As a business, you should never underestimate the power of visual advertising, especially that which is gained from practical, everyday items. Those items are the ones that clients actually use on a regular basis, and every time they see your brand name or logo, they remember your business.

Regarding the numerous types of advertising gifts and giveaways, a business can easily choose novelties from a catalog to be delivered to a trade show, seminar or convention. Quite often, removal from shipping wrappers or boxes isn’t even necessary! But there is a way to enhance your generosity, and that is to individualize your promotional giveaways based on your customers’ preferences or individual situations.

An excellent way to do so is to first choose a printed promotional mug to be printed with your company name, logo or motto. (A quick search will yield dozens of options at your fingertips regarding size, type, and material, offering wide berth of pricing options for your desired printed mugs.) The next step takes a bit more time and work, but is well worth it in terms of customer surprise and appreciation: Decide, or have a team decide, on appropriate “filler” for the mug, which then moves it from the status of dishware stored in a kitchen cupboard to long term knickknack displayed on desk, shelf, or counter.

Here are some examples: For female clients, especially on holidays-or those who may be hospitalized-fill mugs with seasonal flowers. Male clients may prefer to receive small plants such as cacti or greenery inside their promotional mugs on these noteworthy occasions.

Customers who do not utilize the computer constantly for their tasks may enjoy a mug filled with sharpened pencils or pens (possibly with your name as well), small notepads, erasers, and even a mini-stapler or tape dispenser

Candy, mints, nuts, teabags, and coffee samples-perhaps even packets of soup mixes-all are great additions to take your promotional item from being viewed as just another mug to one that is a fancy and thoughtful gift!

As a special treat for clients attending a family-oriented meeting, children will enjoy small plastic mugs containing toys such as balls, yo-yo’s, bendable character figures, and the like.

In fact, anything that is less than 2 ½ inches wide can fit into a mug opening, but items can, of course, be bent or folded-such as papers. Think of the client’s reaction to receive a mug filled with coupons, a gift vouchers, or lottery tickets!

Obviously, when giving such customized gifts, it is necessary to have the resources to construct them. If several employees are assigned the task, with specific instructions regarding preparation, an “assembly line” process will probably get the job with fewer glitches than by one employee trying to complete alone. (It also may be a memorable team-bonding experience!) Remember also that should your company decide to have many mugs of non-perishable fillers at the ready, it’s more efficient to prepare them once or twice a year than to prepare as needed.

An individualized, printed promotional mug shows that your company it isn’t just grateful for the client’s business, but appreciates the client as well. It goes that extra step in extending goodwill, which is an important part of any long-term business relationship!