When you search for promotional products in Google, you are flooded with a vast array of gifts, trinkets and clothing you could use to promote your company. Prior to spending all of your monthly advertising budget on promotional products that will only end up in the trash or some hidden junk drawer, consider the following items that are proven to effectively raise brand awareness and successfully convert "window shoppers" into buyers. 1. Shirts - One of the most effective ways to use a promotional product is to turn them into walking billboards. Since shirt and shoes are pretty much required everywhere, why not make sure everyone has a shirt with your logo on it? In order for this to work properly your shirts must be made with high quality cotton that is soft to the touch and able to survive multiple washes. In addition, the embroidered or screen printed logo/graphic must also be the same high quality. 2. Bags - The same concept applies when choosing to use bags to raise brand awareness. If someone is given a functional bag with a nice looking graphic, they will use it. This is especially true for students who will use these bags to carry their laptop and class supplies around campus. 3. Ink Pens - Dubbed the most common promotional item, ink pens are also (arguably) the most effective. Not only do pens have a way of finding multiple owners, but a logo'd pen has a way of being remembered. They also tend to create a "word-of-mouth" effect. 4. Thumb Drives (aka USB Drives) - These have only become an effective promotional product within the last decade. However, these days, everyone needs a USB drive. If you hand out a "thumb drive" attached to a key chain, people will use them. 5. Mugs - There is something about the way a coffee mug feels in your hands in the morning. There is something even more appealing when that mug was free! When people use a particular item every day, that item tends to stay around. This type of longevity is what you are looking for in a promotional product. There is one thing that you need to keep in mind when sorting through promotional products and it is the one thing that all of the above have in common, they are all frequently used items. Putting your logo or brand on an item that is needed and used every day is the best way to increase brand awareness and spread the word. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9354585