Regardless of a customer’s income level or employment, a pen is regularly needed and always unobtrusive. Where most promotional products, such as puzzles, stuffed animals, and plastic novelties are more than likely going to be cast off into the trash immediately, good quality personalised pens are useful to a consumer in both their personal and professional lives.

Of all of the promotional tools available today, promotional pens are certainly the most popular. The overwhelming success of the promotional pen–particularly when compared to the success of other promotional products–can be attributed to one simple fact: everyone needs a pen.

The key is to know your target customer. For businesses with large customer volumes, such as hotels, restaurants, and banks, a large quantity of printed plastic pens will be your best bet. We all know how easy it is to stuff a pen in our pocket after signing a restaurant check or filling out a bank deposit slip.

As a business, you can take advantage of that tendency toward ultra-petty theft by ensuring that there are always quantities of your printed pens around. Additionally, remind your staff that whenever a customer asks to borrow a pen, simply telling them, “You can keep it,” can be a highly effective way of circulating your company’s logo to a new group of potential customers.

While promotional plastic pens can be a great idea for certain business sectors, they are not always the best option. For businesses that deal with smaller bases of higher-end clientele, the use of a plastic pen may be seen as cheap, and reflect negatively on your business’ image.

For businesses of this sort, engraved metal pens and even executive gift pens may be a better option. While these pens are more expensive per pen, a smaller customer base may even the cost gap. When dealing with a high-end clientele, a single high quality pen given to the right individual can be a priceless asset.

In a business environment where image is everything, the good quality pen is the one that will be kept and carried the most. In the right hands, an engraved metal or executive pen can be a potential conversation-starter about your business every time that pen is used, allowing your name and logo to reach countless other high-end clients.

Good quality plastic pens can do the same.

Additionally, pens can be given to employees as an award or incentive, providing both a token of appreciation for your staff and one more opportunity to increase brand awareness.