If you're using advertising coffee mugs to get the name of your business out there to potential and existing customers you're certainly on the right track, but you may not be making the most of promotional coffee mugs. Rather than using these mugs solely to display your company logo or pertinent business information, you can also use promotional coffee mugs in a variety of other ways.

You can use customized coffee mugs to mark the launch of a new product or event, as trade show giveaways or as recognition gifts for employees. Having your entire team drink their morning java out of corporate coffee mugs can look impressive to both new and existing clients. If you're ready to start making the most of promotional coffee mugs, here are some things to think about:

1. Select suppliers of promotional coffee mugs that can help you design exactly what you're looking for.

2. Choose travel promotional coffee mugs for use at trade shows and for clients on the go.

3. Save money and target a wide audience by ordering bulk coffee mugs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Design promotional coffee mugs specific to your needs

Making the most of promotional coffee mugs will require some creativity, from you and the company you hire to fill your order. If you're going to use promotional coffee mugs to advertise a certain product or commemorate a corporate event, find a supplier that can provide a wide range of styles and designs, and that has the creative expertise to help you design the best possible product.

I recommend: National Pen offers free full color design for your promotional coffee mugs, and can help you create the message or theme that best fits your business. Zazzle allows you to upload your own images and can put both photos and personalized messages on custom coffee mugs.

Provide promotional coffee mugs to those on the move

Not everyone who receiveds your advertising coffee cups will spend their day sitting at a desk. Remember those clients and employees, such as salespeople and account executives, who spend their day on the road. Travel mugs are not only perfect for those individuals, but they're also great to hand out at trade shows.

I recommend: Express Mugs offers a line of promotional travel mugs in a variety of designs and colors, and features reduced printing costs to fit any budget. Not only can ePromos put your message or imprint on any one of their many travel mugs, they can do so in as little as one day.

Stay within budget and have plenty of promotional coffee mugs to reach the widest possible audience

If you're launching a new product, you'll want as many people to know about it as possible. Or, if you're using business coffee mugs as trade show giveaways, you'll want to make sure you have enough to accommodate everyone who visits your booth. Order bulk coffee mugs and enjoy significant savings as well as the increased business you're sure to attract.

I recommend: Save over half off the price per custom coffee mug when ordering over 2,500 promotional coffee cups at Marco Promotional Products. Select from a wide range of ceramic, travel and acrylic coffee mugs targeted for clients, employees or for use at trade shows, and enjoy huge savings when bulk ordering from Pinnacle Promotions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Attract people to your store or new product promotional event by announcing that you're giving away free promotional coffee mugs. The promise of free giveaways can help to get people to attend your event or visit your store.

Most people drink coffee or tea while working in their office. Promotional coffee mugs are a great way to get your name out in front of your customers. Business coffee mugs:

1. Make useful customer appreciation gifts.
2. Are durable, literally delivering a long shelf-life for your advertising dollar.
3. Provide a sure way to keep your business’ goods and services in front of your customers as they drinking their morning cup o’ joe.

When shopping around for bulk coffee mugs, look for:

1. Quick turnaround time for printing.
2. Responsive customer service.
3. Unique offering of styles beyond the standard custom coffee mug.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Count the cost of business coffee mugs

Consider your advertising budget. If you're a small business owner, it may be smart to look for the best deals on generic ceramic mugs rather than the flashy stainless steel variety. There's a difference of several dollars per imprinted coffee mug right off the bat. You'll also want to decide who among your customers is 'mugworthy.' Face it -- if you start handing out mugs indiscriminately, you might not have any left when you really want to impress someone. Take a look at your customer base, and count up how many you want to treat to a gift.

I recommend: Look for companies that will print small quantities of bulk coffee mugs. Branders has a minimum order of 79 mugs for the white 11-ounce cafe mug, but includes the silkscreen cost in their low cost per piece. Or check out Discount Mugs, with a minimum order of 12 advertising coffee mugs. Their online tool allows you to input different quantities to see the best price.

Build brand recognition with logo coffee mugs

Download your own design directly from your computer. If you don't already have a logo, your mug supplier can help you choose a standard icon that represents your business, such as a hammer or a hard hat for a construction company. Some promotional coffee mug suppliers may have an in-house design department, so let them help you with your customized coffee mugs.

I recommend: NEBS helps you with the design process with easy online ordering and live chat with a representative to help you choose the best design for corporate coffee mugs. If your current logo may not translate well to a coffee mug, with small lettering or details that may get lost, check out DK Specialties for custom full-color mugs and advice on the best imprinting options for your logo.

Make your imprinted coffee mug stand out with color

You're excited to just have a promotional coffee mug with your business name emblazoned on it. But don't stop there; open up your own cupboard. What is the dominant color? What custom coffee mug do you reach for the most? Consider how your logo and color combinations will help keep your mug in the hands of your customers -- or push it to the back of the cupboard.

I recommend: Consider making an impact with a bold color from the Odyssey line at WestSky Promotions, If you need design help for your promotional coffee mugs, Hackworth Design can help you figure it all out, from logo design to selecting your corporate coffee mugs.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Make sure you proofread the copy that will be printed on your advertising coffee mugs. Double-check your business information before submitting.
• •  Consider having some extra business coffee mugs on hand for the future if you're not planning on changing your business contact information or logo anytime soon.
• •  Determine how many colors you want imprinted on your mugs. Most suppliers of bulk coffee mugs have a set-up fee for one color, then charge an additional set-up fee for each additional color.

Using promotional coffee mugs is a great way to advertise and promote your business, which as most business owners understand, is crucial to growth and success. Fortunately, adding advertising coffee mugs to your overall campaign won't put a large dent in your advertising dollars. The pricing and costs of promotional coffee mugs are affordable enough to fit easily into almost any budget.

Whether you opt for a dozen or a hundred promotional coffee mugs, small 10-ounce cups or large, "titan"-sized 16-ounce mugs, mugs for small businesses or corporate coffee mugs, or even customized coffee mugs, you'll find the costs of these promotional items to be very reasonable. If it's time to get the name of your business out there, and you've decided to do so using promotional coffee mugs, consider the following:

1. Save on the pricing and costs of promotional coffee mugs by buying them in bulk.

2. Figure how much you have to spend on promotional coffee mugs and choose the cup size that fits your budget.

3. Customize your business coffee mugs, at little or no extra cost, for that personal touch that really puts your name out there.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get the most for your money when shopping for bulk coffee mugs

Even if you haven't already, you're likely planning to build a large client base for your business. To that end, you can use your promotional coffee mugs to get your business' name out there, and don't necessarily have to break the bank to do so. Find suppliers of promotional coffee mugs offering deals that let you get more by spending less.

I recommend: Start at about 144 mugs and save around 20 cents per mug each time you double your order, up to 576 units, at Promotional Items. Save up to 30% off already discounted prices, depending on the volume of promotional coffee mugs you order, from Custom-Printed-Promotional.com. If sports-themed promotional coffee mugs are what you're looking for, Extra Mile Promotional Products charges less per mug as your order increases.

Realize the size of your promotional coffee mugs is directly linked to the size of your pocketbook

Bigger may not always be better, but it's certainly almost always more expensive. If you want to make a bold statement and hand out large 16-ounce mugs, be prepared to spend more than if you were handing out, say, travel mugs. Decide whether size matters, and at what cost, when shopping for promotional coffee mugs.

I recommend: Branders.com has a wide variety of promotional coffee mugs, from 15-ounce white mugs up to two-tone 16-ounce latte mugs ranging from $1.50 to $3.50 per unit. Choose from a range of products, from low-priced budget mugs to more expensive ceramic and stainless steel espresso mugs that cost close to seven dollars per mug, at Action Printing.

Create custom logo coffee mugs for added promotion without breaking the bank

You can really make the most of your promotional coffee mugs by enhancing them with your business logo. Each time a client takes a sip of his morning coffee from your custom coffee mug, he'll be reminded of your business. The good news is that you can add this personal touch that will really put the 'promotion' in your promotional coffee mugs for little or even no extra cost.

I recommend: DiscountMugs.com, which offers a huge inventory of promotional coffee mugs of all styles and sizes at very affordable prices, will help you create a design to put on their mugs and delivers a proof for your approval before filling your order. Their custom printed ceramic promotional coffee mugs cost only cents per unit more than their blank mugs. WestSky Promotions will add your custom design or logo to promotional coffee mugs, in one-sided, two-sided or wraparound format, at no additional charge.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Decrease the risk of product damage or breakage by ordering plastic coffee cups imprinted with your business logo. Plastic promotional coffee cups are not only durable, but they are affordable and start at less than $.50 each.
• •  Pay to have a logo created that will really stand out on your promotional coffee mugs. You'll need to put some thought, and money, into designing a logo that stands out from the rest of the pack.

For all kinds of situations in which businesses want their logos or names in the public eye, promotional coffee mugs are a great choice for gifts that will "keep on giving" to the business who gave them. Promotional coffee mugs tend to travel everywhere with coffee addicts, who, if they are in a decent position within their own business, might rub shoulders with quite a few coworkers, colleagues, vendors, suppliers and others every day. That translates into a lot of recognition. Businesses that want to take advantage of this option can read up on some common terms for purchasing coffee mugs to help with promotional projects.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Travel mugs

A travel mug is very popular for branding. Whether it's stainless steel, steel-lined or plastic, the travel mug comes with features that allow busy coffee drinkers to take their beverages anywhere during the course of a hectic day.

I recommend: Get a definition of travel mugs (as well as other coffee mug types) at Sharper Brand.

Photo-transfer services

Some promotional coffee mug vendors specialize in getting your images and logos onto a mug with a variety of image transfer methods. A photo-transfer service is a vendor that can accommodate this branding challenge.

I recommend: Find a definition of photo-branding services and more at Street Directory.

Ceramic coffee mug

The standard ceramic coffee mug is composed of ceramic material that can be decorated with promotional images.

I recommend: Get the low-down on ceramic promo mugs and other coffee mug designs from FortePromo.

Self-cooling coffee mug

This high-tech mug type includes a temperature control for cooling a cup of coffee (iced, anyone?). The self-cooling mug represents one of several newer options for gifting tony items to clients.

I recommend: Find out more about the self-cooling coffee mug at Strange New Products.

Marrow mug

A Marrow mug is a specialty type mug (made from specific clay materials) that is popular in some companies for promotional use.

I recommend: Find out more about the Marrow mug and promotional coffee mug choices at IdeasbyNet.

Travel tumblers

A travel tumbler is basically a mug without handles. Tumblers can be made in all of the same materials as travel mugs. Some marketers like the tumbler better because of its simplicity of design.

I recommend: Find visuals and details on travel tumblers at Absorbent Printing.