Selecting a Promotional Magnet
I am sure we are very familiar with the standard thin business card magnet people may hand out or mail out. Probably many business owners and marketers just look for the cheapest magnet they can find without another thought. I know cheap is attractive but, I would say, in most situations, it is a waste of money. Here is why:
The letter destroyer
A poorly made and packaged flat promotional magnet can destroy the letter it is mailed with, or worse, leave markings in your client’s wallet, purse or other place were your client stores the magnet. Can you imagine spending time putting together the perfect magnet content and letter and when your client receives the letter it is marked with streaks of black smears. Yes, with low quality or poorly packaged magnets that can happen.
The Self Destructive Magnet
Did you know that some magnets come with a paper top and some come with a vinyl top? Imagine what happens when your clients and prospects place the paper top magnet in their wallet or purse. As they take things in and out the paper top will start to wear out and fray on they edges. Will they still want to put this ugly magnet on their fridge, file cabinet or other metal surface? And if your promotional magnet does end up on the fridge, what happens if it gets wet? Well, it will not look so good and they will likely put in a less obvious place or just throw it out. Or maybe they will hang on to it but by the the time they are ready to place an order, your contact info may not even be readable!
Poor Magnetism
Your promotional magnet should not just be a reminder for your customers and prospects to contact you. It needs to be as useful as possible. I don’t know about you but, I use my magnet not only to remember someone I may contact in the future but also to hold papers and other items securely on my fridge or file cabinet or other metal surface. If the magnet is too thin or poorly made with low magnetic strength, it is less likely to be used and less likely to be kept in front of your customers’ and prospects’ faces. Some companies may advertising their magnets as “light weight” and make it sound as if that is a good thing when it may just mean thin and weak! You may have saved money on a cheap magnet but your cost per impression may have just increased dramatically!
Lack of or Wrong Multi Function
Besides the fact that your magnet should be well made and offer strong magnetism, in many cases, we believe that the more functions it offers, the more likely it will be kept handy and used. If you want something that goes beyond the basic magnet business card (which is still great on its own), probably the most handy is a magnet with a light or a clip magnet (better be strong) or a magnet with a schedule of important events. Magnet choices are very varied and, depending on your target market, functionality should also vary.
True Thickness
What do I mean by true thickness. Your magnet is best when it is as strong as possible for the thickness desired. True thickness simply means that the magnet portion of the magnet is actually as stated. There some magnets advertised that may say 20 mil or 30 mil thick, but include the thickness of the vinyl in that thickness. Make sure yours is actually 30 or 20 mil of magnets.
Quick Fading
The case of the disappearing message. To put it simply, a magnet print should last at least one year. There is no point in getting a nice thick magnets if your message will fade much too fast. To slow down fading, a good magnet should be UV resistant.