Promotional items can sometimes seem like an uncertain marketing investment, since their 
impact is virtually impossible to track. You can't know for certain what sort of impact you're having. Even with billboards, you at least know on average how many cars are passing beneath them.
But when you're handing out pens or day planners at a trade show, you have no idea how long they're going to be used, if at all.
Since there's no way (yet) to track the usage of promotional items that you give out, it's best then to treat them the same as you would any other product: Look for merchandise that your clients and leads will have a use for. Add value to your promotional items, since they're out there competing on your behalf with a lot of other merch.
Custom desk pad calendars are an excellent illustration of this principle. It's a nice big gift for a lead, and it's something that could be useful for anyone with a desk. Plus, custom desk calendars give you plenty of options for adding value, as well as adding messaging.
It's like having a string of billboards right on your leads' desks, garnering dozens of impressions a day!
How Custom Desk Calendars Save The Day & The Date!
At the most basic, desk calendars are highly effective advertising because they're interactive. They provide a bit of writing space that's constantly underneath peoples' fingers, waiting to be used. A good calendar creates its own reasons for people to look down at it, giving you a new impression every time they do.
How can you encourage more use? By considering how your desk calendar is going to be used.
Include White Space
It's good if your leads are simply looking at your custom desk calendars, but it's better if they're working with them directly. White space, or empty lines, encourage people to use them when need comes up. After all, there's no electronic gadget that's as quick to use as pencil and paper.
Consider even giving over a full sidebar to note-keeping space. Remember, laptops will probably be placed on these calendars, so space on the side is more likely to get used even if there is a computer on top of the calendar itself.
Big boxes on the calendar days are a must as well, since there should be plenty of space for them to keep dates and appointments, and keep referring to them during the day.
Four-Color Printing Stands Out
Another great way to ensure your custom desk pad calendars stand out is to include photographs! The four-color printing technique gives you vivid pictures on your calendars, and for the same price as simpler two-color printing.
Printing photographs also opens up new options for your own marketing. You could allow clients to customize their free calendars with an uploaded picture that's incorporated into it, or used as the background.
It could be a powerful incentive for your calls to action, if your calendars could be truly 
customized with your leads' favorite photos.
Pull In Eyes With Colorful Borders
Rather than leaving your edges bare, use your borders to start a pattern that somehow points inwards, such as a spiral, or even just diagonal slashes. It immediately draws the eye inwards to the calendar itself, but subtly.
You could also continue the pattern as a light background behind the calendar itself, further bringing people's eyes towards all the useful space within, and gaining you more impressions every time.
Create Custom Desk Pad Calendars That See Use
Again, the key here is to think about your customers and how they'd be using your custom desk pad calendars throughout their day. A few thoughtful added features beyond the basic calendar grid will help put your message on their desks for a full year, racking up impressions for pennies.
