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University and College Promotional Products Buying Guide

College Students Buying Guide
Contents

Why Buy Promotional Products for College Organizations?

Welcome to college! At Deluxe U, we want to help you express yourself.  We have hand-picked our top 6 items that will set your college organization apart from the rest. Before we go any further, here is why you should buy promotional products for your college club or group!

Why Buy Promotional Products for College Organizations?

Just like the business world, promotional products do one thing better than any other—they build loyalty to a brand. Your club, activity, fraternity, or sorority is the brand. By choosing items that include your organization’s logo or message, you will gain more attention for your club. For example, let’s suppose the drama department is putting on a play. While they could spend their marketing budget on posters that could be hung around the school, they could also buy t-shirts to promote the show and turn the wearer of the shirt into a walking billboard for the show.

So whether the goal is to increase turnout at the next athletic competition or participation in the next fundraiser—promotional products do it best.

The Top 6 Promotional Products for Student Organizations

There are literally thousands of promotional products that can be personalized for school operations, but the ones that hit a home run are the products students, faculty members and fans will actually use. Again, the concept behind the promotion is to put personalized promotional gear in the hands of people who will use them the most. With such a wide selection to choose from, a quick brainstorming session will result in perfect matches for all involved.

Custom Laptop Bags

Buying a laptop for college is nearly a rite of passage. Nowadays, backpacks with a dedicated sleeve for laptops are in high demand. Deluxe has several custom laptop bags available, but our most popular item is the Vortex Compu-Sling Bag, which combines form and function. This bag features one large cross strap, a permanent computer sleeve that holds most 15? laptops and a front zippered pocket with a key fob for interior organization.

This item is great for long-term members of student media clubs like the college newspaper, literary arts magazines or student radio stations. Not only can they use the item, but they will also help build awareness (and hopefully ignite interest) of the student groups on campus.

Promotional Flying Discs

What college green is complete without the occasional Frisbee-style flying disc floating in the air? Be sure to check the Deluxe catalog to see our full collection of custom flying discs, but the Nylon Florida Flyer is one of our most popular ones. Made of 210D nylon and collapsible, this little guy can easily be tucked away in a pocket or backpack whenever not in use.

Because of its relatively low cost and high portability, the Florida Flyer is a versatile choice when it comes to promoting your student organization. If you are active in a student government group, a fraternity, or an outdoor club, think about getting some custom flying discs.

Custom T-Shirts

One of the stalwarts of promotional products, a custom t-shirt will do more for your organization than a sign posted on a bulletin board ever could. Whether you’re announcing an event or want to commemorate one, customized t-shirts are sure to resonate with the other members of club, organization, or team. Deluxe has hundreds of custom t-shirts to choose from. The Gildan Heavyweight Cotton Tee has 100% preshrunk cotton and a number of available colors making it the most popular item ordered by college students. Since t-shirts are versatile and widely loved, they are ideal for almost any student group.

Eyewear Retainers

Deluxe has a number of sun glass straps available. The Peeper Keeper Neoprene Eyewear Retainers are the most popular among college students.

These items are extremely popular among fraternities and outdoor college organizations, such as intramural sports teams and student chapters of Habitat for Humanity.

Stadium Cups

Like t-shirts, custom plastic cups (also known as stadium cups) are tried-and-true promotional product. There are hundreds of stadium cups available, but the 17 oz Smooth Stadium Cup is the hottest seller among university students and organizations.

Custom Sunglasses

Want to make a statement for your college organization? Perhaps a pair of custom sunglasses is just the thing you need. Although Deluxe has many styles of sunglasses available for customization, our Malibu Sunglasses are the most popular. These retro-style shades are available in many different colors and will make a bold fashion statement whenever worn.

How to Launch a Promotional Products Campaign on Campus

Colleges and universities that use promotional items the most have the best participation from the student body. Some use promo products mark the sports teams’ annual games, clothe members of the academic societies or to causal wear for the student run clubs. Each campaign has its own special needs, such as a witty saying or unique symbol.

Best practices for promotional product strategy is dictated by finding a capable distributor and sticking with them. This will encourage a strong relationship from both sides–the distributor understands the school mission and the school is comfortable working with the distributor. Expectations on both ends are solid. Jumping from one distributor to another encourages order mistakes and miscommunication.

Here are a few helpful tips as you plan your next school spirit campaign with promotional products:

  1. Create a Strategy. Know some information you can supply right from the start, even if you don’t know what products you’d like to go with–order size, primary colors, potential slogans and symbols.
  2. Work with the Experts.Promotional product distributors help schools create high-impact campaigns on a daily basis. You should rely on their experience and advice when putting together your promotion.
  3. Get Feedback by Committee. Allowing one person to choose the product invites disaster. It’s always best to get several opinions from group members before final decisions are made and the personalizing work begins.
  4. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. If there are last-minute changes, make sure your distributor knows about them. Carefully examine proofs for correctness. And do all of these things in a timely fashion to ensure that the order is right.

The Bottom Line

Express yourself. Spread the word.

Now that you know a thing or two about promotional products, think about ordering some from Deluxe.

Remember that the items featured here are subject to availability and may not be available in all colors at the time of your order. Please call us at 855-833-5893 to confirm stock is available.