Archive for the ‘Promotional Plastic Pens’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Promotional Pens Cost Less From Specialist Pen Suppliers

Tuesday, February 8th, 2011

‘Small is the New Big.’ Seth Godin.

This famous quote by one of the world’s most famous inspirational bloggers is particularly true in the promotional gifts business.

Back in 2000 I launched the UK’s first promotional pens website promotionalpens.co.uk and have got to know that part of the promotional gifts business better than most.

My goal at the time was to create a promotional pens business that did not play by the same set of rules as the more traditional suppliers. All sales were to be over the internet and large show rooms and expensive sales reps were a big no no.

I learned way back then that small is the new big. Unfortunately, I didn’t have Godin’s foresight to put it all into words and sell millions of books.

These days, in order to be truly competitive and offer the best service, you need to be small! Tightly run businesses do not have the overheads as larger, more traditionally run promotional suppliers do.

Put simply, we can sell for less! Give or take a few, we all have the same suppliers. We attend the same trade shows and pay the same prices for the goods we sell.

Obviously those of us who sell more products for a manufacturer receive slightly better prices than those who do not. This is why many promotional gifts suppliers specialise in certain products.

It is funny how often I hear from new customers who are just now finding this out. They find themselves on my site and realise they have been paying way too much over the years simply because they have been receiving printed brochures from larger suppliers for years.

The fact is, if a promotional gift supplier still has sales staff on the road, a show room and larger trendy offices, they cannot possibly compete with the new online businesses who specialise in certain parts of the business.

Promotional pens are the UK’s most popular business gift. If you are considering using promotional pens to promote your business or organisation, you owe it to yourself to check prices carefully. You may be surprised just how much prices vary between the specialist suppliers and their more traditional one competitors.

This same rule applies to most of the promotional merchandise sold. Some suppliers may specialise in clothing and embroider onsite. Others may have great relationships with Chinese manufacturers for this or that product.

Look for the suppliers who specialise in the product or products you require and you will save a lot of money.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

What to Print on Your Promotional Pens

Monday, February 7th, 2011

Promotional pens only promote well when they are printed to promote!

Sound obvious?

You may be surprised at how many pens there are out there that are not getting the results.

Often this is because the company ordering the promotional pens left things a bit late. Due to tight lead-times and inadequate logo artwork, they settle for just printing text. Boring!

Another mistake that people make is trying to print too much text. There are many promotional products that can be printed with a lot of text but pens are not one of them.

The other day I received a sample pen from Susan. Susan had just taken over marketing from a colleague who had just retired. She sent me the pen because she did not know who the supplier was and wanted to order the same pens.

I recognised it immediately as the Senator Super Hit Pen. Senator is a well known and respected manufacturer of promotional pens. It is no wonder she liked the pens as they are one of the best selling writing instruments in the world.

The pen she sent me, however, was clearly not achieving its full potential.

It was printed with eight lines of text. This included the company name – printed very small and then a strap line along with the company’s address, email address, website address, telephone and fax number. All this information was printed so small I really had to struggle and squint to read it.

I went to work giving the Super Hit Pen a new design layout. Susan did not have her logo in the correct format so I had it redrawn. This is a service that most promotional gifts suppliers should be able to do either free of charge or for a very small fee.

Susan’s logo was quite attractive, narrow and long. I decided to show it on the clip. Then we took here strap line, telephone number and web address and showed them printed on the barrel in a trendy font.

If someone needs your physical address or fax number, they can find it on your site. Print these details on your pen and you are using up valuable print space for what will most likely be small returns.

I emailed here a PDF proof of the pen with its new design and she loved it. It promoted her company logo and made it possible for people to read the advertisements easily and without the need to squint.

When building your brand with promotional pens, it is a good idea to keep the message simple and easy to read. And by all means, get that all important logo printed on them for all to see and easily recognise.

It really does not take much to get amazing results from your promotional pens. Look for good quality smooth writing pens. Then print them with easy to read text and you’re off!

By Dan Toombs

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Which Promotional Pens are the Best for Small Businesses?

Wednesday, January 26th, 2011

Just because you run a ‘small business’ does not mean you need to promote yourself in a small way. Promote your business with pens that will gain you respect and create interest in your brand. Note – those cheap low quality pens you see at banks simply won’t do!

Did you know you can order excellent quality plastic pens and not have to break the bank? It’s true and it is important to consider this when your are promoting your small business. I like to look at promotional pens by their cost per impression.

If you promote your business online with pay for click advertising, you are already doing this. The difference is, one your budget is used up with pay for click advertising your money and continued impressions are gone until you pay more.

With good quality promotional pens, on the other hand, you could order a 40p pen printed with your logo and details and that same pen could continue promoting your business in a very positive way for months if not years.

Choose a respected brand like Senator, Prodir or Lecce and your gift could be used daily by your customers. They only need to see and use your pen 41 times and you will be paying less than a penny per impression.

Think about that. It’s amazing really. Your business could stay promoted for less than a penny per impression! Try doing that with one of those pay per click campaigns.

So what are the best pens for small businesses?

The best pens are those that represent your company in the way you want people to see you. This is highly personal but luckily there are thousands of good quality pens on the market. You only need to do a little research and you are sure to find the right pen for you.

In order to do this, you will want to order samples! So many people order from a picture in a catalogue. This is fine if you suppliers actively chooses the pens they promote and stands behind each and every product.

Why take a chance. These promotional pens are there to promote your business. Ask for samples and use them. Ask your work colleagues and friends to do the same and then decide which pen will say the best things about your brand.

Be sure to look for colours and designs that compliment your corporate identity. Some pens can even be made to order in the barrel and trim colours of your choice.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Promotional Pens Cost Very Little Per Impression

Tuesday, January 25th, 2011

Some cheap promotional pens can actually do you more harm than good so pay close attention.

So many advertising methods are charged by the impression.

Think about it. If you pay for a television or radio commercial you will pay more when more people are expected to be listening.

If you start and internet pay for click campaign, you will literally pay per impression.

The bad news is that with most forms of advertising, once that impression is seen or heard, that’s it!

Not so with promotional pens. There are promotional pens to meet most budgets but don’t go for the cheapest if you are trying to build your brand!

If you purchase a 10p pen printed with your logo and details, a good part of that price will be in the print. In other words, you are purchasing a pretty low quality pen.

Now lets say you purchase 2500 of these cheap pens and give them away at your next trade show. If they do not write well, you will be lucky to get one impression from these pens and it most likely will not be a good one.

What if you were to purchase better quality pens at say 40p each? Depending on your budget, you may need to purchase fewer but stick with me here. Let’s say you purchase 1000 Prodir DS3 Pens for 40p each.

Prodir pens have a guaranteed writing life of 5000 meters. I’ve written with them on many occasions and can vouch for the fact that these plastic pens will write smoothly for months if not years!

There are many excellent quality pens on the market so take some time to find the best for your business.

What if your customers used their favourite Prodir pens printed with your logo and details every working day for three months – three times per day – on average of course. That is 180 good impressions at a cost per impression of less than a penny.

This is why promotional merchandise of all types is such a good investment. These products are non obtrusive like telesales, commercials and other annoying forms of advertising. On the contrary, they are most often useful products that your customers will enjoy owning and want to use.

Each time they use your promotional merchandise, they will be getting to know your brand better.

So you see, buying promotional pens that are a little better quality – even if you need to purchase fewer is a very good idea.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Promotional Alpine Pens * A Traditional Look That Gets The Right Results

Monday, January 24th, 2011

Dave contacted me in a panic the other day needing promotional pens fast.

“When do you need them?’ I asked – not worried about what his answer might be.

‘The day after tomorrow!’ Came his reply. “I’ve just taken over as marketing director of a Law firm. They’ve only gone and booked themselves a stand at a big job fair and they don’t have anything to give away on thire stand.’

We talked his options through and quickly established that the newer trendier designs would not do. The law firm had been in business for over fifty years and they liked their more traditional look.

‘The Alpine Pen!’ I said and then quickly emailed Dave pictures of both the Alpine Gold and the Alpine Chrome.

Personally I have never been let down by the Alpine pen. It is a low cost promotional pen with a look of tradition. If your business is proud of its traditional values then you need to check out this range of good quality inexpensive plastic promotional pens.

The barrel is manufactured in very good quality glossy plastic. The pens are available in black, navy, green, white and burgundy with a choice of gold or chrome coloured trim.

If you have an exact pantone you are trying to print, I recommend the white pen. For a really traditional look, however, choose one of the darker colours and print your logo and details to match the gold or chrome trim.

The Alpine pen is so popular that it is never off the express printing machines. This means that you can ask for a 24 hour express delivers and it will cost you no more than the standard delivery time.

Although his new company was a stickler to tradition, Dave decided to add a bit of colour to his stand. He chose to purchase 500 of every colour pen and then had his logo printed to match the chrome trim.

The visual effect was spectacular and attracted a lot of interest from recent graduates. In fact, he got through all of the pens and placed a new order the following week.

Have you seen the Alpine pen? Why not ask for a few samples. I always recommend this to my customers so that they can really get a feel for the pens.

Write with your samples and ask your work colleagues to do the same. This is a particularly important step when purchasing budget promotional pens. There are many pens on the market, for example, that look exactly like the Alpine but are no where near the quality of the Alpine.

The Alpine is manufactured in China where several different factories could make the same style pen. Quality can vary greatly.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Promotional Spectrum Pens – How to Grow Your Business with these Full Colour Printed Pens

Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
Promotional Spectrum Pens

As a reader of this blog post, you will receive a 5% discount off the full range of Spectrum Pens!

When I first started supplying businesses with promotional pens, full colour printing was simply not an option. If you happened to have a full colour logo and wanted it printed on a batch of promotional pens, you either needed to simplify it or not print it.

I am happy to say that things have changed! Have you seen the low cost Spectrum pen?

There are many promotional pens that can now be digitally printed in full colour but the Spectrum pen will always be one of my favourite low cost promotional pens.

Back in the days when full colour printing was not possible and I was just starting in the promotional gifts business, I had a full colour logo. A novice decision at the time but one I lived with for a few years. Finally I had the logo completely redesigned into a much simpler two colour logo: the logo I still use to this day.

Why am I telling you this? Because the company that prints the Spectrum pen totally surprised me on a recent visit to their factory. I had ordered 1000 Spectrum pens but when they presented them to me, my logo was not two spot colours. They had redesigned it with a full colour glow that looked fantastic!

I couldn’t wait to get the Spectrum pens into my customers’ hands. The Spectrum may be a low cost pen but it writes like pens that are much more expensive. The print is also state of the art. You will have a hard time finding a pen that prints as well as this.

The Spectrum is different in design as well. The barrel is slightly flattened to make it easier to hold. Your customers will notice the unique design from the moment they pick it up.

So then – How do you grow your business with these full colour printed pens?

Easy!

Spectrum pens are priced quite low so you should aim to give a few if not ten to your best customers.

They will then use the pens printed with your logo and contact details. Pens are perfect promotional tools because they are required daily. By handing them out to your best customers they will see your logo often, which will help build your brand.

More expensive pens can usually only be handed out in small numbers where low cost pens can usually be given away in larger quantities getting your logo all around your clients’ offices for them and their colleagues to see.

Why stop there? Now that you have found the perfect pen to promote your business, why not back it up with all the accessories, such as pen pots, notepads and sticky notes?

Your clients need never go searching for your contact details again. In fact, they could be holding your contact details in their hand the next time they require your products or services!

Hint, hint… That is why promotional pens like the Spectrum are among the best selling promotional gifts you can buy.

Check out the Spectrum pen now and claim your 5% discount http://www.promotionalpens.co.uk/-/spectrum-process-printed-pens?size=&start=0

By Dan Toombs

Tags: , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

How To Find The Best Promotional Gifts to Promote Your Business

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Promotional SWAG or promotional stuff we all get can have an excellent effect on the success of your business. It can also do exactly the opposite if you do not choose your promotional merchandise wisely. If you are one of those people who think a promotional pen is just a promotional pen and do not take these marketing tools seriously, then read on.

One of my new customers contacted me after a very embarrassing and unsuccessful trade show. She had left sourcing promotional pens from her old supplier to the last minute. When she did get around to it, she simply chose the cheapest pens she could find.

‘I just wanted to give away a little something that people could take away with them to remember my company by!’ She told me. ‘That was a big mistake.’

On the day of her exhibition, she neatly placed her top quality brochures on shelving and ensured all of her staff were up to the job of promoting their ptroducts. She then put the cheap pens out on a counter for visitors to the stand to take.

Just across from her were competitors who also prepared their stands with gifts for promoting their businesses. ‘One competitor was handing out Prodir Pens.’ She said. ‘I only know this because I stole a few so that I could purchase something similar for the next show.’

The first sign that her promotional pens were not the best choice of gift to promote her business was when a customer tried to write down some details while on her stand.

‘He tried one pen and then another. Finally on his third try he gave up and jokingly took out the pen of a competitor and used it.’

‘To him it was funny. He was joking with me but I was well aware that these pens would have been better left for some other company. What a waste of money!’

After a few more embarrassing situations, she finally took the pens off the stand. Poor quality promotional merchandise can do a company more harm than good.

If you are considering using promotional gifts to promote your business, take the following advice very seriously.

1.)Ask for samples

Why not! You are spending a lot of money to make your business look good. Ensure you are happy with the products before printing your logo and details on them!

2.)Quality is more important than quantity

It is better to give good quality promotional gifts to fewer customers than to flood your market with substandard merchandise printed with your logo.

3.)Allow yourself plenty of time

Get your design right. Order early to ensure that the design can be printed as you envisage. Ordering early will also ensure you get the products you want as the most popular promotional gifts can sell out and regularly do.

By Dan Toombs

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Promotional Pens – Which Plastic Pen Brands are the Best for Promoting Businesses?

Friday, January 7th, 2011

You only need look at a few promotional pens websites to see that there are literally thousands of different promotional plastic pens on the market. Some are of exceptional quality while others leave quite a lot to be desired. When purchasing promotional pens it is a good idea to ask for samples. Pictures in catalogues or online can be deceiving.

That said, there are a couple of pen brands which I would like to highlight here that are usually a safe choice. These are the pens that you can order comfortably knowing that they are of good quality and rarely let people down. If you do not order pens often, these brands may not be known to you. But anyone within the promotional merchandise industry will know and trust these popular plastic pens.

Senator Pens

The very popular Senator Super Hit Pen.

Senator Pens

Senator is a German brand with offices all around the world. These pens are of superior quality and look fantastic. Senator offers many styles and are most famous for their plastic options such as the Super Hit, Challenger, Dart and Sunny pen options.

Senator Pens are made for the promotional market. Unlike Bic and Pilot pens that are mainly sold in the retail sector, Senator pens are made for logos with nice large clips for printing and several print areas on the barrels.

Prodir Pens

Prodir Pens are manufactured in Switzerland to the highest standards. These plastic pens are hard to find outside of Europe and the UK but a good supplier should be able to supply you if you happen to work elsewhere.

Prodir guarantees that each of their pens will write up to 5000 meters. Having written extensively with these popular promotional pens I believe they can.

Prodir DS7 Pens

The Prodir DS7 Pen is a favourite at trade shows.

One thing I really like about Senator and Prodir is that their pens are made to order. You do not need to order stock pens. Instead you can choose the colours of the barrel and trim to better compliment your corporate branding.

Generic Pen Brands

Knowing the promotional pen industry as I do, I can certainly tell you that I prefer Senator and Prodir pens to promote my own business.

That said, you may like completely different pens. I strongly recommend looking around and ordering samples of the pens that interest you whether they be brand name pens or not.

When choosing promotional plastic pens, it is important to first check the print area available to you. Is there enough space to print everything your want to print?

Once you have shortlisted a few pens that look like they could do the job, order samples and test them. Have your work colleagues do the same. If you test pens for yourself you can decide which are the best for your marketing purposes.

By Dan Toombs

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

What is the Best Way to Promote a B2B Services Company?

Thursday, January 6th, 2011
Prodir DS3 Pens for Promotion

The Prodir DS3 Pen is one of the most popular and useful pens you will find at promotionalpens.co.uk!

Useful promotional merchandise is the best marketing tool available. The key word here is “useful.” You need to send promotional items that your customers will want to own, need to use and require regularly.

I like to look at promotional products by their cost per impression just as you might with pay for click advertising on the search engines.

The difference with promotional items – that is good quality promotional items – is that they have a much longer shelf life than other forms of advertising. A newspaper advertisement or internet ad only lasts while that page is being read.

Target your customers with promotional products they will want to use and the price per impression goes way down. They will see the product regularly and each time they do, the cost per impression goes down!

Using promotional products such as good quality desktop gifts is a very good idea for your office based clients. A nice clock, mouse pad, promotional mug or pen pot will keep them looking at your logo and contact details daily. These types of products help ensure that your information is never far from view.

Promotional pens are some of the best selling promotional gifts. They are needed by most people daily both at work and at home. They are also easily portable which depending on your business could be a very good thing.

If you are promoting your services to the general public you may be interested in knowing that on average plastic promotional pens exchange owner five times during their writing life. Think about the amount of impressions each pen could have and you will see why promotional pens are so popular.

Promotional clothing both for employees and clients is also very popular. Clothing and other textile products such as umbrellas and bags work as walking billboards for your company. They help get your logo out and about in front of those you are trying to attract.

It is important to understand that gimmicky gifts – though fun to give away – have a much shorter promotional life than gifts that are useful.

Promotional products do not need to be expensive to do their job effectively. Good quality note pads, promotional pens, mugs and other stationery items will get used and will promote your services business for months if not years. The same holds true for textile products and other useful items for use around the house and office.

By Dan Toombs

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

Promotional Pens * What are the Best Pens for Promoting Your Business?

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

Looking for the perfect promotional pens to promote your business should take a few days if not weeks. Sure you could just look for a company that can supply good looking pens in a few days. Most good promotional gift suppliers can do this for you.

Allow yourself a little time to source the best, however, and your promotion will be much more spectacular.

I would like to tell you about two different types of customers I come across regularly: the rush buyers and sample requesters. You may be interested to learn that the rush buyers enquire much more often.

These rush buyers have usually waited until the last minute to order. They purchase their pens from a picture and rarely have time to see samples before ordering. More often than not, the end product still looks great but…

They could have so much better!

Personally I really like dealing with the customers who request samples of the promotional pens that interest them. There is no better way to ensure a pen is perfect for promoting your brand than to see it and write with it.

The sample requesters usually spend a lot more time talking on the phone and asking for advice and suggestions. I have been in the promotional pen industry for over 20 years so I encourage the conversation.

Often they ask what type of pens they can have within a certain budget. I am then able to recommend the pens that will serve them best.

The best pens will be down to what you are trying to accomplish but will always be of good quality.

Promotional plastic pens can often be manufactured to order. Senator Pens, Lecce Pens and Prodir Pens all manufacture excellent quality plastic pens that can be made to compliment your corporate branding.

You can choose the colour of the barrel and clip from a selection of stock colours. Some even have additional trim colour options that can really look great.

Promotional metal pens are great executive gifts. It is important to find a good supplier if you do not have time to see samples. The quality of metal pens can vary greatly but this is not always obvious from a catalogue picture.

Many companies use promotional plastic pens to attract new customers and keep their existing customers thinking of them. They then order more expensive executive pens for their top customers.

Allow yourself time to see and try the pens that will be representing your company and you can expect excellent returns.

By Dan Toombs

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Promotional Plastic Pens | No Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

  • You are currently browsing the archives for the Promotional Plastic Pens category.

    • Compugift on Facebook.find us on facebook
    Compugift on Twitter.follow us on twitter
    Compugift RSS Feed.subscribe to our news feed