Promotional tools come and go. Other promotional items are tried and true, changing shape and form ever so slightly to adapt to the culture.

You might be tempted to think that the USB flash drive is firmly on its way out as a promotional product that works.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The USB is still useful.

No! It’s more than useful.

It’s better than ever, as marketers learn how to adapt the USB to the demands of the culture.

Safety

It’s easy enough to lose track of a small USB, and one of the alternatives people are using is the cloud. The cloud-storage providers provide conveniently accessible content, but at a risk. The rise in cyber-attacks is growing fast, and no individual or business is immune from enduring one – and losing sensitive data.

The USB stick is a great way to safely store and transport data. Encryption technology can be added to your USB for an truly secure flash drive. For some businesses, security issues prevent employees from connecting to the cloud or even the networking in-house computers. In these cases, USBs are a must.

Unique Marketing

USBs that go beyond the standard storage device hold a lot of potential for businesses that employ them as a promotional tool. You can load a USB with interactive content that launches once consumers plug the stick into their device. In this way, you can give users a unique, personalized presentation of your brand that’s unparalleled. Trackable USB flash drives give businesses keen insight into customer data to drive business outcomes. Custom USBs, such as the one designed by CustomUSB to look like the classic, 80′s Voltron cartoon character, give consumers a constant reminder of a company or brand.^[i]

Updateable Content

Do you have a bulky catalog or employee training materials that you update every quarter or year? USB contents are easily updated, giving retail stores, nonprofit organizations and enterprise corporations the ability to keep important information up to date in a low-cost way, and do-away with added costs of printing – saving ink, paper, money, time, and even the environment.

Portability

USBs can carry significant amounts of data, typically ranging anywhere from 2GB to 128GB. Imagine the ease with which teachers, government officials, health care professionals and artists can carry around large amounts of sensitive data without carrying bulky papers and binders or CDs. Further, USB flash drives give users the ability to easily transport multimedia presentations with large graphics, videos, animations and more.

Multi-purpose

Using USBs goes far beyond content storage. Users can download an app on the device so that it becomes like a security officer. Unless the USB is plugged into the computer, no one can access its files.USB drives can also store operating systems or identical versions of a user’s desktop and programs, giving people an easy way to interact with and access their information when they’re away from their computer or desk.

Nobody should be ringing the death toll for USBs. The flash drive holds unlimited potential for businesses that look for creative ways to market their brands to consumers. Consumers in turn are finding additional purposes for USBs beyond simple content storage.

The question shouldn’t be, Is the USB dead?

But rather, ask yourself, Am I using the USB to its fullest potential?