Promotional pens have been a staple of marketing for decades. Almost everyone has a drawer of pens picked up at one event or another over the years emblazoned with a company logo or slogan. They seem straightforward as a marketing giveaway—useful items imprinted with branding handed out to current and potential new customers. However, tossing logoed pens at people isn’t the most strategic approach. 

Benefits of Promotional Pens 

Beyond just putting your branding in front of more eyeballs, integrating promotional pens into your marketing campaigns provides concrete benefits for your business. Branding promotional pens for your company is inexpensive, keeping costs low. Customers perceive them as having a higher value than mere trinkets since they serve an everyday functional purpose.  

Recipients tend to retain pens instead of quickly discarding them, prolonging exposure. Research shows that useful branded items like engraved pens positively influence the recall of associated messaging. 

To fully capitalize on how custom-printed pens can boost your marketing, you must purposefully incorporate them into your strategy. Take time to brainstorm creative ways to utilize promotional pen giveaways to build brand awareness and relationships with your target demographics.  

Here are five smart tactics to use branded pens as effective marketing tools. 

1. Hold Client and Partner Appreciation Events 

Providing small branded gifts to loyal existing clients and partners helps solidify those key relationships that drive referrals and repeat business. Set up a special invite-only event, such as a spring cocktail mixer or summer cookout, specifically to show appreciation for your network’s essential people and companies. 

A branded pen case engraved with their name at each place setting makes for a useful memento of the event and an ongoing reminder of your brand. Mix and mingle directly with attendees as you express gratitude and reinforce your shared commitment to the ongoing partnership.

2. Launch Products or Services with Early Adopter Offers 

When releasing an exciting new offering, you want influential people talking about it. Create special early adopter kits for key customers. Along with advanced access or discounts on the latest product, design a kit with promotional items like branded pens, notebooks, bags, and more. 

This tactic generates interest and gives early adopters tangible products, integrating your messaging to pass to those in their networks. Plus, seeing colleagues sporting items like engraved pens or embossed journals subtly breeds organic interest in your launch. 

3. Hold Drawings for Community Support Events 

Engaging your local community builds goodwill while getting your brand names out. Provide promotional pens to include gift baskets or prize packages at charity golf tournaments, school carnivals, blood drives, fun runs, and similar cause-based activities. 

Require participants to stop by your tent or sign up at the table to register for the drawing. When they come by, engage them in friendly conversation that organically works on key points about your products, services, and community involvement. Following up afterward with those you connected further reinforces the start of an ongoing relationship. 

4. Incorporate Pens into Direct Mail Campaigns 

Combining custom printed pens with clever direct mail tactics grabs more attention while bringing a useful branded freebie right to key prospects. Send creative mailers with a built-in pen holder, prompting recipients to take the pen. Or, have pens spill out when they open letters addressed personally to them promising valuable content related to their interests or issues. 

Engaging them with the mailing format and functional giveaway makes them more likely to retain the pen and check out the info you provide. This establishes mindshare and a positive association with your messaging when subsequent touch points occur. 

5. Reward Loyal Customers with Branded Pen Gifts 

Giving small branded gifts is a time-tested way of encouraging customer loyalty. Set up an automated gift pen program where after customers reach milestones like one year or accumulating totals in repeat purchases. They automatically receive a set of promotional pens with a thank you note. 

The pen barrel design acknowledges, “Thanks to our 5-Year Customer John Smith!” Or number them sequentially, like “Jane’s 20th Purchase.” This incentivizes your customers to remain loyal and turns them into advocates displaying and sharing their gifted pens engraved with your branding. 

Conclusion 

Ordering logoed pens by the hundreds and tossing stacks on an info table alone won’t win you new business or amplify your marketing. However, incorporating branded pens and other small merchandising promo items into well-conceived campaigns builds relationships and spurs referral traffic. 

Determine goals for moving select segments along your sales funnel. Whether completing their first purchase, actively referring others, or committing to 5 years of loyalty—and then get creative with the giveaways. Design integrated experiences purposefully using your logged pen giveaways to make emotional connections at the right customer touch points along the way. It turn them into true brand evangelists.