Under My Umbrella, Ella, Ella: Your Guide to Custom Printed Umbrellas

Custom Printed Umbrellas

No matter what city you live in, what your overall climate is like, or even the kind of weather that you like best, one thing is for sure: eventually, it’s going to rain.

However, rain or shine, nothing will stop you from promoting your business!

Those rain clouds provide you with the perfect opportunity to use one of the unique and useful promotional products ever: custom printed umbrellas.

Whether you plan on giving them to your most loyal clients, handing them out at trade shows or festivals, or even tossing them in employee gift bags?

Remember that personalized umbrellas spread the word about your company and keep people dry at the same time.

But what do you need to know when you’re ready to make customized umbrellas a part of your marketing strategy? How do you choose the right colors and design, know how many to order, and determine the best time to give them out?

This post will help to answer all of those questions and much more.

We’ll even fill you in on where you can go to get gorgeous — but still affordable — custom printed umbrellas. We’ll also cover other powerful promotional products for your brand.

Which Companies Should Use Promotional Umbrellas?

The most important thing to know about any kind of promotional products?

Above all, they work the best when they’re unexpected and helpful items.

Sure, everyone loves getting customized notepads, pens, and magnets.

But because of the popularity of these promotional products, the chances are high that your target market already has a drawerful of these items at homes.

Often, these are items that they never use.

If something is sitting around collecting dust (or worse still, tossed in the trash can after a tradeshow), it’s doing absolutely nothing to promote your brand.

It’s also a serious waste of your investment.

That’s why promotional umbrellas are right for any industry, any target market, and any event: because they’ll always come in handy. For proof of that, just think about how many times you’ve been caught out in the rain without an umbrella.

That being said, there are a few specific industries that could especially benefit by using umbrellas to reinforce their branding strategy.

They could also fit with the products and services they offer.

Outdoor companies, fitness brands, (rain is no excuse for not working out!) clothing companies, and even sports teams and outdoor venues could all use umbrellas to promote their business.

They’re also a great way to generate buzz about your startup!

Choosing the Right Type of Umbrella

So, you’ve decided that custom umbrellas are the right promotional product for your brand.

Now, it’s time to think about which kind of umbrellas you’d like to purchase.

What if you’re interested in saving money, and if you don’t live in a climate with especially strong storms?

Then an umbrella like this one will be a great fit for you.

It comes with a metal shaft. So, it’s lightweight enough for the recipient to carry it around in their handbag or messenger bag all day. It also has a plastic handle for an easy, comfortable grip.

There’s also a carrying strap that can easily be placed on hooks — no more leaving your umbrella anywhere anymore.

Plus, auto open folding umbrellas are small and compact. So, they can just as easily fit in a glove compartment, office desk drawer, or on a shelf right by the front door.

If you want a really cool umbrella that will make a bigger impact, then an inverted double layer umbrella may be a better option for you.

Though still lightweight and compact, these umbrellas have a vented double canopy feature. This makes it easy for the umbrellas to wick away moisture quickly. The design also has reverse open and close technology.

This is so that rain is captured inside the umbrella.

This way, you can avoid the hassle of getting sprayed every time you open your umbrella up or close it. The seat or floorboard of your car will also stay dry after using your umbrella because the rain stays on the inside of the umbrella!

There are also golf umbrellas that are perfect for a day at the links. They’re also an especially great idea for golf shops or even country clubs to use in their marketing strategies.

Now, let’s talk about the design elements that you should consider when dreaming up the perfect customized umbrellas for your business.

Consider Color and Font

You need to make sure that the color of the umbrella you choose is consistent with the rest of your branding.

Try to select colors that are in step with those used in your logo, your product packaging, your website, or even your physical storefront. This increases your brand recognition and ensures that you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

It’s also a smart idea to think about the psychology of color when you’re selecting your umbrella shades. For example, red creates a sense of urgency and energy, while blues have a calming effect and remind people of nature.

Think about the kind of emotions your company wants to elicit in your target market when you’re making design choices.

The font is also just as essential when you’re coming up with your umbrella design.

Make sure that the font is large enough to be read from several feet away — otherwise, how will these promotional products spread the word about your business?

Legibility and consistency are key here, too.

If possible, choose a font that’s similar to the ones you use on your other marketing materials. While loopy and ornate fonts might look elegant, if no one can read them, then what’s the point?

What to Put on Your Umbrella

Now, you need to think about the actual words and images you’ll put on your promotional umbrellas.

The best bet is for you to use your company logo.

While smaller and trendier promotional products (think fidget spinners) are perfect for promoting specific sales and products, when it comes to bigger promo items like umbrellas, marketing your brand as a whole is the best bet here.

You may also want to add your store’s physical address, website, and social media handles.

If you’re going to upload lots of pictures of your customers using their umbrellas on social media (more on that in a minute) we also suggest that you print a hashtag on the umbrellas.

How Many Custom Printed Umbrellas Should You Order?

You should also think about how many promotional umbrellas you should order.

As you’ve likely guessed, it’s always more affordable to buy in bulk when possible. Plus, you’ll save tons of time in addition to money, because you won’t have to go online and place multiple orders for your next batch of custom umbrellas.

Be sure that you check the minimum order number required, which usually ranges somewhere between 24-48.

Marketing with Custom Umbrellas

So, you’ve finally decided on the kind of custom printed umbrellas that you like, and you’ve come up with a killer design that represents your company perfectly.

Now, it’s time to turn your attention to how you’ll use these personalized umbrellas in your overall marketing strategy.

We can’t get enough of the ideas below — and we’re sure that your customers will love them just as much as we do. Try out one or more of these marketing tactics, and watch the profits roll in as a result.

Recreate a Famous Photo

Let’s face it: most of us have a pretty hard time thinking about the rain without wanting to burst into the title song from, Singin’ in the Rain.

It’s a tune that everyone knows, regardless of whether or not they’ve seen the movie. When you’re coming up with an advertising strategy based on your promotional umbrellas, you should take advantage of that kind of recognition.

Have your team members, followers, or customers re-create the famous photo of Gene Kelley using one of your customized umbrellas as the perfect prop. (Just make sure that they open it up, so that everyone can see your company’s name.)

This is a unique take on a hashtag-based marketing campaign, and it will get people from all demographics to participate.

Say that you’ll be giving away some branded swag — or even discounts and free products/services — to whoever recreates the photo in the best way.

You should definitely encourage people to put their own spin on things. Each week, feature some of your favorite photos.

Have people like, comment on, and share their favorite entries to vote. (It’s just one more way to spread the word about your business.)

Then, do a countdown to announce the winner, so that people will keep on coming back to your page.

Do a Giveaway

Everyone likes getting free stuff — especially when it’s something as useful as an umbrella.

Instead of the same boring old gift bag that you do every year, why not gift in-store shoppers or trade show attendees with a promotional umbrella instead?

This is an awesome way to generate more foot traffic to your booth or store.

Plus, when people see your umbrellas out “in the wild,” they’ll also learn about your brand. They may go home and search for it online and find that your brand sells just the kinds of things they’ve been looking for.

Now, you’ve got another loyal customer for life.

What’s more?

You didn’t even have to spend thousands of dollars on a television ad spot to make it happen.

Plus, these free promo product giveaways are a great way to remind your customers of just how much you appreciate getting to do business with them. When customers feel valued, they’re sure to return.

Show Your Team out in the Rain

It’s impossible to overstate just how important customer service is when it comes to your brand’s reputation.

Sure, sending out automated email responses to customer service inquiries, getting active on social media, and even doing live Q and A’s with your market are all great steps to show that you care.

But you also need to introduce your target market to the “real people” that provide them with answers to their questions.

And you can use your customized umbrellas to make it happen.

We love the idea of filming a video or even taking a picture of your website that shows your team standing out in the rain, holding their umbrellas. To go the extra mile, you could even have your team members’ names printed on the backs of their umbrellas.

Then, caption the photo with something like, “Rain or shine, we’re always here to help.” We also love something catchy like, “Our customer support team will weather the storm, so you don’t have to.”

This helps your market to understand that you’re all about communication with your customer base.

Where Can You Find Quality Custom Printed Umbrellas Online?

Of course, to have success with your customized umbrellas, you need to make sure you’re placing your orders with the very best promotional product suppliers.

That’s where we come in.

We have tons of experience in the industry, and we’re committed to bringing you high-quality umbrellas and much more.

In addition to several different styles of custom printed umbrellas, we offer a wide variety of unique promotional products.

Whether you’re looking for custom headphones, barbecue accessories, beach chairs, towels, and more, we can help you to make it your own.

It’s time to start promoting your business more effectively than ever before — and bring joy to your clients and employees in the process.

We can’t wait to work with you to make that happen.

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