When picking any sort of marketing materials, you must consider the implications. The colour, the style and the design will all give your clients subconscious messages about what you’re company is like.

If you choose a cheap pen which is badly printed or doesn’t work you’re not exactly giving out a terribly good message. And that isn’t to say you need to spend a fortune – cheap pens can work perfectly well, you just need to find the right one for your purpose.

The pens which you’ll hang on to forever tend to be very personal. You want your pen to be a good one, but also one which many people use and – if possible – remember the branding on there.

Because of this, you’re going to want to pick something inoffensive, comfortable, and which you can get your branding or website on.

Different Strokes

There are three main types of promotional pens to consider: ballpoints, rollerballs, and gel pens.

Ballpoint pens tend to be relatively cheap to produce, and long lasting. The ink is viscous and non-water based which means you’ll end up with a consistent writing thickness.

Ballpoints tend to be the most common choice, and they are quite a wise one. Because the ink lasts for a long time, so will your promotion. As long as the pen lasts, it’s unlikely to get thrown away.

Rollerballs work in a similar way to a ballpoint pen, but use less viscous ink. They flow much more smoothly, but the ink won’t last quite as long.

If you choice a particularly stylish, heavy weight metal barrel, it might suit the smooth writing style of a rollerball refill; if the pen is good enough, it might even get refilled rather than landfilled.

Gel pens are a good combination of the two types. They use smooth water based ink, but give the performance of a ballpoint pen.

A gel pen like the BIC Intensity Gel Clic is a quality looking thing. Well put together and ergonomically designed with a rubber grip for longer writing sessions, it’s the sort of pen you won’t want to lend to a friend.

Cost

Cost is variable depending on which style of pen you’re thinking about. Supreme Pens offers a wide range of promotional pens at a variety of price points to suit every business.

With stick pens starting from just 7p per unit, and executive pens from just 44p per unit, you can go as high or low end as you can afford.

Branding

It will state on the pen’s product page what the barrel print area is. This will be given in millimetres, and you will need to provide artwork. The artwork you send will need to be this size.

Eco pens are a really good option for green companies. If your company is outwardly environmentally conscious, it’s a must that your promotional pens reflect that. Pick recycled plastics, biodegradable barrels, or natural products to make sure your marketing reflects your brand’s image.

Never invest in marketing without fully considering your target market and your brand, and how all three will interact. With some careful thought, promotional pens could be the best (and most reasonable) advertising you ever pay for.