Promotional merchandise increases brand awareness and should lead to more sales when chosen carefully and used correctly. If you are looking into promotional mouse mats as a tool to carry your message then you should look for top quality mats. You should also take some time to get your design right.
I have been in the promotional merchandise business for over 20 years so I have a good idea about which promotional products get the best results. In my business we supply both budget and high quality mouse mats to businesses hoping to promote themselves.
We sell the lower quality mats because people insist on having them but let’s look at what mats will do the job best for you!
Imagine yourself as the receiver of a free mouse mat. You are sitting at your desk one day when a new catalogue arrives in the post together with a free promotional mouse mat. You take it out and it is a bit flimsy. It feels and looks cheap and the design is nothing to show off.
Regardless, you have needed a new mouse mat for some time and welcome the gift. You no longer need to make the twenty minute journey down to PC World to purchase your own.
The promotional mouse mat is printed with the details of a business stationery supplier which you think could come in handy from time to time.
After a few hours, however your initial happiness at have received a free mat turns to annoyance. It slides around on the desktop and often you find yourself holding it down while you try to use your computer mouse. The top is printed in brilliant full colour but you are not very happy with the hard surface.
At this point I would like to make it clear that the mouse mat you received is what is called a HardTop mouse mat. It usually has a 3mm thick rubber like base and the top is clear and printed under the surface so that the print never rubs off.
HardTop mouse mats are the best selling mouse mats around. They are the mats you almost always seen handed out at trade shows and they are easily posted.
Their low cost makes them popular not only as promotional gifts but in the retail sector as well. Next time you go to a computer shop or bookstore, look out for them as there will surely be a few designs available.
I say this not because I think you should order them but because I want you to consider your alternatives.
What if when you opened that letter there was a heavy, 5mm thick rubber based textile mat? Such a mouse mat is more expensive but also much more substantial.
At the end of the day, most businesses hand out promotional merchandise such as mouse pads because they want to increase their turnover. If you want to ensure that you do, then go for quality over budget price!
I can hear some of you out their thinking, ‘Oh that’s easy for him to say, but I don’t have the budget for expensive mouse mats!’
Then look into other promotional products!
There are promotional products that are of good quality within almost every marketing budget.
For about the same price as the lower quality HardTop mouse mat you could purchase a selection of promotional Latte mugs, good quality desktop calculators, a complete selection of matching stationery which is used daily like rulers, pen pots and jotter pads.
Such items are required very often around the office and will keep your name and contact details where you want them.
Don’t get me wrong! Budget mouse mats do have their place and work for many organisations. I have seen them in university libraries, hotel rooms, business rooms and hundreds of offices.
But if you really want to increase your sales… If you want to impress new customers and encourage them to use your business, give them high quality textile mouse mats.
Give attractive mouse mats with eye catching designs to all of your customers and they will be used regularly. They could even be used for years. I have been using the same textile mat for at least two years.
Ensuring that your target audience has a good quality mouse mat with your company logo/design and contact details will keep your details where they need to be when they next need your products or services.
A general rule of thumb is to always go for the best quality gifts within your marketing budget. If you are not in the position to give your clients a top quality mouse mat they will truly enjoy using and want to own, then give them a promotional product that they will enjoy and want to own within your budget.
You want to increase your turnover so it is essential to give gifts that represent your brand in a positive way while being useful at the same time.
You see, it is the quality gifts that people need that makes them want to keep them. Giving such gifts is the best way to increase your turnover with promotional gifts such a mouse mats.
By Dan Toombs
