Custom imprinted sport bottles make a great promotional product for any sports team, school, gym, club, organization or business. Everyone carries their own sports bottle wherever they go these days. As we head towards the warmer months now would be the perfect time to giveaway water bottles with your name / logo on them. You will see your name displayed at numerous local events, at games, at schools, carried by people walking and biking and even at the beach. The best thing about sport bottles is that they will be used throughout the year since people have to be concerned about dehydration in both hot and cold weather. Have you considered a donation of water bottles to a school or sports team or charitable organization? In conjunction with your donation you could run a contest that let people submit pictures of water bottles in use at places of local interest, events or even on vacation! The winning entry gets a gift certificate to your business or a local business. What a great way to build loyalty and you and your customers will have lots of laughs along the way. Bottoms up!

Be close by when your customers need you the most. What better way to be thanked then to give your customers a custom imprinted umbrella with your logo on it just when the showers begin to pour. Promotional umbrellas can be one of the most appreciated imprinted items to giveaway to customers and prospective customers. The goal for all companies is to project a positive image with your customers. How great is it to make sure your customers have easy access to an umbrellas when they need it the most. Just like every other promotional product, umbrellas come in all styles, colors and sizes that you would expect to find in any retail store. There are golf umbrellas if you want a large umbrella for extra protection. Or if you want a very compact umbrella that can easily fit in your purse or briefcase there is a wide selection of these umbrellas. And of course there are many sizes in between. If color is important to you there is almost every color under the rainbow as well as patterned and alternating color panels as well. I would suggest you think about the following 3 things when considering the best umbrella for your giveaway:

1. Size - what is the arc dimension of the umbrella. Golf umbrella's are normally 60" arc while the most compact of umbrella's might be 40"arc.
2. Construction - Look to see if the panels are reinforced and if there is a double vented top to provide added protection from the rain.
3. Color - You should consider the imprint color as well as the umbrella color. If you like a dark color umbrella and also want a dark color imprint you may want to consider an alternating color umbrella. A navy and white alternating color umbrella will allow you to use a navy imprint on the white panels.

Price is always going to be a top issue and the best way to address all your issues is to find the promotional product company that will take the time to listen to your needs and make valuable suggestions and finally offer you the best price and of course free samples to make sure your are 100% satisfied with your order.

Look around any one's desk area and I am almost certain that you will find some type of sticky note pad nearby. We all love to use them as friendly reminders, quick notes to add to documents or to flag us about important data that we need to have at our finger tips. That's why they can make a great giveaway to your customers or even prospective customers. Where else can you get something with your logo on it to sit on your prospect's desk for weeks at a time and be seen every day when they go to use one of the sticky notes. Especially given that they are so cheap. Consider a 25 sheet sticky note pad with a full four color imprint for approximately $.25 per pad. That is even better than a pen given that you normally will have one sticky note pad on a desk with a bundle of pens and pencils. The clear advantages to using sticky notes are:

1. One of the least expensive imprinted products.
2. Normally placed on one's desk within arm's reach for easy access.
3. Used on a daily basis.
4. Typically custom imprinted post-it notes use a full four color process imprint which allows you to be very creative in producing a eye-catching selling piece.

So, the answer to our question is sticky notes are probably one of the best promotional products in the marketplace today.

There is a big difference between taking an order and selling a product. When you take an order you are waiting for the customer to come to you. You have to hope that they see you through the competition and that your product is not being distorted or covered up by the thousands of ads and offers your customer receives on a regular basis. When you make a sale you are reaching out to a prospective customer and telling them that they are important and you tell them what you want them to know about your product. No one is better equipped to sell your product than you. Given the weak economy and the ever-growing competitive landscape for almost every industry, it is critical now more than ever before to SELL to your customers and NOT be an order taker. Selling is certainly hard and you have to be able to identify your prospective customers and then you have to effectively get your message to them when they are ready to receive it. So you might be able to identify your audience but how do you know when they want to hear your message. One way to always have your message there ready to be received when your customer is open to hearing it is through promotional products. Selecting a imprinted pen or imprinted mug or even custom imprinted post it notes will significantly increase your chances of being in front of your prospective customer at the exact time they need your product. The key is to have the right imprinted product that will be used on a regular basis so that when the time is right you will be there to close the sale.

The best marketing campaigns are those are we remember an hour later or a day later. The best situation is to create a campaign that makes us want to share it with others or a saying that we never forget. For those old enough, we will always identify with the saying "Where's the beef". The same goal is true for promotional products. Think about sending your best customers a nice flashlight with the tag line "Shining Through The Competition" or "Follow The Light". It's short and clever that will get your customer's attention and hopefully get them thinking that you are a smart business and a leader in your field. The power of imprinted products is that this imprinted flashlight will get used on a regular basis and remind your customer that you are a innovative business to deal with. If your campaign is focused on targeting your very best customers you may want to consider a top of the line maglite flashlight. These flashlights are considered to be the Cadillac of flashlights and therefore convey to your customers that you value their business. Also, keep in mind that if you give someone a useful item such as a maglite flashlight it will get used for a long time and your name will be seen over and over again.

We know the banks, auto companies and wall street firms are all looking to the government to help them get through this very difficult economic period. The single largest group, the small businesses, have been left to figure things out on their own. It is well documented that the credit crunch has left it next to impossible for any small business to get a loan regardless of their credit worthiness or overall financial condition. This can make it very frustrating if you are trying to grow your local business. I wish we could give you a silver bullet that has all the answers and makes your business return to strong growth again. However, as we all know there is no simple answer. Many times the best advice is to keep moving forward, working hard and promoting your business. We have all heard that now is not the time to stop marketing your business. You have to make sure that your customers and prospective customers continue to see you as a strong viable business. Part of achieving this goal is to put your best marketing foot forward. This is easier said then done. Because business may be slower than normal you have to be very smart about how you spend your limited marketing dollars. There certainly is no one answer that will be right for all businesses. Each situation is different and so only you as the person running the business will be in the best position to make the decision about how to most effectively market your Company. The question will be is newspaper advertising, radio, TV advertising a good way to get your message out or maybe Internet display ads would be better targeted to certain web sites. Studies continue to show the most effective marketing campaigns are when you can target directly to your customer. So you want to make sure that your advertising is not wasted on someone that will not purchase your product or service. This is the ideal but in reality is very difficult to accomplish. One good example is using promotional products as a tool to more accurately get your advertising in the hands of a likely customer. The added power is that with the right imprinted product you will have something that this prospective customer will use on a regular basis and see your name over and over again. Studies have shown that people who receive these promotional giveaways use them on a regular basis and remember the advertising message on the imprinted item. There certainly is no easy answer but it seems clear to us that you have to continue to market your business to insure you can thrive once these difficult economic times are behind us.

The hot summer months are just around the corner. Spending time on the beach, soaking in the rays is something folks here in the northeast welcome with open arms. This is also the time of year that companies hold outdoor outings and families plan reunions to enjoy the nice weather. There are tons of great promotional product giveaways to help make the event more fun and memorable. Thinks like beach balls, sunglasses, lip balm, pedometers, frisbees, beach towels are some custom imprinted items that you might not normally consider. These are all fun items that can be enjoyed at the event as well as used over and over again afterwards. Of course there is always the tried and true custom imprinted tee-shirts or golf shirt or even sweatshirts that is always appreciated when received.

However you decide to enjoy the Summer Season make sure you have fun, keep it simple and say thank-you to all the people that either have helped to make your business successful or your personal life more fulfilling.

Recently, the UCONN College of Agriculture hosted an event highlighted the need to be more aware of eco-friendly trends. Among other things they distributed these recycled Tote Bags to all participants in attendance.

Kudos to UCONN for understanding the importance of minimizing our footprint on our planet!

Advertisers spent a record $19.6 billion on custom imprinted products in 2007. That's 83% more than radio advertising, 73% more than Internet Display Ads and almost 5 times more than outdoor advertising. Advertisers have continued to spend an increasingly larger amount on custom imprinted products than almost any other medium as you can see from the graph. Putting your logo or special advertising campaign on a pen, tote bag, tee-shirt, sticky notes or other trade show giveaway is a relatively safe way to insure that your advertising dollars is reaching the maximum number of prospective customers at a very low cost. A major goal that contributes to the constant growth in promotional products is the ability of the Industry to anticipate new trends and offer an ever growing breadth of new products, styles and colors to the marketplace. A good example of this is in the area of Recycled Grocery Bags. The same non-woven bags that can be purchased at almost any super market to replace paper or plastic bags to carry your groceries. The Industry was quick to pick up on this trend in offering dozens of different sizes, styles and colors to improve upon the standard green one size fits all approach that the grocery stores took last year. Recently, an insulated recycled grocery bag was added to the ever growing list of Recycled Bags. This was one of the main reasons for why the category saw huge growth area in 2008 and looks to be continuing in 2009.

There is so much news about the weak economy and the general feeling of despair. As a businessperson it seems like we are trying to climb Mt. Everest with every new prospect or sale. So now more than ever it's important to find new and innovative ways to stretch your advertising dollars. Imprinted custom products have always been the least expensive way to get to the most potential customers. This has been studied and proven in a study completed by L.J. Market Research Group. The study found that 71% of the primary business audience had received a promotional product in the last 12 months and an astounding 33% of these folks actually had the item on their person! Now that's a strong marketing campaign. In addition, most businesses are offering a number of discounts or other free offers that with a little bit of effort can easily save you 10% to 20% off your purchase. For example, I have listed some of the current offers that we have going on right now:

1. $5 Off Any On-Line Order - As you are placing your on-line order there is a coupon offer just below the ordering screen that has a $5 discount just for completing your order. The discount code is "easy5". It's amazing to us that everyone who is in the process of ordering on-line doesn't use this offer code 100% of the time. A good example of spending alittle more time reading the text that goes with your ordering process.
2. BIC Clic Pens FREE - You can get an additional 100 FREE BIC Clic pens when you order at least the minimum quantity of 300 pens. So a minimum order of 300 BIC Clic Stic Pens will result in 400 pens at a total cost of only $99. That's less than $.25 per pen!
3. $100 off Orders Over $1000 - When you request a Sample from the web site you are asked to call us within 24 hours to take advantage of our $100 Off any order over $1000. The offer is only good if you call us to redeem the coupon . A little bit of effort upfront will pay off when it's time to place an order for imprinted tote bags, pens, or anything from our web site.

These are just some of the offers that are available to savvy consumers if they take the time to look.

You see them out the grocery store, you see them being used walking around town, these eco-friendly recycled grocery bags seem to be everywhere. The reason for this sudden surge in popularity is the universal aacceptance at all the major grocery store chains around the Country. There is one chain in the Northeast that recently announced they would be charging for the use of the old fashioned plastic grocery bags.

Due to this sudden surge in demand, there has been a huge increase in demand for imprinted reusable shopping bags. This is a great way to take advantage of the appeal of these bags. Given that there is currently a huge acceptance of reusable grocery totes in general and they are being used by consumers to transport their groceries and other items, the obvious choice for any type of imprinted tote bags is this reusable grocery totes for your next promotional product event.

The added benefit is that most of these recycled grocery bags are made from recycled material and can be used for long periods of time and so actually this trend is a real contribution to the eco-friendly trend. Not to mention that your company logo or special message will be seen over and over again.

There is a good reason that pens are one of the most popular custom imprinted promotional products.

1. Pens are one of the least expensive form of advertising.
2. We all use pens every day and so your message is viewed frequently and over a long period of time.

There are a number of brand names such as the very popular BIC Clic Pens that are well recognized as a good quality pen that you would be proud to have your logo or special message on. These pens come in all colors and special features.

Pens have more features than you could ever believe. There are stick pens with the removeable caps, click pens made with plastic or metal material, twist pens and pull cap pens that are a higher quality than the economy stick pens. Each category of pens offer thier own features and advantages that are too tedious to mention here.

You should discuss these options with a promotional product expert if you are not certain of the exact type of imprinted pen you are thinking about. While selecting the correct pen can be a bit of a challenge, once you have the right promotional pen for your giveaway they become a great inexpensive way to get your message out to your tageted audience.