Few giveaway type items are more useful than lanyards. Offering a great way to hang on to an identification card or even a house key, lanyards can be smart and even a tad stylish. Plus, for the company giving them away, buying lanyards can be a real boon in free advertising if the right purchases are made.

If you're buying lanyards, you'll need to know a few things first to decide what kinds to get. The prices you'll encounter when buying lanyards will vary from style to style and will also vary depending on the features you want. In addition, you'll find there are multiple options for materials, from cotton and cord to nylon and beyond. Nylon tends to be the product of choice, however, because it's easy to wipe clean and it's fairly strong, too.

Let's take a look at some of the features you might encounter when buying lanyards:

* Retractable lanyards. These allow users to pull the lanyard ends down without having to remove them. When buying lanyards, these are ideal for companies that use security card swipe systems for entry to certain areas or even for giveaway lanyard key chains. This feature might cost you a little more over a regular hanging lanyard when you're buying lanyards, but it's well worth it.
* Breakaway lanyards. When buying lanyards you'll find the only real downfall to these devices is the fact they can present choke hazards under the right circumstances. When breakaway features are included, this risk is minimized. Since the lanyard will come apart if it's tugged on too hard, a breakaway feature is smart to consider when buying lanyards.
* Attachment holders. Since lanyards can be used for everything from holding identification cards to holding pens, the attachment holder needs to be considered. You'll want to decide what you'd like the users to use their lanyards for before making this decision. Absolutely make this decision before trying to buy lanyards as it will impact the quotes you receive.

When buying lanyards, the features are important, but so too might be any imprinting you'd like done. One of the biggest reasons to buy lanyards beyond helping employees keep track of their ID cards is the advertisement possibility they present. What you can do with your lanyards will depend a whole lot on how wide they are, but in general when buying lanyards you can have small logos and words imprinted on them. This means everyone who wears the lanyards you've bought will be a walking ad for your company or product.

Buying lanyards for employees or even for tradeshow giveaways can be a very practical decision. These relatively cheap devices are very useful and are generally appreciated by those who have to carry ID cards, extra keys and even by those who have trouble of keeping track of their pens. Before jumping in and ordering lanyards, take the time to research the options and buy the best for your money.

Getting bargains when buying lanyards is more than possible, too. Just shop around and consider buying lanyards in bulk to really enjoy a cost savings.