It’s not just the number of suppliers of branded USB sticks that’s the problem it’s the sheer volume of different styles and types of USB sticks that compounds the problem.

Circle Shaped USB Memory Sticks

Do you choose plastic, metal, leather, credit card shaped or wood? Do you buy sticks with a small(ish) capacity (say 1GB) or do you go for something a little bigger like a 4GB or 8GB? Even when you think you’ve narrowed down your choice to a particular model of USB drive you’ll still have to think about how you want them printed (one side or both) and do you get them printed onto a standard colour or should you ask for the body shell to be pantone matched to a colour that compliments the logo you’re printing on them?

It doesn’t end there either. When you’ve sorted the model, the memory size, the colour and what you’re printing on them you’ll have to think about whether you want them delivered in “bulk”, or in gift boxes (plain or printed) and whether you want any optional extras like key rings or lanyards (neckstraps)!!

Finally you need to give some consideration to the data you’re going to put on them (assuming you are going to load some data on them before you hand them out) – should this data “auto-run” when the stick is plugged in? Should the data be protected so that it cannot be deleted? If it’s sensitive data should you protect it with a password or go the extra mile and encrypt the data as well as protect it?

Straightforward isn’t it? And, even when you’ve got all of this nailed down there is then the small matter of making sure you’ve chosen a supplier that not only delivers but delivers on time and delivers genuine Grade A flash drives. If you end up with a supplier that lets you down on delivery or promises Grade A flash memory products but delivers “masked” sub-standard drives then all of the decision making angst about what to buy, how to print it, how to package it and so on will be wasted.

The best way to reduce the stress levels when buying branded USB memory sticks is to go with a trusted and proven supplier who can add the weight of their expertise to the selection, buying and delivery process.

New Standard Offer

We now have a standard, permanent offer that includes the following:

• FREE Delivery to one UK mainland address
• FREE 4 Colour spot printing
• FREE Data load up to 100mb
• FREE Lanyards or Key Rings
• FREE Gift box
• Minimum Order Quantity of 25 units

These great offers apply to apply to every standard order regardless of USB style, quantity, or memory size.

USB2U Offer

Free Delivery
Yes, standard delivery to one UK mainland address is FREE.  This applies to all standard orders regardless of order quantity, style or memory size.  We think that free delivery reduces the complication of different added costs and that it is good to know up-front how much your branded USB flash drives will cost.  Standard delivery is sent first class however; any times deliveries such as guaranteed next-day delivery will be charged for.

Free Printing
All of our flash drives now come with free colour printing up to four spot colours.  Multi-coloured logos and complicated designs are not a problem either as we are also offering free Resin Dome Stickers on our most popular USB model, the Twister.  To find out more about the Resin Dome Stickers click here and to see the Twister USB flash drive in more detail click here.

Free Data Load
We’ll load or copy any data you want onto the sticks for FREE. The only constraint is that the data must be less than 100MB otherwise a small charge will apply. We have our own in-house professional USB data duplication equipment so we can load you data right at the last minute if you struggle to get the data ready till then.

Free Lanyard or Key Ring
With all orders we are offering a selection of free coloured lanyards and key rings to accompany your USBs.  Our lanyards come in a range of 8 different colours, Black, White, Grey, Blue, Green, Orange, Red and Yellow.  Lanyards and Key Rings are ideal for School’s giving the USBs to their students.

Free Gift Box
With every order for branded flash drives we can supply free gift boxes. Please remember to ask for these, as we know not everyone wants them. As well as these free standard boxes we offer a wide range of presentation boxes and tins for your branded USB flash drives and these can be branded up with your logo as well to really compliment the memory stick. Ask for samples if you’re not sure. These can be seen here: USB Packaging.

25 Unit Minimum Order Quantity
Unlike some promotional companies, our minimum order quantity for printed flash drives is set at a realistic 25 pieces. If you just want plain (unprinted stock) then you can order from 5 pieces upwards.

New Homepage

To accompany our new great offer we have also just launched a brand new homepage that looks better, loads quicker and offers easier navigation.

Better Looking
We think that the new style of the homepage is much more tidy and sharp, the same way you feel when you have had a haircut.  The modules separate the different areas and links featured on the homepage easier on the eye and the new slider banner is much sleeker.

Quicker at Loading

Our homepage changes don’t only have an aesthetic appeal; it is now also quicker at loading.  This will make it much more convenient to visit our site and browse through our wide range of USB drives.

Easier Navigation
The new homepage has been revamped so that you can find what you want faster.  We have organised modules so that the more important and more frequently used sections of our site such as the product range, 48 hour rush service and Quote page are more accessible.

So, to see what all of the fuss is about and to view our new homepage click here.

Some products will depend on the quantity that is bought as to whether it is tested.  For example, when ordering a meal in a restaurant requesting a taster to help make a decision would be a pretty strange demand whereas, if the restaurant was catering for a wedding a tester would be an acceptable request.  Whatever the product is, the more information that can be obtained about it, to help make the decision, the better.  This can save problems and hassle once the product is bought.

Buying USB flash drives fall into the various buying categories above.  USB2U always provide grade A chips, this means that it is a pretty standard product and won’t need too much testing – as long as it connects to a computer, lasts a long time and stores the amount of data it should then there isn’t much variation.  The quality of the product however and the look of a logo on the memory sticks makes a huge difference, it says something about the perception of a brand.

For these reasons above we offer free visual mock-ups and free samples.

USB Visual Mock-Up

USB Samples

We send out samples of our USB flash drive cases (without the memory chip) so that the quality of the product can be seen before companies make a larger purcase.  As described above this can really help when making a decision.

Visual Mock-Ups

An accurate visual mock-up of how a company’s logo will look on a one of our flash drive models can make a huge difference.  With the knowledge we have of our competitors we know that our in house design team offer the best visual mock-ups of your branded USBs in the business.  As explained above this is a really important part of the process and our in-house design team have it down to a tee.

So if you’re not sure how your logo or brand will look on a particular USB memory stick then simply fire an email over to us with your artwork attached and our in-house design team will work their magic and send you back a range of different examples for consideration.  It’s the same for any custom USB (bespoke) ideas you might have – just give us a call and talk through what you you’re imagining and we’ll work up some concepts and 3-D drawings for you.

One piece of advice stood out above the rest.  It gave advice on how to most effectively use handouts to accompany a presentation.  The article said that handouts should never be given out at any time during a presentation.

We all know what happens if handouts are given to us at the beginning of a presentation.  Even if you haven’t given a presentation recently, you’ve most likely been in one where this has happened.  Eyes go down, everyone reads ahead and if you’re lucky they are sometimes on the right page.  It’s more likely that your audience are trying to calculate how much longer they will be sat for by the amount of pages and slides.

As we all know, if handouts are to be used, they should be provided after a presentation to add value or accompany it as opposed to being a competitor for your attention.

We all have a stack of paper from previous presentations on which we took notes, never to read or refer to again, yet we cant bring ourselves to put them straight in the bin in case we need them in the near future.  Months later on the cycle of the blue moon when we come to tidy our desk, we dig out these presentation slides and have no hesitation in throwing them away.

Clip Style USB Flash Drive

‘What has this got to do with logo USB flash drives?’ I hear you ask.  Well, if handout information should be something that adds value to a presentation, but if people don’t refer back to the information, what’s the point in the handout?  Wouldn’t it be much more effective if you used an impressive company branded USB memory stick?

Think about the change in attitude of your audience when at the end they are given a useful USB flash drive.  It’s more likely that they would get back to their desk and plug the flash drive into their computer to find out what has been saved.  They could find a PDF version of your presentation, the hand out document, web links taking them directly to the Internet pages that you referred to and anything else that you found necessary to give the added value that your presentations deserves.  Referring back to your presentation information will become interesting.

Our new Clip USB flash drive is a small, sleek and professional looking memory stick that is perfect for this purpose.  It can double as a paper clip holding documents together or sit nicely on a suit or jacket pocket.

Using a branded USB memory stick can add value and make that impression that your presentation needs to secure the job, win the pitch or impress your boss.

They don’t necessarily replace printed press releases and product sheets entirely but they do give lots of scope to provide customers, partners and journalists with much more information in a format that is easy to carry and use.

The sort of information typically loaded on USB flash drives these days before they are handed out tends to include; video clips, media files, previews of TV or web banner adverts, user product reviews, executive briefings and loads more besides.

Most suppliers of branded and promotional USB flash drives offer a data pre-loading service and some will even throw in data-loading free of charge (subject to minimum order quantities and a maximum amount of data) so anyone thinking of loading data onto flash drives should shop around. You should only expect to pay for a data-load if it’s a last minute thing or you’ve got a particularly large amount of data you need loading!

All sorts of companies from the very large to small start-ups are now using USB flash drives to get their message out and to supplement other communication channels.

Printed USB Flash Drive

Tyrrells who make fantastic hand cooked English chips from locally sourced ingredients have recently undergone a bit of a makeover that included renaming their chips and calling them “crisps”. They’ve also launched a new website and have given their bags a bit of a “spruce up” – the results are fab – a bit like their crisps really!

If like Tyrrells you’ve got a fantastic product that you want to shout about you’re keen to let the world know about then you might also want to consider using a USB stick as part of your promotional or PR campaign. If you do then don’t forget to pre-load them with your data files before you hand them out!

PVC USB Flash Drives

Done well custom USB flash drives do look fantastic and there are some great examples around of flash drives manufactured in the shape of trucks, Nike trainers, eggs and musical instruments. Literally anything is possible providing you have the time and are prepared to spend a little more money on them compared to standard factory designs.

Custom USB flash drives are popular because they:

• Create more of an impact when they are handed out
• They generate “chatter” about the brand or product that the flash drive has been produced in the image of.
• They’re good “ice-breakers” for sales people at the start of a meeting.
• They work incredibly well at press events to launch a new product or service
• They will be unique to the company that has commissioned them.
• Just like any “regular” flash drive they can be supplied in a wide range of memory sizes and pre-loaded with sales or presentation documents before they are handed out.

PVC USB Flash Drive

The new PVC USB flash drives launched by USB2U have all of the benefits of a custom USB flash drive but without the large tooling and set-up costs and they are available with a much more aggressive lead time.

The PVC drives can be produced in any shape (2-D shape) and are supplied with an integral key ring attachment. They’re lightweight and the USB connector slides back into the body of the flash drive when not in use so there is no cap to use. The examples on this page show the wide range of shapes and designs that can be produced but literally anything is possible!

One of the beauties of these new flash drives is the quality of print that be achieved – both sides of the drive can be printed using a four colour print processes to generate a photo realistic finish. The quality of the print is really crisp and bright.

PVC USB Sticks

Because the flash drives are made from PVC the body of the flash drive is slightly “squishy” but this does not detract from the overall effect and is a positive advantage if you’re getting them produced in the shape of things like fruit or t-shirts.

So, if you’re looking for a flash drive that is a little bit different from the “norm” but you don’t want to pay (or wait) for a fully customised 3-D flash drive then these new drives might be just what you need.

We all know that in the vast majority of cases the packaging will end up in the bin and ultimately in many cases in land-fill sites but if your overriding objective is to develop your brand, to build brand loyalty and to generate some sort of “wow” factor then great packaging will achieve this.

USB Memory Stick Boxes

The best designed products in the world, and you can include amongst these Apple’s iPod’s and iPad’s, Cartier watches, Channel perfume, all come in fantastic packaging. Yes, the packaging might have been slimmed down over the years but the packaging is still considered an integral part of the overall product and part of its fundamental appeal.

Of course packaging is there to provide a functional way to protect and transport the item inside it but modern packaging goes beyond this and aims to attract customers’ attention and compel them to purchase the product.  Packaging is designed to inform customers, provoke feelings and communicate emotions – it’s a box or a tin but it’s also so much more than just a box or a tin!

Memory Stick Gift Boxes

If for example you are planning on giving away branded USB memory sticks at a press event and your target audience is a group of high powered journalists and /or executives then it makes sense to put some effort into how the sticks are packaged and presented. You owe it to your audience and to your brand to put the same amount of effort into the packaging as the other aspect of the event. Handing the USB memory sticks out in plain white boxes, polythene bags or just attached to a lanyard just won’t have the same impact.

Equally, if for example you’re a photographer and you’re planning on offering your customers their portfolio shots or wedding photographs on a branded USB memory stick then put some effort into the packaging – it’ll help you sell this concept to your customers, it’ll help with viral word of mouth when your customers are given the stick and it will give you the chance to showcase your brand on the packaging.

USB Flash Drives - Wedding Photographers

The incremental cost for branded USB memory sticks supplied in a printed or branded presentation box or tin is relatively small compared to the cost of the sticks themselves. So, unless you are a company that has to be ultra careful of its eco-credentials then printed boxes are definitely worth considering.

Domed stickers are not to be confused with “cheap and nasty” stickers churned out on a low-resolution printer. Dome stickers are professionally produced, high quality, four colour prints that are encapsulated and protected with a clear resin dome bubble. The finished product is scratch proof; shatter proof; water resistant; non-yellowing; colourfast and once they are stuck in place they don’t shift.

USB Dome Sticker Examples

It’s these characteristics that make Dome Stickers an ideal alternative to traditional printing options for USB flash drives. Of course you need to ensure you get the stickers professionally produced and you need to ensure they are cut to match the shape/size of your USB flash drives. Finally, to make sure of the perfect finish you need to ensure they are applied correctly to the flash drives – its not hard it just takes a little bit of time and practice.

Most suppliers of branded USB flash drives now offer a “domed sticker” option where they supply the USB sticks

USB Dome Sticker

finished with the stickers already printed and applied. Aside from the benefits set out above by choosing this option you can typically reduce the lead-time from around 2 weeks to a matter of days and there is no compromise on the finished quality of the branded USB flash drive.

The cost of branding USB flash drives with a dome sticker is broadly the same as getting them printed and if you can overcome any pre-conceived ideas you might have about using “stickers” you’ll typically find that the finished results of branding with a dome sticker are better than standard print. This is particularly true if you have a complex logo with lots of colours.

At the moment the start of Chinese New Year means lots of companies are struggling to find a supplier of branded USB flash drives that can supply them in a timeframe to meet their requirements. By using dome stickers you broaden your search to include companies that can supply “blank”, unprinted USB sticks to which you can apply a domed sticker or you can look for local suppliers that can offer the complete solution.

Flash Drives - Wedding Photographers

The only surprise about this is that it has taken as long as it has for professional photographers to catch onto the benefits that well produced, boxed and branded USB flash drives can offer. Unlike standard CD’s or DVD’s flash drives are small and portable, they fit easily into a pocket or purse, they’re stylish and they’re less prone to breakage.

The latest generation of USB flash drives come in a wide range of different styles, finishes and colours and they can be supplied in a range of attractive boxes that compliment the flash drive. Above all the flash drives that are now being produced for photographers are working really well at generating repeat business and new orders. The reason is simple and its because the flash drives work as a great sales advocate on behalf of the photographers, they stimulate “chatter” and discussion, they provoke interest and they create a real “buzz” when handed out.

The falling prices for higher capacity USB drives coupled with smaller minimum order quantities and shorter lead times have all helped to accelerate the move towards branded USB drives.

In a world where anyone with access to a decent digital SLR camera thinks they are the next David Bailey it’s increasingly important for professional wedding photographers to differentiate themselves and to offer new and innovative services to their clients. USB flash drives are not a substitute for excellent photographic skills but they can help reinforce a photographers professional credentials and they provide a fantastic keepsake for their clients.

The net of the net is that the price for 1,000 USB flash drives fully printed and pre-loaded with data has now fallen to £1.95. This is the price for a 128MB version from our standard “Classic” series and includes all print set-up and origination fees and data loading fees up to 100Mb. Unfortunately because of higher UK print costs the offer only applies to orders where there is sufficient time to print the flash drives and ship them in directly from our factory in China.

So, if you’re in the market for some USB flash drives printed with your logo or brand and you’re ok to wait a couple of weeks for them then now is an excellent time to be placing an order.

If you’re a new customer you won’t have to pay for your branded USB flash drives until the day before we deliver them to you. If you’ve ordered from us before then subject to a credit check we’ll be able to supply them to you on 30-day payment terms – just speak to your account manger about a Trade Account application.

Classic USB Flash Drives

At these prices USB flash drives are ideal for trade shows, exhibitions and press launches where they tend to be given away in large numbers. If you plan ahead and get all of your sales material, press releases etc. pre-loaded onto the USB drives then the savings you’ll make by not printing your collateral can more than offset the purchase cost of the branded USB drives.

Although 128MB flash drives are considered by some “small” in terms of memory storage its worth considering that only 2-3 years ago they were the most popular memory size sold and you can still store lots everyday files on a 128MB stick. Its only likely to cause a storage issue if you use the flash drive(s) to store large numbers of photographs, media files, and/or music files. As a promotional product a 128MB USB flash drive is still more than adequate and why pay more for additional memory that most people won’t use.