With such a wide variety of promotional products out in the marketplace that no matter your budget, there is certain to be something that fits within it.

Sometimes the simplest and most inexpensive promotional items are the most effective. It's more important to reach the people who count than to count the people you reach.

For years now small and large business owners alike have been putting their names and logos on Advertising Specialties (Promotional Products) such as custom drink coasters, notepads, calendars, pens, bags and key tags and giving them to customers and prospects. Not intended as a simple act of entrepreneurial generosity, this is the definition of promotional product advertising and smart business marketing practice.

Does your corporate swag have swagger?

What exactly is "swag"? The term SWAG is an acronym for “Stuff We All Get.” Anything and everything with a logo used to promote a brand.  The fact these items are given away to propects and customers shouldn't be looked upon as an act of corporate charity. When used properly, specialty advertising products can be one of the most effective means of promoting your business. The trick is how to apply it by understanding what it is and what it can do for you.

Typical Corporate Promotional Item Objectives

Promotional items have been proven to largely increase sales for any business model.

There are hundreds of applications for promotional products. Many businesses use CPI (corporate product items) exclusively for clients, key partners, or employees. They can also be non-exclusive and used for other purposes, including festivals and special events. Here are some of the most frequent uses and overall purposes by small and large businesses alike:

• Celebrating grand openings
• Festivals and other special events
• Building retail / patron traffic
• Name Visibility
• Client / Customer Appreciation
• Trade Shows / Vending Events / Conventions
• Employee Team Recognition
• Developing or qualifying business leads
• Promoting image and maintaining customer goodwill
• Introducing new products and services
• Opening doors for salespeople

There are thousands of different types of promo merchandising items in the specialty advertising world and hundreds more ideas for their intended applications. 

Imprinted with an advertisement, most advertising specialties can be considered useful merchandise in one form or another when given to customers and prospects. Sometimes it’s just a name or logo placement on a t-shirt, pen, paperweight or hat or drink coaster. Some of these promotional items work better than others and choosing one over the other is not an easy decision when budgets are limited.  Each having their own strengths and weaknesses let’s look at some of the advantages offered by promotional products in general.

Different from other mass media forms of advertising (newspapers, radio, TV etc) advertising specialties are usually defined as useful items of merchandise. Useful in the way that people keep them and they are used over and over again.

Each time the promotional item is referred to, the advertisers imprinted message with logo/name are exposed to the target – consciously or not.  This is especially important for repetitive branding strategy. How often do you remember the name of the advertiser from a commercial or heard just a few minutes after it has been played? With promotional merchandise your targeted audiences have the opportunity for their brains to remember and it becomes easier later to recall. 

Unless you are a huge business with deep pockets, tv advertising is usually out of the question. Smaller businesses have smaller budgets and you need to spend wisely – while also maximizing your reach potential. With promotional advertising specialties there are thousands of choices to suit nearly any budget size. 

Know what you want to achieve with your promotion. 

Promotional products are valuable marketing tools that can be used as stand-alone campaigns or in conjunction with a broader advertising strategy. Promotional products have proven very effective as a tool for getting customers’ attention so that you can communicate your marketing message to them. Promotional products also reinforce the marketing message and provide valuable branding opportunities for a new business. 

An effective promotional product campaign can stick in customer’s minds for months. Small things that may even be gimmicky can capture a customer’s attention, and that is all you need in order to be able to sell to them. 

When using promotional products always keep your target audience in mind staying consistent with the image you want to portray. So remember, market your business with promotional products and obtain the recognition at a glance that will place you as the company to do business with.

Take advantage of this great type of marketing and start generating more interest for your business by offering free promotional products to your customers. It will require an initial investment from you, but in just one or two sales, the promotional products will completely pay for themselves in no time.

A mistake that companies tend to make when investing their marketing dollars into corporate product items is favoring high-volume low-end products over better quality items. We’re always surprised when certain brands are willing to put their logo on questionable products that will likely be fast-tracked to the local landfill. If you’re going to brand using corporate product items, don't be fooled by inferior products. 

DON'T SETTLE FOR IMITATIONS

As a direct manufacturer of high quality Drink Coasters, we guarantee the lowest pricing and offer the quickest turnaround times in the industry. Not only that, but our product is environmentally friendly (printed with vegetable based inks) and printed on absorbent authentic pulpboard (100% recyclable). 

We do not use flimsy cheap paper or cardstock, as these imitation materials tend to warp and do not offer the absorbant properties that true pulpboard offers. Our competitors resort to using these imitation materials because they do not possess the machinery or knowledge on how to print on the highly sought after thick, absorbent, and warp resistant, pulpboard (aka coasterboard).

Pulpboard is the material of choice for coasters (all of the major breweries and restaurants only use pulpboard coasters) and you now have a source to buy directly from the manufacturer.

Choose Coaster Factory!

(*all images on this blog are Coaster Factory Drink Coasters manufactured for clients)

Coaster Factory is North America’s premier beer coaster manufacturer, providing exceptional service and the highest quality custom coasters printed on premium European pulpboard.

High Quality, Coaster Printing, Colors & Materials: Our offset presses print FULL color (CMYK) on BOTH sides of your coasters (spot color is available). Not only do Coaster Factory's authentic European Pulpboard coasters effectively absorb spills, they’re lightweight, firm, and look great too!

Great Prices: We offer competitive pricing on any size coaster order, from 1,200 into the millions! We have standard value pack pricing for most common quantities and can provide quotes for larger or customized orders. Have your artwork, logo, picture or design printed full color on both sides with many size and custom shape options.

Fast Delivery: Need your coasters quickly? Whether your order is large or small, you'll receive your custom coasters fast. We offer standard as well as GUARANTEED RUSH production options (extra fees apply).

Your brand is the most powerful tool in your toolbox and coasters are a unique, useful and cost effective way to promote your product or message. The biggest brands have known this for a very long time!

CALL us at 1-866-BEERMAT

Add an element of authenticity and flair to your promotion with these thick, durable coasters made with eco-friendly European pulp board printed with vegetable-based inks.

Need a quote? Click over to our Custom Coaster Quote Form. See our coaster designs by viewing our online Coaster Factory Showcase. ​Check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.

Looking to go OUTSIDE of the standard Circle or Square Shaped Coaster? Try these on for size --

Do you have customization ideas you'd like to try? Talk to one of our representatives and we will look into it for you! Check out our stock library coaster shape pricing options!!

blog post by Alex Zafer