You might think that all promotional umbrellas are alike. That couldn't be any farther from the truth, as there is an absolute plethora of umbrellas available for you to promote your business with. There are a few things to consider before choosing the type of umbrellas that will work best for your promotions ? mostly a matter of your audience and event.

There are several distinct groups that you can give out your promotional umbrellas to ? clients/customers, potential clients and customers, employees, and kids. Each audience requires a slightly different touch, and you also have to take the environment into account. Your typical promotional giveaway spots don't work as well with promotional umbrellas ? after all, many people don't want to lug around an umbrella the entire time at a conference, now do they?

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that promotional umbrellas are only for bad weather ? for example, you can certainly give away beach umbrellas, which serve more of a purpose than just keeping out rain. Another popular choice is the golf umbrella, which can be used for a number of reasons. If you have a family centric business, you can include smaller kids' umbrellas into your promotional mix, or even picnic table umbrellas to take care of the sun during the summer months.

The two main types of umbrellas are telescopic and non telescopic. Telescopic umbrellas are the ones you can fold up into a nice, convenient little package, while non telescopic are the ones that you cannot do that with. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types that you will need to consider before making your final choices for your promotional umbrellas.

Telescopic umbrellas work well in places where you really can't hand out unfolded umbrellas. Trade shows, conventions, and lobbies are just a few examples of these types of places that telescopic umbrellas have the advantage. Also, when you are handing out umbrellas to your employees, you will want to make sure they have telescopic as well, so that it's easier for them to take them out and about. Telescopic promotional umbrellas also have the advantage of making good impressions on everyone that gets them, and they get used for a long time. No one tends to throw away umbrellas, as they are too useful, and many people forget to buy them ? plus for your really high value clients, chances are they can use a golf umbrella or two.

If you're primarily going to be handing out promotional umbrellas during outdoor events, however, non telescopic might just work out better for you. The two main advantages this type has is that it is vastly less expensive than telescopic, and people can't fold them down. That last bit might not seem like an advantage until you realize that they are not able to put the umbrella away, thus giving your logo maximum exposure. The disadvantage is that these are more inconvenient for people to haul around, so you won't get nearly the same amount of long term use as with a telescopic promotional umbrella.