How Wide Should You Cast Your Advertising Net?

Ever talked to a new business owner or visited a networking group? Often when asking individuals to describe their ideal business lead the response will be that “everyone” is their demographic. While that business might be a fit for many types of demographics it also is an indication that the business owner or representative has not yet determined what type of client makes them profitable and is a good fit for their goods or services. The same story often applies when clients come into the showroom for their first consultation; they are excited but overwhelmed by all of the choices for products to brand their company.  

Branding is a much easier task when delegated as a collaborative process to your brand strategist. As part of developing strategies that are effective, one must clearly define their demographic to their consultant. The next step is to outline why you want to reach this audience. In other words explain the message you are trying to convey. Armed with those types of facts it is much easier to determine what type of advertising piece will work best for your message and brand. 

To be successful in businesses one needs consistent interaction with an on going connection of well qualified and pre-qualified customers. A service business grows with more customers to serve right? Most people want services close to their home or office for convenience. If someone in home repair targets a neighborhood at an age where home repairs will more likely be the norm, their success rate for a door hanger or direct mail piece has now increased. 

Each year functional and useable products top the list of promotional items. Did you know the statistical data below taken from ASI’s yearly Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study shows that the cost of advertising with branded promotional pieces is the most cost effective form of advertising you can use or that 66% of recipients will give away an item they can not use? When was the last time someone handed you a newspaper, magazine, TV or radio ad that did not create a connection for them?

The fast facts below clearly illustrate that bags top the list for the most impressions; however bags are not just for groceries and retail shopping trips. Think beyond the tote to containers that hold trash in your card, secure your phone on your golf bag, carry snacks to the game, provide safety with a reflective Halloween candy bag or even organize your daily business tools as they travel in their car or to meetings. Writing instruments endure because despite the popularity of tech pieces, our society does write! Promotional writing pieces are designed to work with your demographic adding features the recipient will consider useful such as the popular stylus tip for using on your phones, tablets and other tech devices or pencils that change colors or even smell like fun fragrances for kids.

If you’re one of our clients I hope you remember that I shared the global study back in January as part of your jump start to 2013 planning. Lost your study? Simply ask our team to share with you. As part of your business plan, reflect on strategies that did or did not yield results for your brand. Consider re-tooling your efforts with a stronger look at what promotional pieces can do for casting your net on a specific target audience. While promotional advertising gets results for less cost per impression, the key is to layer advertising mediums that work for your company together for a stronger overall approach to building your brand. Use your promotional representative like a fisherman uses radar to help guide you to the pool of best clients by leveraging the best promotional piece to get results.

Can Using Awareness Dates Help Your Business?

Yes! Whether your business sponsors an annual breast cancer walk or works with a senior market making Family Care Givers Month in November an important date, start by picking dates that easily tie into your client’s core values or your own personal causes. Marketing your business can be overwhelming for the small business owner as they navigate the choices for advertising mediums and consider how to position their business among the current competition in their industry. Selecting products that capture their message effectively are one of the many reasons brand specialists are helpful. 

Utilizing key promotional dates can be a great way to begin with developing a year long marketing plan. Since businesses open every week, it’s never too late to introduce a plan utilizing national and local dates relate to your business. In fact in promoting upcoming event dates, you have a reason to share more about what makes your company unique within your market; to connect on a personal level beyond the service or goods you offer. 

Often the workplace can become pretty routine or boring. Shaking up the office with a fun promotion that also provides some interaction and feedback that would be useful to your company’s data collection might be the best way to close 2013. Dates don’t have to just be about promoting a worthy cause. Perhaps on December 6^th you run a company wide contest asking your clients to vote for their favorite salesperson, promoting National Salesperson Day. Make the contest interactive and fun with a variety of social media, all the while gathering valuable data about what your clients like about their favorite salesperson. 

If you don’t have a huge sales force perhaps the 12^th of December would be a fun way to celebrate National 12 Hour Fresh Breathe Day with educational information about dental hygiene, a kissing contest for a local fundraiser at your business that supports a local charity or maybe just hand out fun shaped breathe mints or flavored lip balm to current clients that stop into your business that day. In both examples your business will have some fun and valuable interaction with your client base. 

Still stuck on what to pursue? Simply use the date tab on our website www.promotionalpartnersofcary.com to access some popular dates to keep your brand top of mind for the remainder of 2013 or consultant with us to develop a more extensive plan for your company.

Inspired now? Share some of your photos or stories we can re-post on our blog and social media sites.

What makes a product a "hit"?

Usefulness tops the reasons promotional pieces are kept, used or passed along each year when our industry conducts independent surveys. Unfortunately there are still consumers that are missing how maximizing their marketing dollars with by using ad specialty products, because they only regard these pieces as a product. Often we are asked, what is the best product I can pick or how can I be effective with a small marketing budget for promotional pieces. Focused advertising is about narrowing down what his useful to individuals you want for clients, then selecting items those individuals will find consistently useful. In other words to coin a realty phrase, it’s ‘location, location, location and your paying for advertising space in the daily fabric of their life.

 

A study released by Promotional Products Association International conducted among travelers at New York’s La Guardia Airport revealed new insights into promotional products’ value and effectiveness. Among the travelers surveyed questions were asked regarding recall for the name of advertisers who had given them a branded promotional product within the last 12 months. An impressive 88 percent could recall the name of the advertiser and 85 percent have done business with an advertiser as a result of receiving an item.

 

Promotional Advertising is about generating a one on one message that will be repeated to hundreds, thousands and even millions of viewers. This same study by PPAI reports that 82 percent of respondents possess at least one and as many as 10 promotional items, with 81 percent keeping them because they are useful. What’s more, 53 percent said they use these products at least once a week and even more—47 percent—said they keep promotional products for more than a year.

 

Promotional products work because they leave a lasting impression that often taps into more than one of their five senses which contributes even further to a personal and lasting connection. Building a sensory connection with a promotional advertisement helps to reinforce brand loyalty and shape consumer behavior because its recipients are tangibly connected to the company or organization. Looking for a positive change this year, start by changing your preferred advertising medium to the best choice for your marketing dollars. For some quick tips with common promotional pieces check out their previous postings on our company blog or ask us to send you guides to consumer behavior we've designed to keep our cleints on top in thier industry.  

Up Up and Away, Let Your Brand Soar!

The dog days of summer and pending Labor Day outings are the perfect time to use an imprinted flying disc to promote goodwill, new products, growth and expansion or company pride. Did you know that a hard flying disc is perfect for a plate during a company family outing, outdoor concert, and school picnic? You’ll be green by saving on the paper plate cost when you insert a thin wax paper for the food and you have provided a branded memento of the day. 

Does your company picnic need some new ideas?  

How about a flying disc scavenger hunt? 

Clues are imprinted on the flying discs leading the participants to each location where they must hit a target to continue. The course leads participants to a desired location such as a sponsor for the event or a destination needed for training or the next station in a team building activity. 

Will you be an expo that could use a boost for generating traffic to your booth? 

Take advantage of full color graphics by using the shape of the disc for a wheel or symbol for your organization.For example: 

·         An auto body shop might use a wheel to imprint.  “Our mechanics always steer you right”. Then give away at an outdoor street fair, sponsor an event based on your target audience or offer as a promotion for a outdoor community event.

·         Glow in the dark discs are a great for crowds at concerts and sports events. Promoting the hosting group by throwing them into the crowd creating a desire for your branding!

Flying discs also fit into the budget friendly products because they are inexpensive, they have a large imprint area that is easily shared with another company for a dual sponsorship and they are a durable long lasting product for showcasing your brand. Capturing and retaining your brand message is an important part of what generates results. 

Why Aren’t Prospective Clients Responding To My Brand?

Promotional products are not “just a give away” item but a reflection of your brand message; your strategy for addressing a brand goal with a result you expect to happen. For example, if you tell a client you’re creative and creativity will help them with client acquisition, then your products that brand your company need to showcase creativity. If retention of your current client base is important, brand pieces need to be pieces that your client will find useful each day. If growing your brand exposure in the community is important remember that leisure pieces you provide employees make them a brand ambassador for your company.

Communication is critical to your message, but is the recipient hearing what you have to say? Branding goes way beyond having an appealing logo or deciding which company colors will generate positive reviews. Brand communication requires being able to articulate to others what makes your company different compared to a competitor that they view as the same or similar for services. Your message needs to fit the intended audience; for example, established professionals like words such as guarantee, reliable, safe, while a younger market key in our products or services, trends and images seeking quick results or easy to process features.

Before you begin your message clearly define your target audience.

Keep in mind that content is not for you to boast about your services or products; it needs to express a point. Ask yourself, what will be gained by reading your message. If you can share your core message with a couple of objectives you might not have a clear focus. If your intent is not to provide some substance that will benefit the reader, consider why you think they will read the content. Having clear objectives makes it easy to expand on your content with examples that make sense to your reader. Be approachable to the reader, after all your representing yourself in a one way communication that you hope will open up dialogue between you the reader at another date.

For example are the activities your company important to your brand identity?

If your company is engaged in your community then you are building a brand identity whether you’re aware of it or not; in essence others are talking about you in a positive way in the community. Consider being ahead of the curve on promoting what is important to your company. Purchase products that reflect your standards for domestically made products, ask us to partner with NC suppliers or make sure you are purchasing sustainable products for your tangible advertising is the environment is important to your company. Ask us to look for creative ways to package products so recipients are more aware of your story. For example:

• Share articles about local causes in your blog 
•  Post photos on your social media
• Consider developing a secondary icon or logo that speaks to specific charity involvement. Many products can be dual branded. 
• Offer to create some products for your favorite charity that has both your logo and their logo as part of the branding. Give out dual branded materials on key dates that you have incorporated into your yearly promotional calendar to market causes that are important to your company. 
• In developing relationships with key clients, consider including cards or notes in with promotional gifts or distributions that acknowledge your appreciation of their business, because as it allows your company to assist your charities of choice.

At least once a year, assess your brand. Compare where your brand is positioned in relation to your competitors. Review your product selections for marketing, how those are integrated into social media or more traditional print and visual communication displays for your company. Once you’ve defined areas to change it will be easier to select products that will adapt to the strategies in your marketing plan.

Texas Hold’m with your branding?

Branding can be a fun way to educate incoming freshman about the history and location of placed on campus or promote the products your company offers to your existing clientele. How? Playing cards can have the back or face customized to your group’s needs. The only limit to their content is your imagination. Full color digital graphics will grab the view into the deck, the theme or idea to promote has 52 “faces”.

• Use the cards to introduce destinations, faculty, local leadership, fun facts about your town or state, commemorate events or hall of fame recipients for a local booster program adding to the value of the cards as now a collector item.

• Put food recipes, drink recipes, home care tips, quick cleaning tips on the back of the cards and distribute to women for bunco night with realtor’s name or other sponsoring organization.

• Sponsor local school groups with overnight trips for competition, education or sports add some facts or images that they will enjoy

• Educate new employees about key personnel, departments, or stat’s they need to know as part of a training exercise with employees. Make sure everyone is a winner when they leave taking the company branding with them for use later.

• Kick off sales meeting with incentive program, the cards will feature awards to win travel destinations or to motivate employees. The cards could also be used to educate reps about new brand services.

• Educate consumers with tips, support numbers, equipment information for mechanical or electronic systems provided by your company. Make your value statements and services fun to remember! For example, “Don’t play with your tech support!”

Research substantiates that promotional items that are seen as useful are kept and interacted with by their recipients. If you have a target audience that loves to play games, adding a deck of cards might be the right promotion to spice things up. Never be afraid to have a little fun with promotional branding. 

What Can I Do To Market My Company For Less than $0.50?

I will get to the point! Pencils are one of the most practical and low cost ad specialty items you can use to promote your organization or business. In fact year after year, writing instruments top the #1 spot for the most used and retained promotional piece. 84% of recipients of a branded piece can recall the advertiser at a later date. What are some ways your can use a pencil to create a call to action?

1.      Get Noticed: Present a colorful array of branded pencils artfully displayed as a “floral arrangement” by sticking them in a globe of florist’s foam tucked in an etched vase, bowl or mug with your branding for a company conference room or group gift.

2.      Get recipients involved in revealing a promotional discount by providing an imprinted pencil, blank piece of paper and an embossed piece of tin or other raised substrate in a direct-mail piece or at a trade show. Instruct participants to lay the paper over the tin and use the pencil to color over the plate to reveal the prize or discount.

3.      Appeal to the magical sense of wonder in a young audience by turning pencils into wizardly wands with clever imprints and added embellishments like glitter or themes that appeal to youth with images of sports or mascots.

4.      Digital wraps that appear like money, years of service or core value words all lend themselves to themed company parities, product launch or training seminars.

5.      Go guerrilla on a shoestring by imprinting a large volume of pencils as “business cards” that you leave on counters, tables and in offices around a neighborhood or in specified locations a target audience frequents. Pencils are often picked up and carried away in “finders keepers” fashion, putting your client’s name in circulation.

6.       Give any age a “mood pencil” activating a change in color merely by the warmth of their hand. Mood pencils are fun and a great way to highlight themes such as “when you are in the mood for a change” or “change your attitude”. Highlight changes to your business like a new website or just use these as an ice breaker for divide employees for meeting, separating by color of the barrel.

Promotional branding does not have 

to be expensive its about smart targeted marketing that promotes your brand message. The next time you are in the showroom ask us to show you some additional items in the $1.00 or less range to start building your brand. Check out these pencil specials good till the end of August-2013.