How Do Calendars Compare to Other Media?

Newspaper ads have a life cycle for that issue and those readers; they compete for attention and may miss the target audience completely. Often we hear that businesses do them for brand identity rather than acquisition, choosing to advertise with projects and events we'd like to be associated within the community. Other forms of advertising that are common include magazines, radio, calendars, television, internet, and direct mail. Before considering an avenue for advertising, consider the following 5 components:

• Will the ad be directly aimed at the prospect?


• What is your message? It should be clear.


• Is the advertising affordable to you? Calculate your initial investment, the prospective number of views, and the frequency. Keep a log of how you acquire new clients to know if it was the pens distributed or the ad on the radio that brought in the customer as this will help you measure the performace of your advertising dollars when you track your ROI and CPI.


• Does the advertising method you choose offer a flexibility of options?


• Will your ad be competing with others in the same space or time for attention to your target audience?

Why Do Calendars Work?

1. Visual appeal for your brand


2. Presence; on wall or desk


3. Targeted distribution


4. Cost effective for Cost Per Impression, frequency of views


5. Use a design that reflects your business, even go custom. There are plenty of options including color, design, and format


6. High visibility, 12 months. Consider making it interactive with specials or tips.


7. High perceived value for a gift because it's useful.


8. Look at your workspace right now; most people have an average of 2.5 calendars in their workspace. How do you rank?

Helping Our Community

Our community in the RDU area is filled with personal stories for how organizations and non profits are funded every day by businesses that care. Volunteer hours are logged and numerous individuals benefit from the local endeavors of our business community. Every business should plan to be vested in the community for one of the many areas that can benefit from their talents, their knowledge or their funding. At Promotional Partners we work closely with schools in the area supporting learning opportunities at the school, creating internships at our location, and donating to local schools in a variety of programs to help generate the funding students need to be successful. Serving on the education committee of the Apex Chamber of Commerce, it provided me a great sense of community to see that 31 business or individuals gave money to help raise over $10,000 to help our local Apex schools. Please become a fan of the Apex Chamber of Commerce Facebook page and visit their chamber website to learn more about who is helping in our community.

Bookbag Bonanza

For the past 10 years the Apex Chamber of Commerce has held an event called the Bookbag Bonanza to help students at our local schools in Apex. Members of the chamber contribute time, supplies, and money to help put students on a positive start to school by providing the basic supplies they need to be successful. All of the money donated to the annual Bookbag Bonanza helps students at the elementary, middle, and high schools, while the staff at each school makes sure that the funds are used for those areas and students that need it the most. I've been an active member of our education committee for the past three years because it's an area our business focuses our contributions during the year to give back to the community. As a former teacher I can tell you that when a child struggles to have their basic needs met, it creates a gap that is hard to bridge. Helping to provide them with supplies will help to set them on the right course for the year. This year our company offered our partners the ability to donate $5.00 to the project and receive a credit for a $45.00 set up FREE for one of our suppliers that provides many low cost fundraiser items. I'm delighted to report that our partners and company were able to contribute a combined total of $150.00 to the annual cause.

Statistics and More

The newest statistic Market Tools for PPAI showed was that out of the 1,005 consumers on their panel, 90.4 reported that they owned or possessed a promotional product that was given to them in the last 24 months!

How did they feel?

83% liked getting products, 48% wanted more products given more often, 30% liked it when the products had their name on it, 25% refer to the product for the advertiser’s contact information, 38% said it was a constant reminder for advertising that company, 49% are not bothered by seeing a corporate logo on products they use and only 2% disliked receiving promotional products!

What did they think?
73% thought it promoted a message or service
63% think it represents brand awareness
56% see these as an acknowledgement of business; thank you
32% think it created good will
25% feel it acknowledges a person or event
3% consider promotional items a waste of money

Among those that were asked, logoed gifts with a higher perceived value where seen as both a form of advertising and an acknowledgment by the recipient of their relationship with the company, by the way that was 59% of the group.

Did you know that 91% of consumers surveyed said at least one promotional product was in their kitchen? 74% sited at least one in their work space.

What were the top items that made respondents more likely to want to do business with a company after a logo gift? Gift basket, MP3 Player, clocks and watches, digital photo frames, luggage, golf shirts and t-shirts, wallets and tote bags! Hopefully you realized we can provide all of those items to our clients. We also use statistics like these to help educate our clients about how to spend their budget effectively for a high return on their investment. For example, last Christmas one of our clients asked for help with an idea for referral partners; while not a “new idea” the travel tumbler for the car seemed to fit for their demographic of referral partners. Initially they asked for a budget model to save money. When I asked if they owned any travel tumblers they said, “Oh yeah, at least 6”. I then asked them which ones they use; they replied, “only one”. I asked them to describe that favorite tumbler. Instantly they realized that it was a nicer product, so they used it more and were then creating a stronger relationship with the referral partner and advertising their name more frequently. Market research suggests that most sales come from referrals. What’s that ole cliché? “You get what you pay for?”

Working with your Friends

Collateral Referrals is one of those buzz words used in networking frequently, but what does it really mean? We pitch to our clients constantly to fully utilize the relationships that they have with other business partners that refer within their network. For example, if you are in real estate and you are working with home repair services, mortgage brokers, appraisers, inspectors, decorators, or closing attorneys, then it only makes sense to work together in marketing your business. On May 1st each spring the town of Apex opens its doors to the community with Peakfest. This year award winning Anna's Pizzeria and your very own Promotional Partners teamed up with a promotional piece to advertise our location and services. We dished up pizza slices on red flying discs to hungry festival attendees. They loved the idea and came away with a fun summer toy. Did you know that promotional products are kept on average over 7 months or that 84% of recipients remember you name after receiving a product and 62% did business with companies after receiving the product? We knew and thanks to us so did our business client, Anna's Pizzeria! For only $0.89 for 250 units, flying discs provide a low cost per impression with a high rate of return for both of us! Post a question about how we can help you market with another company for an upcoming promotion. Create you post by June 25th for a chance to win a huge Promotional Partners duffel bag, perfect for summer trips!

The Benefits of Partnerships

Are you reading the newspaper? One of the New Neighbor Welcome greeters, Helanie Sharifipour, turned her 2,600 basket recently according to the article in the May 27th edition of the Apex Herald. What happens when businesses take a look at all their options for advertising? Some great teams are formed to create new prospective clients. Advertising is about effectively reaching your target audience with a call to action that inspires, well ACTION! Partnering with New Neighbor Welcome, Promotional Partners has grown a local accounting company's client base. Take a look at the link at this recent taping with NC17 to learn more about how The New Neighbor Welcome business is effective in targeting new residents to the are that needs your services. Enjoy this taping with President Joy Wilkes:
http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/48897/new-neighbor-welcomes-residents-with-a-knock-on-the-door/ or visit her website at http://www.nnws.org/

Then visit our website http://www.promotionalpartnersofcary.com/ to read Joy's testimonial to fully appreciate how partnering with local businesses increases the value of each business to their community partners. Ask us for some case studies or referrals from our partnering clients!

Kill the Germs

Every week clients ask, what's new? Germs are not a new problem, nor are they likely to go away! However for all of you out there that love had sanitizers and other products designed to reduce the spread of germs you are going to love this one! A new pen, that is UV and scratch resistant created with anti bacterial agents in the molding and construction of the pen. This means for the life of the pen you will have the benefit that it kills 99.9% of bacteria within 24 hours. The protection lasts the life of the pen. Hold to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria, and its effective against viruses, fungi, and bacteria such as MRSA, Ecoli, Salmonella, and Staph! This is a great product for health care industries, senior citizens, and schools. As a former teacher I know how easy it is to come in contact with germs daily. Ask me how to get your sample. If you have received one, provide us some feedback!

Want Proof That Promotional Products Work?

Every client looks for a call to action or high rate of return on their promotional money! Check out this new video clip about promotional office products. Our company ran a contest via the Winter 2009 edition of our educational newsletter for clients by polling of our clients. The prompt was to look around ones desk in 30 seconds; without having to leave the desk area count how many branded items were within site or fingertips. Our volunteer contestants reported in their findings to cash in on one of our prizes. Guess what? All respondents had over 14 products, the majority about 20-25 and the tops OVER 30!! The second part follow up was how long have you had those products around your desk and most responded at least a year! What does this prove? Useful items are appreciated and used; daily. Ready for another contest? Here is your homework, post a comment here about your favorite office promotional item. Something you use and enjoy. Explain why you like it and remember to tell us whose name is branded on the product! All those that respond by June 18th will running for 4 FREE Chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwiches! The new spicy chicken sandwich is great. Our company enjoyed a sneak preview in late May courtesy of the owner of the Apex location at Beaver Creek. Get typing because you're going to love the new taste at your local Chick-fil-a.

Heres the link to check out the video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8JCiB5-x9M