Customized desk calendars offer a fantastic means of reminding current and potential customers about the products and services your company provides. Great distribution options include handing them out to current customers when they purchase your product or service, mailing them with product samples, or making them available at conferences and trade shows.

The variety of promotional calendars available gives you the option to choose a style that best fits your target market. A logo desk calendar is a great way to keep clients looking at your business name as they check to see what each day has to offer. Promotional desk calendars pricing and costs can vary greatly, so consider the following options:

1. Spiral bound promo desk calendars are great for mass distribution because of their small size.

2. You can cater to clients that also own a business with vinyl imprinted desk calendars.

3. Go for something a little different with a pop-up billboard customized desk calendar.

Action Steps
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Mail promotional desk calendars to everyone you know

These calendars are smaller and you can easily mail them to clients with little expense on your part. They are spiral bound and you simply flip the page over for a new month. They come with varying photographic themes, with your business information always visible at the bottom. They fold out in an easel so that they stand upright on the user's desk.

I recommend: USImprints offers an American landmarks themed easel calendar. The more you order, the less you pay per calendar, usually between $1.50 and $2.50. The deluxe scenic desk calendar from Calendarsforless measures just over 6x4 inches. Again, depending on how many you order, you will pay $1 to $3.

Offer business desk calendars to professional clients

If your company caters to other businesses, and you have a smaller clientele, then you might want to consider spending a bit more to provide them with full-sized, vinyl desk calendars. These 12-month calendars, typically 23 inches wide by 17 inches long, provide a lot of space for appointments and notes, while acting as a large and constant reminder of your business to your clients.

I recommend: The vinyl on these calendars offered by Farfromboring Promotions comes in black, navy or burgundy and ranges in price from $6.50 to $11.50. Epromos charges approximately $9.50 per calendar for a similar design. If you prefer to offer your clients something less cumbersome, Motivators offers an 11.5 by nine inch vinyl desk calendar in a large variety of colors for $1.50 to $2.

Change things up with pop-up custom desk calendars

Pop-up billboard calendars are a bit larger than the easel style and provide elevated and slanted viewing that makes for an easier reference point. You can also give your clients an option by giving them a calendar that could sit on their desks or be mounted on a wall. These calendars feature a built-in mounting system to accommodate either arrangement.

I recommend: Get a pop-up calendar from Calendars Now for $1.30 to $2, depending on how many you purchase. Garrett Specialties offers several desk/wall calendar design choices, such as beaches or cats and dogs, for $2 to $3.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most companies that produce custom promotional calendars and other imprinted promotional items charge a set-up fee they add to the overall price. It covers the cost of the ink, as well as setting up the custom template and layout for your order. It usually ranges from $50 to $200, depending on the company.

Desk calendars can be one of those promotional items that will either sink or swim. Many businesses use promotional calendars, which indicates that they can work. However, because so many businesses use them, you need to make your promotional desk calendars stand out or they’ll end up in a pile or in the trash. So, why should you consider customized desk calendars over other promotional items?

1. Most people use calendars, including desk calendars, to keep track of appointments and other information.
2. With a little thought, you can create promotional desk calendars that stand out from the crowd and are something that people want to use.
3. When done right, customized desk calendars offer you an entire year of customer exposure each time someone looks at the calendar.

While promotional desk calendars aren’t for every business, they can be valuable to others. With a little thought and the right strategy, you can often make a promotional desk calendar work for your business.

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Decide on small desk calendars or pad desk calendars

Each format of desk calendars has its own advantages and disadvantages so you'll need to consider your client base and which format would be more popular. Some of the smaller calendars offer you the opportunity to add unique photos or artwork which can be an important factor for personalized calendars. You can also consider offering a choice of sizes to your clients.

I recommend: 4Imprints has many different styles of promotional calendars, including pop-up desk calendars and flip calendars. Calendars Now also has a variety of desk calendars available. EPromos had desk and eternal calendars that might work for your business.

Consider whether to order pre-arranged desk calendars or create your own

Many companies offer promotional calendars which have already been arranged for you. These are often less expensive to buy than printing your own calendars, but most of the choices will have already been made for you.

I recommend: Pick out the pre-assembled calendars that your clients will like from Calendars for Less or check out the ones from Calendar World. Yearbox will create a customized desk calendar for you using your photos, logo and text.

Make your promotional desk calendar unique

If you decide to create your own desk calendars, make them unique. Hire a local photographer and include photographs of your area. This will make the calendar much more personal for your customers and they'll be more likely to use it. You can also use stock agencies to find photographs within a given theme.

I recommend: Search for a photographer to help you with the photos for your calendar or submit a request for information on local photographers. Look for stock photos for you calendar at IStock or Big Stock Photo.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you choose to create desk calendar using stock photos, make sure that your license includes this use. In most cases, you can use stock photos for promotional items, but you don't want to misuse the photos or you could face legal issues.

Calendars have been a mainstay on desks across the land for ages, and using them to advertising your business requires a working knowledge of promotional desk calendars key terms. Calendars have taken their rightful place alongside pencil cups, tape dispensers, staplers and phones on workspaces everywhere, and few would argue the convenience of being able to find a day or date of the year at a glance. When the calendar boasts your company's name, it provides a solid year of daily advertising.

If you're considering promotional desk calendars as a year-end "thank you" for existing customers, or you want a simple yet effective way to get your name in front of potential new customers in the new year, here are some key terms you'll likely run across in your search:

Action Steps
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Tent style

A tent-style promotional desk calendar is in the shape of a triangle, with the base holding it up at the bottom, similar to a tent. The custom imprint typically is at the bottom, visible beneath the tear-off pad of month pages.

I recommend: Head over to 4imprint USA to see an example of -- and options for ordering -- tent-style promotional desk calendars.

Desk pad style

A desk pad promotional desk calendar is intended to be used on the surface of a desk as a sort of desk blotter. The custom imprint typically is along the top or at the bottom.

I recommend: Get a good idea of what a desk pad calendar looks like and the options available at Calendars Now.

Perpetual

A perpetual calendar is a calendar that -- with a little bit of manual monthly finagling from the user -- never goes out of date. Placement of the custom imprint varies, depending on the design of the calendar.

I recommend: Perpetual promotional desk calendars, like the one at Promopeddler, are pricier than traditional paper calendars -- but they last forever.

Mousepaper

A mousepaper style of promotional desk calendar serves as a mousepad, a notepad and a calendar. The custom imprint appears on each page, typically below the calendar.

I recommend: See and read about the features of one of these triple-function promotional calendars at Garrett Specialties.

Memo style

Memo style promotional desk calendars are mounted on a cardboard stand that folds flat for mailing but stands up sturdily when displayed on a desk. The custom imprint generally appears at the top of the cardboard backing for maximum visibility.

I recommend: See a memo style promotional desk calendar for yourself at ePromos.

Pop up

Pop-up promotional desk calendars fold flat but 'spring up' into spherical action when released. The custom imprint typically appears on one of the panels.

I recommend: Visit Metacafe to see a pop-up promotional desk calendar in action.

The problem with some custom promotional calendars that businesses give out is that they're not very practical and are likely to end up in the trash. Unless you motivate people to keep your calendars on their desks throughout the year, you are not using your advertising dollars effectively.

Luckily, there are several promotional desk calendars types and styles that people are likely to hang on to. They are convenient, useful and do not scream "ad," but still give good placement to your company logo. These options are:

1. Desk calendars that double as mouse pads;

2. Small spiral bound desk calendars;

3. Blotter calendars made to sit in the middle of people's desks.

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

Look at mouse-pad-type customized desk calendars

The great thing about these types of customized desk calendars is that people using them as mouse pads look at them dozens of times a day. Even looking at your logo out of the corner of the eye when reaching for the mouse can add to that person's brand recognition. Plus, since mouse pads tend to get dirty and spilled on, yours have an advantage. If someone spills on your calendar, they don't have to throw away the whole pad. They can simply tear off the top page.

I recommend: Look at the calendar mouse pads Garrett Specialties offers. They have a tab at the top that also lets the owner hang them on the wall. Then explore BetterMousepads' site. It lets you order calendars that start with any month you'd like. That way you can distribute them at any time of the year, not just in December. You can also insert coupons or advertisements for your business between each month.

Check out spiral bound business desk calendars

A spiral bound logo desk calendar is like the traditional desk calendar you find in a bookstore. There are two main types: those that stand up and those that don't. These calendars are used more to check dates than for scheduling appointments. People like them because they are compact and easy to flip through.

I recommend: Visit 4imprint's website and look at their tent spiral desk calendars. They include a support on the back that allows them to sit up on the desk for easy access. Then look at VistaPrint. This company offers spiral calendars that simply lay flat on the desk or in a drawer. You can customize them with your branded image or choose from provided stock photos and themes.

Consider blotter style custom desk calendars

Many business people consider a blotter calendar to be the most useful personalized desk calendar. It is basically a blank 21' by 16' monthly grid and is perfect for keeping track of monthly business appointments. Many people lay them on their desks either under their keyboards or directly in front of them. Your business name stays in plain view all day, every day.

I recommend: Visit Identity-Links' online catalog of promo desk calendars. It offers several different styles of imprintable blotters. It even has a few custom sizes for those who want smaller or bigger blotters. Then check out Promopeddler's website. You can get four-color blotters, ones with vinyl corners and even one with the option to put art behind the grid.