Knowledgebase

My name's Richard Mack, and I'm the MD of RT Promotions. The promotional gifts marketplace is an interesting world to operate in, and I'm fortunate to meet literally hundreds of our customers each year. Together we learn what's effective, and just as importantly, what isn't. I'd now like to share the nuggets of 'insider' knowledge with you in a series of weekly email hints and tips ....!

USB Memory Sticks, USB Memory Cards or USB Flash Drives have been selling well as a promotional giveaway gift for some time now, and are available in a range of memory sizes. How important is their size?

There is an ever-increasing choice of these smart little devices, and when used as a promotional giveaway, they can be incredibly powerful. But from the hundreds you can choose from, which one's the right one for your requirements?

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The final part in 'all you ever wanted to know about choosing a promotional pen, but were afraid to ask'..... Imprinted pens are a very powerful way to promote your business, but with so many different promotional pens to choose from, how can you be sure of making the right choice? In our earlier articles, we suggested you ask yourself four questions to ensure you choose the right pen for your business objectives. These are the final two questions you should be considering:

If our original article didn't answer all your questions, maybe this second part will help.

So you think you need a promotional pen do you? Well just how sure are you?

Take a look at the number plate on your motor vehicle... go on, take a look!! I bet there's some small print running along the top or bottom edge? That will be the name of the garage or dealer who originally sold the vehicle, usually a BIG brand local motor trader. During the course of its lifetime, the vehicle will have several owners, and the chances are pretty high that at some stage, it will find itself on a used-car motor traders forecourt. The last thing the motor trader wants is to promote another, competative, vehicle supplier, and there it is, in the small print, running along every vehicle he has on his forecourt.. So what's he to do? change the numer plates? Well, for most garages, that's a non-starter, it's just too expensive to put new number plates onto every car that comes your way, but what's the alternative?

The quest for the perfect promotional gift is a tedious one. There's so many variables... budget or premium priced? plastic or metal? colourful or not? There's just so much variety and choice its sometimes hard to know where to start, so let us do the hard work for you.

These are a series of definitions of commonly used jargon from within my industry, the promotional gifts and personalised clothing market. Please feel free to add your comments, perhaps giving me a better explanation, or maybe suggesting words that you have come across but don't fully understand their meaning.

Answers to all of our most frequently asked questions. Try here first.

Mousemats, are they the most effective promotional product available? There are many challengers for the crown of 'best promotional product', not least the mighty pen, but the mousemat is a truly effective and versatile thing, that when used correctly, will outpace most of its rivals!!

Coffee Mugs aren't the cheapest promotional product you can buy, but when measured against their daily almost constant use and longevity, they are one of the most effective. To get the most from your marketing spend, you may want to consider some of the following branding details you could apply to differentiate YOUR mug from all the others.

Although it's a commonly held belief that the holder of 'the most effective promotional product' is the humble pen, it's our opinion, that when used correctly, the coffee coaster will give the pen a run for its money!!

Promotional Gifts are made from a variety of materials, including wood, and in todays climate of eco-friendliness, we are sometimes asked if this use of wood is good for the planet. Our response to that question will vary from product to product, and will invariably depend on the source material being used. In this article we try to explain some of the facts about Bamboo.

Getting the artwork and image colouring correct is a concern for any company, whether big or small. You will have spent money creating a brand and want it to look right when reproduced onto any promotional product you decide to purchase.

What is involved in the process 'transfer printing' onto coffee mugs, and why would you consider using this method as opposed to other methods you may hear about?

You keep hearing the phrase 'dye sublimation' with regard to printing your artwork onto a coffee mug. What on earth does it mean?

You are considering purchasing a quantity of promotional logo'd or corporate style coffee mugs, and need to understand what the difference is between the various production methods.

What is involved in the process of 'screen printing' onto coffee mugs, and why would you use this method as opposed to other methods you hear about?

It seems to be a minefield of choice. All you want is a few dozen polo shirts personalised with your logo or message, but what is the best method to use?

You're thinking of having some garments personalised, and are pretty sure they will be 'transfer printed'. So what are the main things you need to be aware of?

You're thinking of having some garments personalised, and are pretty sure they will be 'embroidered'. Why do you have to have an image digitized? What are the main things you need to be aware of? Should you be embroidering these garments at all?

The details of this special process called 'digitising' thats necessary to get your logo ready for embroidery

You're thinking of having some garments personalised, and are pretty sure they will be 'screen printed'. So what are the main things you need to be aware of?

Balloons are great fun. They are colourful and lively and a brilliant way to get your brand or message noticed. But if not used with care, they can have an adverse effect on the environment. In this document, RT Promotions gives you tips and guidance for their safe use, and puts to rest some commonly held incorrect rumours.

You've ordered the promotional item, they are being personalised, and it's simply a matter of getting the goods delivered to you. What could possibly go wrong?