Remind Remote Workers and Customers About Your Business With a Pen
The well-known saying, "The pen is mightier than the sword," is credited to 19th-century novelist and playwright Edward Bulwer-Lytton. And you might say that the business pen is mightier than the sword—along with many other things in our modern society.
Business pens are undoubtedly influential and have been since long before the dawn of the digital age. We would argue that their power lies in their ubiquity, collectability, and novelty.
Here's why: A business pen is something that costs little and that people are happy to have and use. Custom business pens also promote your business or organization—probably better than any other promotional item you'll find.
Read on for the reasons to consider getting business pens.
A Brief Background on the Timeless Pen
Let's begin with some brief background about how pens developed their enduring popularity.
As distinct from other writing tools, pens have existed in some form for several millennia, and old-fashioned pens like the quill pen produced some excellent handwritten letters. Not surprisingly, the quill pen's successor was the fountain pen.
But the modern ballpoint pen is undoubtedly the most widely used, especially in the 20th and 21st Centuries.
Although Hungarian journalist László Bíró was not the first to conceptualize the ballpoint pen, which he patented in Argentina in 1943). His great innovation was the ink.
This thick, quick-drying ink would sweep the world in the years to follow. It led not only to the cheap, disposable ballpoint pens handed out everywhere from banks to county fair booths but also to what people now consider luxury pens.
Today, despite all the electronic communication, there is still a high demand for virtually all kinds of pens. One benefit of pens is that they're easy to carry and pack, and they make it much easier to scribble a quick note or list than to type it into an e-device.
The Promotional Business Pen
Many colorful and functional custom business pens are available for under $.50 apiece, even less when ordering the business pens in bulk. Choose a pen color and style that will highlight and complement your logo.
Occasions For Giving Out Business Pens With Logos
We hesitate to say that everyone loves a free pen in the same way that everyone loves a free tee-shirt. What we can say, though, is that everyone takes a free pen. Then, they usually leave it on their desk, the kitchen counter, or maybe even in their coat pocket.
Here are some occasions for handing out business pens:
- Grand openings
- Sale days
- When someone doesn't have a pen handy
- Information tables
- School career fairs
- Corporate meetings or conventions
- As part of employee onboarding packages
Who knows what happens when people take their free pens home!
The Hidden Life of a Freebie Pen
We're pretty sure that when people take a free pen home or to the office, they leave it somewhere and forget about it until something causes it to resurface.
This is when you reap the rewards of your small investment.
Did you know that your freebie pen's "afterlife" can pay you dividends, even years from now? Let's say that pen that you left somewhere and forgot found its way into your kid's school bag.
She used it for some desk work and left it in the pen indentation. After school let out, her teacher, needing to write something down, took the pen (meaning to put it back), wrote the note, and put the pen in his pocket.
He took it out when he got home, and his partner, spotting it on the counter, said, "I've been looking for a new tax attorney!" Hence, new business for that firm.
The Gift of a Pen
Customized pens are lovely promotional items for businesses. But that's not the only occasion for ordering them. Sometimes, the customization commemorates an event or milestone.
Wedding or Retirement Favors
It doesn't have to be a business logo that adorns a customized pen. It could be special lettering spelling out congratulations to a newly married couple or wishing a retiree well at their celebration.
With a special pen, guests will always remember these events.
Employee Recognition Gifts
High-quality personalized business pens can also make fantastic holiday or accomplishment gifts for employees. These pens won't get lost as the freebies do.
Instead, the best business pens are kept in stylish holders on their recipients' desktops to make each giftee or honoree feel a sense of pride or company loyalty.
What Might Go With a Pen?
Pens are such simple—yet essential—items that some people can't just leave them alone. Like anything that's both unique and commonplace, pens can be collected or paired with complementary items.
Other Pens
Like pens, matchbooks, shot glasses, and even hotel soap bars are collectible. Of course, it's their branded quality that makes them so alluring to collectors.
Most pen collections emphasize vintage or antique pens. Still, many of today's less expensive pens will be collector's items someday—especially those that bear the logos of businesses that no longer exist.
Pen Paraphernalia
Collectors or not, some people appreciate pens for their fine craftsmanship and enjoy holding and writing with them. Often, these people will keep their pens in handcrafted and lined boxes or distinctive pen holders.
Perhaps they enjoy fine paper too, as this material shows off a pen's stroke at its best. Some of these people might be talented calligraphers, who particularly appreciate fountain pens.
Our John Hancock
Although we could never replicate Hancock's elaborate flourish with a modern business pen, we can leave our readers with a similar show of pride in that handwritten document that established our country.
It's fascinating that original copies of the declaration of Independence have been preserved and treasured in ways none of our contemporary digital documents ever can be—not even the stellar speeches given by some of our more recent presidents and other public figures.
The next time you're thinking about the powerful intimacy of handwritten documents and want to share those thoughts with others, contact us about some personalized business pens for them to use and cherish.