Did you know there is data that supports the idea that promotional products work? It’s true. In a case study conducted by the American Marketing Association, it was reported that promotional products like custom baseball hats, t-shirts and pens have a high reach and potential for top-of-mind recall; they also reported that these products are an excellent medium to increase and sustain brand awareness.

In other words, people remember the event where they got the imprinted baseball hats, shirts and pens, and they recognize the names of the brands that gave them out. Brand recognition, as every good marketer knows, is important because it lends credibility; people only want to support brands they know to be credible.

What are the best types of promotional products to distribute? According to the study, the most often recalled promotional product category is wearables, at 41%. The categories of wearables that make the biggest impression are:

• Shirts (22%)
• Caps/Headwear (11%)
• Outerwear (6%)
• Other Wearables (2%)

So as you can see, promotional shirts and personalized baseball hats are both great choices for marketing your business with promotional products. In a close second, writing instruments (yes, pens!) come in at 35%. The survey also noted that drinkware was effective, taking 19% of the market share when it came to effective promotional tools.

Promotional baseball hats are worn by all kinds of people: Soccer moms, hockey dads and golfing grandpas. Everyone needs a go-to cap to shield their eyes from the sun, and why shouldn’t those caps have your business name plastered on them front and center? We offer custom baseball hats that work for nearly anyone’s style, including the traditional baseball style and the sleeker, more feminine variety. These are imprinted baseball hats that can effectively market any business, including yours! To order personalized baseball hats for your next trade show or event, check out our selection today.

We’ve all heard the jokes about messenger bags, specifically those that involve nicknaming them “man purses.” But regardless of their checkered past, messenger bags are back – and if you can get imprinted messenger bags, that’s even better. Having your company or organization’s name printed on custom messenger bags means that no one will ever think your bag is a “purse.” Instead, it will be likened unto a trendy briefcase – something masculine, utilitarian and professional.

Bags like these can also be promotional messenger bags when they are used by the staff of an organization. If you are an employer, it may be worth the effort to budget for distributing them to your entire staff (or at least employees who interact with prospects and clients, such as the sales team). If anyone on staff goes out of town regularly, it’s a no-brainer; they need personalized messenger bags to use as travel bags! No matter where they are on your corporate totem pole, if you find out that they are frequent fliers – well, you need to get them imprinted messenger bags to use as their carry-ons. It just might be instrumental in helping your brand get recognized nationally!

Durable and well-constructed, our custom messenger bags can double as laptop carriers, book bags, or mobile file cabinets (figuratively, of course). Some people may just wish to use them for carrying receipts, so that when it comes time to do taxes or generate expense reports, all the records necessary are in one convenient bag they’ve carried with them all year. But even if they are not going to function as promotional messenger bags, these items should still be customized with a personal logo and text. After all, you never know who will see them!

Order your personalized messenger bags now, or browse through our great selection and take your time finding the right one. There is sure to be one that is a good fit for everyone on staff.

Have you ever been out and about, looking at the clothing that others are wearing (who hasn’t) – only to be borderline offended by the sheer volume of text that is plastered all over someone’s t-shirt or hoodie? Long, strange philosophical sayings come to mind – also, business information that covers the entire surface of the clothing. Both are annoying enough to turn people away, rather than engage them. So how can you avoid making that same mistake when it comes time to create your own custom sweatshirts and pants for your business? Here are some quick tips to keep in mind.

Keep characters minimal.

Rather than thinking about how many words will be on the clothing, consider the number of characters. Twitter has us now thinking in terms of 140 character briefs, and as maddening as it may be to cram all your thoughts into that tight of a template, it is a good rule of thumb that can be useful even when designing customized clothing. Keep the characters on your promotional sweatshirts and pants to a minimum, and you will likely make a maximum impact.

Think about what you need to say.

We mean, really think about it. Do you honestly need to provide every detail about your business on a sweatshirt? Of course not. All that the people passing by you in the grocery store will have time to read is the name of the business, its address and maybe a phone number. What would be even better, though, would be to skip the address and phone altogether and replace them with the website. Anyone who is really interested in calling or coming by will get that info right off the website, so always print your URL front and center on your imprinted sweatshirts and pants.

Don’t neglect the rest of the design.

We offer numerous varieties of hooded sweatshirts (yes, “hoodies”) as well as crew neck sweatshirts, and those are all available in a number of popular colors. By taking advantage of that, you can make the rest of your shirt stand out in a way that beckons people to read the text for more info about who you are. Don’t underestimate the power of well-designed personalized sweatshirts and pants; they are the key to getting people to look a little longer.

For custom sweatshirts and pants that look the way you want them to, check out our great selection – and have fun designing! These are personalized products that can be as enjoyable to design as they are to wear.

Have you ever been tempted to enter a contest, only to find out there was no monetary prize? If so, maybe there was at least one incentive that would be enough to convince you it was worth it – say, an award trophy? After all, a great award can be displayed in your business to show everyone how ridiculously competent you are! Even though cash is good, let’s be honest, giving out imprinted crystal awards to contest winners is a better way to let the winning feeling last!   Your recipient will remember receiving an award for much longer than the time it takes to spend that little cash bonus you thought about handing out.

Businesses use custom crystal awards all the time, in order to recognize employees for their hard work. They are common fixtures at corporate banquets, conferences and retreats. Promotional crystal awards can be used to distinguish top earners from the others, or to signify employee promotions. When those awards are all lined up on his desk (or if the employee is lucky enough to have his own office, his shelf), they look pretty nifty.

Employers: This comes back around to benefit you, too. Say a prospective client walks into your employee’s office – a salesman, for example. The prospect sees a row of personalized crystal awards on the desk, each imprinted with the employee’s name and the accomplishment for which he is being recognized. Is he going to be impressed? You bet he is! Will it be enough to convince him to go with your company? It just might!

How to use imprinted crystal awards is only limited by your imagination. They can be an affordable way to recognize the winners of any number of competitions, including:

• Golf tournaments (get one for the winner and one for the loser!)

•  Chili cook-offs, BBQ challenges, pie contents or bakeoffs

•  Fundraising drives (the one who raises the most wins!)

•  Bowling tournaments

•  Marathons, mud runs and other community athletic expos

Custom crystal awards can be all kinds of shapes, including sailboat, curve, octagon or teardrop. Pyramids, diamonds, stars, you name it…there are promotional crystal awards that fit every style. To see what personalized crystal awards may a good fit for your next recognition event, check out our great selection.

Pretty much everything you need in case of an auto emergency! With custom emergency auto kits, your entire fleet can have all the tools they need to take care of their own minor car emergencies. Here are some of the key items included in our imprinted emergency auto kits:

Booster cables: Never make your employees ask someone else to lend them jumper cables! It makes your company look bad, for one thing. And while asking someone for a jump could be a dangerous proposition if there is cash in your company car, at least your driver will have his own cables so that the interaction can be as quick as possible.

Tire inflators: Your drivers don’t want to be stuck at the mercy of a tow truck that seems like it’s never coming. Talk about dangerous! Get them these promotional emergency auto kits instead, which have tire inflators that you can train them to use quickly and safely if a blowout occurs. This can be a liability de-flater for you, too (pun intended)!

Flashlights: All the tools in the world won’t help a driver who doesn’t have a flashlight to see with. Since many drivers work at night, a flashlight is imperative to include in the personalized emergency auto kits you buy for your staff. This is a safety must.

Nobody likes a sexist boss, so be sure to get custom emergency auto kits for every single one of your drivers! Females and males alike are bound to experience flat tires, dead batteries and other minor emergencies. If you employ minors, this is a big plus that can help you earn the trust of their parents and boost your company profile in the community. Imprinted emergency auto kits live up to their name: They make a great impression!

…And that message is, “I’m the boss, and don’t you forget it.” After all, anyone can wear a tee shirt or cap bearing the company name, and we encourage them to! That is why we urge you to personalize items like those for your employees. But only the owner of the company, and perhaps a few on his executive team, can wear custom fleece jackets – and that alone shows people who is in charge around here.

With imprinted fleece jackets from Eddie Bauer, Ogio or Port Authority, you and the most elite among your staff can look a cut above the rest of the company – and there’s nothing wrong with that, right? You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and it is important to wear something that shows young, inexperienced staff members who the boss is. Call it “wardrobe intimidation” if you want; we just call it good management!

Of course, this custom outer wear is also a practical marketing tool. You can wear your promotional fleece jackets around town, and instantly be recognized as the local expert in your field. Imagine this: You make your morning breakfast stop wearing one of the personalized fleece jackets you purchased to promote your business. There, you will no doubt encounter an assortment of local retirees, city council members, police officers and other influential community members (it’s no secret that this is the early morning coffee shop crowd).

As you sit at the counter, one of them taps you on the shoulder and asks, “Is that your business?” Recognizing that it was your imprinted fleece jacket that tipped him off, you smile warmly and confidently answer, “Yes.”

“We’re always looking for guys who do what you do,” he replies. “You have a card?”

Of course you do! And you hand it over. Just like that, wearing custom fleece jackets has made you a mobile advertisement for your company.

Promotional fleece jackets have made that scenario happen for countless business owners, and they can do it for you, too. Take a look at our selection of them now; you’re sure to find one that fits your style and company image.

Honestly, who couldn’t use another bag? There is always something in your life that needs to be lugged around. Your employees are no different. They have personal items and professional necessities, and those things need to go into bags. They may as well be promotional bags, backpacks or totes that feature the name of your business.

But these babies aren’t just great for distributing to employees. Custom bags, backpacks and totes are ideal for trade show distribution as well. If your industry is a pretty buttoned up scene, then our attaches, computer bags, briefcases, messenger bags or saddle bags would all be good choices. Wheeled bags are a great option too, particularly if the expo or conference requires a lot of materials to be carried around. Any of these can be customized with the event logo and dates, so that no one will forget where they got their personalized bags, backpacks or totes.

However, if you market in a field that is more youth-oriented or casual, then backpacks or even a casual tote style may be more appropriate for your event. Then again, if you are a marketing professional – well, what do you need to listen to us for? You already know what you’re doing! Just choose the imprinted bags, backpacks and totesthat best suit your audience, industry and occasion, and go for it. We have confidence that our customers can choose wisely. Plus, you really can’t go wrong.

Promotional bags, backpacks or totes “have your back” like nothing else (terrible pun? We make no apologies!).There is nothing better to distribute to employees, colleagues and trade show attendees. Custom bags, backpacks and totes can even be great for personal gifts, to families or a close group of friends. Church groups love personalized bags, backpacks and totes, particularly large churches that have lots of different group programs. Mother’s groups, youth groups, choirs, men’s groups…the annual fishing trip…need we go on? For nearly every group at your church, there are imprinted bags, backpacks and totes to go with it. Remember, items like these create group loyalty, too. What a great way to retain members, right?

Whether it’s for personal or professional distribution, promotional bags, backpacks or totes are the go-to option. Another great perk is that you can give out a different style every year! This is a great way to keep people excited about an annual event. What do you use custom bags, backpacks and totes for? Let us know in the comments below.

Easy to personalize just about anything involving travel, that is! Whether you are a brand seeking a cost-effective way to put your name on your sales staff’s travel gear, or are an engaged couple getting planning an out-of-town wedding (we’ll explain that one in a moment), you can distribute custom luggage tags with your name and logo on it.

Okay, you most likely already know how promotional luggage tags make sense for sales staff; they can more easily spot their luggage in baggage claims, and they can effortlessly promote their employer (you, perhaps), while on the plane or on the road. But how do personalized luggage tags work for an engaged couple? We’re glad you asked.

Say a couple is having a destination wedding, or friends and relatives are flying in from out of town. A cute way to say “thank you” – and one that will have them saying, “Awwww!” for weeks to come – is to send imprinted luggage tags with your custom design and text on them. Imagine each guest’s delight when they receive a pair of custom luggage tags saying “Ben and Jane, 2013” on them along with the invitation or pre-wedding informational packet (what, doesn’t everybody send those?). Brides are always looking for wedding activities the groom can “get into,” right? Well, this is one of them!

Here’s another fun idea: Use promotional luggage tags when going on a family vacation. What better way to keep your entire group’s luggage together, or at least being able to spot it more easily on the baggage claim? The whole family can have a lot of fun choosing and designing a new set of personalized luggage tags every year, especially because we offer so many different designs and price ranges.

So, how will you use imprinted luggage tags? Leave a comment to let us know!

Sometimes, employees deserve something a little higher end than the standard pen set. If you want to reward your top earners with a real incentive…think cash. Just kidding! That may be what they want, but you need to show your appreciation with something a little more affordable. Plus, if it can be something that promotes your company while they are using it – well, that’s a bonus for you, too. So it’s time to think outside of the box, perhaps with something that comes closer to resembling a bag. A computer bag, that is!

With imprinted computer bags that feature your company logo and the employees’ names, you can kill two birds with one stone by rewarding your best workers and advertising your business simultaneously. What those employees think of as a great gift from the boss, you’ll think of as free advertising. For them, these are a convenient way to tote around their laptops and show the world how professional they are. For you, these are promotional computer bags! Like so many other items we offer, custom computer bags are a 50-50 win!

Worried you won’t be able to find one that matches everyone’s style? Don’t worry. You can go as gender-neutral as you like with a black nylon hand-held bag, or add in feminine flair with a Vaqueta Napa Leather women’s laptop carrier. As we do with many of our items, we recommend you consider giving men and women a different style. After all, these are personalized computer bags! You may not be able to give every person their own style, but you can certainly offer something that’s unique to men and women’s sensibilities.

And don’t forget, imprinted computer bags can be paired with smaller items: pens, calculators and other gadgets your people need to do their jobs while out in the field. Whether they are buyers, salespeople, customer care representatives or technicians, they can certainly benefit from some of these items. These, too, can also be customized with your company logo for free advertising everywhere your workers go. The pens can even be handed out to customers and prospects. When prospects see your employees carrying promotional computer bags, and then they receive a pen on top of it – wow! What an impression, right?

Check out our selection of custom computer bags, and have fun doing it! This is a gift you are going to love personalizing for the most valuable members of your team.

Picture this: It’s been one week since the conference, and that promising potential client you encountered there is minutes away from meeting with you on your turf. The last time this happened with a different prospect, you had to ask him what he would like from Starbucks beforehand, then rush out to pick it up and arrive back to the office breathless, just seconds before your would-be customer walked in the door. Still out of breath, you shoved the cup towards him and blurted, “Here you go.” It was already cold, and he wasn’t impressed.

Now, the Alternative: Personalized Mugs, Travel Mugs and Steins

But this time, you know better. You decided you would never let that happen again, and you found a solution: imprinted mugs, travel mugs and steins from a reliable promotional products maker. Using their convenient, easily navigable website, you invested in a few dozen.

What does this drinkware look like? For prospects who maintain their own offices, you looked at glass mugs, ceramic mugs and bistro mugs before settling on a style and color you liked – imprinted with your company logo, of course. It’s perfect for the professional who needs a mug to keep at work, and it reminds him of your business every time he uses it.

For prospects that spend much of their time on the road, you browsed through the selection of travel mugs and travel tumblers designed to hold hot or cold beverages. These promotional mugs, travel mugs and steins are also in a color that is conducive to your brand and marked with your company logo. Because this contact is always out and about, lots of other potential prospects will see his mug – and some of them just may ask him about you.

Custom Mugs, Travel Mugs and Steins are Your Drinkware Solution

Congratulations! You found a solution to the customer coffee cup conundrum: imprinted mugs, travel mugs and steins. Yes, steins! Depending on your type of business, they may actually be more suitable than a mug (that’s up to you, of course). The important thing is that now, when your prospect walks through the door, you have a custom drinkware solution that will impress him the moment you hand him that personalized cup of liquid gold. And the best part is, when he asks where he should leave his mug, you can smile warmly and say, “It’s yours.” Whether or not he becomes a client, you won’t forget the look on his face. That’s what personalized mugs, travel mugs and steins are all about.