America loves free stuff. In a 2021 marketing study from the American Marketing Association, respondents pointed to relationship building and value as being vital to the effectiveness of promotional items (whether they're sold or given away).
Using pens, cups, t-shirts, and other free corporate swag for promotions isn't new. Promo items like pens are fantastic. They should become part of your marketing plan. People love them. They use them. They increase brand awareness. And on top of that, they make for an inexpensive (and customizable) opportunity to get the word out about your business. Today, we're diving into the world of pens and how they can help you with your next extensive marketing campaign.
Using Pens For Marketing Is Beneficial
Now it's time to crack open those ancient college marketing textbooks (we know you still have them, although they might be a bit dusty) and explore some of the classic reasons pens are ideal for marketing. Studies show that promo items like custom pens are suitable for hitting a marketing home run. They boost and increase brand awareness. They significantly improve customer engagement. Happy customers who get something for free will likely view your brand favorably. And that leads to building a better reputation for your business. Pens also work great for creating impressions and generating leads. Fancy industry terms aside, pens offer distinct benefits for companies and their customers.
Different Pens Make Unique Impacts
Compared to some tired old techniques, marketing with pens is a fun and exciting way to create engagement and make an impression on your customers. They're also plenty of different kinds of pens. Ballpoint pens are quickly popular and provide a smooth, consistent writing experience. They're all so the least expensive and easiest to customize. Fine-tip pens are fancier and more precise. A fine-tip pen is an excellent gift if somebody likes to draw or create art. Engraved pens add a personal touch to marketing. Full-color pens make vibrant colors that customers will enjoy using. Although a bit more expensive than ballpoints, gel pens offer a bold line writing experience and can convey your message while demonstrating that you believe in providing quality products. Some pens come with accessories or special features, such as a stylus tip or a light. Your promotional pens‘ final scope and designs are limited only by your imagination (and possibly your budget).
Customization Is Critical
If you're noticing a lot of customer churn or simply aren't seeing enough new faces at your business, exploring personalization and customization is a good idea. Customers desire personalization. That's just something that's happened over the years. Maybe it's a side effect of modern media and the broader accessibility of nearly everyone. Perhaps the tired old branding of the past annoys modern audiences. Whatever the case, personalization is a well-tempered method of increasing brand awareness and helps you tailor your promotion to the customers who'll benefit the most.
And There Are A Ton Of Promotional Opportunities
Once you've designed and bought the correct quantity of pens, it's time to explore some promotional opportunities. You can sell them. Fancier pens–like fine tip, gel, fountain, or similar ones–can be sold for a slight profit. Give them as gifts to employees or customers. Take them to trade shows and conferences. Place a cup full of them in your lobby for customers' use (or take home!). Give them away. Go to a tradeshow and make some available in your booth. If you have a physical store, maintain a cup full of pens that customers can use (or take if they wish). In an e-commerce business, you can easily include one of your pens as a gift in a customer's package. Give them away as a “thank you” item for a predetermined purchase amount. Whatever you decide to do, take full advantage of a custom pen's advertising power to give customers something they'll love (and hopefully remind them of your brand).
Conclusion
If the idea of using pens for marketing still feels elusive to you, consider the effect free promo items have on people in a general sense. There's a reason why the industry is so massive these days. People tend to remember companies who gave them free promo items and are likely to anticipate a company providing them at any time. Pens are also super low-cost. For example, a company can spend around $60 and get 150 pens (approximately 39 cents per pen). When you buy more pens, the cost per unit increases. That and their other benefits make them worthwhile for your next marketing campaign. Whether you're looking to promote an upcoming event/product or want to build rapport with your customers, custom pens are one of the most direct routes to accomplishing that goal.
