There’s More To Corporate Gifts Than Pens, Brollies and Promotional Key Rings

If you run any kind of business or indeed if you find yourself faced with the job of organising some large public event you ought to be looking seriously at the idea of corporate gifts or, if you prefer, promotional gifts. Most of us have become accustomed to being given promotional pens by various firms seeking to do business with us. The thinking behind that is that every time we pick up the pen to write something the name of the business is right before our eyes. Promotional key rings work on the same principle of course. Every time you unlock the door or start the car the name is there.

It is possible for corporate gifts to carry an unwritten message too. Think of the corporate umbrellas given away some years ago by a famous insurance company. Sure they were in the company’s colours and proudly proclaimed the company name but there was more to it than that surely. An umbrella’s for protection, against the rain or the sun. What does an insurance company sell? Why protection of course!

All these well known promotion gifts are very useful in promoting a great many businesses. Not just businesses either, many charities make effective use of promotional pens. The trouble is they’ve become a bit too well known and as a business you don’t want to just follow the crowd. You need to be a bit different.

The range of promotional gifts available in the UK is comprehensive and it keeps extending. There’s certainly no need to restrict yourself to promotional pens, corporate umbrellas or promotional keyrings. Some businesses will be able to find corporate gifts that relate particularly well to their core activities.

If you’re in the IT business for instance, selling or repairing computers or designing websites you could consider giving away mouse mats, laptop bags or USB gadgets, all proclaiming your company name and logo to the world whenever anyone uses them.

Someone with an off-licence business might like to use bottle openers to promote themselves as the place to buy essential supplies. If you’re an insurance broker corporate umbrellas could still work well for you, but so could calculators.

Of course none of these promotional gifts are actually exclusive to any particular trade or profession. All of them can be effective in promoting any kind of business. The important thing is that it should be something that the recipient will use every day or at least keep on the desk where they’ll see it and be reminded all the time of your name and what you can do for them.

That’s the beauty of mouse mats and calculators. Clocks too are always on view and being consulted frequently by busy people with schedules to keep to.

Puzzles and games are good too because then you keep your name in front of the customers even when they take coffee breaks and relax for a minute or two. Mugs work in exactly the same way of course and if, when the person gets back to the desk, there’s a note pad with your name and logo on it lying there, you won’t be forgotten easily. Oh and if they bring their mug of coffee back to their desk wouldn’t it be good if there was a coaster promoting your business to put it on?

People at work get stressed, particularly those who don’t take coffee breaks so they might value stress toys, preferably with your name and logo on them of course. When people can get away from work they like to unwind by taking part in all sorts of leisure activities so how about giving them something they can use away from the office?

Polo shirts are always useful for leisure time and a lot of people like to wear caps especially when the sun shines. Golf is a popular activity and golfing gifts always go down well. All are available with your promotional message of course.

Some promotional gifts are as useful at home as in the work place. Fridge magnets are handy in either place and memo pads. Not many homes or offices could function for long these days without a supply of sticky notes.

Lots of other promotion gifts are available. No one suggests you should use all of those mentioned or indeed any of them. You might only use one or two. It doesn’t matter. The point is you don’t have to give away what everyone else does. You can be a bit different. The Bill Gateses and Richard Bransons of this world didn’t get where they are by following the crowd and neither should you!

You don’t need to spend a fortune. Some of the simplest gifts can be the most effective.

BH1 Promotions specialise in promotional products and corporate gifts for local government, police forces and business, including a massive range of environmentally friendly promotional items.