Achieve More- The Power of One!

A frequent frustration we hear from our clients is, "What can we do for one person that's not apparel? "

• Perhaps you only have a couple of employees
• You are an HR manager looking for a way to create a fun employee program
• Your a realtor looking for a closing gift, or a wedding planner looking for something for the new couple
• Maybe you've done major home renovations and you want to say thanks
• Would you like to add more value for a title sponsor at your next event?
• How about your best client was featured on the cover of a recent publication
• Commemorate an event such as a hole in one or the end of a season! 

 The answer is yes you can......during our recent power meeting we found several companies offering exactly what you need; flexibility in the power of 1!
What if that one item was a USA Product?  


Keep reading for a series of blog posts that highlight what can be done with a one piece minimum.

For example, "what's a foot"?  If you are one to not let "grass grow beneath your feet" then you will immediately see the value in owning all of your branding spaces.

• Welcoming visitors into your office
• Enhancing your tradeshow booth 
• Reduce fatigue for employees on the shop or warehouse floor - include safety tips

Full color mats offer solutions!

USA printed towels- stunning full color graphics allow for photos, signatures, maps and of course your logo!

• Welcome participants of your annual charity golf tournament with their name and a message from the title sponsor
• Wow reunion attendees with a group photo or welcome visitors to your beach get away with a towel to remember
• Curl up in your new home with a blanket from your realtor
• Welcome new members to the gym with a sports towel
• Remember the team's winning season with a photo towel
• Destination conference? Include a map of the hot spots on the attendees towel!

 

Who doesn't love a fun game? Corporate challenges are a great way to develop teamwork both in & out of the office. 

• Connect 4 in the break room
• Can Disc Golf in the warehouse
•  Bean Toss at an after hours event at the bewery 
• Yard Yahtzee at the company picnic 
• A good game of oversized Jenga at your next department meeting might make a good Segway into cooperation, balancing and teamwork planning for strong foundations.

Got something to share? 

• A recent achievement- such as a hole in one? 
• Featured on the front of a publication for your merits or product development?
• Something to share with diners at their table, specials, local events?
• How about a shopper program or charity that benefits from your investment to the organization- share it with your customers! 
• Visitors in your reception area- share your brand story beyond the certifications and awards- create a storyboard that is a time line of your company, benchmark dates, back stories about employees. 

So many creative ways to interact with these products!

Are Your Events Interactive and Secure?

When planning for your next event consider how additional features can add both visual impact, commemorative keepsake, interaction with attendees using variable data or scratch off redemption's or event elevate your security.  

Plastic Cards and Credentials

Custom plastic cards, badges and event security credentials are used at events throughout the USA. We work with partners for credentials in 100% finished styles or in semi-custom styles that can be personalized to your needs. Our credentials offer tamperproof security features for extra peace of mind at your meeting, concert, or event. Custom shapes and sizes are available quickly, but standard sizes and shapes are available in a wide variety. See a complete listing of basic styles in shapes by viewing the Events Credentials and Badges section of our online catalog.

Special Event Credentials offer Security and Durable Construction

Special event badges and credentials are perfect for sports events, music festivals and secure corporate meetings. Add security features like holographic foils, invisible UV inks and micro text for added peace of mind. Call us for a custom quote on your project’s credentials.

Custom Plastic Cards and Event Credentials

 

Special Event Cards and Credentials can be delivered with the following features:

• Full Color Photo-realistic Images and Logos
• Customer-supplied Data and Portraits
• Bar Codes and Magnetic Stripes
• RFID Tags for Tracking
• Holographic Security Foil
• Tamper Evident Seals
• Matching Color Custom Lanyards or Retractable Reels
• Sequential Numbers
• Scratch-Off Hidden Areas

 

How to Protect Your RFID Card From Unauthorized Reading

It's almost impossible to turn on the news without hearing about security of your data. How does a company products the data of it's employees? Our owner Olivia Scott was at a Power Meeting with 41 suppliers recently to find the best new product partners for your marketing and company needs. In a series of blog posts we will focus on the best of what we discovered at our meetings for you.

RFID-shielded Card and ID Badge Holders

Protect RFID credit cards and other 13.56 MHz cards with SkimSAFE® products from CredentialExpress. Each day, more and more RFID -enabled cards and credentials are being placed into the hands of the US consumer. Each card is different, but the possibility of fraud exists in most RFID cards. Protect your card's valuable encoded information with our simple, easy-to-use line of protection sleeves and badge holders. Several product models are available to fit credit cards, passports, and ID badges. See our list of technology card holders in the Good IDeas Catalog, page 15.

Ready to take your cards and bands to the next level? 

 

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SkimSAFE protects your RFID card from Unauthorized Reading

SkimSAFE is available in the following styles:

• Thin sleeves for Credit Card protection
• Single-sided rigid plastic ID badge holders
• Dual-sided rigid plastic ID badge holders
• Thin, printable sleeves for E-Passports

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Not using RFID yet? We also produce non-RFID Shielded Custom Rigid Plastic Badge Holders

All CredentialExpress Rigid Plastic Badge Holders can be delivered with the following features:

• Full Color Logos, Screen Printed
• Slots and chain holes for attachment to lanyards or retractable reels
• RFID shielded material (SkimSAFE models shown at top)
• Holographic Security Foil
• Matching Color Custom Lanyards or Retractable Reels 

How Can Your Name Badge Add Value?

An employee name badge is not a ground breaking idea, after all we need to identify employees as part of a company on a home service all or for assistance in a retail setting. Larger companies use badges with integrated features for employee only access to doors for security. However the additional value adds to a traditional name badge might be just the feature your company has been missing. 

Plastic Badges and Name Tags

Custom plastic badges and name tags are durable ways to ID employees or event attendees. They offer ample space for marketing messages and logos, and are available with a variety of attachment choices. We've found a partner that can produce badges and name tags in 100% finished styles or in semi-custom styles that you can personalize on-site. They can include tamper-proof security features for extra peace of mind, and even bar codes for time and attendance systems. Custom shapes and sizes are available quickly, but standard sizes and shapes are available in a wide variety. See the complete listing of basic styles in shapes by viewing the Name Tags and Badges section of our partners' online catalog.

Full Color Name Tags and Badges for Your Staff or Team

We produce badges and name tags for daily use in the workplace, as well as special event credentials for off-site meetings. Your name tags can include full-color personalization with spaces for your employee names, or we will produce fully personalized tags with your employee names printed on them. Call us for a custom quote on your next order of name tags or employee name badges.

Name Tags and Plastic Badges can be delivered with the following features:

• Full Color Photo-realistic Images and Logos
• Your choice of attachment options (see image above)
• Customer-supplied Data
• Bar Codes and Magnetic Stripes
• RFID Tags for Tracking
• Holographic Security Foil
• Tamper Evident Seals
• Matching Color Custom Lanyards or Retractable Reels
• Sequential Numbers
• Scratch-Off Hidden Areas

We can make sure your name delivers more to employees and visitors! 

How Do Calendars Drive More Business?

Calendars are a marketing tool that communicates to your customers for 365 days or 396 if you purchase a 13 month calendar!

Why does a calendar make so much sense as a marketing tool? Did you know that 9% of US Consumers own promotional calendars. Furthermore,  76% of those who own calendars say that they display them prominent locations in their home or business? 

 5 Reasons Branding with Calendars Works

1. It's a useful gift. On average we look at a calendar 8 times a day. Many of us are in professions that require "counting days" to project closing dates, delivery dates, event dates and more. Providing a calendar that is custom designed for your market's use, shows value, expertise and understanding.
2. The Cost! At less than $0.01 / day what's not to love?  Unlike your business card, calendars are not filed; they are in the desk space within reach of your hands & eyes.
3.  Engagement- a year's worth of interaction- remember that can be over 365 days! 
4. Target your ideal market. Mortgage brokers, real estate professionals, real estate attorneys are constantly counting days to closing.  Additionally calendar are an excellent tool for an older demographic. Consumers who are middle-aged and older (between 45 and 55+) are more likely to own promotional calendars. Use calendar to educate on a topic.
5. Calendars help drive sales! How? 
• Use your favorite social media to promote specials on specific calendar dates
• Offer a discount coupon that they can tear off and redeem at your location. 
• Offer exclusive weekly or daily specials borrowed from national calendar dates!
• Highlight seasonal offerings with custom pages
• Create contest with coloring calendars- offering fun and engagement. 
• Remind employees of key safety tips or educate a consumer how to be "Green"  in their home or workplace.

There are 365 days in a year to connect with your target market & 260 work days in a year. Engaging employees with fun days in the office and sharing social media campaigns that beg to be shared are easy ways to share your message. At Promotional Partners we provide strategic solutions to your marketing & HR needs. Contact us- You’ll remember THE DATE our collaborative, creative & certified expertise made your marketing more effective!

What Do 75% of Americans Own?

It's a grill! While July is national grilling month a warm spring day fires up the grill. Firing up your promotions is as simple as feeding your relationships. Enough with the puns; aren't we "punny" today!     

Spring means the Apex Golden Age Club will to cook for our Rotary Club. This is a covered dish event not to be missed. There will be homemade pies, fried chicken piled high, cornbread cakes, deviled eggs and green beans with some bacon fat drippings in them! Our club looks forward to this event every year. We share a meal with the wonderful these wonderful folks twice a year. In December we "cook" for them by catering a delicious meal, singing songs and sharing stories. While we are not grilling, we are sharing a memorable moment.

Food is shareable. It's part of our daily life, but also a key part of our celebrations. In a company a picnic can be a way to bond with co-workers and improve morale. Inviting our clients to attend a game, dropping off some sweet treats or bagels, even hosting a dinner after a golf fundraiser are all ways to connect with food. Grilling whether at home or for a large crowd offers opportunities for branded products such as aprons, spatulas, sauces, serving pieces, coolers, tents, blankets, leisure drinkware, even pop up tables.

Did you know: 

• 75% of adults own a grill or a smoker (Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Poll).
  
• $20 billion is spent annually on tailgating food and supplies (National Tailgating Association).

What types of things can you offer?  

BBQ and Hot Sauce, even NC made salsa

Build custom picnic baskets for your favorite referral partners.

Create your own cooking competition between companies in your area or your network; raise money for a favorite local charity- winners receive aprons & awards like on TV shows. 

Leave employees a treat on their desk that says they are "flipping awesome"!

Many of these items are in our showrooms to compare- let's fire up your branding today!

8 Places Germs Hide at Work

So in what places are germs the most prevalent?

Our friends at The Lip Balm Company identified these eight locations:

1: The printer/copy machine. Think about it: How many people touch the buttons on the printer to check the job list, scan a document, or make copies? Probably more than you think — and you never know how clean the hands are of the people who’ve used the machine before you.

2: Door handles. Granted, you often can’t enter an office or meeting room without touching the door handle, so handles become a place where germs gather pretty quickly. From co-workers to clients and delivery people, you never know who has touched them and what your hand got exposed to after following suit.

3: Shared microwaves and refrigerators. This is a big one, especially because food is involved. How many times do people touch the microwave and refrigerator door to make or grab their lunch? And how often do you see a mess left inside, leaving someone else to clean it up?

4: Shared sinks. Especially if employees have the habit of leaving mugs, containers, or utensils in the sink for a period of time, germs have time to accumulate. Even if it’s empty, the sink may not be as clean as you think.

5: The bathroom. This one is a given, of course, so people should be all the more mindful about washing their hands thoroughly and using a paper towel to open the door when leaving. Even beyond physical surfaces, germs can circulate the air, leading to a greater risk of sickness.

6: Your keyboard. This one isn’t surprising, even if you’re the only one who uses your keyboard throughout the day. Think about the times you blew your nose or sneezed and then kept typing away without sanitizing your hands, or the times you ate lunch at your desk and left traces of food nearby.

7: Your desk chair and working space. Do you sweat easily? Do you bring in items from outside your office that land on your desk? Your working area may be more prone to collecting germs than you realize.

8: Your phone. Whether you use a company phone or cell phone (or both), it can gather a crazy amount of bacteria that you don’t even think about. Your hands and face touch it often, creating a potential mainstay for germs if not cleaned.

So what is there to do? You can’t be constantly washing your hands throughout the day — but you can keep hand sanitizer at your desk and apply it as often as needed, encouraging your co-workers and clients to do the same. Because it fights harmful bacteria both in the office and elsewhere, it’s a fantastic promotional item, serving a practical purpose while getting your name in front of others in an intentional and effective way. These products put your name practically everywhere!

 Iced Pear Hand Sanitizer with Silicone Attachment, which is extremely convenient for placing on a bag of any kind and great for those who appreciate a unique scent.

We also love Credit Card Hand Sanitizer Spray because its flat shape makes it easy to store, its vanilla scent is wonderful, and its imprint area is generous!


Other varieties include our Hand Sanitizer Tottle and Hand Sanitizer Spray — and they’re all very affordable to provide a high return on investment.

Case in point: Don’t let germs harbor in those hidden places in your office — fight back with hand sanitizer!

How Does Packaging Enhance Your Message?

Perfect Packaging

“Packaging can be theater; it can create a story.” –Steve Jobs

Part of what makes a product great is how it’s presented, and in this case, how it’s packaged. Have you ever made a purchase decision primarily based on how the packaging looked? Yep, we have too. While your customers will be giving away personal care items (rather than selling them) to strengthen their brand, the same concept applies: People get more excited about an attractively presented item than one that is presented in a mediocre way.

Another point of consideration is the first impression. If you’re wondering why first impressions are so important, it’s because they stick — even if certain information challenges them later on. A fantastic first impression also raises expectations for the product inside and in turn enhances how the recipient perceives the product, resulting in a more positive user experience.

Why all this talk about packaging? We’re excited to offer new packaging options for 2018! One of them is the Zippered Pouch, a clear bag that allows you to put any combination of products together. Because you get to pick that combination, it’s ideal for special events, monthly promotions, focused initiatives, and more. The item features a business card slot, which offers a place to put a coupon or business card, as well as the option to custom imprint the outside of the bag itself.


We’ve also added the Lip Balm Blister Card, which holds and displays a single lip balm tube. This product offers a professional appearance thanks to its retail look, and it also shows off a custom, full-color design for the backer card. The latter is perfect for matching the label of the lip balm it holds! For more details about either of these new packaging options, give us a call and we’d be happy to provide them.
Are you imagining the possibilities for your upcoming promotions by incorporating these additions? We hope they make your customers’ brands stand out even more, differentiating them from the competition.


Besides the package, personal care products easily touch on the 5 senses, offering a pleasant aroma to connect to the consumer, print rich images in full color for the eye, interaction with the hand, a creamy texture that feels good ( just yesterday a client said, "I love how your lip balm feels; so much nicer than other brands") and finally- taste, a tough one to showcase in a promotional item but a strong memory hook. Skeptical? I've been carrying chocolate mint in my purse all winter- it makes me think of Girl Scout cookies with ZERO calories!

 


Source: These ideas and more from our friends at The Lip Balm Company!