The Ultimate Guide to Custom Branded Pens

As digital marketing prices rise and campaigns become shorter in duration, physical marketing has become more important than ever. And when it comes to creating an impression that lasts and has lasting utility, nothing beats a promotional pen.

According to research by the BPMA , writing implements are ranked among the three most effective types of promotional products on the UK market. Thanks to their utility, high quality pens are mostly found in offices and carry logos seen multiple times throughout the day.

However, a low-quality ballpoint pen can tarnish a brand's perception. At branding IMPACT, we approach promotional products strategically. In this guide, you will find a lot of tips and hints to find the right custom pens to obtain high ROI.

1. Plastic, Metal, or Eco-friendly? The Right Material

The type of material of your pen creates an immediate impression of your brand right from the beginning, setting its weight, feel, and message to be communicated to the receiver.

Powerful on a Budget: Plastic Pens

When you want high-volume giveaways at trade shows and exhibition drop bins, then nothing beats plastic pens. It is the least expensive choice per unit and will exponentially increase your brand visibility.

• IMPACT’s Best Selling Pen: The Classic Contour pen, handcrafted with a rubber grip for supreme comfort, a uniquely contoured barrel design and variety of colors to fit your corporate color palette.

• Best Used For: Events giving away lots of products, educational events and trade shows with high visitor numbers.

Corporate Summary: Metal and aluminum pens.

For the purposes of presenting an important client, commemorating an important accomplishment within the company, or giving your management office equipment, weight is important. Metal pens are high quality and function well, being present naturally at the desk of any decision-maker.

• Design Tip: Rather than using regular surface printing, consider laser engraving on metal pens. Laser engraving involves cutting into the pen, thereby making sure that your logo will never wear off.

• Best Used For: Client gifts for B2B companies, executive starter packs, and corporate events.

The Latest Mandate: Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Pens

The current trend towards eco-friendliness among consumers and businesses cannot be ignored. Distributing plastic spoons can negatively affect the perception of the company’s CSR policy. Therefore, we at branding IMPACT are committed to the idea of sustainable promotional products.

If you want your business to show its commitment to safeguarding the environment, you can choose among the modern materials that are both stylish and durable:

• Recycled PET (rPET) is made from used plastic bottles, so it helps to reduce waste accumulating in the oceans or landfills.

• Wheat Straw and Bamboo are examples of biodegradable or renewable vegetable materials that can create a beautiful natural texture.

• Recycled Aluminum has the properties of other metal-fabricated pens, such as dense material, but at the same time allows achieving a very low carbon footprint.

2. Gliding Through the Ink: Ballpoint, Rollerball, or Gel?

How well a pen performs while gliding on paper determines its frequency of use. A pen that skips, leaks, or writes scratchily ends up in the bin and all your marketing expenditure goes to waste.

• Ballpoint Pens (Ink made from oil): This is what you should choose if you have to make a choice for everybody. The ink dries instantly giving excellent resistance to smudges (best option for left-handed people) as well as having a long shelf life. Ideal for daily use at work.

• Rollerball and Gel Pens (Ink made of water or gel): Fluid and generous ink flow with minimal effort required to get gorgeous lines. Ideal for signature or even journaling.

3. The Impactful Design of the Pen

The personalised pen provides you with a smaller canvas on which each millimeter is important. For your design to look professional, follow these key concepts when designing the pen:

Keep It Simple

Do not attempt to include your entire company name, your website address, your phone number, and your mailing address into one pen. This will give you too small text that nobody can read. Instead, focus on including your main logo and either your website address or short-link for landing page.

Get the Most of Contrast

Make sure that your logo impressively contrasts with the color of the pen. For example, a dark logo on a black pen would disappear completely. So, it is best to use a bright-colored logo on a dark pen.

Use Free Design Experts

Are you unsure how to fit your logo onto a round surface? At branding IMPACT, we offer a Free Same-Day Design Service. Just send us your logo and our team will create a high-quality vector logo for you on the same day at no charge.

4. Distribution Strategy: Getting the Most Out of Your Pens

The pen sitting in your stock room is worth absolutely nothing from a marketing point of view. What you need to do to maximise your return on investment is develop a good distribution strategy.

Networking With The "Double-Pen" Technique

When you’re attending an exhibition, never give your pen away in single numbers. Instead, offer your prospect two of them. Just say: "Here’s one for you and one for the colleague who constantly steals your pens."

Enhance the Employee Experience

Making an impression is important in the office. Ensure your new arrivals receive a set of branded A5 notebooks and expensive pens in their welcome packs, as this will give them a sense of community and include them in the team every time they meet clients using quality corporate materials.

Direct Mail Campaigns

Because pens are cheap and convenient, they work well for direct mail advertising campaigns. Adding a quality eco-pen to an envelope increases the "lumpy mail" effect and makes the recipient 35% more likely to open it.

5. Against the Clock? The 24-Hour Way Out!

Yes, it happens to everyone! A surprise client pitch turns up, or the last-minute opportunity at a trade show becomes available, and you find yourself without any items to distribute.

There's always a way to be well prepared and at the same time deliver high-quality products. When it comes to immediate corporate marketing campaigns, we have our IMPACT range of 24-Hour Express Solutions. Once your proof is confirmed, your customised items will be shipped out right away, the following working day. Quick turnaround does not necessarily mean compromising on quality!

Are You Prepared to Make Your IMPACT?

Custom branded pens offer much more than an easy way to write; they are inexpensive and oft used brand ambassadors capable of doing their work long after they get handed out. With the selection of the right material, the focus on sustainability and the use of a clean-cut design, an ordinary object transforms into a remarkable promotional tool.

At branding IMPACT, we refuse to implement a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. Instead, we take a consultative and bespoke approach to branded merchandise that means working together with you to find the right products for the required budget.

Get in touch with us today to talk about your next campaign and take advantage of our Free Same-Day Design Service that provides you with a visual representation of your brand.

• Call Us: 0115 855 0965

• Email: info@brandingimpact.co.uk

• Get Started: Click "Request a Quote" on our website to share your brief!