subject: Usb Why You Should Consider Using It For Your Next Marketing Campaign [print this page] First launched around ten years ago, USB flash drives have revolutionized how we transfer files in-between computers. The USB standard was first launched in 1994 with version 1.0. Now in 2010, USB 3.0 has appeared with a transfer rate of 4800Mbit/s - roughly 10 times the rate of the much more common USB 2.0, which is also backward compatible with USB 3.0. The first USB Flash drives were sold commercially by Trek Technology and IBM in 2000 and had a storage capacity of 8MB.
In the past decade, USB drives have decreased in size. The drives are now manufactured in various shapes not previously available for portable storage devices. They can also be manufactured with custom moulded designs, lanyards and presentation packaging. USB duplication is readily available and provides an alternative to the current trend of using DVD & CD Duplication & replication for promotional purposes.
USB drives have now surpassed the CD & DVD for maximum storage space. A standard CD can hold 700 MB of data and a DVD 4.7 GB. Not only can USB drives currently deliver 256 gigabytes of data with future expansion planned, they do not suffer in the long run from misuse, such as scratches & dye layers deteriorating over time.
One of the biggest marketing benefits delivered by personalized USB drives is having company branding displayed to the user each time they access the drive. USB drives are not only more environmentally friendly than other media formats, but also serve as an innovative & cost effective marketing tool.
The benefits of USB drives include:
-Cheaper & arguably more effective than other advertising media like TV, radio & newspaper
-Reusable - Some manufacturers claim a life of several hundred thousand uses
-Easy to use Plug & Play
-Customization Can be imprinted with your company logo and/or your companys contact details
-Compact Size USB drives can easily fit in a purse or pocket
-Capacity USB drives have multiple capacities ranging from 128KB and up
-Compatibility USB drives are compatible with most computers with a USB port (Macs as well as PCs)
-Durability USB drives are not vulnerable to surface scratches like regular CDs & DVDs.
Promotional USB drives can be used instead of business cards. In the past, sales people used text based business cards to pass along contact information to potential clients. Modern sales people are using USB drives to help them stand out from the crowd, the device allowing for a virtual card to be viewed, or video presentations to be passed onto clients. The USB drives themselves can be attached to custom lanyards, which provide another point for advertising a companies name or logo.
Finally, most modern computers and simple multimedia devices have a USB port. This means quick data transfer and no fuss operation. As a promotional tool, the USB drives can be given to potential customers for reminder advertising. This method is a cost effective promotional tool that earns repeat business.
