Using Promotional Custom Products To Partner With Another Business

As you hand out your promotional wholesale products, do you wonder how you can reach more people? Wonder how you can attract more attention by being more creative?  You know the saying: two heads are better than one......well, sometimes two companies are better than one.

There are times when it's good for one business to partner with another business & together they come up with a clever promotional idea that will bring them customers. In order to make this work both companies have to benefit from these three objectives:

1. the widening & enhancement of their company exposure

2. the prospect of enlarging their clientele

3. the eventual goal of financial gain

Sometimes a plan can be worked out where both companies' names are on the promotional imprinted product. This may not seem ideal to share advertising space with someone else, but it has it's advantages. By doing this, you are also sharing the cost which means you can give out more expensive items to make a bigger impact or buy a larger quantity of promotional items & cover a broader area to distribute the products. This, in turn, gives your company more recognition.

Be careful if two business logos go on one item. You need the space to show off the information of both companies effectively. This obviously means a pen is out of the question. Mouse pads, recyclable bags & drinkware are some examples where this will work.

The experiences I've had when one of my customers partners with another are described below. As you can see, only one company name is on the customized promotional items; yet both benefit from this.

1. An owner of a Mexican restaurant went to the grade schools in his area & worked out a plan with the teachers & principal. He provided fun, colorful bookmarks with his restaurant name on them. There was also a space for the teacher to add a small sticker everytime a child finished a book that year. At the end of the year, if they had a certain amount of stickers on the bookmark, they would bring it to the restaurant & get a free children's meal. The teachers were happy because it gave the students an incentive to read & the business owner had new customers frequent his restaurant. This was a inexpensive way for him to increase his traffic & get new clientele.


2. A bank, new to the area, wanted to give out drinkware, but they wanted it to be used & seen since it was going to be imprinted with their logo. They didn't want it hidden in a cupboard or rolling around the floor of a car. So they worked out a deal with local coffee houses......the coffee houses gave the banks coupons for 15% off any drink as long as it was filled in the bank's insulated coffee mug. It was a win-win situation for both businesses. The insulated drinkware was used & the bank's logo was seen. The coffee houses had increased business & as a bonus, they didn't lose money considering they saved on cups & sleeves.

The important thing when doing something like this, is not if both companies' names are on the promotional custom product, but how they can both benefit from this. How can they use this form of advertising to broaden their target audience & reach their ultimate goal? This takes alot of thought......don't rush in to it, but consider it over time & pay attention to all the details.

Do any of you have any novel or creative ideas about distributing advertising specialties? If you do, I'd like to hear from you.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

Ceramic Coffee Mugs As Promotional Wholesale Products

You may have doubts just how effective it is to put your company name & logo on promotional custom products, but ask yourself this, "If promotional product advertising is an inadequate way to increase your business, then why are we constantly flooded with logo images every place we go?"

They are everywhere. Drive along any street or freeway where there's other cars & what do most of them have in common? A vast majority of them bear license plate frames with a dealership's name & phone number on them. Walk into fast food restaurants......their logo is on everything from the paper bags & the wrapping around their burgers to the paper cups & napkins. It's usually even imprinted on the toys in the children's meals.

Even on television, you will find that more & more companies are looking for ways to sneak their advertisement into the station's programming.  One way that they're accomplishing this is with ceramic coffee mugs. Next time you watch the local morning or evening news or tune into a daytime or late night talk show, look at the mugs sitting on top of the table. They're promotional coffee mugs with a logo facing towards the camera so the audience can see it. A subtle move, but oh so effective!

Some people will pick up on this form of advertising while others may think they don't see it. You may not realize it but your psyche is affected by these subtle images. Everytime you see your favorite anchor person, talk show host or an actor drink from a mug with the NBC logo or a mug sporting Good Morning America, it improves the image of that company. This is the best form of brand advertising.

Ok, let's be honest......a mug with your logo will not make it to a network's scheduled program; but you can still attain the same results. If it works for them, it can certainly work for you if you go after your targeted audience.

A mug with your logo can sit on desks in any business or home. Whether it's used for coffee, tea, hot chocolate or to put pens in; it's giving your logo & company name exposure. Make it colorful so it stands out & gets noticed. A bright or dark colored mug with white imprint can attract attention just as much as a mug with a multi-colored logo.

They also come in a wide assortment of shapes & sizes. Try a grande mug for more impact. Add your company name to a mug with a rounded bistro shape, one that stands on a short stem or one with stripes going around the top & bottom. You can even imprint a photo of your place of business or your product right on the mug. Now how's that for a lasting impression! Your options are endless.

Overall brand & logo recognition on a customized promotional item single-handedly does more to boost business & sales than any other form of advertising. The next time you watch a program & see that mug, think about the subtleties of the message they are sending you. This is an excellent way for you to create brand identity & company recognition for your own business. Frankly, I think it's the best way to go.

Whose logo is on the mug you're drinking from now? Whose logo should be on it?

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman

What Can Promotional Wholesale Products Do For Your Business?

Happy 2011--I hope this will be a successful year for all of you. It should be......for the first time in three years, last year ended in an upward economic swing due largely to the increase in retail sales. People are starting to spend so the opportunity is there for you to increase your profits this year. But no matter how optimistic the economy looks, you won't be a part of it if the public doesn't know you exist.

There's a very easy & inexpensive way to get your logo out there & be recognized--customized promotional items.

There are many different ways to use advertising specialties in your business, but you may be asking yourself, "Will they really work for my company? Are they worth the expense?" In one word, the answer to both questions is YES!

Before I explain how they can work for you, let me tell you this......promotional imprinted products are not an expense, but rather an investment. Companies, large & small, are investing in advertising specialties more now than ever before. If you haven't already done so, jump on the bandwagon & get  your logo out there for the public to see.

There are many different ways that promotional custom products can impact your business. Here are just a few of their many benefits:

1. Promotional product advertising will remind your client & prospective customers about your business. Whatever promotional imprinted product you give them will serve as a reminder of your company each time they use it. And this, in return, will bring you company & logo recognition.

2. Promotional products serve as an advertisement for your business everywhere they go. These items tell others of your company & the products or services you offer. They travel & can be in places where it's inconvenient or too expensive for you to go. A non-woven, eco-friendly bag with your logo on it will used approximately 11 times a month & be seen by an estimated 1,038 people......that's just one bag. Now multiply those figures by the number of bags you ordered & gave out.

3. There's no waste with advertising specialties because you target exactly where & to whom you want the product & your advertising message to go. In most cases they are given directly to clients or to prospects. Your message is the medium so if you target your audience wisely, the products will not be discarded......rather they'll be used on a regular basis.

I hope this helped you see advertising specialties as an investment & not an expense.


It's important not to overlook this essential form of advertising. As you can see, imprinted wholesale products can help stimulate new business. They foster customer loyalty, referrals & goodwill. And that's a good recipe for a successful business year!

Wishing you a happy & profitable year in 2011.

IT'S YOUR COMPANY......SHOW IT OFF!!!

Ronni Sherman