The use of promotional writing instruments goes far beyond one specific industry or type of business: whether it's a small service company, a medical sales department, or a corporate office, businesses rely on personalized pens to get their name or a product name in front of the public eye or in some cases, into the eyes of specialized client bases.

You can find some great supplies and accessories online to go along with custom logo pens, for a collective purchase that makes sense. Find items to go with your custom promotional pens and get the ball rolling on getting these great publicity generators out the door. Buyers might look for:

1. Promotional caddies for custom pens.

2. Single cases for customized pens for specialized gifts or single distribution.

3. Promo note pads to go along with advertising pens.

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

Get caddies for promotional pens

These great accessories come in a wide variety of colors, materials, shapes and sizes. Choose from steel, mesh, solid plastic, or other styles of caddies for your promotional pens to hand these items out in bulk. A caddy will keep your promotional pens in one place to be naturally dispensed as clients take and use them.

I recommend: Use promo caddies as a circulation tool and an additional branding opportunity. Get vinyl, steel or other great looking promo pen caddy models from Motivators. Get more of these stylish accessories, some with printed leather wraps or painted on logo designs, at U.S. Imprint.

Find cases for your promo pens

Single cases for promotional pens are another way to outfit your purchase. If you are handing out a lot of pens, it may not make sense to go with anything other than a very basic item, but on the other hand, if quality promotional pens are going to specialized clients, why not give them out in style, so the client has a way to keep his or her pen in good condition?

I recommend: Find out about promotional black velvet pouches for promotional pens at InkHead promotional products, with a visual catalog and pricing online. For more specialized cases, Wealthwood Gifts has leather pen cases for special promos.

Look for promo note pads to go with promotional pens

Another great buy is low cost promotional note pads stamped with the company or product logo. These items are another huge way to brand your company, as they will always be on hand in the eye of the user, on a desk, in a drawer, or in a pocket, and will represent the company or product continually while in circulation.

I recommend: Get ultra-low prices under a dollar for promo note pads from Marco Promotional Products, as well as same-day service on some orders. Promo Force can get you more deals on bulk promo note pads, with a $100 minimum purchase.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Always think about who is the target of your promotional pens. For bigger distribution, the general public is the key, but for smaller campaigns, target a more specialized group of users. For instance, medical or government workers, might use these pens daily.

Personalized pens offer the small business owner a high return on investment: many of these custom pens cost only pennies each and can remain on your customers’/clients’ desks for weeks, months, and even years – serving as a subtle (dare we say subliminal) advertisement for your company.

The top three things to know about promotional pens:

1) Promotional pens are a tangible – and semi-permanent – way to remind customers of your company, while attracting new customers who see the pens.
2) Advertising pens, especially in the form of fun novelty pens, give you a lot of punch for a little money.
3) Engraved pens, pen sets and executive pens – which can double as advertising pens – make dual-purpose gifts – they’re the perfect business gift to either employees or customers – yet they’re still subtle reminders of you, the one who gave them such a high-quality, lasting gift.

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

Consider the many styles/types of promotional pens before making your choice

Depending on your needs, your budget, your customers and clients, and how/when you will give out these pens, you may want to choose more than one style to address specific needs.

I recommend: Visit Business.com’s Promotional Writing Instruments for a goldmine of resources for personalized pens. Check out ArtPromos' promotional pens (and pencils) for a wide variety of personalized ink pens, including Sharpie pens and Bic pens. At Promotional Logo Pens, there is a variety of styles and prices: find promotional pens for under $1.00 each; business logo pens for $1-2 each; promotional item pens for $2-4 each; and advertising pens at $4+. If you want a higher quality, really unique look, check out their designer series custom pens and promotional pen gift sets.

Company logo pens

Company logo pens can often give you 'more bang for the buck' - considering how cheap they are (especially compared to other forms of advertising) - and they're likely to remain in the customers' mind much longer than those flashing banner ads your competition uses on various websites.

I recommend: Inkspress offers you more than half a million promotional products to choose from, including about 100 different styles of promotional pens, as well as highlighters and pencils. Click on any pen to receive a free online quote. Most personalized pens are available in a variety of colors, with a couple of ink color choices, as well. Want to try out a free sample of Inkspress’s pens? No problem – check out the paragraph at the bottom of this page to contact their customer service department via email after you register (for free) on their site. Certain restrictions do apply.

Choosing the corporate gift pen

For your loyal clients or employees, choose from among the higher-quality pens - such as engraved pens to demonstrate their value to you.

I recommend: Business.com lists pen vendors offering multiple style – like Montblanc and Sheaffer - and pages for those seeking something specific, like fountain pens. At Classical Expressions, find a large selection of glass pens that are almost too beautiful to use – almost. From “Venetian glass” to the “Poet’s pen” (a real Quill pen), to the Traveller’s Writing Chest and their Porcelain Write Inkwell – these are the pens executives dream about.

Buy lower-cost promotional pens in bulk

For company logo pens, purchase the less expensive ones - in bulk - for your check-out counters, membership desks, and other places from where the pens seem to 'walk away' frequently. Most Web sites offer volume discounts, too - so take advantage!

I recommend: Business.com provides you with lots of sources for specific types of advertising writing instruments, logo pens, including rollerball pens and ballpoint pens. Go to Branders, the world’s largest online seller of promotional items, to check out their many choices of advertising promotional pens. Go to Discount Mugs: Promotional Pens to find a large selection of many types of pens. On select style pens, purchase 500 pens and pay just 45, 49, or 69 cents each (price varies by styles). They also offer free set-up and free shipping within the Continental U.S.

Get custom promotional pens to make a big impression

A great way to catch potential customers' eyes is through custom pens that reflect your company logo. Pens like this include those shaped to look like syringes (for the medical office), bones, robots, and so much more!

I recommend: Find the bone- or syringe-shaped personalized pens at SaveonPromotionalProducts.com, under “Novelty Pens.” (Check their other pages for stick pens, retractable pens, twist pens, and others.) Every item at this site is priced at just 10 percent over cost, so check out their great deals. At Branders, you can find the Robot Series Acrobat Pen (yes, this promotional pen actually has robot action!), promotional massage pens (no, we’re not making this up!), and fun springy pens, just to name a few.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A corporate gift pen is perfect for rewarding your loyal customer or employee.
• •  Logo promotional pens range from a few cents each to $10.00+, depending on your designs, the number you order, and the quality of the pens.
• •  Remember that - just as with purchasing other printed promo items - you'll usually pay less for the single-color promotional pens with a simple line of text or logo, than you will for the 4-color cutting-edge (or is that writing edge?) imprinted pens with all the gimmicky doodads.
• •  Mix up your promotional pen selection, but keep the logo consistent - and soon everyone will recognize it on sight.

Saving money on promotional writing instruments is a great way to keep advertising budgets down. Promotional pens and pencils give customers and clients objects they can use daily and be reminded of your company at the same time. Promotional writing instruments are beneficial to all companies no matter what the industry.

Saving money on promotional writing instruments can be down in three ways. Tips and advice is available online to help you select the right company and save money on promo pens. Some companies guarantee low prices for their products. These companies that will meet or beat prices allow you to get the lowest prices on different items at one store. Free shipping is also offered at some businesses. This will cut your cost down by removing shipping and handling charges. Review the list below to start saving money on promotional writing instruments.

1. Find tips about saving money on promotional writing pens.

2. Take advantage of price matching on advertising pens.

3. Explore promotional writing instruments companies that offer free shipping.

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

Read about saving money on promotional writing pens

Discount and wholesale stores provide you with low or wholesale pricing on your promotional items like custom pens. These stores offer many of the dame services as retail stores. Discount and wholesale pricing often goes down on the price per piece as the quantity you buy goes up.

I recommend: David Airey has tips on how to save money with printing on promotional pens. ArticlesBase.com has an article on steps you can take to make sure you are saving money with promotional items. Read Discount Promotional Items ? How to Save Money for tips and ideas. Find tips on choosing a supplier that will save you money at Promotionaladvice.com.

Find companies that will meet or beat others prices on advertising pens

Companies that guarantee low prices or will meet other companies prices give you the security of knowing you have found the lowest prices available. Some of these companies will also offer discount on the nest order if you find a lower price after you have paid for your order.

I recommend: Ideasbynet.com has information on getting the lowest rates on promotional pencils and pens. Advertising Alternatives will match any others distributors price on promotional writing instruments. Find a wide variety of promotional item that will meet or beat any other promotional item quote at USimprints.

Save money by finding promotional writing instruments companies that offer free shipping

Cutting out shipping charges is one of the best ways to cut down on your promotional pen expenses. Using companies with free shipping can save you 3 to 15 dollars every shipment. These savings can be used on other promotional items or just as surplus.

I recommend: EzineArticles.com has articles on saving money with free shipping. Visit the National Pen Company to find budget promo pens with free shipping. Locate personalized pens and pencils with free ground shipping at Cheetah Printing.

Writing instruments are inexpensive, yet they are used every day as an important tool for jotting down creative ideas and keeping track of important information. This makes them the perfect promotional item to use as a marketing and advertising system. Whether passing out huge quantities of free pencils or gifting a fine pen set to an invaluable recipient, knowing the promotional writing instruments key terms will lead you down the right path toward the perfect promotional writing tool for your business.

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

Pencils

Pencils are an extremely inexpensive writing instrument made either of a piece of graphite encircled with wood, or a mechanical pencil usually made of plastic with spring-loaded refillable lead.

I recommend: Look through the inventory of promotional pencils at ePromos to get a better idea of the options available.

Ballpoint pens

Ballpoint pens are the most common, inexpensive, disposable pen. Ink is held in the tip of the pen by a ball that allows ink to flow when pressed to the writing surface.

I recommend: See what promotional ballpoint pens can look like at Pensgo.com.

Fountain pens

Fountain pens are ink pens intended for repeated use. They have a refillable ink casing within the pen, with a nib at the tip of the pen, that allows the ink to flow onto the writing surface.

I recommend: Have a look at various styles of quality promotional fountain pens from InkHead Promotional Products.

Fine pen sets

A fine pen set consists of a quality refillable pen of fine quality, usually made of gold, silver or other precious or semi-precious materials. They can be engraved with a business name and may come with a case, a matching mechanical pencil or letter opener.

I recommend: Visit 1234 Pens to see a great example of a basic promotional fine pen set.

Markers

A marker is a writing instrument that applies ink through a felt tip, creating a bold line in a huge variety of colors. A marker is an alternative choice for a promotional item rather than the run-of-the-mill pens and pencils.

I recommend: Learn more about all the options in markers while browsing the various kinds at Branders.com.

Customized

A customized fine pen set features an engraved name or initials to personalize the pen set. It makes the perfect meaningful gift to the most important clients or invaluable employees.

I recommend: See some great examples of customizable gift pens from Promopeddler.com.