My 10 Favorite Promotional Custom Products

I have customers ask me all the time what my favorite promotional items are. That's a tough question because my favorites may be the wrong promotional wholesale product for you & your targeted audience. I even had several people who read my blog ask me to write an article listing my favorites. There are well over 500,000 marketing items to choose from so I thought that was a topic I'd never go near.

Well, believe it or not, creating the list was actually fairly simple. There are a few items that are staples in the industry. These are things that just about everyone or every company can use or need. Items that have stood the test of time. Products that people love to give, & likewise, like to receive.

I've stressed over & over that whatever you select to hand out must be relevant to your business & still be useful & of value to the recipient. So, with that in mind, I came up with a list of ten customized promotional items that are my favorites. Let me introduce you to my top 10 picks:

#10 Flashlights: Every home, school or office should have a couple of flashlights handy in case of a power outage. Every car, briefcase, computer case or purse should have a small one in case of an emergency. Ask parents of bored children......they're great entertainment & spark imaginations of kids of all ages. Flashlights are unique because everyone will need them at one time or another. Let your logo shine in the dark!

#9 Flash Drives: These are something everybody absolutely needs, but only a few people actually go out & buy. Yet, they are a must-have item to save, store & share files from their computer. Your logo can be boldly imprinted on the flash drive, itself, & you also have the option of loading your own information on them before handing them out. These are indispensable to anyone with a computer--& today, that's everyone!

#8 Beach Balls: These appeal to people of all ages. They're bright, colorful & have large area to show off your logo & company name. They're attention-grabbers. When not inflated, they're easy to tote to trade shows, conventions & sporting events where they'll be an instant hit. Watch your name bounce up & down the coast or around backyard pools!

#7 Stress Relievers: Stress is evident in the work place because offices are confined & don't have the space to work off steam when tension builds. A quick fix is giving out stress items as your next promotional imprinted product. Because stress has become a primary health issue in our society today, your customers will use these more than you think. Your logo will always be visible. These are fun items that are usually left on the desk top......& could very well be squeezed by those who pass by!

#6 T-Shirts: Do you ever wish you could buy a traveling billboard & have it move around town promoting your business? Well, when you put you name & logo on a t-shirt, that's exactly what you're buying. Design something unique & appealing & your company will make an impact. They will be noticed--if they aren't being worn, they're being read. People tend to read them when they would ignore almost everything else. It doesn't get much easier than that!

#5 Letter Openers: Ok, this is not the most exciting out of all the customized promotional items, but it gets an A+ on promoting your company. These are constantly used at home & in the office. What's the one thing you do everyday, but Sunday......open your mail. They're economical, they fit into any budget, they come in a variety of colors & shapes. Every time a piece of mail is opened, it's your company name that is seen!

#4 Drinkware: Water bottles, insulated travel tumblers & ceramic mugs......so much to choose from & all are very effective. Go to the park, the beach, the gym, the mall, look into parked cars as you walk past them & what do you see? Insulated drinkware for hot drinks or trendy sport bottles for cold. Whether at home or in the office, people carry their mugs around with them all day like a security blanket. No matter what you select, your company will be vividly displayed for all to see!

#3 Note Pads & Sticky Notes: Some people like note pads; others swear by sticky  notes. It's six of one & 1/2 dozen of the other--either one is a fantastic marketing tool & both equally do the job of advertising your business. The sizes & variety of styles are endless. Don't forget about the cubes & hard covered notebooks. Notepads & sticky notes are one of the most economical promotional items you can invest in; yet, they have the largest imprint space--the entire pad. That's getting the biggest bang for the buck!

#2 Shopping & Tote Bags:  Bags are one of the largest, most purchased items in the ad specialties industry. With consumers focusing on being more environmentally-friendly; non-woven, polypropylene totes are everywhere, used over & over again. They have a large imprint area......blow up your logo so it really pops & can be seen from a distance. It's been reported that ONE bag will be used an average of 10 times a month & will be seen by 1038 people. That's just one bag......now multiply that by the number of bags you give out in a month!

#1 Pens: Pens are man's best friend. They are used constantly throughout the day, carried around in a purse or pocket 100% of the time & if someone is caught without having one, they grope frantically for one until another person hands them theirs. And as simple as that your company name was passed from one individual to another!

Well, those are my top 10. What are yours? I'd love to hear from you......tell me your favorites & why.

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

Ronni Sherman

Colors--History, Facts, Trivia & Success!

May 28, 2010, I wrote an article on the psychology of colors......how they can affect people's moods & emotions. This article is so important to any business owner or anyone running a marketing campaign because color is probably one of the most significant aspects of your company's identity. It would benefit you to look at the post & read about the colors you're using in your brand. What message are you giving to your targeted audience? You may be using your favorite colors, but are they doing justice to you in representing your business?

Below I listed some fun facts about color. Much of it is just for fun, but read on because it can also help you in selecting the colors for your brand whether you're designing a logo or website, printing a brochure or handing out promotional imprinted products. 


For instance if you're marketing a sports team or sporting apparel, even for girls, you should think twice before picking bubble gum pink. If you're a new catering company, what should be your main color--orange or blue? Of if you have one of the popular food trucks, do you want to paint it blue even though that's your favorite color? What is the best color your promotional custom products should be if you're a yoga studio?


Later in this post, I used 5 very well-known corporations & illustrated how color worked for them & gained them company identity worldwide. You may never rise to global status, but color can give you recognition if you choose the ones to properly represent your business.

Some fun, yet important facts on basic colors:
RED: When the Bolsheviks overthrew the tsar & seized power in Russia in 1917, they used the red flag as their emblem & ever since red has been considered the color of communism.
Red is used in more national flags than any other color.
ORANGE: This sparks more controversy than any other hue--it's a hate-it or love-it color. It stimulates appetites & therefore, is widely used in the food industry. 
To many Americans it denotes "cheap" products or services (in fields other than food) while it's just the opposite in the Netherlands. There it's the color of royalty & the royal family is called the House of Orange. Children like this color & will often pick it as their favorite.
GREEN: This color has a strong calming effect--suicides dropped 34% when London's Blackfriar Bridge was painted green.  
The Green Room, the room guests on TV shows wait before their appearance, is actually green in most studios.
BLUE: It is the color most preferred by men & a survey showed that blue was the bestselling color in women's sweaters because women think men will like it.
It's also an appetite suppressant & some weight loss plans suggest putting a blue light bulb in your refrigerator & your munchies will disappear. This is because blue food is a rare occurrence in nature. Except for blueberries & a few blue-purple portatoes or plums, there aren't blue foods.
VIOLET: It's a peaceful color & one that inspires learning, concentration & reflection of life. Because of this Richard Wagner used this color in his surroundings when composing his operas.
 PINK: Drunk-Tank-Pink or better known as Bubble Gum Pink, is used to calm violent prisoners in jails. It suppresses angry, antagonistic & anxiety ridden behavior among prisoners when in a cell painted this shade of pink. It's been reported that people try to be angry or aggressive in the presence of this pink, but can't--the heart muscles can't race fast enough. This color literally saps your energy. But these reactions are short-term & once the body returns to equilibrium, the prisoner may regress to an even more agitated state. It is only this exact shade that creates such behavior among people.


Did you know:
That there is no word in the English language that rhymes with orange or purple?


That the first box of Crayola crayons was sold in 1903 for a nickel & included the same colors available in the 8-count box today: red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black & brown.  The names of the colors rarely change........only 2 have ever been changed: Prussian blue to Midnight blue & Flesh to Peach.


When it comes to achieving company recognition, some of these facts are significant & some aren't--but one thing you can count on........color is one of the most important factors in attaining company identity. These five corporations used color to gain global recognition. They are known, world-wide, for their colors.


 UPS: Over the decades, UPS's brown has provided the most consistent color personality for any company that exists. Even their logo design is secondary in importance to the color. It's highly unusual that a business can boast that one simple color can bring their company to mind instantly. Yet, when you see a brown truck, a brown uniform or the brown tail of a plane, you most likely know it's UPS without looking for the logo. Brown tells you who they are......they're conservative, they're dependable, you feel secure. This is the feeling you get when you see the color & this is what UPS is known for.


TIFFANY: The Tiffany blue box originated in 1850, when Tiffany & Co. opened it's first foreign branch in Paris. The designers selected this light turquoise-blue as the perfect color to attract the fashionistas of the day. This specific color was the signature color of the Diva of Fashion at that time, Empress Eugenie, Napoleon III's wife. The color has remained the same for over 150 years. If you see that famous blue box, you don't need to see Tiffany on it to know who's box it is & what's inside.

BMW (Bavarian Motor Works):  The logo was created & registered in 1917, a year after the company was founded. The logo has remained the same ever since as well as the controversy surrounding the colors. There are two versions regarding the meaning of the 'sky blue & white checker box':
1. It's meant to represent the silver & white propeller blades that engineers of BMW were working when the design was created. Those who believed that's what the logo depicted wanted to change the colors from blue & white to silver & white.
2. The other meaning relates to Bavaria where the product of the company are manufactured--their national colors are sky blue & white, the same as the logo.

MOBIL OIL: Their logo is nothing more than the name of the company in simple, clean lettering. It's the use of the red O in the center & the use of red & blue that brings out their company identity. The red O represents the circular pumps & canopies at their stations which has brought immense popularity to their brand. The use of red evokes energy & strength while blue give the consumer a feeling of faithfulness & security.  

McDonalds: This couldn't be complete without including  McDonalds because their logo is probably one of the most recognized world-wide. The company's reputation is synonymous with the golden arches & while they went global, they are still identified as being All-American. When someone thinks of fast food, what's the first name that comes to mind? This isn't an accident or because they were the first to deliver instantaneous hamburgers & fries........it's because they took marketing to the nth degree when they designed the arches & selected their colors. They used color psychology wisely when they chose red & yellow as their colors. First of all that vivid combination stands out in the day as well as night when it's dark. Red encourages diners to eat quickly & leave & that's exactly what they want you to do. Yellow stimulates the appetite so you'll feel hungry & will probably eat more (thus spend more) than your original intention .

Color is so powerful--it influences much of what we do in our daily lives, whether on a conscious or subconscious level. Therefore, don't eliminate it or underestimate it when it comes to promoting your company. The color of your customized promotional product is just as crucial as the item, itself. 

I hope this helps you stand out.

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

Ronni Sherman      

Hidden Messages In 20 Well-Known Logos

I've talked a lot about your logo & how you can gain company recognition by putting it on promotional imprinted products & then distributing the items to your clients & prospective customers.  This is one of the best ways to attain logo identity.  You may not get the notoriety that Toyota, Apple or McDonalds has; but if you continually circulate your customized promotional items, you will be recognized by your targeted audience.

Did you know that many companies have objects & symbols hidden inside their logos or incorporate their logos to be a part of a hidden message?  Below are 20 logos hiding a subliminal message.  How many can you depict just by looking at the logo?

Some of the trade marks will be easy to recognize, though the subliminal message may not be as obvious to you.  It doesn't matter if you've seen the logo before or not........just for fun, try to find what the hidden meaning is in each one. The answers are at the bottom of this post, but don't scroll down until you've looked at each one carefully to see how clever you are at discovering the subliminal message.

Hanuet Wine

Bison

FedEx

NBC

Portrait Photos Studio

amazon.com

Raven Financial

Sun Microsoft

Goodwill Industries

Skittles Candy

Wisdom Spa

Toblerone Chocolate

Tostitos

8 Fish Sushi Restaurant

 Eight

Baskin Robbins Ice Cream

This was just for fun. I'm not suggesting you do this to your logo.  The important thing is that you keep it simple & it's easy to be recognized--especially when used in advertising & imprinted on promotional custom products.

Here are the answers:

1. Hanuet Wine:  two wine glasses in the H
2. Bison: the word shapes a buffalo & was designed for a rock band from Vancouver, Canada
3. FedEx:  space between the E & the X forms an arrow pointing right, meaning moving forward & it depicts speed for which the company is known for
4. NBC: showing the peacock looking to the right, again symbolizing looking forward--not back
5. Portrait Photos: the negative space under the camera & the lens forms a person
6. Amazon.com:  the arrow is in the shape of a smile & goes from A to Z, depicting a happy customer & that they're a company that will sell anything from a to z.
7. Raven: (a Dutch financial company) the negative space between the 3 ravens forms a 4th raven
8. Sun Microsoft:  4 interwoven copies of the word sun that can be read from any direction
9. Goodwill Industries:  the letter "g" is also a smiling face
10. Skittles: look at how their token red Skittle is placed on the package & the prominent "X"
11. Body Wisdom:  (high end day spa) the hands convey a relaxing massage while forming an owl's head meaning wisdom
12. Toblerone Chocolate:  from Bern, Switzerland. Bern means City Of Bears & a bear is incorporated into the Swiss Alps
13. Tostitos: the T's form two people eating a chip over a bowl of salsa--the I--& gives the idea of connecting, having fun & being social.
14. Piano Forest:  piano keys on a keyboard shaped like trees
15. Yoga Australia: (my favorite) look close & you'll see the body posture creates the map of the country, Australia
16. 8 Fish: how many fish do you see--4 or 8?
17. Treacy Shoes: there's a shoe in the negative space between the T & the S
18. Eight: various parts of the figure 8 are used to form the word "eight"
19. Baskin Robbins: 31 for their 31 flavors is incorporated in their logo (B & R)
20. Hope For African Children Initiative: (definitely another favorite!) what do you see first--the faces or the map of Africa?

How did you do?  If anyone got them all correct, let me know in the comments section.  Also send me logos that you've found that have a subliminal message.  There's definitely more than 20 out there--I only chose the ones I thought were the most creative. 

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

Ronni Sherman

Traveling With Promotional Imprinted Products

Do you really want to get your name & logo out there for everyone to see? Have it go places where you won't be going? How would you like to advertise your business nationwide, worldwide inexpensively--sometimes for under a dollar?

That's not an exaggeration. It can be done simply by putting your logo on a promotional custom product that would be used while traveling. Think of the exposure just one luggage tag, umbrella or backpack can get.

Summer is less than a month away & it's one of the heaviest travel seasons. Take advantage of this time & hand out promotional items that people will use when they go on vacations. Wherever they go, they're taking your business right along with them!

You can distribute them among your targeted audience who travels, whether for pleasure or business. They're ideal to give out at trade shows, seminars & sporting events. You don't have to be in the travel industry to hand out these logo imprinted products.

Here are some ideas for customized promotional items that will spread your company name around while the recipient is traveling:

Luggage Tags:  Yes, it is the obvious; but you don't have to hand out just an ordinary rectangular tag. They're now available in all shapes, including the shape of your logo. Make your company name pop with the multitude of bright colors that are available. My favorite has motion-sensored lights & lights up as it goes down the baggage carousel. Then there's the tag that is 3-D lenticular--it has brilliantly colored changing images. You do not need glasses to get the effect & it's animated........now how fun is that!

Sleep Mask:  While your clients snooze at 50,000 feet, this item will advertise your business to everyone who strolls down the aisle. The imprint space is large enough to vividly show off your logo & company name.

Luggage Identifiers:  These wrap around most luggage handles & make identifying baggage easier. Your business will travel in style as it's being wheeled around airports country-wide. They come in an assortment of bright colors & will make your company name stand out.

Back Packs & Duffel Bags:  There is not too much I can add that you don't already know. The large area will advertise your logo spectacularly. Shapes, sizes, colors, price ranges........there's no end to the options you have to choose from. Just think of the places they will go & the people who will see them.

Umbrellas:  Your customer may be traveling, but the sun may be on vacation too. These are necessary to any traveler who is not going to a tropical island. Compact, collapsible umbrellas are easy to pack & take up no room. Your company can be imprinted on one panel or all panels. You can shine on the dreariest of days.

Beach Towels: These are huge colorful billboards for your business. There is no limit to what you can put towels & enhance your company's image. The large space used for your copy & the imprint colors will attract attention for you on the beach or by the pool. Not everyone who is going to a beach area will be in a hotel that supplies towels........let's not forget about the campers.

Coolers:  And speaking of camping, everyone will need a cooler--whether its' a small one that holds 24 cans of sodas or a large one that's on wheels. Again, there's ample room to display your logo & advertising message. These are so useful & something that can be used over & over, even when not on vacation.

These are just a few ideas where you can display your company name when your clients travel. When they go on vacation, let them take your business along for the ride.

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

Ronni Sherman

Details Matter When Choosing Your Customized Promotional Product

You begin by choosing the promotional imprinted products that you believe will be best for your target audience & your business. There are many aspects of advertising that you should consider when designing your marketing products. The best promotional item for your business can easily be improved or destroyed by the details of the product, itself.

Here is what you need to think about when ordering your logo imprinted product. This holds true for ALL marketing items, but I'm going to use a pen as an example because it's one of the most popular & universal of all advertising specialties.

• ITEM: The very first step in choosing customized promotional items is knowing your target audience--who they are, where they are, the age group they fall in to......are there special interests that could be relevant. Next know your company because the item you hand out needs to reflect you & what you stand for. A pen is not just a pen--there are all shapes & sizes out there & the one you pick should be used & not tucked away in a desk drawer. If you like a wide pen with a twist-action cap, don't think about giving it out at assisted living facilities or where the elderly congregate. On the other hand, professors & people connected to the academic world may love it. Once you know you have landed on the right product choice, you're not home free......the decisions don't end here.

• COLOR: This is a huge factor. Now let's say that you choose a pen with a modern design in the grip that you know your targeted audience will relish & at the same time, it will make your company stand out. Your target demographic is 30 - 50 year old professionals & you choose neon green as the color. You have chosen a product that would be great for your target; however, neon green probably will not thrill this group of people. As a matter of fact, they may try to avoid it at all costs. Conservative colors like silver, black, navy, burgundy or forest green would be good for them. Think about your company colors--it would be ideal to use them on whatever you give out as long as they are compatible with the group you are targeting.

• MESSAGE: Keep in mind your target audience, but don't get carried away with over selling your business to them on a small item. This may lead to confusion if they look at the product & there are too many messages. Worse it could be illegible altogether. A pen can only show minimal copy if you want it to effectively get your message across. Your name & logo is a given & maybe you can add either a website, email or phone number; but don't try all of them if you want to be noticed & attain company recognition. You won't receive the same reception as you would if you very simply designed your product with your business name & logo. If it's absolutely necessary to add all your contact information or advertise something special within your company, then choose a promotional custom product that is condusive to a lot of copy......t-shirts, note pads, mouse pads, reusable bags or some styles of drink ware.

When you choose an item to put your logo on you want to ensure that it will serve as the best possible advertisement for your business. The details are just as important as the product that you choose. You must make every aspect of that promotional item something that your target will really like & appreciate. This means choosing the colors and messages that are appropriate for your target as well as the marketing product, itself. You want to make sure you're distributing something that will be used over & over & will bring your business identity & increased traffic.

Pay close attention to all the details. Be creative, make an impact, stand out--you don't want to blend in with your competition; yet at the same time, make sure it's what your target audience wants & what best represents your business.

I hope this helps the next time you choose a promotional imprinted product.

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

Ronni Sherman

Your First Time Buying Promotional Imprinted Products?

You haven't used logo imprinted items to promote your company yet? Maybe you've thought about it, but you're not sure if it's right for you or if it is, just where to begin? Let me give you some tips to start you off.

First I'll give you six reasons why you should use them:

1. Advertising specialties are an effective yet inexpensive way to get your name out among the public. It's the longest lasting advertising you can invest in because promotional custom products have the ability to stay visible & in the public's eye for years to come.

2. There's no waste because you can target exactly where & to whom you want your marketing items & your message to go. In most cases, they are given directly to clients & prospective customers.

3. The medium is the message. Products with you name & logo on them are constantly being used.

4. Promotional products make great appreciation & thank you gifts for your customers. They show your clients that you appreciate their loyalty & that you value their business.

5. They generate new & repeated business. Studies have proven that customers who receive customized promotional items return more often than those who receive coupons or promises of upcoming sales.

6. Promotional items foster customer loyalty, referrals & goodwill. And that's a good recipe for a successful business!

There absolutely is no right or wrong way to integrate promotional wholesale products into your business. These products work so well to help you advertise & promote your business that you should be motivated to give them a try, but how & where you you use them is your discretion.

Many businesses like to begin with an inexpensive promotional item first to test the waters on this method of advertising & to get a feel for the promotional products company they are considering. When I say inexpensive, I'm not asking you to compromise on quality--don't ever do that because these items reflect you & your company.


It might also be wiser to  place an order for a smaller quantity, if this is your first time handing out advertising specialties. It's best to see if you're happy with the quality of the items & the quality of the imprint. This last is so important since it's showing off your logo & your company name.  No one wants to place a large order only to be disappointed. Next test your target audience & see the impact your product has on them.

And know your target audience. Know who you are handing your marketing products out to. One promotional item may work well with one group of people & be totally ineffective for another. So do your homework before even considering ordering your logo imprinted product. You could end up turning away from an item that is ideal for your business simply because you didn't hand it out to the right people. One other piece of advise that I can't stress strongly enough......your customized promotional item needs to be relevant to your business & still be useful & of value to the recipient. 


When selecting the product for your first imprinting make sure that the company you are using is selling you products from a vendor they know & have used before. Make sure you ask for a virtual proof & a complete description of the article you're contemplating buying.


Ask about the options available to you & if there are other costs besides the price of the product. There are usually set-up fees, shipping charges & some companies now charge for a proof. This last charge is becoming more common & I, for one, am totally against it & will not pass it on to my customers. If time allows, you can even request a sample of the product before you go ahead with your order.

Upon receiving your order be sure to test out the items that you have purchased. Look them over for consistency in the imprint quality & make sure they function properly. It is important that you do these things before passing them along to your clients & prospects. After all, with your business name & logo imprinted on them, you need to make sure that they are of an acceptable quality to represent your business. They will reflect your standards.

You will find that as soon as you begin using promotional custom products within your company, they will help spread the word about your business & begin to bring you company identity. As a result most business owners notice an increase in new traffic. Logo imprinted products are a great way to help stimulate business without having to spend a lot of time & money on other forms of advertising. It's a simpler & more effective way to advertise your products or services.


These items are used any place there's people........there's no limit to where your logo, company name & advertising message can go! Go ahead, try them & the best of luck.

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

Ronni Sherman

Note Pads As Promotional Wholesale Products

Every business needs to advertise, but most types of advertising can be extremely daunting financially. Balancing cost with effectiveness is paramount. Promotional imprinted products are an economical yet effective use of your company's budget.

Once you've realized this is one of the most efficient routes to go when it comes to advertising, you now have to decide on a custom promotional item that is best for your business. With so many choices out there, this can be overwhelming.

So where do you start? How can you be sure what will work for you? One very cost effective option that I suggest are note pads. This is something that everybody uses whether in the office, at home or on the go. And every time they use it, guess who's name & advertising message they'll see? 

Here are three reasons why I find these an ideal choice when you want your company name & logo out there for the public to recognize & you're working on a limited budget.

Usefulness:

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when buying promotional custom products is wasting your money on something that won't be used by your clients or prospective customers. Note pads are used on a daily basis by just about everyone, everywhere. And the good news is, the sheets from the pads go from hand to hand spreading word of your product or service. Office workers can jot a quick memo to give to a colleague & at home they're used to send notes to teachers, neighbors, friends--the list is endless. The bottom line is these are a constant reminder of your business.

Large Imprint Space:

This is the perfect item to get creative & show off what your company is all about. The entire area of the pad is your to advertise if you use the center for phantom imaging. I can't tell you how many times my customers have wanted to put more than their name & website on a pen & there just isn't room. Yet, on a note pad, you can list everything you want known about your business including a map with directions or actual photos of your product.

Variety:

There is no end to the choice of styles that are available. There are the large desk pads that are used as weekly planners or monthly calendars. In smaller sizes, lined & unlined note pads are available. Other options are die-shaped pads as well as those with beveled edges. While most pads are uncovered & bound with glue, you can also purchase them with custom covers & spiral-bound. One of the most popular choices are sticky notes & these, like the traditional pads, come in all shapes & sizes. Memo cubes come as note pads or sticky notes & these can vividly display your logo & advertising message on all four sides plus each individual sheet.

Let me remind you that quality is also an important component when picking out the pad of your choice. If they are poorly constructed or the imprint is inferior, that is the image you'll be projecting for your company when you hand them out. Wherever your name goes, it says something about you. Let it say your business standards are all about distinction, quality & superbness.

I hope this helps you make a wise decision with your next promotional imprinted product.
Remember to make it fun!

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

Ronni Sherman

Creative Ways To Distribute Promotional Imprinted Products

How many times have you seen a clever marketing idea & said to yourself: I wish I had thought of that? Well, here are five concepts that my customers & I collaborated on. 

Be careful, coming up with an idea is buying the cart before the horse. Before you even think of one, the first step is to know your target audience......who they are, where they are & what their needs are.

Promotional custom products are a must for any growing or established business, but sometimes the way they are handed out will give it the extra impact you are looking for. It may be that one creative step that will make someone really notice you & call them to action. It will make you stand out among your competition, that's for sure.

• I mentioned in a previous article (Customized Promotional Items That Are Walking Billboards,dated 10/18/2010) how one of my customers goes to local soccer practices & matches & high school football games when it rains. He hands out plastic ponchos with his company name on them. Next to the players, he's the most popular person there. He's sought after--people stand in line to get one. The best thing is, these ponchos fold up into feather weight, compact bundles & can easily be toted to the next rainy outdoor event. And his name will again be seen.  

• Another customer, an auto dealership, bought plastic piggy banks with their logo & name on them to distribute among people who walked onto the lot. They put a coupon in each bank & ten displayed them throughout the dealership. Some coupons were for maintenance of the car & other were for discounts in the parts department. You couldn't tell ahead of time what the coupon was for until you randomly picked your bank. A couple of the banks contained coupons for a free Bluetooth system.

• A chain of gyms bought beach balls with their logo vividly displayed & on hot summer days when the beaches were crowded, they had employees go to various ones in Los Angeles county. The employees stood either on a rise above the beach or on the pier & threw the balls out at the crowd. People clamored to get them & for the rest of that day & for weeks after, the gym's logo bounced along the Pacific coastline in LA.

•  A health insurance company had 8" X 11" plastic envelopes imprinted with their company name & all their contact information. Also, imprinted on the flap: "With Our Compliments--Keep For All Your Medical Records & Receipts". When prospective clients came into their office or when an agent went to call on someone at their home, they gave them one of the envelopes filled with their brochure & pamphlets. This is such smart marketing......everyone can use this & it's a convenient way to keep all medical records in one place. Every time someone uses the envelope, the insurance company's name is right there before them.

• This winter, a seminar was held for high school juniors about finding the right college for them, how to maneuver websites for financial aid & advise on how to prepare for the college experience. Since there was a lot of information being thrown at them, they were told not to take notes. They could miss something important as they were writing or typing or worse, later misinterpet what was actually said. At the end of the lecture, flash drives with uploaded information from the seminar & links to all the necessary websites were passed out to all who attended. Of course the flash drives had the sponsoring company's name on them.

Don't have the time or the budget to get creative with your campaign? That's alright too. The bottom line is that you have promotional imprinted products at your disposal to distribute among your targeted audience at all times. You've heard the saying......"out of sight, out of mind......don't let that be you.

Invest in customized promotional items that represent your company while being useful to your client or prospect. And once you have them, use them! So many customers keep them in a store room waiting for that special occasion or customer to give them to.  That defeats the purpose--no one will know about you unless you invite the public to rummage through your storage closet.

The whole idea is to get your company name out there & to be recognized. Pens travel from hand-to-hand like a dollar bill does, t-shirts are walking billboards & will go wherever your customer goes, shopping bags are seen by 100's of people monthly as they are used in grocery stores. Letter openers, note pads & stress relievers are only a few of the items that are used regularly by people & every time they're used--your name & logo is in front of them.

Be creative & have fun with your promotions. Good luck next time you hand them out.

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

Ronni Sherman

Cost Of Advertising With Promotional Wholesale Products vs Traditional Forms Of Advertisements

Business travelers were randomly surveyed at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a study on the impact, exposure & influence of promotional imprinted products.

• 71% of those surveyed reported they had received promotional items in the last 12 months.
• 33/7% of this group had the item with them.
• 76% of the participants could recall the name of the advertiser on the promotional products they had received in the last year.
• 53.5% of the travelers could recall the name of an advertiser they had seen in a magazine or newspaper the previous week.
• 73% of those who used the promotional product that they received stated that they used it at least once a week.
• 45.2% used it at least once a day

Compare these numbers--76% knew the name of the advertiser on the marketing item they received during the past 12 months, yet only 53.5% could remember an advertisement they had just seen last week. That's a huge difference & considering how expensive printed advertising is, this makes the impact of custom promotional products even bigger.


Think about this for a minute......your company is in Los Angeles & you just bought 500 pens for .40 each. That's a total of $200 plus shipping & in some cases a one-time set-up fee might be added for around $40. Remember that business traveler at the airport in Dallas? So for under $300 your logo can travel the country or world. 

Keep in mind that pen is being seen by more people than just the recipient. And what's more important, that pen may not stay in the recipient's hand but end up in someone else's pocket or purse. Multiply that one exposure by 500, the number of pens purchased. Now how much do you think a full-color ad that's 1/4 or 1/8 of a page in a magazine costs?


What happens to the magazine when you're done reading it? Most likely it will get thrown out. You write with a pen once, are you going to throw it out?  Noooo, you'll probably be writing with it for at least 4 - 7 months.


How many of you sit & watch the advertisements on TV that interrupt the program you were watching? Isn't that the time to switch to another station, surf the channels or get up & leave the room to do a quick task that can be done during those 3 to 5 minutes? And now with Tebo & the ability to record programs to view later, you can skip all the advertisements.


The price comparison reveals that customized promotional items are more cost efficient than the other traditional forms of advertising. There is a significant saving on the repeat impression of the advertisement on the promotional product against a printed, radio or TV advertisement.


There is a promotional item that will fit your budget & get you noticed.

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

Ronni Sherman

Non-Woven Bags As Promotional Wholesale Products

In my article, CUSTOMIZED PROMOTIONAL ITEMS GET YOU NOTICED, dated 6/21/2010, I cited the following paragraph:

The Advertising Specialty Institute conducted a survey & reported that people who received promotional items kept them for an average of 7 - 9 months. This provides repeated & consistent exposure to your company.
Have you given a bag to your customer lately? Chances are he'll use it more then ten times a month & it will be seen monthly by 1038 people. That's just one bag......now multiply that by the number of bags you ordered & then gave out in that one month.

I feel these facts about marketing products are so very important & therefore, bear repeating.  Every business owner should be aware of them so they can understand just how effective promotional imprinted products are.

So let's talk about bags. They are one of the largest, most purchased items in the ad specialties industry. In recent years, with consumers focusing on being more environmentally-friendly, their usage has skyrocketed. The non-woven, polypropylene totes are everywhere, used over & over again. It's the one product you can never have enough of. They're recyclable, reusable, eco-friendly, water resistant & can be washed.

All positive, right? Here's the biggest plus for you......these non-woven bags have a huge imprint area. You can blowup your logo so it really pops & can be recognized from a distance or you can add all the information you want about your business. These should be given out to everyone you come into contact with because wherever they go shopping, they're taking your company right along with them!

The newest non-woven bags are now laminated, displaying a multi-color pattern or design covering the entire bag. These really stand out & will highlight your business when your logo & company name is imprinted on them.

I realize many businesses have stayed away from purchasing bags as promotional custom products because they think the cost is high. It doesn't have to be--like with anything else, there's always good deals to be found & these totes are no exception.


Here are three tips to find bargain-priced bags & promote your company for less:


1. Last year's style may be this year's hot deal. Just as in retail, styles & trends in bags are changing. Suppliers often put a certain style or color on special to make room for a slightly modified look. Since bags really never go out of style or change drastically, you are not sacrificing anything by putting your logo on the hot tote from last year. But these specials are good only as long as there is stock, so if you want to go this route, contact  your advertising specialty vendor as soon as possible.


2. Find a trusted vendor who deals with customized promotional items & build a relationship with him. Ask him to notify you when the non-woven bags go on sale--whether it's a close-out or a monthly special. Vendors, like myself, get emails, ads & fliers from the companies they deal with of upcoming promotions. As soon as you call them, they will most likely be able to find you a special price on a variety of bags.


3. If you have a deadline, allow for enough time to receive the totes. Rush charges as well as 2 & 3 day shipping can add hefty fees to the price of the totes. Overnight shipping could double the cost.


Santa Monica, CA just passed a law that will ban the use of plastic bags & there will be a .10 charge for every paper bag used. More & more cities, across the nation, will be adopting this policy. Be one of the first to jump on the band wagon & start handing out the logical solution to plastic & paper bags. Buying these non-woven, polypropylene totes & effectively displaying your company name on them is a promotional strategy that is priceless.


Have fun with your name. Make it stand out, be creative.

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

Ronni Sherman