As a business manager, you have a lot of judgment calls to make. That’s why you’re in a leadership position – you’ve proven that you can take initiative and make the right call. And if you’re the leader of a small business, you might actually wear many hats. You might be in charge of everything from production to advertising and promotion. In which case, you might arrive at the question of what kind of promotional items to brand with your message.
Because let’s face it – people are inundated with web sites and emails these days. Direct mail is a medium that more businesses are turning back toward, in order to reach people in a more ‘visceral’ and physical way. Branded promotional items are in this same category. You can probably look through your junk drawer right now and find something that was branded by some other company. You might even have one or two branded promotional items you use all the time. As a business looking to put your brand in front of people, here are five great ideas.
1. Flash drives
It’s true that more and more people are turning to the cloud for their data storage needs, but that doesn’t mean flash drives are going away anytime soon. It’s still a supremely useful item to have for extra backups, and for transferring files between computers or people. A quality branded flash drive is a good way to keep your brand in front of people!
2. Stress balls
We could all do with lower stress levels these days, and stress balls (to be squeezed with the hands) are a good way to work out some of that unwanted stress. It’s a useful item that people appreciate.
3. Pens
This is probably the single most common branded promotional item, but there’s a good reason for that. Even though we do much of our writing on keyboards these days, there will always be plenty of need for good quality pens!
4. Mugs
You’ve probably owned a branded coffee mug in your lifetime. Maybe it was a cheap one and you ended up throwing it out. Maybe it was your favorite mug and you used it all the time. If you’re putting your own brand on mugs and sending them out in the world, that’s the impression you want to give: A high quality item that can be used every day, with your branding message front and center.
Who to trust for your branded promotional items
There are a lot of good branded items out there, and you probably have one in your home or office right now. But there are also a lot of low-quality branded items out there, and this is not what you want. Your message should be impeccably presented on a high-quality, useful item – that’s how people are going to remember your brand. But if you throw money away on low-quality items, you won’t end up with good result – or a good long-term value for your business. Promotional items, like every other business expense, are ultimately an investment. That’s why it’s important to find a reputable printer to handle that investment and deliver promotional branded items that exceed your expectations.