Phil Battison

Here's an interesting idea – don't just hand out an inert paper based business card during your next meeting or at a trade show or event card but instead upgrade your business cards and hand out the latest USB business cards

If you're planning to hand out USB memory sticks branded with your logo printed on them then one of the things you might need to consider is whether to pre-load any files onto the USB sticks before you hand them out. If you do decide to pre-load files then should you make these run (start-up) automatically as soon as the USB stick is connected to a PC?

There are so many promotional USB flash drive suppliers springing up today that it's often difficult to work out who's a legitimate, supplier that sells top quality products that won't let you down or more importantly won't let your brand and your customers down with the supply of shoddy and inferior products. How can certificates help?

For years the humble Twister USB memory stick has been the preferred choice of the majority of people buying branded USB sticks for their business, school or university. It's relatively small size, the wide range of colours it is available in coupled with the fact that it has no cap or lid to lose has made it a perennial favourite for years but is all this about to change.

You'd think sourcing branded USB memory sticks for your business or school would be easy after all there are plenty of companies in the market supplying them. To some degree that's part of the problem – there are now so many companies competing for your business that the overwhelming choice on offer can bamboozle you!

Never ones to be slow to spot an opportunity the advertising and marketing community have been quick to exploit the potential of QR codes in all manner of interesting ways. Here are just a few examples of how QR codes are now being used:

Cloud based storage solutions like Dropbox provide an incredibly convenient way to store/back up your personal data. Files like Word documents, photos, videos etc. that have been uploaded to a Dropbox account can then be accessed from any internet enabled device (PC, mobile phone, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry) wherever you are in the world. Typically you just need a browser, an android app for your android phone or PDA or an app for your iPhone or iPad.

As the market for promotional USB flash drives continues to grow it is starting to attract an increasing number of suppliers looking to cash in and make a quick buck. The challenge for the buyer of any promotional USB flash drive (and equally the opportunity for the scam merchants) is to be sure they are getting exactly what they are being quoted for. Here is some good advice on how to spot a masked USB flash drive

If you're looking to buy some USB flash drives printed with your company or school logo on then no doubt one of the criteria you'll evaluate them against is cost. Getting a price of USB flash drives supplied in bulk and printed with your artwork on is not as straightforward as going to a web site and getting a price. Beware of these pitfalls:

We know from the number of professional wedding photographers we supply with printed and customised USB flash drives that there is a real move in the sector towards offering Wedding Portfolios on a USB flash drive. There are some pitfalls as we discuss here.