Category: Promotional Products

From homes to offices, mugs are stored in cupboards and on desks in order to provide people with a warm drink on a cold day or a morning pick-me-up for those particularly difficult early starts. Whether it’s related to the design, the sentimental value or a unique aspect of the mug that makes it special – there are a number of reasons that certain mugs are favoured by people.

If you choose a mug with a unique design or a special feature, then the chances are it is likely to get used more often. Although it may seem trivial, there is a wide range of different designs and features that can enhance the look and functionality of a mug. This article will look at some of the most unique and useful designs that are on the market today.

Thermal mugs

Taking a sip of your tea or coffee only to discover it has gone cold is an unpleasant surprise, and it can happen all to often, especially if you get engrossed in your work or leave your desk for a short while. With a thermal mug, however, that problem is eradicated and your drink will stay hotter for longer. Thermal mugs are often quite easy to tell apart from usual mugs, as they are often metallic and slightly taller than their ceramic counterparts.

Image: https://www.novachrome.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/w/h/white-travel-mugs.png

Self Stirring Mug

Stirring a mug of tea or coffee is hardly the most strenuous task in the world, but if you don’t have a spare hand (if you’ve got an especially large tea run to do), then a mug that takes care of this small task for you can be a great help. They work by having a tiny motor at the bottom that stirs the tea, ensuring you can have your drink mixed to perfection at the touch of a button.

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Plug Mug

In many offices, a pet hate of employees is when other members of staff take the wrong mug out of the cupboard and use it, leaving you without a mug or having to use a different one. With a plug mug, that problem is no more! Simply take the plug out of the side of the mug, rendering the receptacle useless – no more mug theft!

https://www.wired.com/2009/05/plug-mug-anti-theft-cup-for-anti-social-simpletons/

Here at Banaman, we are proud to provide a wide range of promotional materials for our clients. From mugs to stationery and clothing, we offer the highest quality printing and delivery for excellent prices. If you would like to know more about us, please get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help.

Despite the almost universal usage of the internet for businesses and consumers alike, and although the internet is admittedly the quickest and widest-reaching method of advertisement, it is not the be all and end all of advertising tactics. There are ways to promote your brand without logging into the world wide web, and this article will look at the most effective ways to utilise your presence in the real world.

Vehicle Branding

Wrapping your vehicle in the branding of your business is a fantastic way of spreading the word about your company, especially if you are a frequent traveller. It makes your vehicle stand out from the rest of the traffic, and as you will be on the move it means your logo and contact details will be seen in a variety of areas. If you have a fleet of vehicles all adorned with the same eye-catching wrap, you will soon see people take notice of you and your business.

Promotional Products

A tried and tested promotional tactic, gifts for clients and potential clients from your business can go a long way to enhance your reputation and increase your customer base. Items like stationery, keyrings, even items of clothing like hats and t-shirts are cheap to produce and easy to distribute. As they are so cheap to produce and order, it means that you can give them away at no cost without much financial loss to your business. Banaman provide a superb printing service with no minimum order amount, so whether you operate a big or small business you can benefit from promotional items.

Community Presence

By making your business known in your local area through community work or sponsorship, you can create a great reputation for your company and establish yourself as a cornerstone of your local community, making you a more attractive prospect to clients in that area. Methods such as sponsoring local sports teams or events can be a fantastic way to help out local clubs and raise your profile at the same time.

Exhibitions and Shows

Visiting exhibitions, either as a consumer or as a business, can be a valuable way to create new relationships with other businesses. This can help expand your reputation, not just amongst potential customers, but with other companies as well. By operating a well run, effective stall or booth at an exhibition, you can make yourself stand out amongst your competitors and stick in the mind of potential clients.

Banaman are experts at providing high quality promotional products for clients of all sizes. If you would like to know more about us, please feel free to get in touch today and we’ll be more than happy to help.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. If it’s a social situation, you may get the opportunity to let the real you shine through over time and undo any negativity from your first meeting. In a business environment, however, there’s always the chance that a potential client may take their custom elsewhere if they don’t see what they hope for when they meet you. That’s why it’s important to get those first encounters right.

Know your subject

While you’re undoubtedly an expert in your own field, it may be that clients come to you for different services. If possible, before your initial meeting, do your homework and find out what you can about the client’s needs; that may involve setting up a system whereby someone might fill in a questionnaire before they receive an appointment, allowing you to be thoroughly prepared.

Set the scene

If you’re meeting someone at your own premises, be sure you have a clean, comfortable and welcoming environment prepared. Would refreshments be appropriate? Are toilet and washing facilities clearly signposted? If you have an appointment to meet someone in another location of your choice, make sure it is somewhere you can talk in comfort and without distractions.

Look the part

I would hope that you always present a professional exterior to the world while you’re representing your business. This is doubly important when a potential customer sees you for the first time. Depending on the type of company you belong to, you should wear clean and appropriate clothes and be well groomed; even if you do a manual job, you should make sure you have clean nails when you extend a welcoming handshake to the client.

Put on your happy face

Even if you’re having the day from hell, your client doesn’t need to know about it. Something as simple as smiling as you greet them can make all the difference and put a person at ease. Studies show that the action of smiling can make you happier and more relaxed as well, which is a good frame of mind for meeting with a potential customer.

Pay attention

There’s little more off-putting than being aware that you don’t have someone’s full attention while you’re speaking to them. Focus on your customer! Make sure they know you are listening and considering their needs. It may be that your experience allows you to realise a need they are likely to have before they know about it. If you are completely attentive, the big picture should become apparent, allowing you to make suggestions about how the customer could achieve their goals, which will make them more inclined to use your services.

Unfortunately, there’s no way of controlling everything that goes on around you. You can’t force a person to give you their custom any more than you can force them to like you, but by making the most of those factors you can control, you can lay the groundwork for a good business relationship. You will only make one first impression, so put in the effort to make it a good one.

Banaman are specialists in the printing and supply of superb promotional materials for businesses large and small. For more information, get in touch with us today and we’ll be happy to help.

Trying to get your band noticed can seem like a mammoth task, especially with the innumerable amount of acts that are vying for the attention of the public and record labels alike. However, with a few clever marketing tips, you might soon find yourself ahead of the pack. This article will look at some of the ways that you can promote your band and your music and hopefully give you a helping hand in getting noticed.

Be Unorthodox

What about giving your fans or potential fans some free products to get them on board? Smaller items like lighters and keyrings can be ordered at minimal cost, adorned with your band’s name or logo and given away for free. These can be ordered in any quantity, meaning you can have as many or as few as you want without worrying about minimum orders or breaking the bank. What’s more, the recipients of the lighters will likely use them on a regular basis, not to mention waving them in the air at one of your gigs!

T-Shirts

A tried, tested and very successful method of promoting yourself to the wider world, t-shirts allow for a larger design, making your logo or band name much more noticeable. Due to the cost of printing for t-shirts, it is unlikely that you can give them away for free as you could with smaller items like the aforementioned lighters and keyrings. However, for the extra cost you can get a high quality print that fans can wear on a daily basis, not just to any gigs or shows you might play. If the design is good, people will want to know where they can get their hands on one, which is more advertising for you!

Stickers and Badges

Small, easy to use and very cheap to produce, stickers and badges are perfect accessories for your band’s biggest fans. You may have noticed fans of certain genres of bands have their backpacks littered with badges adorned with the logos of their favourite musicians, so why not add yours to that collection? Their low production cost means you can order a large quantity without an eye-watering cost.

Here at Banaman, we are experts in providing the highest standard of promotional printing services: whether you want t-shirts, badges, stationery or keyrings, we can print your band or business logo onto them and supply them to you with no minimum order. For more information, get in touch with us today.

Using promotional items to increase the exposure your business or brand receives is a common practice for businesses of all sizes worldwide. However, there are obviously some items that are more effective than others when it comes to brand expansion. This article will look at the best ways to boost your business profile.

Clothing

One of the main benefits of using clothing as a promotional item is the fact that its use is not limited to the workplace. Whether it’s a t-shirt or a hat, it can be worn at any time, and each time it is worn it is pushing your brand name and logo to potential customers. Be sure to use high-quality garments to print your logo or business name on, as the quality of the material will be associated with the quality of your brand.

Stationery

A key element of a promotional product being effective is how useful the item itself is. Stationery can be incredibly useful for people, and if they use your promotional items every day, whether it’s a pen or a notepad, they will be constantly reminded of your company name, keeping you fresh in their minds.

Keyrings

Another chance to utilise the ubiquity of certain items, branding keyrings is another way to ensure your company is constantly in the possession of your target market. An essential item for the majority of people, using your logo on a keyring means you are in the pocket of potential customers/partners even when they are not at work.

USB Drives

Those who work with computers will put a huge amount of trust into their USB drives – they can contain incredibly important files and documents which means their owners will never let them out of their sight! This makes them the perfect base for your company branding – something as an important as a USB drive will be seen and used often, and consequently so will your business.

Bags

A key reason why bags, particularly tote bags are so widely used as a promotional item is the small amount of expenditure it takes to produce them in large quantities. While backpacks may cost a little more, bags are a very useful item for both consumer and business alike. Their low cost makes them perfect for both small and big businesses.

Banaman are specialists in the printing and supply of high quality promotional items for businesses of all sizes. Whether you need business cards or you would like your logo on clothing, stationery or accessories, Banaman are the people for you. With no minimum order on our products, we can cater for both small and big businesses alike. For more information, get in touch with us today.

For smaller businesses, any boost to your reputation is always very welcome, but it can be quite difficult to find a successful way to do so. One way which can be very helpful to the spread of your company’s name is the sponsoring of a local team, organisation or event. Not only can this be beneficial to your business, but also to the people, place or team you are sponsoring.

Local Teams

Local sports teams, whether they play football, cricket or rugby will all benefit from sponsorship from local businesses. For a small fee, you can have your company name or logo on their shirts, helping promote your brand and giving some extra funds to a local team in the process. If you were to commission a direct marketing campaign for the same local area, you would end up spending far more to get the campaign off the ground. For example, the local team may ask for a donation, or you may choose to contribute to their cause with a gesture such as purchasing their kits.

Benefits

The amount of money that you donate to the recipient of your sponsorship can be extremely helpful – for teams, this money can help them purchase equipment or kits, and for groups and exhibitions it can help fund the hiring of locations, catering, etc. In terms of benefits to your company, as well as the expansion of your reputation, it can also help you to be associated with helpful and successful events within the community. As well as providing an increase in awareness of your brand, attending the events that you sponsor or events that include teams you sponsor can present wonderful networking opportunities.

Sponsoring a local business, function, team or charity can be a fantastic thing to do as it benefits both you and the receiver of your sponsorship. Choose carefully what you want to sponsor – it may help to choose something related to your line of business. For just a small outlay you can help spread the word to potential customers and partners alike.

Here at Banaman, we specialise in helping you spread the word of your business. Our promotional printing service means you can put your logo or company name on a range of products, from t shirts to promotional mugs. For more information on how you can get top quality printing at excellent prices with no minimum order, get in touch with us today!

As an ink-drawing or pencil artist it’s essential that you choose the best tools to produce the best results, and whilst your personal preference or the type of artwork you create will influence your choice of pen or pencil, there are few staples that should be present in every studio.

Pen Types

• Ball Pens

Ball pens are a cheap choice and available in many different colours in all stationary shops. They can produce exceptional results, making them perfect for fast artists who rely on free flowing ink to keep up with their artistic flow.

For more experimental artists, there are also a range of different nibs you can choose,  for example a  firm steel split nib is a great all-rounder, whilst calligraphy nibs are more specialised and take a while to find one you are comfortable with, and a copperplate writing nib offers a softer solution that lets you create a more varied effect.

• Bamboo Reed Pens

Bamboo pens are an acquired preference as they produce broad definite lines, and the pens don’t hold much ink. This makes them more suited to minimalist artists, who prefer to give an impression rather than extensive detail. Another point is thart as the ink runs low it produces different textures and effects – so they can take quite a while to get used to, but produce great results once you’ve mastered the technique.

• Artist’s Pens

Fibre tip markers, such as the one from Faber-Castell are a wonderful way to get precise, crisp lines and beautiful colour quickly. You can buy fibre tip markers in a variety of nib sizes and brush tips, ensuring you’ll find something to suit your drawing style and artwork.

Pencil Grades

Choosing the right grade of graphite pencil for your designs can be tricky if you aren’t used to the different effects, but once you’ve learned the differences you can produced detailed and deep artwork that allows true expression of your creativity.

The grades range from numbers 2 to 9, and will be following by a ‘H’ to indicate the graphite is hard and produces a lighter tone, or a ‘B’ if the pencil is softer and darker. There’s also a middle ground of ‘HB’ and an ‘F’ for finepoint pencils. The most common pencils for drawing, include:  

The 2H

A very hard lead pencil that makes thin light marks, making it ideal for detailed artwork and initial, non-permanent drawings.

The 6B

A very dark, soft pencil which is great for expressive drawing and fast sketching.

The HB

This is the pencil you would have used in school! The lead is the perfect medium between hard and soft led, making it a great all-rounder.

The 2B

This pencil is much softer than a HB pencil and produces fine, dark lines making it is great for outlining drawings, or adding in darker shading.

Finding the right stationary for ink and graphite drawings can take a lifetime, and even if you think you have the perfect tools for the job, it’s always worth experimenting when you come across something new.  

The team at Banaman supply bespoke promotional pens and pencils, printed with your company’s details, making them the perfect giveaway item for potential or existing clients.

Designing and printing your flyers is one thing, ensuring that they serve their purpose of promoting your brand is another, and they can’t do that without effective distribution. There are a number of ways you can help your flyers get the attention of prospective customers and this article will look into these methods.

Distribution by hand

There are always opportunities to distribute your flyers, whether you hand them to passers-by in the street or take advantage of any business conventions or exhibitions your company may be present at. The benefit of using exhibitions in this manner is that the people in attendance will at least be familiar with your sector, if not your company. Handing them out in the street can also yield results, but it is unlikely that many people that pass you by will be familiar with your business or industry.

Door to Door

This method means that you don’t have to rely on there being a large amount of people in any one location, such as a town centre. By posting your leaflets through doors, you can dictate how many flyers you hand out and where you distribute them. The downside to this method, of course, is that a lot of homeowners don’t have much time for leaflets that come through their door. However, if you can make your leaflet eye catching and effective, then you may find success.

Newspapers

This method is a similar process to door-to-door, except you don’t have to put the leaflets through the letterboxes yourself! By arranging with your local paper to put your leaflets within their publication, you can get your advertising out to potential customers without having to visit their homes yourself. Some papers may ask for a small payment in order for them to include your leaflet, but it is a worthwhile expenditure when you consider the potential reach of your advertising.

Having the perfect distribution method for your flyers is one thing, but you must make sure that your flyers look the part, too. Contact a professional promotional design agency to help engineer the perfect flyer for your business. By ensuring you have the highest quality leaflet design in sufficient quantity, you can make sure that you have both the right amount of leaflets and the right design to attract maximum exposure and interest.

Above are the three most effective methods that you can undertake when it comes to distributing flyers, each one with its own set of benefits. Decide which one of these suits you the most and then begin your distribution process – if done correctly, you’ll gain great exposure for your brand and hopefully entice some new customers on the way.

About the author: The staff at Banaman in Grimsby have over 20 years of experience in promotional printing and produce a wide range of promotional items including flyers, banners, stationary and clothing.

If you are a person who regularly uses a desktop computer, then you have probably used a mouse mat before. It’s not something that you give a lot of thought to – it’s always on your desk, ready to be used. But if you have ever misplaced your mouse mat and had to use your computer without one, you may have noticed quite a considerable difference in how easy it is to use your mouse. As well as making your mouse easier to use, it can also be good for your health. This article will detail some of the key reasons why using a mouse mat can be beneficial for you.

Ease of Movement

One of the more obvious advantages is the way it makes the movement of your mouse much smoother and more accurate. If you use your mouse on the desk with no mouse mat, it is likely to stick on the surface which can get quite annoying if you constantly have to reposition your mouse. A mouse mat will allow for smooth and accurate tracking of the mouse, meaning you never have to worry about clicking on the wrong area of the screen accidentally.

Wrist Support

This is a particular concern for those who use their desktop computer on a daily basis for an extended period of time, perhaps as part of their job. Using a mouse without proper wrist support can cause damage to your wrist, known as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and also carpal tunnel injuries. There is a vast range of mouse mats that come with built-in wrist support and these can save you a lot of discomfort when using your mouse for long periods.

Extra Promotion

Like many desktop items, you can use your mouse mat to provide some extra promotion for your business. Your mouse mat can be adorned with your company logo or slogan and handed out to both existing and potential clients/customers, helping you spread the name of your business and keep it fresh in the mind of those who use the mouse mats. Think of it as daily advertising but with minimal effort required.

If you want to combine the purchase of mouse mats with some excellent promotion for your business, brand or company, then Banaman are exactly the people you need. We specialise in providing top quality promotional items for businesses both big and small. Our design team can add your logo to stationery, clothing or leaflets with the utmost care, precision and design quality. There is no minimum order limit with our products, so whether you need promotional items for 200 customers or 20 customers, we’ve got you covered. For more information about our promotional printing services, get in touch with us today and we’ll be more than happy to help.