Unlike the proverbial junk mail that recipients throw right in their recycle bins, a customized magnetic calendar has inherent value. An individual is likely to keep it — and your logo — in full view all year long.

However, not all promotional calendars are made equal. Some things you need to think about when choosing a personalized calendar magnet are the following:

1. Is this promotional magnetic calendar going to be useful to my customers?

2. Does it capture my company's brand identity well — for example, with the logo and colors?

3. Is it of good enough quality to last all year?

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

Find magnet calendars that have utility

There are dozens of different types of magnetic calendars you can choose from. Some are tiny and very difficult to read and some are so large that they would take up half of the refrigerator door. The key is to find a happy medium.

I recommend: Go to the websites of several marketing companies that produce promotional magnet calendars so you have a good idea of the options. Three to start with are MagnetStreet, Magnets USA and Gimmees.

Work with a graphic designer to brand your promotional magnetic calendars

Many companies that produce business calendars do not provide more than stock designs. That being said, you may want to work with a separate designer to ensure you get the look you want. Then you can simply submit your design to the marketing company.

I recommend: If you already have a well-developed brand identity, you may want to go with the graphic designer that was most involved in creating it. If this is not an option, you can speak with multiple designers and have each develop a prototype for your calendar's look. If you would like to hire a freelance designer, the Designfirms directory is a good place to locate one. Then read the article on IdeaMarketers that gives advice on deciding between candidates.

Find quality promotional calendars

Nobody is going to want to keep a calendar that falls off the fridge or, even worse, falls apart. Remember, if you give out poor quality promotional merchandise it can reflect badly on your company.

I recommend: Ask companies to provide you with samples before you choose a calendar to go with. If any organization is not willing to provide them, simply go with someone else, since most will gladly comply. Two companies with sample request forms on their websites are Rainbow Magnets and Branders.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When thinking about promotional magnetic calendars, basics such as these should be at the top of your mind. However, you should also think about how you can customize your calendar to make it different and, therefore, able to stand out.

Custom magnetic calendars are an effective tool for reminding people of your company with a functional, attractive gift from your business. Customers and clients will be glad to receive something they can actually use, and you'll rest easy knowing your logo and contact information are in a prominent place in the home.

Magnet calendars come in several different forms, from plain rectangular 12-month calendars to calendars that punch out from larger cards or have notepads or message boards attached. Selecting from among the many types of calendars is mainly an issue of style and cost.

When shopping for promotional magnet calendars for your business or organization, remember to:

1. Look for manufacturers who can give you design services and proofs to know what your product will look like.
2. Decide how you want to distribute your promotional calendars and whether or not you'll be mailing them.
3. Check out a wide range of options to see the types of magnet calendars from which you have to choose.
4. Look for special features such as a message board or notepad that give your magnetic calendar that extra edge.

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

Make your magnetic calendar manufacturer work for you

Many manufacturers of business promotional items also can offer design services, either for a small fee or with the fee included in the price of your order.

I recommend: Look for direct advertisement of design services on a promotional item manufacturer's website. If the manufacturer doesn't offer custom design services for your company, call and inquire. Some companies that offer custom design, such as Direct-Color.com, also will offer unlimited proofs until you are satisfied with your order. You also can create promotional magnet calendars with companies that allow you to choose between having them do a custom design, submitting your own design, or using their templates to design a calendar.

Consider distribution methods for your personalized magnetic calendar

If you plan to mail your personalized calendar magnets to customers, consider the time of year you'll be mailing and if you'll need the calendar to fit in an envelope. Other distribution methods to consider are including your promotional magnetic calendars in merchandise bags at the cash register or simply displaying them on a counter at your place of business for customers to pick up.

I recommend: If you're mailing out a holiday card or other form of holiday greeting, consider using a card that comes with a perforated magnet calendar that recipients can punch out and put on their refrigerators. Or, if you want to slip the calendar into another mailing National Pen, offers the enveloped-sized "fold flat" design you can send any time of year.

Shop the full spectrum of magnet calendars

Custom magnet calendars come in many shapes and sizes--maybe even in some designs you'd never considered. Look at some comparisons to check costs and features of a wide range of promotional products.

I recommend: Look at one good comparison of many different types of magnet calendars to compare prices and designs, and remember that if you're ordering other promotional products such as pens or notepads, you might be able to save time and money by using a single manufacturer. Some promotional magnet calendars may not even require that you get an order with your logo on them--you can just add your business card.

Give your promotional calendars that special something extra

Notepads, message boards and cut-out shapes are ways to make your magnet calendar stand out and make your promotion even more functional.

I recommend: Dry erase message boards or notepads that come built into the promotional magnet calendar can be a great place to add reminders about appointments. Other fun features for logo magnetic calendars include cut-out shapes, sports schedule magnets (rather than full 12-month calendars), and jumbo-sized calendar magnets that won't make you strain your eyes to pick out a date.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Plan ahead when ordering calendar magnets. Most manufacturers will agree to make personalized calendar magnets well in advance of the calendar year you need printed, but make sure that you order magnets for the upcoming year by July or August to have plenty of time for distribution.

Business promo magnetic calendars are a great way to give potential clients a constant reminder of the products and services your company provides. Great distribution options include handing them out to current customers, mailing them with product samples, or making them available at conferences and trade shows.

Families get into their refrigerators multiple times a day and need to glance at a calendar regularly. Magnetic calendars are a great way to keep them looking at your business name. Promotional magnetic calendars pricing and costs make them great affordable advertising in the following options:

1. Business card sized promotional magnetic calendars have tear-away month-to-month calendar pages.

2. Full-year magnetic business calendars come in a variety of sizes and designs.

3. Dry erase promotional calendars provide longer exposure of your business.

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

Use month-to-month magnetic business card calendars

Choose a logo magnetic calendar that allows you to implement your business card. These promotional calendars take up less space and are often more appealing to homeowners who already have a lot of refrigerator clutter. Their smaller size also makes these items easier to distribute.

I recommend: USimprints offers these business card magnetic calendars for 43 cents to 55 cents each, depending on how many you order. Larger orders mean smaller prices. Select from the vast array of business card magnetic calendars offered by Ad Products to Go.

Choose from a variety of full-year promotional magnet calendars

You can get full-year magnetic calendars in a variety of sizes and designs. Smaller sizes include 3.5x4 inches while larger sizes may be up to the size of a piece of paper (8.5x11). These larger sizes are great for distribution to businesses that use your products or services, since they typically have larger surfaces available for more individuals to see.

I recommend: Promopeddler has full-year calendars from 39 cents to 77 cents a piece, depending on the quantity ordered. Calendars Now offers a customized magnetic calendar size of 4x4 inches as cheap as 34 cents up to size 5.5x7.25 inches priced as low as 53 cents each.

Make your custom magnetic calendars reusable with dry erase features

Personalized calendar magnets with memo sections are more functional and will see more use and attention from customers. There are also magnetic calendars available that have your logo and are completely reusable for years to come because the customer owns writes in the month and appropriate dates.

I recommend: MagnetStreet offers 16 different sizes and designs for a magnetic calendar with memo board, ranging in price from 97 cents to $1.49. Visit ArtPromos for reusable dry erase magnetic calendars for 69 cents to 91 cents a piece. Again, the more you order, the less each individual calendar costs.

Promotional magnetic calendars are an excellent investment as they are utilitarian and highly visible, displaying your business name and logo to viewers on a daily basis. People rarely discard calendars and are always needing new calendars to replace outdated ones. This, in addition to the inexpensive price, makes magnetic calendars the perfect promotional item. When shopping around for the best supplier, keep the following promotional magnetic calendars key terms in mind.

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

Custom designed magnetic calendars

A custom-designed promotional magnetic calendar company allows calendars to be customized in terms of shape, size, color and even uploadable custom graphics and images.

I recommend: Visit MagnetStreet to see some examples of customized promotional magnetic calendars.

Unlimited proofs

Unlimited proofs on promotional magnetic calendars means that each time a design is made, the calendar will be printed and shipped to you as many times as is needed to get the perfect calendar design for your business. This ensures satisfaction with the final product.

I recommend: Have a look at the services offered on promotional magnet calendars, including unlimited proofs, from a place like Direct Color.

Templates

A template for a magnetic calendar design is simply the framework within which you can work your business logo, business name and custom color. Templates can save money on the production cost and time spent on the creative aspects of the calendar design.

I recommend: See some templates for promotional magnetic calendars from Peter the Printer.

Business card holder

Some magnetic calendars have an area, usually at the top, that works as an insert for business cards, making the calendar a more versatile product.

I recommend: Find business card holder-type promotional magnetic calendars at USImprints.

Message board calendars

Some magnetic calendars may come with dry erase memo boards, making the product highly useful and giving it possible use beyond the calendar year.

I recommend: See an example of a unique promotional magnetic message board calendar from Promopeddler.com.

Notepad calendars

Notepad calendars feature a small notepad with tear-away pages on the magnet. Some also offer a pen or pencil slot.

I recommend: Find some examples of promotional notepad magnetic calendars from HealthyPromotion.com.