Throwing promotional umbrellas out into the hands of all and sundry is probably not the most cost effective way of using your budget. Whilst a personalised corporate umbrella will give distinct advantages, a concentrated plan of action returns the best number of views per pound.
You will want to get your promotional umbrellas seen at the right locations, at the right time and by the right people. All you need to do is recognise the opportunities. In all probability Renoir and Monet must have regretted that they did not consider including printed umbrellas in their paintings.
Take weddings, probably not the first thing that comes to mind when considering promotional umbrellas. Say you run a fleet of chauffeur driven white or silver limousines. You therefore depend on the wedding market. How can corporate umbrellas help you?
Keep a collection of various styles of promotional umbrellas in the cars. If there is rain, sun or the slightest suggestion of either, get your drivers to open a personalised printed umbrella for them to protect the bride, bridesmaids and other heavily photographed participants. With a bit of thought the design, with your logo and website on it, can be seen to fit in perfectly with the ambiance.
If every bride’s nightmare of persistent rain does make an appearance then the chauffeur can distribute promotional umbrellas to the throng. You will lose a few, but they will still go on working. But at every wedding there are others considering the same thing. When they look at the photographs they will see your printed umbrellas and think of the care and thought of the chauffeur.
Or if you are the wedding photographer, how about a few candid pictures of the bridesmaids sheltering from the sun under your promotional umbrellas as they wait for their turn to pose? When the next bride in line is considering which photographer to use, there are your contact details on the printed umbrella.
The trick with promotional umbrellas is to be seen by those who matter. And those who matter are the ones who can bring business your way. Mothers are often surrounded by mothers to be. They might be looking for just the right pram and there it is in front of them. There will be no need to ask where they bought it as the lovely little sunshade, in fact a corporate umbrella, attached to the side of the pram, tells them.
If your business doesn’t depend on love and fecundity, the lessons for use of promotional umbrellas still applies. Work out where your logo and corporate message needs to be seen and then ensure that you stick your corporate umbrella in that spot. One that is personalised gives that extra degree of confidence that you have it just right.
For help, advise and guidance on what products are right for you speak to a professional promotional product supplier who is a member of both UK trade associations, PROMOTA and BPMA, sales@leighmans.com.