Choosing the Right Promotional Products
41
W. Lee Hwy., Suite 59 847
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540.341.7844 · 888.336.7844
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Choosing
Promotional Products
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Standard
Items
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Calendars
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Computer
Stuff
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Cups,
Mugs & Glasses
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Food
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Gifts
& Awards
- Lapel
Pins
- Pens
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Printing
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Wearables
Some
of the SpecialsPicking which promotional products best suit your particular need can be a daunting task with over 300,000 products offered by more than 3000 imprinters and manufacturers. We have found that by answering a few questions in the beginning, the search is much easier and quicker. The questions are listed here and a link to a short discussion is provided if you need more information.
- Who do you want to give the promotional products to and who are you targeting?
- What do you want the item to do for you or for your target?
- How will you deliver the promotional products into their possession?
- What is the budget you will be working with?
- How quick do you need it?
- How many do you need?
In many cases, the people receiving the promotional products and the products' targets are not the same. Banks, police and fire departments, medical providers and most non-profit organizations have become quite adept at this sort of indirect approach. Balloons or coloring books featuring a popular theme with the organization logo prominently displayed are generally not handed out with the hope of the child opening an account or making a donation, but the parent. If you are giving an anti-drug presentation to a classroom of pre-teens or are participating in a "Career Day" at the local high school, your promotional products can be handed to the student and influence the parent at the same time.
Try to determine what would be useful or appreciated by your audience. You cannot please all of them, but generally, your client base will have something in common that most will appreciate. When in doubt, stick to the basics - pens, calendars, key tags, magnets or mugs generally stay within your target's eyesight for extended time.
Promotional products can serve many useful purposes. For example, a refrigerator magnet with a tear off coupon can entice a lead to call you. Logoed ink pens left casually at a local restaurant or retail store can help build name recognition. Phone cards offering free long distance minutes mailed to a targeted list along with a note that the access code needed in order to use the card is going to be given out at your booth at a local trade show can drive traffic to your trade show table. Personalized holiday or anniversary gifts for your clients bearing your logo can help cement relationships and create loyalty. Offering sport bottles with your logo to local golfing tournaments is a good way to build good will in the community. Jackets, caps and other wearables have been a staple of safety programs practically forever because they help reward a desired behavior.
A single product should serve at least one of these purposes, and indeed may serve more than one. Keep in mind that you will be remembered for what you give. Those who hand out calendars year after year will accosted by former recipients the year he or she decides to not send out the calendars.
Promotional products are most commonly handed out at sales calls, trade shows or at the front counters of offices or shops. Other delivery options include direct mail, split shipping, or through third parties - like donating them to non-profits or business organizations.
Obviously, some items are more valuable and, therefore, more expensive than others, so bear this in mind when choosing an appropriate promotional product for your organization. Costs generally decrease as the quantity purchased goes up, but they increase with the number of colors in the imprint or changing the imprint color during a run. Some other costs you will likely face are: charges for non-standard imprint colors, setup charges (digitizing, screen, die, plate, etc.) for preparing the imprint media, art charges for custom artwork, shipping and others. We will attempt to list all such charges for you prior to placing the order.
We have some promotional products (pens, magnets, mugs, etc.) that can be imprinted in 24 hours. Call or email for specifics. Other items (die cast metal cars, for example) may take months. The standard production time for most products in the industry is 2 weeks. Production time does NOT include shipping time. Additional costs are usually involved with rush orders and may include Rush Charges and overnight or second day shipping.
Many promotional products have factory imposed minimums for imprinting. For instance, the minimum number of white, 11 oz., ceramic coffee mugs we can imprint is 36. Minimums vary between manufacturers and products. One manufacturer may have a minimum for stainless steel travel mugs of 72, while another only requires an order of 24 mugs. We actually have a manufacturer who will imprint just one stainless steel travel mug. However, their catalog minimum is 100 and they charge a Less than Minimum fee of $50 plus the $45 Setup Charge and the $6.10 for the mug. The total cost for your single stainless mug is $101.10 plus shipping and appropriate taxes! Any takers?
This document maintained by raggo@erols.com
Copyright © 1999 Raggo Advertising Products
