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promotional mugs

Are Promotional Products Worth the Cost for Your Small Business?

Promotional Merchandise, Uncategorized, , , ,

Promotional products are everywhere these days – no doubt, you even own a few of your own, picked up from business fairs, markets, and promotional giveaways.
Whether it’s a tote bag, mug, fridge magnet or umbrella flaunting your company’s logo, promotional products are perfect for both attracting new customers, and keeping your business fresh in the minds of existing and past clients.

Not only are promotional products effective for larger companies, they’re also perfect for improving brand awareness and recognition for small and medium-sized businesses. But of course, you have to allocate funds within your advertising budget to order these products before you’ll start to see a return on your investment. And it’s also important that you know how to use such products effectively, so that they’ll make the biggest impact on your customer base and sales.

This guide will talk you through what exactly promotional products are, and give you some examples of how to use them. We’ll discuss how much promotional products cost, the benefits they may bring, and discuss whether the rewards are worth the investment.

What Are Promotional Products?

A promotional product is, in essence, any physical item that bears your company’s name, logo, or slogan. This could be a pen, a keyring, a flyer, a t-shirt – anything, really. It might be a one-use-only item, like a paper cup, or something that’s designed to last for years, such as a ceramic mug. The merchandise itself doesn’t have to bear any relation to the service or product that your company actually sells.

You might have seen businesses handing out promotional products at trade shows or conventions, giving them away as freebies to customers with their order, or using them as giveaway prizes.

Many people think that promotional products are something of a gimmick, or simply used as a token gesture of kindness – but that’s not the case. Multiple studies have shown that promotional products are an invaluable form of advertising that can help to draw in new customers, and retain the existing ones. They can even help to boost morale among employees of a company, and improve employee loyalty.

Examples of Promotional Products and How to Use Them

As you might have guessed, there are many different kinds of promotional products, available at a number of price points. For example:

Flyers, leaflets and postcards are some of the cheapest promotional products. They’re so affordable that you can hand them out to passers-by, or hire a company to deliver them directly to homes as part of a local advertising campaign.

Magnets and keyrings are a step up in terms of price, but also durability. They won’t be discarded as quickly, and are perfect handed out as freebies with an order, or at trade shows and business fairs.

Drinkware such as glasses and mugs are designed to be used for many years, and make great gifts of thanks to longstanding clients and employees. While they may be on the costlier side, they’ll be used by your customers and employees regularly, increasing your exposure and brand awareness. One marketing study found drinkware to be one of the most influential kinds of promotional product – a famous example being the iconic Sports Direct mugs.

Clothing, bags and umbrellas are some of the longest-lasting and most effective promotional wares. They make great corporate gifts – the big benefit being that they’ll be taken outside, and be seen by the public!

The more hardwearing and high-quality the product, the longer it will last, and therefore the more expensive it will be to buy. But though these products may be pricier, they have the most usability and the longest lifespan – so they also have the most potential to help grow your business.

What Are the Benefits of Using Promotional Products?

The use of promotional products, gifts and merchandise will result in many tangible benefits for your business. Multiple marketing studies have shown that promotional products can:

Increase brand awareness and identification. Your name and logo will be more easily recognised and remembered.

Help improve brand image – change the way that people feel about your company. A study by the Advertising Specialties Institute found that people view companies who give them promotional items in an overwhelmingly positive light.

Increase your company’s sales. A customer is more likely to do business with a company if they own their merchandise, rather than a competitor who sells a similar product or service.

Increase employee morale, if your promotional products are given away to employees as a thank-you for their hard work.

Keep your business fresh in the minds of past customers. A potential customer will look at a branded mug and see your logo every single time they drink from it. This is much more effective than, say, passing a billboard.

Don’t forget that your promotional products won’t just have an effect on those who own them, but also anyone who sees the product being used. For example, if someone is carrying around a tote bag bearing your company’s name, this might be seen by anyone who passes them in the street.

Will My Customers Actually Use or Keep the Product?

In short – yes. Obviously, not every (potential) customer will be interested in keeping a branded product in their home; they may have no use for it, or no room to store it. But studies show that the average consumer will keep a promotional product for an average of 7 months.

For more durable and practical products, such as umbrellas, this average increases to 14 months. All this time, not only will your potential customer be looking at your logo every time they use the product – but they’ll also be seen using it, either inside or outside the home.

Furthermore, over 50% of people who own a promotional product will give it away to someone else when they’re finished with it, rather than throwing it in the bin. This will further spread brand awareness!

To increase the likelihood that your customers will actually use your promotional products, take into account your target market. Try to offer the kinds of products that your particular audience will be most likely to use. For example, if your company is popular with the over-70s, USB drives and tech gadgets may not be a sensible choice – but things and mugs and umbrellas might be perfect.

How Much Do Promotional Products Cost?

The cost of any promotional product will vary depending, of course, on what kind of product it is. For example, our magnets start at £15.95 for a pack of 20 small magnets – that’s less than 80p each.

Our personalised mugs vary in price depending on whether you want a single image or a wraparound-style image, and how many mugs you order. The more you order, the more you’ll save – a pack of 200 single image mugs comes to just £4.26 per mug.

In general, products which cost more to purchase are:
Larger
Higher quality
More durable
Reusable
Multi-purpose
Designed to be used for a long period of time (months or years)

Though a personalised coffee mug might be more expensive than a branded paper cup, for example, it will have a more lasting impression on the owner (whether that’s a customer or an employee), and will therefore generate more sales and interest in your company.

How Do I Know I’m Getting a Good Return on Investment?

Promotional products offer a greater return on investment than traditional types of advertising (such as newspaper ads and billboards). In terms of cost per impression (CPI), promotional merchandise is the most cost-effective form of advertising, at around 0.5p per impression.

A 2014 study by the British Promotional Merchandise Association also found that:

96% of marketers who had tried promotional products thought they were worth the money, in terms of increasing brand awareness
73% of the public said that they would purchase from a company that had given them a promotional gift

Data also shows that many customers will also remember the brand on their promotional product for many years after they have thrown or given the item away.

In terms of your own business, the most direct way to monitor whether you’re getting a return on your investment is to closely monitor your sales, website views, searches and clicks, both before and after you roll out your new promotional merchandise.

How Do I Factor Promotional Products into My Advertising Budget?

As excited you may be at the prospect of rolling out your new promotional merchandise to your employees and customers, don’t go overboard.

Make sure to factor in your spend on promotional products into your current advertising budget, to avoid overspending.

You may need to make some reductions in other methods of advertising, such as targeted online ads and promoted Facebook posts, in order to make room for your new ad specialties.

Think carefully about which promotional products you’ll need over the next 12 months when you begin your annual advertising budget. Start with products at a lower price point if you’re unsure.

Plan for a year’s worth of upcoming events, such as new product rollouts and seasonal sales. Be aware that it might take a while before you notice any additional revenue from your new products – but it will be worth it in the end.

Where Can I Order Personalised Promotional Products?

At 123Print, we offer a range of personalised promotional products including:
Flyers
Postcards
Keyrings
Magnets
Mugs
Stationery such as notepads, letterheads and rubber stamps

All of our products are fully customisable. You can select one of our templates to edit as you please. Or simply create your own design entirely from scratch using our editor.

Upload your own artwork (such as your company’s logo) for free. Choose a colour scheme and font that matches your business’s aesthetic.

You can order your promotional products in quantities of up to 2,000, the more you order, the more you’ll save. With fast shipping, competitive prices and a 100% satisfaction guarantee, you’ve got nothing to lose!

Promotional Mug

8 Inspirational Uses for Promotional Mugs that You Haven’t Thought Of

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Promotional mugs are exactly what they sound like—ceramic mugs with customised images, logos, contact information, and quotes representing your business. They’re a great way to promote brand awareness with a personable touch.
Customisable mugs can also be used in a personal context. For example, you could upload a family photograph to a mug as a gift for a loved one, or simply to have something very personal to drink tea from!
The great thing about personalised mugs is that they’re tough, and designed to be used again and again. Unlike many other kinds of promotional material (such as flyers), they won’t be discarded after a single use. They’ll be cherished for years, if looked after correctly.
If you’re keen to discover how ordering personalised mugs could benefit your business, you’re in the right place. We’ve put together a list of 8 inspirational uses for promotional mugs that you might not have thought of.

1. Merchandise

Many businesses use promotional mugs within the office, but you might not have considered selling them as merchandise. If you’ve got a website where customers can purchase goods or services, why not let them add a company mug to their basket, too?
You could even offer the mug as a free or discounted add-on with orders over a certain amount. While it might sound counterintuitive to offer mugs for free (or for very little), you have to consider the benefits here. Your customers will have an incentive to order more from you than they otherwise would have, knowing that they’ll get a free gift out of it.
Another great benefit is that whoever buys your product will have a warm reminder of your brand in their kitchen. This will keep your business fresh in their minds, making them more likely to use you again. Sports Direct is an example of a company that already uses this amazing marketing strategy (with great success).

Promotional Mug

2. Welcome Gift Baskets

We all want to feel special. And there’s no better way to show someone that you think they’re special – whether it’s a customer, a repeat client, or an employee – than with a gift basket.
This idea for getting your promotional mugs out there might work particularly well with businesses with a membership or subscription service. Three month subscription? Here’s a gift basket containing a mug with the logo of the brand you love and support. What else? Maybe some coffee, hot chocolate, or a fancy kind of tea to enjoy in your new mug!
Even if your business doesn’t have such recurrent billing models, the gift basket never fails. After all, who has ever needed a reason to receive a gift? Maybe send it out with larger orders as a thank-you for your customers’ patronage.

3. Décor

This is more for our readers who own a physical store, or other place of business that allows customers to enter (such as a car wash or hairdressing salon). We’ve all seen mugs with the store logo printed beside registers, as placeholders on shelves, or available for customers to purchase.
Nowadays, more and more businesses are realising the importance of aesthetics. We see this applied to storefronts, logos, and décor throughout the shop. Many promotional mugs are used to advertise, and their success largely relies on the aesthetics of the design. Obviously, mugs are practical, but appearance matters too.
Make your personalised mugs look beautiful enough to be conspicuously displayed in your store or place of business, and your customers will notice. They might just ask for one to take home!

4. Host a Design Competition

You must have heard of big businesses that host competitions to allow customers to choose the latest products, or even name them. One of the most well-known examples of this is the crisp brand Walkers. Over the years, they’ve held several polls allowing their fans to choose new flavours of crisp to go on sale – whether taking suggestions from the public, or simply allowing them to vote on predetermined choices.
These kinds of competitions definitely get people talking about and sharing the company on social media. There’s no reason why you can’t do a similar thing, but with a company mug – allow your customers to submit their own design for it!
You could make it a children’s competition, or targeted more towards adult artists. Choose the winning entry yourself, or allow the public to vote – and have the final design printed on promotional mugs. Let your customers order them for personal use, and display them around the office proudly! (Just make sure you obtain copyright for the image before using it.)

5. Unconventional Uses

There are always people who don’t want more mugs in their homes. Here is where we circle back to the importance of a beautiful design and decoration.
Remember in tip #3 we discussed the idea of making your promotional mugs a decorative staple in your store? We can take it a step further by making unconventional uses out of them. For example, why not use your company mugs as succulent planters, or holders for dried flowers? For around the office, they can also be used as pen and pencil holders.
If you’re in the food industry, promotional mugs make great tip jars. You could also jump on the latest trend of “mug cakes” – take a promotional photograph of an employee eating a mug cake out of your company mug, and share it on social media! It’s all great fuel for brand awareness and recognition.

6. Parade Your Values

Sharing your company’s core values and beliefs, especially when it comes to social issues, is one of the best ways to gain loyalty. Today, there are so many opportunities to show what your business is about, other than making products and profits.
Do you value feminism? The Black Lives Matter movement? Perhaps you want your company to show its support for LGBTQ+ rights? You name it. Now put that on your branded mugs and let your customers know what you care about. You can even connect with one of the organisations behind one of the causes and make a fundraiser out of a mug sale.
Make a slogan for that cause side-by-side with your brand. Throw in that basket with hot cocoas and marshmallows in there, and that’s a promotional mug people are willing to buy.
It’s not just promoting your business, but a valuable cause for a better society. Now your business also has a conscience that connects with people.

7. Anniversary Mugs

Anniversaries make people excited and nostalgic. We celebrate anniversaries to remember special occasions marked by dates. Within a business, there are anniversaries around every corner.
So, why not add an anniversary series to your collection of promotional mugs? For example: employment anniversaries for your senior employees, customers’ birthdays, membership/subscription anniversaries, or even the anniversary of the day you opened your business. Give them away with a congratulatory email or a promotion, and your clients (and employees) will feel loved and appreciated.

8. Advertise a Promotion or Sale

Sales and special promotions are super important for almost any business – especially those that sell products directly to the public, whether that’s through the internet or a physical shop. The lowered prices draw in new customers, who then become repeat customers if they like what you offer – even when you put your prices back up.
Most businesses, when they want to advertise an upcoming or ongoing sale, will default to sending an email out to their mailing list, or advertising through social media. But emails end up in spam folders all too often, and when was the last time you really paid attention to a Facebook ad? Can you even remember the last ad you saw?
What if that advertisement, however, was on a free mug? I’ll bet you’d remember it then. Design a mug advertising your latest sale and hand them out for free – outside your place of business, for example, or on the street. Just check with your local council first!

Where Can I Order Personalised Mugs?

Everyone’s got a go-to mug that they’ll choose other any other for their hot beverage. There’s no reason your company mug can’t become your customers’, clients’ and employees’ favourite!
Order your personalised promotional mugs today through 123Print. Choose from dozens of single-image or wraparound templates – or create your own design from scratch. You can upload your own artwork and customise the text, font and colour to your liking.
Our easy editor is extremely simple to use, and you’ll be shown a preview of your mug so that you can ensure it’s perfect before ordering. With our 100% satisfaction guarantee, you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’ll love our products!

promotional mugs

Personalised Mugs: How Much They Cost and How to Use Them

Promotional Merchandise, , ,

When you think of ways to advertise your business to potential clients and customers, personalised mugs might not be at the very top of the list. But company mugs are surprisingly versatile, long-lasting and universally loved as a gift or as part of a welcome pack.

Mugs (and other such products bearing your business’s logo) form a type of advertising known as promotional products, promotional merchandise, or ‘advertising specialties’. They are incredibly effective at keeping customers loyal, and drawing in new clients.
So, what can you use them for, and why do they provide such good value for money from a business perspective? Let’s find out.

What Are Personalised Mugs For?

For a nice brew, obviously!
But in all seriousness, there are many reasons why your business could benefit from personalised mugs. It might sound silly, but something as cheap and cheerful as a mug can have a real effect on your business in lots of different ways…

1) For the Big Opening Day

A mug may seem like an odd choice for a promotional product. If you want to promote something, fliers make sense: you can post them through letterboxes or hand them out, and they’re cheap to design and print. So, what’s the idea with mugs?

The point is that mugs are built to last. A good, solid mug can last for years or even decades. And what’s even better is that they see actual use, because, well, they’re for drinking from. A flier or a business card might get straight to the point, but both end up in the recycling, whereas a mug can sit on somebody’s mug tree for years.

The kicker, of course, is that a mug is more expensive than a flier! That’s why they’re best used for special events, like your big opening day, or when you’re networking. An opening day has a special ‘buzz’ about it, and customers that are there for your opening night are probably going to be good customers down the line, too. You can build up a special relationship with these customers with mugs, coupons and other goodies.

2) For Promoting a Sale, Advertising a New Product, as a Prize…

Beyond just the opening day, there are lots of ways to use personalised mugs to build up a loyal customer base. The prime example is definitely Sports Direct. Sports Direct mugs are famous for being huge, a neat tie-in that gives customers the impression of value for money. They’ve been given away for free and included as automatic add-ins to online orders, and being so cheap, they’re good for customers who need to add just a little to their basket to qualify for free shipping or a discount.

This is a great example of how versatile personalised mugs are. You could give them away as prizes, sell them cheap through your online store, use them to advertise something specific, or sell them straight to the customer!

3) For Building Good Client Relationships

Personalised mugs are even better if you work with clients rather than customers. Building up good client relationships is crucial, both in terms of ensuring that current business goes smoothly, and snagging repeat business.

While they obviously aren’t the ‘be all and end all’ of generating a positive working relationship with a client, personalised mugs can help. Again, a mug is like a permanent advert, a reminder to the client of the work you did together and the service they received. You can give them out as part of a ‘welcome pack’ to every client—while the other things you give depend on the trade you’re in, a mug will always be welcome! And if just one of these mugs helps drum up repeat business from a client, they’ll pay for themselves.

4) For Around the Workplace

Personalised mugs aren’t just good for building relationships with customers or clients, though. You can also get some for the office.
On the one hand, everyone likes to have their own ‘work mug’. This might be their favourite that they brought from home. But as you’re probably intimately familiar with, somebody might use your mug or even break it.

Having business-branded mugs can work here for a couple of reasons. First, you can have stock ready for if/when somebody breaks their mug. That way they can have a cup of tea without having to use someone else’s mug, perpetuating the vicious cycle of mug theft. Or, you could go the heavy-handed route and say t

hat everybody should use a branded mug and leave their own crockery at home.
This can look good to any customers or clients who come to the office: everybody has a slick-looking branded mug. And if your employees choose to take their mugs home with them, they’ll also be showing off your company’s logo to the other members of their household – and anyone who comes round for a visit.

5) For Proud Business Owners

If you own your own business, you don’t need a reason to have a branded mug—you call the shots, and don’t have to answer to anyone! So, whether you want to show your pride in your business, create a consistent branding image in everything you do (and everything you drink), or you just really love your business’ logo, a personalised mug would make the perfect ‘self-gift’. You could also gift them to friends and family – it might even encourage them to try your products!

What’s a Good Price for a Personalised Mug?

Personalised mugs don’t have to be expensive. We offer high-quality white ceramic mugs with personalised printed designs from just £3.87! The price-per-mug depends on two main things: the style of printing you’d like, and how many you’re going to order.

Personalised Mugs in Different Styles

123Print.co.uk offer two different styles of personalised mug: single image and wraparound image. Single image mugs have your logo printed on one side of the mug along with any details you want to add on. Wraparound mugs have an image that covers the entire outside of the mug, which can be anything you like: a photograph, a big logo, artwork—anything. Wraparound mugs are slightly more expensive than single image mugs because there’s more printed on them.

Single Order vs. Bulk Order

Depending on the size of your team, or how many mugs you plan on handing out, you could want anywhere from one or two mugs to one or two hundred. As is the case for any kind of bulk order, ordering personalised mugs in bulk means that you pay less ‘per mug’ than if you only order a couple. So, at 123Print.co.uk, the cost per mug for orders of 200+ is almost half what you pay for just one on its own! The more you order, the more you save.

Is It Easy to Design Your Own Personalised Mug?

Designing your own mug is very, very easy. In fact, it only takes a few minutes. All you have to do is upload the artwork of your choice, or choose from one of the many professionally-made preset designs available. You can upload directly from your computer, or if it’s more convenient, from your Instagram or Facebook account.

You can also add any text you like: an email address or the address of the business, for example. You can save designs for later, too, if you’d want to spend a while coming up with something perfect just for you!

Our mugs are British made and we offer 2-day turnaround. If you need support, we offer a chat feature, or you can call 01772 625179. You can also request a free sample of our printing if you’d like to try out the quality before you buy.
With all those reasons to order, why not try personalising your own mugs today?