good quality umbrella.

So, you have your umbrella now you need to think about the colour, style and slogan you are going to have. There is no point in giving away plain boring umbrellas with no association to your company. It needs to be catchy and bright but obviously not to flash or showy. You want to subtly advertise your company without pushing it in people’s faces. You need to choose carefully depending on your target audience and put a lot of thought into it.

Just remember that this kind of promotional gift lasts and lasts and you want your company to be advertised in the best light possible because if you can get all this right you will definitely be on to a winner.

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Ten Tips when choosing Promotional Gifts

Ten Tips when choosing Promotional Gifts

1. Choose usable Products

When choosing which promotional gift you want you must think of the type of people or person you will be giving them to and think if they would really use the product. A promotional product will only be successful in marketing your company if the person who has it is actually going to use it and not simply throw it in the bin.

2. Attach a catchy slogan

On all promotional products you can print some or many details depending on what the item is. For example on a pen you only have room to fit a little text but on something like a mousemat you have lots of room to print your logo, a message and contact details. Perhaps the most important thing to get on to the product thougfh is some sort of catchy slogan that the user will remember and associate with your company.

3. Choose good quality gifts

Quality is very important when picking which promotional product to go for. It is very easy to go for an item on the cheaper end of the price scale to save on money but this can sometimes backfire. By choosing a more quality item your company is putting out the idea that they are a quality company who do not scrimp and can be trusted.

4. Chose a product that you would want.

Before you make the final decision on which item you will be going for you need to think to yourself: Would I appreciate and use that product? If you wouldn’t then why would 100’s of other people? If you think by going for masses of a cheap but unusable product will work, think again.

5. Go Green

There are now 100’s of promotional products available which are eco-friendly and do not use any materials that harm the environment. The environment has become a much talked about subject of late and is becoming hard to ignore. Many companies now want to only give out products that comply with environmental issues. There is now a fantastic range of unusual and funky eco- friendly items on the market ready for you to grab.

6. Appreciate loyal employees

Promotional products are not only used at conference and trade show giveaways, they can also be used as gifts to reward hardworking emplyees and loyal customers. For these kinds of occassions, people tend to pick higher end products and personalise them with a little print. By showing your collegues you appreciate them you are helping them stay loyal to the company and also creating a nice environment to work in.

7. Do NOT overuse your brand name

Now this may seem like a contradictory tip because surely if you are trying to advertise your company you want your name everywhere. Well it is not that simple. Of course you want to get your name noticed but that does not mean by printing it ALL over the product. This will alienate customers by making the product garish and unusable. Subtlety is the look you are going for.

8. Think about styles, designs and print.

Choosing a promotional product is not as simple as thinking ‘right we will have some pens!’ and that’s that. There are hundreds of different of pens that come in numerous colours and styles. A lot of thought has to be put into the overall effect you are going for, who you are giving the pens to and the kind of image yourself as a company want to portray. Colour, design and print will all affect this.

9. If you are a first timer, keep things simple.

If you are only a small company just starting out, promotional products are a great way of marketing your company. However, you may feel dubious about putting money into something that you have never tried before. If this is the case, keep products simple and accessible- pens, mugs, mosemats, keyrings… These products are cheap but very usable and definitely will go down well with potential customers.

10. You’ve got to be in it to win it!

Give promotional products a try, if you do not, you’ll never know the true potential and positive effects they can have on your company. They are a proven sales booster and a great way to get your company name out there. Good luck!

Thursday 3 September 2009

Different Varieties of Promotional Bags

Different Varieties of Promotional Bags

There are a great many variety of promotional bags, depending on the style you are looking for, or the occasion they are for. When choosing a promotional bag, you must think of the type of person that they for and how and when they will use them. They are a fantastic way of advertising your company as they are like walking billboards. When someone slings a bag over their shoulder with your company name or logo on it, everyone they encounter can see it therefore you will be gathering potential customers every time they use it. Below I will discuss the different types of bags available and who they might be suitable for.

An up and coming bag of the moment is the cotton shopper bag. The shopper bag has become very popular predominantly due to environmental reasons. Nowadays in many supermarkets you have to pay for plastic shopping bags as they are trying to get people to become more environmentally aware and to either re-use their bags or bring their own plastic, cotton or paper bags. In keeping with this more and more people are seeing the potential of the cotton shopper bags as they are so strong and long lasting AND environmentally friendly.

These bags make great promotional gifts and have become increasingly popular. They are inexpensive and have plenty of room to print your company’s details and logo on. They are also good products to giveaway at trade shows as they can be used to carry round all the brochures and other giveways that people receive at these kinds of shows.

Another style of bag which is a favourite is the ‘goodie bag.’ This is a small plastic bag which again can be printed with company details and comes in a range of colours. These are often used at conferences, meetings and trade shows as they can be filled with a few other promotional items, leaflets or brochures to give to the customer as a kind of welcome pack.

On the higher end scale and perhaps more as a gift than a giveaway are bags such as briefcases and travel bags. These make ideal gifts to a loyal customer or important business collegue and can be perhaps printed with a small and indiscreet company logo. On these kinds of more luxurious bags it is best not to make the print too large as you want these gifts to be classy and elegant.

Backpack’s are also a popular choice especially when your target audience is young. They are particularly good for students as you can fit a lot of books in them. Also when the bag is carried on the back in this way it makes your printed message much easier to see, therefore making them really fantastic advertisers.

So as you see there is a great deal of choice when it comes to bags so choose carefully. But whatever you decide, your message could soon be all over town if you choose a promotional bag.