Your band may have started out as a fun thing, but if you want your music making to be more than a hobby, promotion will become a part of your life. Promotional products and business gifts can give your band a leg up on the competition and help boost your band's bookings and music sales off the charts.

More and more bands are taking their marketing into their own hands these days ? and that means knowing a little bit about how to design promotions, choose promotional products and business gifts and create a long-range marketing plan. Here are a few of the ways that you can use promotional products as part of marketing your band and earning money doing what you love.

Leaflets and flyers are promotional products.

Many companies that specialize in promotional products employ professional design departments that can help you create outstanding flyers, leaflets and promotional postcards that you can use to publicize your band, concerts and bookings. Hand out promotional postcards before concerts and offer a discount at the door for admission to anyone handing one in.

Use promotional products to create additional income streams.

Put your band on a t-shirt, visor, cap or promotional mugs and sell them at concerts and appearances, as well as offering them from your band's myspace or web page. You get double benefits when you sell promotional items, especially those that ?travel? with their buyers. First, you get income from the sales. Second, and perhaps more importantly, you get more exposure ? of the most valuable kind. When fans wear or carry promotional products and advertising gifts with your band's name, logo or photos on them, they'll be telling others that they LIKE your music and publicizing it. Fan recommendations are the highest form of praise ? and the most effective type of publicity you can get.

Order promotional products for special events and parties.

Attending a battle of the bands or holding a release party for a new CD? You'll need banners, paper products and promotional giveaways for the fans that attend. Fun and celebration go hand in hand with promotional products ? balloons, Frisbees, bracelets and other fun toys can be imprinted with your band name and/or logo and go home with your fans. Add in t-shirts for attendees and every person who wears one will be publicizing your band or event.

Hand out promotional products for other giveaways.

Radio station play can make or break a band ? and radio DJs are always looking for novel and interesting ways to engage their listeners. You can garner extra publicity by handing over a dozen printed mugs, promotional pens or t-shirts to radio stations for them to use as prizes in trivia contests and the like. Again, you'll get double exposure ? first you get the radio exposure, then you get the visibility when your promo products are used by their recipients.

There are many ideas for unique promotions and publicity events that you can use with promotional products to publicize your band. For more ideas, contact a sales representative for a company that specializes in promotional products.

For additional information on advertising gifts, corporate gifts or promotional items then why not check out the leading business promotional gift suppliers online today and start to make big savings.