Here’s How Promotional Pens Can Build Your Brand
Even in the technological world that we live in today you will still see on most people’s desks multiple pens with many of them branded. The popularity of pens is second only to branded apparel. Writing instruments are daily tools that people not only look at but also hold therefore increasing the time spent with the product, your logo and advertising message. Let me now discuss some of the advantages of promotional pens, the branding methods and the different types of pens that are offered.
Advantages
- Low Cost – (anything from $0.50 to $5.00) in a pen is considered a promotional item. Above that and it becomes a gift. In this case the idea is to give out lots of them, and hope that they travel far and wide, while imprinted with your name/logo/message. One manufacturer’s study showed that on average a pen may have as many as eight owners. It gets passed around and I am sure you can relate to ending up with a pen that wasn’t yours.
- Some pens are refillable and can therefore be used over and over again.
- Pens are a great item to put in tradeshow bags and to give out to delegates at conferences.
- Premium pens such as Parker, Schaeffer and Waterman have different packaging options and are a really great Corporate Gift to give to those valued clients to show your appreciation.
Branding
- Pad printing is the most versatile and common decoration process for plastic pens due to the ability to print on compound angles and three – dimensional objects. Pad printing is cost effective and there is the ability to print multiple colours.
- Laser engraving is a sophisticated form of customizing metal pens and it is even possible to achieve a multi tone effect. Engraving provides a permanent subtle branding and a professional finish for high end pens.
Different Types of Pens
Pens can be divided into 3 categories based on what material they are made from, what they are used for and what type of ink and tip they have.
Material
The most common are plastic pens, metal pens, wooden pens, bamboo pens, bio-degradable pens and recycled pens.
Use
Pens are available for many uses including standard writing pens, marker pens, highlighters and banner pens.
Tip and Ink Type
Choice include ballpoint pens, roller ball pens, fountain pens, gel ink pens, felt tip pens and fibre-tip pens.
Things to Watch Out For
As with most things you get what you pay for. Two pens might look alike and yet differ greatly in price. There are many different factors that can affect the price of pens. Don’t cheapen your company image by giving out a pen of questionable quality that does right well or runs out of ink quickly and then gets thrown in the bin! A good refill costs more than a basic pen with a basic refill. A basic refill will write 300 metres, while an ultimate refill will write more than 9,000 metres.
Ever picked up a pen which has fallen apart? This is because the pen parts have been forced in or just screwed in. A good quality one is glued in place to help stop it from falling apart.
An experienced promotional product advisor will be familiar with all of the many products which are available and will be able to recommend the best product for your business and target market.