Get Results During June- September

What do you want to achieve? More sales, increased order size? Happier employees for retention? Promotional products are the perfect medium for achieving those goals. 

How? Reference our yearly calendar on the website- http://www.promotionalpartnersinc.com/dates

This summer our interns worked hard to update the calendar found on the website, adding photos, links and of course dates. While one intern updated the 2016 web calendar, another was working on summarizing dates for you to incorporate into a summer promotional program for this post. 

As promised from the previous post, here are some ideas to connect with customers or employees this summer. 

June

                        PTSD Awareness Month

PTSD affects thousands of military veterans each year. Give veterans’ groups and nonprofit organizations T-shirts, sweatshirts that have information about PTSD and will raise awareness. For more information, go to www.ptsd.va.gov

 

June 14

                  National Blood Donor Day

            Motivate blood banks to encourage blood donations; give thanks to people who have given before or are giving now. Products themed accordingly-red pens, red mugs, droplet shaped products such as magnets

Brewer’s Festival's? 

            Breweries are popular with charities as a sponsor. Themed -pint glasses, bottle openers, sunglasses, coasters, growler bags, and koozies are popular staples

June 27

                  National HIV Testing Day

            Give products to nonprofit organizations and health care institutions to encourage people to get tested for HIV. Products would include-totes, ribbons and awareness wristbands.

July

                  National Ice Cream Month

                  90% of U.S. population eats ice cream; summer is the prime time for ice cream sales. Who doesn't like ice cream? ice cream scoops, baseball helmet shaped bowls or color changing bowls, cone frame magnets to save photos from your event later.

July 18-21

                  Republican National Convention

            Presidential election years boost sales of merchandise with politicians’ names on them. Give candidates bumper stickers, yard signs, buttons, pens, and magnetic car signs.

July 25-28

                  Democratic National Convention

            Presidential election years boost sales of merchandise with politicians’ names on them. Give candidates bumper stickers, yard signs, buttons, pens, and magnetic car signs.

 

July 24

                  National Drive-Thru Day

Drive-thru restaurants can have offers that show how much they appreciate their customers. Provide signs that advertise the promotion around town. Products include-crayons and light up bracelets for kids, stress relievers shaped as cheeseburgers or French fries, offer discount passes or frequent customer loyalty cards. 

            August 10-16

                        Elvis Week

Thousands of Elvis fans go to Memphis, TN, to celebrate the king of rock and roll. Products themed accordingly-gold sunglasses with muttonchops sideburns- why not have Elvis impersonation day at work this year? 

 

August 26

                  National Dog Day

            Pet stores, kennels, and doggie daycares can benefit from special promotions that celebrate the love dogs bring into their owners’ lives. Products include-paw wipes, bone shaped mats, pet brushes, anything else bone themed or functional to pet owns like waste bags, bowls, travel water dishes, reflective pieces, collars and leashes. 

September

                  Library Card Sign-Up Month

            Libraries nationwide participate in celebrating. It encourages people, especially kids, to sign up for a library card at their local library. Products include-bookmarks, pens, pencils, and tote bags- perhaps check with your local school to see how you can assist them with incentives to encourage reading.

                  Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

            Pediatric cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease in children. Provide products to nonprofit organizations, and researchers for fundraisers to help battle children’s cancer. Products include-hats, tees, pens, and other common promotional products to raise awareness. 

September 12-17

                  National Line Dance Week

            Bars can host events that celebrate line dancing. Products with cowboy theme-paisley bandannas, bottle insulators shaped as cowboy boots, keychains shaped like cowboy boots. Have a large crowd at work? How about inviting in a teacher for line dancing? Have a line dance contest? Select an after hours location to dance?

 September 17-October 2

                  Oktoberfest

            Biggest beer festival in the world hosted in Munich, Germany, but local celebrations are common worldwide. Provide bars, breweries, and German-American clubs and sell them themed T-shirts, mugs, lederhosen for servers, and can coolers

We have clients that use this theme for yearly acknowledgements for their best referral partners. How? They throw their own Oktoberfest complete with commemorative steins or pints.

 

September 17

                  International Coastal Clean-Up

            Nine million volunteers have collected 164 million pounds of trash from beaches since 1965 as part of this Eco-friendly action. Help organizers thank volunteers with products such as caps, sport bottles, and T-shirts. Did you know that here at Jordan Lake they rely on volunteers to clean up the waterfront? http://cleanjordanlake.org/

What sounds like fun?

Breeze from Summer to Early Fall - Easy Ways To Connect

Staying "top of mind" is the key to promotional product success. On-going distributions during the year geared towards your company's services, benefits, and values will keep your client focused or direct employees to what's important to your organization.

Yearly branding doesn't have to be complicated.

Who's to say when a promotion has to start. Think about that for just a moment. For your last promotion did the recipient know it was coming? Maybe....if you attended a trade show or you always send out a holiday gift, your recipient might have expected it. However unless you are extremely disciplined you probably vary the day or distribution from year to year; perhaps even the number of expo's you exhibit.

Chances are however that if you plan a special to reward customers with a redemption gift or you decide that employees can compete for a fun desk item those are example of distributions individuals did not see coming.

My point is it's never too late to add a distribution or create a program for your company. Unexpected might be just the thing your company needs to spur on sales or generate more morale internally.

Need some ideas? 

Glad you asked- one of our summer interns created this list for you- see our next post for a list of ideas. 

Apparel Purchasing Overwhelming? Make It Easy

Apparel can be a simple purchase till you become the person tasked with selecting a product that is not just for yourself but will be worn by all of your co workers or handed out to your clients.

Suddenly that task becomes much harder.

Why? Well, budget…..everyone has a budget….What can you spend per person?

Fabric- do we want cotton, polyester, a blend…there are so many choices.

Which is right for the group? There is a wide range of body types & preferences not to mention will the guys like what the girls like? By the way the answer to that is not usually!! The good news is that most products come in companion styles cut & styled for both women and men. Additionally we partner with a host of apparel providers from quality basics to well know name brands.

Decoration- Our options for apparel don’t stop with the actual apparel itself. We have the ability to decorate with traditional process such as silkscreen and embroidery as well as laser etch, transfers, appliqués, DTG and full color processes, as well as host of unique screening processes.

Decoration drives your budget just as much as the actual product, so working with our team means you get the expertise to match up the right product as well as the best decoration method for the look you need with the price that meets your budget.

Overwhelmed yet? Don’t be….This what we do; daily. We are here to help and guide you to the best option to meet your goals and objectives.  

Visit our July 1 blog post to learn more about tools you may not know we offer that will remove your frustrations!

Buttons, Bags and Billons of Dollars Share a Common Thread

And it all started with a button, a bag growing into an industry of over 20 billion dollars. Promotional products are embedded into advertising; a requirement for a successful campaign. 

• A promotional product offers a measurable and proven track record for performance. These products offer the lowest cost per impression, the highest recall and retention of any form of advertising and with an average of less than a penny per impression- a stronger return on one’s investment when promoting their brand.

• Promotional products have become part of the culture of trade shows, sponsorship's, fundraising, recognition and retention of employees and customers via well designed programs. There is no sign of promotional products disappearing; branding your name on products and signage as become an expectation in business. 

How did this industry get started? 

The first known promotional product was in 1789, a commemorative button for Washington’s presidency!

How did promotional products transition from commemorative s to brand building and advertising medium? Feedbags! 

A local printer noticed that the kid’s books fell in the mud on the way home from school. He showed the local grocer that he could put his name on the sacs for the kids to carry- functional solution that was appreciated; and rewarded with continues sales at his store. 

By 1903, 12 promotional product manufactures formed a group to address pricing, innovation, business losses and managing salesmen. 

From there the innovation never stopped. In fact, have you ever wondered how the pocket protector got its start? It was a promotional product designed to sell slip-on vinyl covers that protected loose-leaf binders! 

Are you surprised?