Choosing the Right Promotional Item.

July 14, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

One of the few good things that came out of the recent recession is the surge of new, entreprenueral-based companies coming about from people making the best of a bad situation. When you are launching your own company and trying to hold your own with the larger, better-known names in your industry, promotional products serve as constant visual reminders of your company and are portable advertsing. A recent study by the British Promotional Merchandise Association found that promotional items make a person not only think more favourably about a company, but also more than 70% more likely to use that company or buy their products. In fact, research in the USA found that people are on average 39% more likely to remember a company’s name an entire 6 months after recieving a promotional item as they encourange brand recognition.

One of the reasons that promotional pens are the amoung the most popular promotional products is that they get used all the time. After all, it’s always handy to have a pen on you, and they rarely stay with the same person; pens are one of those small items that get passed around and the more people that see your logo and company name, the better. Usable, practical items are always popular for standard giveaways, for example giving out drawstring bags at trade shows and events with your logo, telephone nuumber and email address on so people use them to carry around flyers and other items that they get given and then keep using the bag afterwards. Other items, such as metal key rings are better for meetings with clients as a small, visual reminder of your brand and to show goodwill.

As well as usability, you should always make sure that your promotional items are high quality and that they reflect your company’s message. Eco friendly items are great for companies to show that they are socially responsible and are perfect for any companies that make and sell green products. When you decide on the product that best reflects your company, it really is a small investment in return for an ever-growing customer base.

What Does Your Brand Say About You?

May 8, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

If you do a Wikipedia search for the word ‘brand’, it will tell you that a brand is a ‘name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s product distinct from those of other sellers’, but it really is all this plus more as your branding also spreads your company’s message and mission statement and, perhaps most importantly, it determines how people, both customers and potential employees and business partners, view you.

They say that you only get one chance to make a first impression and this is especially true about your logo. Without people even realising it, they will form an impression of a company in their minds based on things such as colours, the kind of font you use, whether or not you have a picture, or just text, or both. For example, if your logo is green, this indicates caring and serenity, brown says your company is dependable, red says you’re dynamic and energenic. The same goes for your online presence; your tone that you use on your blogs, your website, your social media, anything online speaks volumes without anybody hearing your voice.

Where does this fit in with promotional products? Basically, they also spread a message about your company and give people an impression about you. For example, donating promotional footballs to a local school or children’s centre shows that you care about the local community, our range of eco friendly stationary shows that you are socially responsible and are aware of the environment. As these can be customised with your logo, people will see the high quality product and your logo and/or company name and that gives them an immediate positive reaction about your company, whether they are aware of it or not. So, remember, talking is only a tiny part of communication, people can get a really positive impression of your company in seconds and this can have a huge pay off.

Get Ready for the Summer!

April 28, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

Summer is nearly here and there is not one, but two bank holidays in May meaning that there is even more time to let your hair down and have fun in the sun. The more relaxed atmosphere and improved weather means that it’s also a great time to get involved with charity events and local promotions to spread your brand and your company’s message further and boost your local profile, so get ready now and make the most of the sunny months.

With the increasing awareness of UV damage and the risk of cancer, sun protection is a must for outdoor events, even if it seems cloudy. We have a range of promotional sunglasses that come in several styles and colours that can be customised with your company’s logo so you can help protect people’s eyes (and your own!) whilst boosting your brand. Hydration is also really important for events during the summer months, especially sporting events such as fun runs or when there is a heat wave, so have plenty of water and other refreshments available for you and your staff as well as some customised water bottles to remind everyone else there to stay hydrated.

Freebies and anything edible or drinkable will always go down well at events, especially outdoors ones where people want to make a day of it so if it is an event you are running, you could look into hiring an ice cream truck or a mobile bar to keep people content and quenched and to make sure that they know that your company throws the best events in town.

Planning an Outdoors Event

April 21, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

As the weather gets warmer, outdoors events are a great promotional tool for creating a buzz around your business and drumming up new potential clients. Although they take a bit more planning than your normal inside events, they can prove to be more fun and more effective.

The venue that you pick will determine on your budget, local surroundings and restraints but you also need to keep your eyes peeled for venues with easily accessible power points, parking and toilets, as these don’t come as standard like most venues you would use for indoor events. If you want to keep people at your promotional event whilst they’re there, it is wise to book some kind of portable caterer as well, like a food van.

Outdoors events attract a lot of attention all by themselves, but to guarantee a turn out, it is a good idea to check out where in the local area you can put up posters and banners to promote your event. You may want to look into rented security as well to manage crowds or if anything gets out of hand.

It goes without saying that the Great British weather is a tad unpredictable, so have some rain ponchos printed with your company’s name and logo made so people don’t want to leave if it does start raining. Although these are disposable, they can still serve as a memento of your fun outdoors event and promotional items are more effective if they are usable in some way. If you want to make your event an all-day occasion, you could look into promotional camping chairs as well so people are tempted to stay for longer and learn more about your brand and what you do.

Outdoors events are a great way of getting lots of positive publicity for your brand whilst having a fun day out yourself.

Serve Up a Tennis Themed Promotion!

April 14, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

One of the biggest events in the UK sporting calendar is the Wimbledon Championships. It’s as quintessential to the British summer time as Pimms, strawberries and cream and unprecedented rain.

Tennis fans from all around the world, not just from Europe flock to London to see their favourites live in action or gather round their TVs to catch all the matches (the latter being the wiser decision for more fair weather tennis fans considering how often matches get rained off!) With this in mind, tennis is the perfect theme for summer promotions and is a really fun way to get involved with current events at the same time.

Promotional tennis balls aren’t just great for corporate giveaways, you can also use them for local events with schools and sports clubs to help kids get active and involved. They can be customised with your company’s name and logo so every time one gets served, your brand gets a little bit more positive reinforcement. They can be incorporated into sports themed charity events around the time of the Wimbledon Championships, such as sponsored tennis matches at a local sports centre or given away as freebies at trade shows and events.

As well as customised tennis balls, you can also get tennis ball shaped stress balls and key chains to get into the swing of tennis season. If you are having a completely tennis themed event, don’t forget to wear all white and serve up strawberries and cream as nibbles. Everybody will (fifteen) love it!

Fun Sports Themed Fundraisers

April 7, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

As the weather warms up, people try to get more active and involved with sports, especially around the World Cup and Wimbledon Championships, so it’s a great theme to use for corporate events, work parties and fundraisers. The great thing about sports themed events is that you don’t have to be that fantastically talented to have fun and raise money for your company’s chosen charity, so we’ve rounded up some ideas for you to try.

5-a-side football. You can do inter-department or even get some other local companies involved and making teams for an informal kick-about and some friendly rivalry. See if you can invite the local press along for extra coverage (and free advertising!) and donate ticket proceeds to your chosen charity.
Sponsored Keepy-uppy. Whether just one person is doing it, a whole department or you get your whole community involved, grab some hacky sacks and get people to sponsor you based on the length of time you last. Our 12 panel hacky sacks can be personalised with your company’s logo and used as a promotional giveaway as well.
Fun Run. Sponsored runs are perhaps one of the easiest charity events to organise, but you may have to arrange public liability insurance and people taking part will have to do a bit of training to prepare them. This does however mean that you and your colleagues will get into fantastic shape whilst raising money for a good cause.

Sponsored sports events are a great way of promoting your company and boosting your brand image whilst, most importantly, doing a lot of good for your chosen charity and doing some team bonding.

Keeping Promoting Fun

April 2, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

It’s a jungle out there and with the UK still scrambling out of one of the worst recessions it’s ever seen, sometimes it can be really hard work to create a buzz around your company and keep potential and existing clients interested. One way of boosting your brand identity and getting your name known and recognised in your local area is getting involved with charity events; the more fun they are, the better!

As summer approaches and the 2014 football World Cup gets nearer and nearer, sports-themed charity events, especially charity football games and these are a great for not only showing your local community that you are a caring, socially responsible company but you also have lots of fun with your colleagues. (Bonus- they’re also great for team building within your staff). Promotional items such as our 12 panel mini footballs can be customised with your company’s logo and are the perfect accessory for fundraising events for local youth centres and schools. You also help to promote a healthy, active lifestyle, which will always show your company in a favourable light, and your staff might pick up some healthy habits too!

Sports related promotional products help to keep your brand image fresh and vibrant and help you to give something back to your community whilst having some fun yourself, so everybody is a winner!

Using Sports to Kickstart your Brand

March 24, 2014 Brightways Leave a comment

Summer is beginning and one of the exciting highlights to come will be the 2014 football world cup. Whether people are full time fans or not, football really brings people together and builds a sense of excitement.

When you’re considering promotional products, a surefire way of building excitement is to choose something that fits in with current events, which during the summer tends to be football so promotional footballs are a great way of doing this. They’re fun, will be actually be used and there is plenty of space on them to be customised with your logo.

Whilst smaller footballs are great for younger children and novelty gifts, our promotional size 5 footballs are the right size for teens from the age of 13 and for adults, so they can be used for lots of different events and promotions. For example, you can use them for sports related charity events, like corporate football matches to raise money for various causes or for getting involved with events in your local community. This not only boosts your company’s brand by getting your logo seen by more people and boosting your sense of social responsibility, it also promotes positive reinforcement of your brand image as one that is caring and fun.

Sports-related products help to keep you connected with current events, both local and universal, promote a positive image for your brand and help to keep things fun.

positive brand identity