Branding is one of the most visible concepts in today's marketing world. Everything is about branding ? literally. Your company's brand is more than its name or its logo. It's an amalgam of everything that's visible about your company. Your brand reputation used to be an organic thing, something that grew out of your interactions with your customers and the public. These days, brand image is far more likely to be manufactured than it is to grow naturally.

There are two main aspects of branding that can be boosted by promotional gifts: brand image and brand recognition. A successful promotional product will serve both of those aspects equally well. When you're choosing promotional gifts and products for any purpose ? events, trade shows, marketing giveaways, thank you gifts and even employee incentives ? it's important to consider both of those aspects. When you choose marketing or trade show promotional products that are in tune with your company's image, you are amplifying your sales potential. By contrast, a marketing giveaway that doesn't fit the image that you want your company to project, you could damage your sales.

So how does one go about choosing the right promotional products, the ones that will serve as advertising, or entice the customers that you want to buy your products? The single most important thing is to KNOW the image that you want your company to present. Once you've decided who your company is, it's far easier to design your marketing and promotion to fit your image.

A second thing to keep in mind is that style and quality are as important as items when you're using promotional products as branding tools. In other words, the design and style of the items that you choose will actually carry at least as much weight as what the item actually is. A staid High Street law firm and a trendy teen accessory shop can both give away promotional pens, for instance, and have them well-received, but the style that works best for each of them will be far different.

The bank, wanting to project an image of tradition and solidity, might choose sleek ball pens imprinted with the bank logo and name. It suits their brand well, and will further their image as a solid financial institution. In contrast, the teen shop wants to promote its image as a quirky, fun place where you can find the latest and hippest gear. Their choice of promotional pens might be a twisty-bendy version in eye-popping colors for maximum visibility.

The same principle applies to many other promotional gift items that you could use for branding purposes. Among the most popular giveaway gifts that are easy to adapt for branding are:

-Printed mugs that carry your logo available in a wide range of styles and colors

-Promotional umbrellas that can be very proper or a barrel of fun depending on color and style.

-Carrier bags, cases and folders that can run the gamut from ultra-sophisticated to kitschy and cute.

If you're having trouble deciding on appropriate promotional products or gifts to suit your company's image, you'll find help at one of the many suppliers of promotional items online. Poke around online catalogs, and take advantage of the consultants that are available to help you choose and place your order.