How to Use Coffee Mugs in Your Customer Relationship Strategy

In today’s fast paced, high stress work environments, it’s no wonder we need that caffeine fix in the morning to get going.

Some people are just friendlier in the morning after their first cup of coffee. The explosion of energy drinks on the market shows that people are looking for ways to increase energy. Yet the cup of coffee is more than just an energy boost, it is a social tool and business tool, making it an ideal corporate gift. After dinner it is a way to boost conversation and prolonging the evening. In a boardroom it is a way of boosting ideas and conversation. In the morning in the office it is a way of building team morale. When travelling long distance coffee is quite literally a life saver. It keeps you awake log enough to get home safely. Coffee mugs are used regularly and therefore have a low cost per impression. Here are some top coffee mugs and ideas to boost how to use coffee mugs in your firm. When Do You Hand Out Coffee Mugs? Coffee mugs can be used all year round. Even if you hand our year end gifts, we would recommend starting the New Year off with a coffee mug gift as well. This has a lot of benefits. You stand out from competitors and other non-competing firm competing for your time and attention. You start the year off well and top of mind. Other times of the year that you can had out coffee mugs as corporate gifts is Valentine’s day, Easter, Secretary’s day, Bosses day, and year end functions. What Style Coffee Mugs to Choose? There are so many branded coffee mugs to choose from as corporate gifts. That it can be very confusing. For example, there are Ceramic thermal mugs, chalk mugs, cone Mugs, cookie Mugs, colour changing mugs, fast forward mugs, flair mugs, motivational mugs, jumbo mugs, martini mugs, Slimline mugs, spoon mugs, squared mugs or travel mugs. But here are some of our favourite choices for coffee mugs. Cookie Coffee Mugs This is a relational nurturing mug. It has a cute and functional design. But your strategy should not just end when you give out the coffee mug. Use the opportunity to drop off a bag of cookies every few weeks at your client for them to use with their cookie mugs. Isosteel Travel Coffee Mugs This is the ultimate in travel mugs. In a time where people are looking for cheap deals, you can be tempted to buy a promotional mug that has a low cost and many on the market are functional for that single cup of coffee drank quickly. But the Isosteel mugs are exceptionally well designed. They simply keep hot drink hot for much, much longer. After twelve years, I am still a strong advocate of the Isosteel brand. When my baby was born and I needed to keep water hot next to my bed to heat her bottles, the Isosteel products out lasted every single other flask that I tried. So when you refuse to compromise on quality, then the Isosteel mugs are essential travel mug choice. Motivational Standard Coffee Mug You can start an entire internal campaign for staff and clients with the motivational standard coffee mugs. A standard mug

has a large print surface and brands very well with a wraparound print. This allows you to put a lot of content onto it. For example, if you are running a “quality week”, each day you can give your staff a different mug with a different idea on it. You can even print clues on to the coffee mug if you are having a competition linked to an educational campaign. Jumbo Mugs These are a wonderful way to create an impact. We recommend those that are large enough to make a statement, but small enough to be used for everyday use. That is what keeps the cost per impression practical. The more someone uses the mug, the better. So do not choose a gigantic novelty mug, which is impractical for everyday use. The jumbo cone range has that perfect combination of impact and functionality. Tips When Choosing Your Branded Coffee Mug 1. Choose a comfortable mug to hold. The standard coffee mug is very comfortable to hold for any type of hand. It has a nice rounded handle. Although we love the look of the slimline mugs and the martini mugs their handles are more difficult for larger hands to hold. Standard handles are more ergonomical, thus increasing the use of the mug and hence lowering your cost of impression per use. 2. Choose printing that is durable for coffee mugs. When you are working with ceramic coffee mugs, we always advice using our silkscreen option with kiln firing. These prints are microwave and dishwasher safe. Some advertisers will create a design that is beautiful to look at, but will require digital print. Digital print is not dishwasher or microwave safe. Metal mugs should never be printed. You should engrave a metal mug. Many clients try to insist of printing a metal mug. While this may look good when you drop it off at your client, the print will come off. That will tarnish your reputation with the client and waste your advertising spend as the mug will not be used after the print starts to fade. 3. Personalise your mugs. You can put your client’s individual name onto the coffee mug. We usually recommend on the inside of the mug. Yes, it does cost a little extra, but it produces the result that you want, that your client is important to you. That you value the relationship. 4. Package Your Mugs Spend a little extra on packaging for your coffee mugs. It takes the coffee mug from just another corporate gift, you a relationship building strategy. Box with base and lid. This is a quick and easy way to package and looks more up market. You can add branded ribbon to tie around the box and have an elegant presentation that it quick and easy. Plain corrugated boxes. These are supplied flat and are easy to store and are quick to assemble. This a great solution if you are going to be handing out the mugs over time instead of in one go. You would need to gift wrap these boxes to create the impression that you value the relationship with the client. Gift Bags These are easy to store and quick. The challenge is keeping the mug in place and bag if rolling around in the car can get to look a little tacky. So use this is you have a boot organiser to keep all your bags safe or if you are very careful. Cellophane If you know how to package the cellophane well. This creates a colourful and visible impression. However the downside is that unless very carefully handled, the packaging can easily become crinkled by the time it reaches your client. Custom made packaging Be very cautious of custom made boxes. Mugs are manufactured in batches and sometimes there are very small variations in sizes. If your custom made boxes does not have an allowance for this variance, then your box may not close or be bit lopsided. Manufacturers will not take back a customer box if the contents don’t fit. We recommend using boxes that a mug supplier has recommended. In summary, a coffee mug is a versatile promotional tool for you that can be used all year round and work well to solidify relationships with your client. So why not start 2014 with a well-received corporate coffee mug for your clients. For other corporate gift ideas visit us on www.belleregalo.co.za or e-mail us on info@belleregalo.co.za