Choosing custom merchandise for your marketing campaign depends on your objective, theme, and budget. The Internet is replete with a range of custom merchandise ideas, and it is easy to be overwhelmed when you see a 7,000-plus catalog. Indeed, how does one choose from 600 different key chains or a thousand gel pens?

Knowing your marketing objectives will save you the headache in selecting a custom merchandise. Are you shopping for holiday gifts or simply working on brand visibility? Are you looking for corporate gifts or small presents for loyal patrons? Are you in search of lightweight direct-mail giveaways with practical value? Or do you want to see the hottest items in the custom merchandise industry that will get your recipients talking? Custom shirts will help you reach out to more people, while reusable bags, key chains, pens, notepads, and sticky notes are often used to build traffic in trade shows and conventions.

Finding a custom merchandise that reflects your theme will further assure that you'll see this marketing effort through. Are you launching a store promotion in time for Halloween? Custom pens, stress balls, shirts, toys, and custom merchandise selections that come in orange and black will fit the occasion, as will giveaways in skeleton, vampire, bat, cauldron, or witch designs. Christmas is not always green and red these days, color motifs change as often as the season's shades. Instill some patriotism in your recipients with personalized items carrying the colors of the American flag these are suitable choices for elections and Fourth of July.

Finally, consider your budget when choosing custom merchandise. The best and effective ones aren't necessarily the expensive items, and you can achieve optimum visibility with key chains as you can with T-shirts. Also, study how product prices vary according to order quantities. Knowing this will enable you to save more and get your money's worth.