If you’re marketing to designers, promotional mouse pads can be a magical way to bring a piece of the showroom straight onto your customers’ desktops.

Just take a look at Duralee’s custom mousepads. Duralee is one of the interior design industry’s most exciting fabric brands, and it’s very cleverly using mouse pads to showcase its distinctive, dramatic offerings.

This isn’t your standard promotional mouse pad with a company name and logo—this has some real style and flair, just like the brand itself.

We’re swooning over the look of this promotional item. It’s pretty, it’s practical, and it does a lovely job of promoting the Duralee brand.

And think about it: Designers aren’t driving all over town to see swatches and samples anymore. The industry has changed. They’re now browsing websites and ordering samples online, making custom mouse pads smart, stylish promotional gifts that reach designers where they are: at their computers.

Promo know-how tip:

Make your custom mouse pads get noticed on the desktop by doing something different—think sand-filled wrist cushions or a mousepad that doubles as a notepad. Chat with our Brand Consultants for some creative ideas, and read on for why custom mousepads are effective promotional giveaways. 

We all know the adage, and for marketers, those April showers are a great reason to promote with custom umbrellas.

Take Victoria’s Secret, for example. The women’s wear, beauty and lingerie retailer is offering a free umbrella with a $65 purchase. Not the typical frilly underthings or sparkly lip gloss – simply a seasonal gift-with-purchase for shoppers. How very smart and refreshingly different.

Promotional umbrellas are timely, functional, and something shoppers can use (maybe even immediately) to promote the Victoria’s Secret brand.

Custom umbrellas also make great business gifts this time of year. Pop open one of these styles to get huge brand exposure when those April showers roll in:

Promotional compact and folding umbrellas.

Your business can come to the rescue when thunder rumbles—these conveniently sized umbrellas are perfect for tucking in a purse or backpack. They’re offered in a variety of colors, materials and arc sizes to make a bold statement.

Promotional non-folding umbrellas.

Options abound with stick promotional umbrellas—you can promote with styles that are windproof or vented, or styles that feature an automatic open or even a light-up shaft.

Promotional patio umbrellas.

These jumbo-sized umbrellas aren’t just ideal for patio dining at bars and restaurants—they’re also great advertising at the beach, sporting events, street fairs and community events.

Rain or shine, custom umbrellas get your logo seen. Even in a crowd of people, there’s no missing the huge imprint on a promo umbrella. If you’ve been thinking of a clever, useful customer gift for springtime, give logo umbrellas a twirl.

Promo know-how tip:

Expand your messaging by imprinting on multiple panels or including a case with your custom umbrellas. Let our Brand Consultants help you select the right umbrellas for your budget and promotion.

Custom USB drives are becoming as ubiquitous as coffee mugs and pens for many marketers. Nearly everybody uses them. We can spot four at our desk as we’re writing this post. It’s our guess that you have a few stationed at your workspace, too.

Promotional USBs may be small (that’s the point), but they’re mighty marketers. Learn more about custom flash drives, and check out three big reasons you should be using these promotional powerhouses:

1. They’re cost-effective tech giveaways.

Pricing on flash memory is controlled by global supply and demand, and that pricing is about to spike. If you’ve had your eye on promotional USBs, now’s the time to buy. And, hey, as a perk for reading our blog, you’re the first to know about special pricing on some of ePromos’ most popular custom USB drives. We’re keeping this pricing through March 29, so stock up now, and keep reading our blog. You never know when we might give you the skinny on a good deal.

2. They do more than just promote a company name.

You can’t beat the versatility of promotional USB drives. From training documents and sales materials to photos and videos, you can put any kind of information into your audience’s hands. It’s a whole lot more efficient than giving out a huge stack of papers or CDs.

3. They last. And last.

Customize a promo USB drive, and your message will be around for years. Most flash drives are designed to last about 10,000 writes, and some can last a staggering 100,000 writes. As for the number of reads? Virtually limitless.

Promo know-how tip:

Don’t skimp on memory size. There should be enough memory on your promotional USBs to make them useful for recipients. Keep this in mind: A single gigabyte (GB) is good for about 200 songs, 250 10-megapixel pictures or 500 e-books. Work with our Brand Consultants on choosing the right flash drives for your promo. 

Last week, we brought you the inside scoop on promoting with custom candy. Now, we raise a glass to promotional beverages, a refreshing way to promote your business (and wash down all those sweets).

Imprinted drink mix packets make a splash in all kinds of varieties: lemonade, hot chocolate, gourmet coffee, iced tea and more. They put your brand in front of your audience, and they save people a trip to the breakroom or vending machine for a drink. The convenience is nice, and everybody likes saving a little coin.

There are lots of ways to hand out custom drink mixes, too.

• Give out iced tea, lemonade or fruit punch packets with custom-label bottled water at conferences or events.
• Tuck individual packets of coffee, tea or hot chocolate into custom mugs or tumblers for cozy customer gifts.
• Place promotional beverages in your company’s reception area and kitchen for a cost-effective giveaway for clients and employees.
• Add a message of appreciation to custom drink mix packets to thank staffers for a job well done.
• Keep a stash of promotional beverages to give customers while they wait for your services. They sure make a wait at the auto shop a little easier to swallow.

Promotional beverages are fun, flavorful and budget-friendly. Just think: Your brand can come to the rescue with a steamy mug of hot chocolate on a blustery day or a tall, sweet glass of lemonade during the sizzling summer months.

Custom drink mixes are a refreshing addition to your marketing, and they fit any budget. Jake’s back with some gulp-worthy promo drinks:

Promo know-how tip:

Make your promotional beverages part of a combo gift by including them with a promotional snack or custom drinkware. Our Brand Consultants can offer some clever ideas. 

Thinking about giving out custom candy? People love the sweet stuff. So much, in fact, that Americans are eating about 100 pounds of sugar a year apiece, according to Business Insider.

In 1822, it took people five days to consume the amount of sugar found in one of today’s 12-ounce sodas. Now, people consume that much every seven hours.

Sugary treats and eats are a way of life. Your customers crave something sweet like they crave their morning coffee. Custom candy lets you satisfy their craving while getting your business some great exposure.

Here are three things that might surprise you about custom candy:

1. It’s not just chocolate and mints.

It’s a Willy Wonka world when marketing with promotional candy. You can add your logo to a candy store of treats: gourmet jelly beans, cotton candy, gumballs, gummy bears, conversation hearts, candy corn, lollipops, licorice, sugar-free candies and more.

2. Candy colors are customizable.

You aren’t limited to stock shades—you can get candy in your corporate colors. Think about how slick it would look to hand out corporate-colored candies at a tradeshow, conference, golf tournament, or corporate event.

3. You can customize the container and the candy.

The candy wrapper isn’t the only place to spotlight your logo—you can also customize the candy itself. Before that piece of chocolate gets savored or that gumball gets popped, your customers get a good look at your custom logo.

Here’s Jake to show you more about custom candy:

Promo know-how tip:

Use custom candy to set the tone for your next event. Foil-wrapped chocolates exude elegance, while cotton candy or lollipops are pure fun.

If your staffers interact face-to-face with customers, you know the importance of a professional uniform. But did you ever consider giving them custom hats? They’re a cozy way to complete the look, and they get your brand some great eye-level exposure.

Our client, US Sport Tech, a company that provides repair, installation, maintenance and assembly of health and fitness equipment, reached out to ePromos for a warm addition to its current team uniform.

Technicians typically wear a logo shirt and jacket, but the company also wanted to provide custom hats when they were working outside in frosty conditions.

“If one person wants to wear a winter hat, we wanted it to have our logo on it,” says US Sport Tech’s Caitlyn Schuermann. “We offer a unique service, and we want our technicians to have a professional look when they’re going into a gym. For us, it’s all about professionalism.”

Promo know-how tip:

Your uniforms should match your brand. Whether you need dressy items or casual apparel, our Brand Consultants will help you select brand-appropriate apparel and accessories.