Steps to Choosing the Perfect Promotional Mugs

If you’ve decided to purchase promotional mugs, you’re in good company—mugs are by far one of the most popular promotional items around. Your work isn’t done yet, though—you’ve still got to choose the perfect mug for your business. Here are a few pointers to help you make the right decision.
Price

The first decision you make when choosing promotional mugs is probably going to be in determining how much you want to spend on these items. This in turn will often determine what material options are available to you, or how many mugs you can afford to buy. If your budget is small but you’re dead set on choosing a certain type of mug, you might need to consider purchasing fewer mugs, or even selecting an alternative type of mug that is less expensive.
Plastic, Glass Earthenware or China?
Choosing between different material options may often be completed on the basis of how many mugs you need and what you can afford. If your budget is limited but you need a large number of mugs, you may want to choose plastic mugs, whereas if you have a little more to spend, earthenware is a good choice. Some varieties of plastic mugs are available for less than ₤1.00, so they’re a great option for the budget-conscious buyer.

Earthenware mugs are a little more pricy—while there is one option available for slightly less than ₤1.00 per item, there is a much wider selection available if you’re able to spend ₤1.00-₤2.00 each.
If the impression your mugs make on the recipients and the people who use the items is more important than your budget, china and glass are great options. With china mugs starting at ₤2.06 and glass at ₤2.09, these are not usually the best choice for a buyer with a smaller budget, however.
Colors and Styles

Plastic mugs offer the greatest range of colors—however, if you’re planning on adding a full color design to your mugs, a plain white earthenware mug is often the best choice. Earthenware mugs also offer the greatest range of styles, as well as some unique options such as photo mugs with rich photo-quality colors, heat reactive mugs that change color when a hot liquid is added, and metallic luster promotional mugs that add a shimmering sheen of gold or silver to the printed design.
Your Printed Design
When creating your printed design, your first step will usually be adding your company name and logo. It’s also good to choose colors that recall any company color scheme you already have—if you’re adding mugs to an existing range of promotional items you already use, try and choose designs and colors that complement what you already have. This will help you achieve a cohesive look that will strengthen your brand image.

Most mugs offer a good-sized print area, and many can be printed over the entire surface of the mug if you desire. However, try not to create a design that is too cluttered and “busy” looking. You don’t want the design of your mugs to detract from the important information such as your company name—ideally the mugs you design should remind the people using them of your company.

Gareth Parkin is the co-founder of Ideasbynet, the UK's largest online source of promotional mugs & other promotional items. He has taken UK gift market of products like promotional mugs by storm through modern business thinking & latest search engine marketing techniques. For more details visit www.ideasbynet.com