Every day you are exposed to promotional products. Whether it's at a grocery store with a reusable bag with the store's name on it or that pen at your desk with your company name, promotional products are everywhere. They serve as one of the most memorable forms of advertising since they are physical items, and not just another ad while browsing the web. These top 5 tips I compiled will help you when considering your next promotional products purchase for your company.

1 - Work with a Professional.

Today in the world of E-commerce, many websites offer promotional products with thousands of options, and while sometimes you may get a "deal" on an item, that may not always be the case. Missed event dates, poor decoration, and the list goes on. A promotional product distributor is a professional who works with you to determine what type of products will best fit your need and handles the details for you of getting your order put together and delivered. Similar to a party planner ordering the catering, decorations, venue, and entertainment, your promotional product distributor will coordinate everything that needs to happen with your order.

2 - Timing is everything

Let's face it, we are spoiled with two-day Amazon Prime shipping, next-day air shipping, and even same day pickup offered by many retailers. It has created the mentality that orders can be produced the next day due to how the world of e-commerce and retail is trending to make things happen faster. But with logo decorated products, planning can save a lot of headaches, and often save more money. Most distributors request two working weeks for your order to be produced, but if you need it quicker, you could face rush fees or worse - expedited shipping. A good rule of thumb is to try and plan out a month ahead of time from your event or need date and keep your distributor up to date on new events and product needs so they can keep eyes open for deals, work with you to establish a time frame and keep you from any surprises.

(Pro Tip - If you have a high quantity need and can plan 5+ months out, distributors may be able to source a special order from the factory overseas, resulting in significant savings, and sometimes more customization of the item.)

3 - Pick what’s right, not what is cheapest.

Depending on who your target audience is, your end goal, and your budget should help you determine what type of promotional products you should be sourcing. Going for the cheapest option like a pen or fidget spinner may be best for the budget, but not for your intended goal. For example, if you operate a grocery chain with a goal of increasing customer retention, some great options would include reusable bags, coolers, and even note pads printed with lines for people to write their grocery lists. If your target audience is your employees with a goal of wellness, you may look into items like water bottles, pedometers, and a cooling towel for after their exercise. The point is to focus on what your goal is and to provide something that recipients would want to use, and when they use it, they see your logo and thus, another impression from you.

4 - Good Art in = Good Art out

In the world of promotional products , the name of the art game is vector artwork. Vector artwork is created using programs like Adobe Illustrator which makes "line art" that relies on lines, shapes, points, and is scalable to create ready to print artwork. The exception to this is when you have full-color artwork such as a photograph, in which case your art file should be at least 300 DPI resolution and sized for the product. By providing ready to print artwork, you can save yourself some time and money. If you don't have access to ready to print artwork, however, many distributors offer creative and graphic services.

5- Get Creative

I can't count the times I have attended a conference, and when you go from table to table, you find the same pen or the same stress ball or notebook on two vendor tables.  This does nothing to help separate the vendors at the conference other than the different logo on the items. Instead of just getting a simple piece, think about how it can be jazzed up. If you're doing a notebook, think about custom pages on the inside or a cool cover option. If you're doing a pen, how about a pen that lights up or is erasable. Even something simple like your business card can be creative. Instead of printing it on paper, how about printing it on a microfiber cloth that is usable when cleaning screens or glasses. Stand out and create great promotions when purchasing promotional products .