Ditch the Business Card: Ideas and inspiration for Business Pencils
Studies say that people form first impressions about you within the first seven seconds of meeting. How do you leave a lasting mark on prospective clients, potential colleagues, or your future boss? Business cards have long topped the charts as the best way to impart pertinent details about you or your business with someone new, but what if there was a way to herald information about your business that lasts longer than a piece of paper?
Custom pencils are a great way to share some of your business’s particulars while giving your customer, client, or prospect an implement that they can hang on to much longer than a card. All professionals need business cards, but why not stand out from the crowd with something unique and useful?
In this post we'll take you through each proffession best suited for custom pencils and provide expert tips on which size and shape pencil to consider.
Architects, Illustrators, Designers
Pencils are already an important part of your creative arsenal; what can be better than to showcase your design skills while imparting contact details for your portfolio?
Custom pencil suggestion:
A stylish, sleek bridge pencil allows you versatility to print a pattern, a logo, or an amazing hand-drawn typeface while further setting you apart from the competition with its uniquely slim size.
Tutors, Teachers, Education Professionals
Nothing brings up the warm nostalgia of school days quite like a pencil. Embrace the back-to-school feeling and encourage good old-fashioned note-taking (which studies show helps with information retention!) with a custom pencil that bears your contact details for your students or their parents.
Custom pencil suggestion:
Jumbo pencils are perfect for small hands. Choose round to show off a logo or hexagonal to make it feel like an old-school classic.
Construction, Carpentry, Hardware
You’d be hard pressed to find a contractor without a trusty pencil in his or her tool belt. Instead of a card for your services, provide your clients with a useful tool that will not only remind them to “measure twice, cut once,” but also will bring your business to mind each time they use it.
Custom pencil to suggestion:
A custom carpenter pencil is a no-brainer here. Choose foil imprint for a simple, text-only design; if you’ve got more design flair and want to include a logo, choose digital printing and create a full custom look that won’t break the bank.
Accountants and Finance Professionals
Sure, balance sheets and tax forms might be fully digitized now, but can any accountant be productive without a classic #2 and a legal pad handy? Take notes in style and have a convenient way to share your details with your clients with a cup of custom pencils on your desk.
Custom pencil suggestion:
A hexagonal pencil is the perfect vehicle to share your name and phone number with a sleek, classic design. Or (if you want to upgrade and get a little extra fancy) seriously diversify your editing with a red-blue editing pencil, like our classic 725 Harvest combo. Your clients are sure to be surprised and delighted by this double-duty implement.
Gift Stores and Book Shops
Who doesn’t love a good souvenir? Make a customer’s shopping experience memorable and offer them a keepsake from their favorite little shop. They’ll not only get a fun memento, they’ll also have your store’s details on hand if they need any gift-giving advice.
Custom pencil suggestion:
A round pencil screen printed with your business’s logo is a special way to remind customers of their last visit.
Trade Shows or Conventions
Skip the stack of flyers or the cheap plastic promo items — why not hand out something more unique at your booth? No one can resist the nostalgia of a beautiful pencil, and passersby will be left with a memorable way to reach you. Want to take it up a notch? Check out custom notebooks from our friends at Write Notepads & Co. A letterpress cover with your logo makes a perfect companion for your custom #2.
Seminars or Conferences
Everyone loves the swag bag at the annual marketing forum, HR professionals conference, or business trends seminar. Include custom printed pencils in that grab bag, and you’ll not only help your brand stick with attendees long after the conference has ended, you’ll also give them a handy way to take notes during talks. (Pro tip: Choose the pre-sharpened pencil option so participants can get straight to note-taking! Throw in a custom sharpener — like the automatic long point by KUM — and you’ll help them stay sharp throughout the weekend.)
Golf Outings and Tournaments
The easiest decision you’ll ever have to make: Choose custom golf pencils for your company’s golf retreat! Pre-sharpened, compact, and classic, these mighty little tools are a no-brainer for a day on the green. And after the 18th hole, your clients will have something to tuck in their pockets to remember your company by.
Points of Sale and Business Cards
Branded pencils are a memorable way to leave a lasting impression with your customers and thank them for supporting your business. Hand out a trusty #2 pencil with your business’s name and address at your sales counter or your booth at a street fair or festival or tuck one in the packaging for online orders.
Corporate Retreats
The ultimate company swag is the kind that’s useful, right? Design something that’s not just handy for jotting down notes during a SWOT analysis, give your employees a tool that instills company pride no matter where they use it. Extra points if you imprint it with useful formulas, helpful instructions, or something they can use when trying to remember things around the office (guest WiFi password, anyone?).
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Weddings, Parties, Reunions, and More
The possibilities for handing out custom pencils are endless! A fresh American-made pencil is a great party favor, a wedding save-the-date, or a vehicle to show off the family crest at a reunion. Pencils make a great alternative to candy during Halloween, local carnivals, or parades. Plus, as kids can have all kinds of food allergies, pencils make a safe, inclusive gift for kids that is also helpful. And pencils, of course, make great gifts! Consider a custom design for stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, a unique scoring pencil for your board game group, or corporate thank-yous.
Are you ready to make a new impression on a future client? Check out our design options or get a quote on your own custom business pencil today!
Special thanks to Caitlin Elgin for contributing content, Emily Dorio for photography, and Studio Delger for Creative Direction.