When most of us roll out of bed in the morning, it usually isn’t long before we reach for the nearest coffee machine and pour a cup of our favorite coffee. Americans, in particular, have had a long love affair with the delicious beverage.

The average American drinks about three cups per day, which if you think about it, is a lot of coffee. Some people like to build their personalities around their favorite beverage and there’s plenty of merchandise out there that caters to coffee lovers.

If you’re a business owner and you’ve noticed your marketing strategy isn’t working, it’s time to come up with something new. And there’s a no larger force in most of our lives than coffee.

Coffee mugs are a great way to get your brand out there and make a positive impact on customers.

Here’s a short guide to using coffee mugs as a marketing tool for your small business.

Why Use Coffee Mugs For Marketing?

Using coffee mugs for promotions and marketing seems like a no-brainer. And that’s absolutely true! If you sell coffee at your business, offering free customized mugs can serve to encourage repeat visits and boost sales.

Even if you don’t serve coffee, mugs can function as personalized gifts. Customers love getting personalized gifts! Coffee mugs give you an opportunity to tell your brand story and unique ways. By being cost-effective, easy to acquire, and useful, they offer customers a wonderful gift for working with your company.

Coffee mugs can even become an extension of the business brand and act as a business card. If the mug has your logo, then it makes the user think about you every time they use it. And that’s an effective marketing strategy, to say the least. Ultimately, custom coffee mugs are a good marketing tool that should not be overlooked by your business.

Selecting Mug Size And Material

Navigating the nuances of coffee mugs and sizes can be a challenge. Coffee mugs are made with a lot of different materials, including glass, ceramic, plastic, and stainless steel. There are pros and cons to each, of course. Ceramic is often more sturdy and can be handled a bit more roughly (although ceramic can break if dropped).

Glass mugs are strong and keep beverages hot, but tend to break easily if mishandled. Plastic cups lack durability but are quite inexpensive and easier to manufacture in bulk.

Stainless steel can be insulated and is very resilient, making it a good choice for an on-the-go mug. It’s a good idea to offer a variety of sizes to your customers as well, so they can get the exact amount of coffee they want when they pour it in the morning.

What To Put On Your Mugs

Coffee mugs are like a painter’s blank canvas. You can put pretty much any words or image on a cup. In fact, customization is one of the best reasons to offer mugs as a promotional aspect of your business.

When you start developing your promotional coffee mugs, make sure you put the right stuff on them for the maximum benefit! The best things to put on your mugs are going to be cool images that are related to your company, your logo, and your business name.

By putting these things front and center, it’s easy to get the most out of marketing your brand with these types of mugs. Customers will love the personalization and you can take advantage of that goodwill with repeat visits and happy guests.

Selling Your Mugs

Selling coffee mugs is also a great way to make a little extra money while also boosting your brand awareness. Since coffee mugs have a relatively low cost of entry—you can buy a bunch of personalized mugs in bulk for low prices—and then turn around and sell them for $3 or $4 apiece.

That’s a good way to make a little bit of profit from a promo item. It’s also easy to incorporate them into other sales promotions such as a buy one get one free or as an accessory item for purchasing coffee.

If you don’t sell coffee at your company, you can package them as accessories and drinkware for any occasion. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and can be a good way to boost sales during any portion of the year.

Giving Them Away

If you don’t plan to sell them—or simply have too much stock and need to unload a few—giving away your mugs can be very effective for promoting a new product or service you’re offering at your business.

Keep in mind that promotional products need to be high-quality, eye-catching, and useful for your target audience. Otherwise, it’s just junk in the eyes of most recipients. The mugs can be used to make your brand appear more professional, and they can help get your name out there.

Try giving them away at trade shows, offering them as a bonus item for certain purchases, and including them for free with other purchases. Using coffee mugs as giveaways can be worthwhile for both promotions and building positive relationships with customers, so be sure to leverage them appropriately.

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