Promotional Toys Basics

Using promotional toys to promote your company

Promotional toys are a very good way to advertise if you have a business that targets children, the parents of children or fun-loving adults. If you're just getting started, it's a good idea to give them away at events and trade shows. You can try selling them once you become more established.

While there are hundreds of custom toys you can buy, you want to stay away from the bottom of the barrel. The toys that cost literally pennies are the ones that are most likely to break, which your customers will surely not appreciate. Instead, look at toys that appear to be of high quality. Here are three ways to do so:

1. Shop around for the best price on your promotional toys. Talk to several vendors.

2. Get your logo custom printed on the toys instead of simply on a sticker.

3. Spend extra cash on completely customized promo toys.

 

Shop around for the best price on your promotional toys

Being budget conscious with your promotional toys doesn't mean you should give out items that look "cheap." You can save a good deal of money by shopping around. Buying in bulk also helps, as does seeking out wholesale personalized toys. Remember, toys don't go bad. You can store them indefinitely if you order a lot at once.
Try: Look at several different companies that sell logo toys. Start putting together a chart listing (a) your favorite toy choices and (b) the cost per item. Make sure you write that down an order minimum. Two reasonably priced companies to get your started are ePromos and PromoPeddler. Both have large selections of toys that can be imprinted with your logo.

Personalize your custom logo toys in a way that makes them look valuable

Some companies will try to save you money by sending you sheets of stickers you can use to put your logos on toys that are otherwise generic. This logo method can pose two problems. First, it makes it look like you didn't spend very much, which can reflect badly on your company. Second, the stickers are likely to fall off. If they do, there goes your advertising.
Try: Look for logo toys that have the logo printed on them. This is the case with all of the toys that Branders and Collegiate Concepts sell. Make sure you provide a logo that's within the specs required on the order form so that it doesn't look pixilated or sloppy.

Spend extra cash on custom promo toys

If you have a large budget for promotional toys, basics may not be the way you want to go. Instead, you may wish to offer a promotional toy that no other company has, such as a completely custom stuffed animal.
Try: Even if your budget is high, you should still shop around. Two places to call about completely custom toy promos are Kool Dawg Tees and Binkley Custom Products. Both let you submit a design of a company mascot or logo and cater the shape and color of the animal to your specifications. These fall into the category of collectible promotional toys. It's nice to have people asking for your ads.

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