The most effective promotional items have two things in common?they're portable, and they're practical. Promotional umbrellas definitely meet these two criteria, and for these and other reasons they can be a very effective way of marketing your brand or promoting your retail store.

Practical items are ideal for promotions because they get use. Items that get used display your promotional message with every use, giving you more advertising for your money, and increasing visibility of your company and your brand. Portable items are doubly useful because they can be taken out of the home or office and used in public, generating even more publicity and further raising public awareness of your company.

There are some additional concepts that, when applied correctly, will ensure you make the most of your promotional umbrellas, and increase your company's visibility in the eyes of the public.

Use Items of Value to Recipients

This doesn't mean that you have to choose expensive items'it simply means choosing items that are valuable in the eyes of the people you will give them to, because they fulfill a need they have when you distribute them. Umbrellas are an ideal item to choose, because everyone, regardless of age, sex or profession can use them when the need arises.

Distribute Items at the Right Time

Distributing items at the right time means noticing when there is a need for a particular promotional item, and then fulfilling that need. In the case of umbrellas, you'll want to have those items around during the winter or whenever the rainy season is in your area. If you own a retail store, add a bin or bucket containing store-branded promotional umbrellas to your range of items?put the container in a position where they'll be easily seen by people who enter. Sell them for a reasonable price'at cost or for a slight mark up rather than trying to make a hefty profit on these items, and you'll always sell more. The free advertising you generate will more than make up for making only a small profit on the sales.

If you don't own a retail store, you can keep promotional umbrellas on hand at your company for employees to use on wet weather days, or simply give an umbrella to each employee. The cost of the items will be nothing compared to the increased company visibility you'll generate with dozens of employees using your umbrellas on rainy days. Keep a few stored for giving to clients?they'll appreciate the gift very much if they arrive for a meeting on a rainy day without their own umbrella.

Choose Highly Visible Items

Visibility refers to the opportunities a promotional item offers in terms of the number of people who will view the advertising message printed on it. Large and brightly-colored umbrellas fulfill this requirement extremely well?much better than most promotional items. Even small umbrellas in muted colors are effective, because when that umbrella is opened and used in public, the person holding it becomes a walking advertisement for your company.