Promo Products Tips - Define Your Brand

Here's the 2nd of my ongoing series of promotional product buying tips - which hopefully will make the buying process a little bit easier.  These should apply to any size business but can be particularly helpful if you either don't have a lot of experience buying promo items or if marketing is just part of your overall job responsibilities.  

One of the most important things to keep in mind when planning a project involving promotional items is knowing your own brand.  Understanding your brand - that set of values, symbols or ideas that identifies and differentiates your product / organization -  gives you the perfect starting point from which to launch any promotional project.

A promotional item that you hand out should be considered an extension of your brand and thus should reflect what that brand stands for.  If your company sells a luxury product, handing out say, a plastic pen probably, probably  isn’t going to work.  Whereas if you provide a great value product, focusing on something inexpensive, yet well made, might be a good way to go.

Facebook is certainly considered a hip, trend-setting company. You expect cool swag from them, not some generic stuff that everyone else hands out.  As an example I recently attended an event that they put on and among the items in the ‘swag bags’ that they handed out were EOS lip balm and a brand new phone charger.

  

Some companies, in fact many small businesses, may encounter difficulty defining their brand mainly because they haven’t given it a whole lot of thought given the challenges of operating a business on a day to day basis..  If that’s the case for your company, try writing down exactly what you consider your brand to be.

Every marketing piece an organization hands out should reflect its brand. Knowing exactly ‘who you are’ - i.e. understanding that brand - is often a great way to begin the task of coming up with great promotional items for any project.

Promotional Product Buying Tips

Here’s the first in a series of posts devoted to offering some tips to those of you who buy promotional items.  Doing this as long as I have, I’ve observed both the good and bad of this process from both sides.  Most of the time I’m the seller, but I also buy for my own marketing efforts.

Assuming you’re reading this from a buyer’s perspective, here’s the first of several tips that you may find helpful.

Tip #1- Answer the ‘Why’ - as in why the heck am I buying this stuff?  Often times people want to buy promo items for reasons like ‘it’s expected at that event’, or 'my boss asked me to take care of it' or even ‘everyone else is doing it’.

If one of the above (or similar reasons) applies, I think you need to take a little deeper plunge into the process.

Let’s use a trade show as the event in question. You’ve got a booth at the show and need some swag. Instead of looking ‘what’s 'hot’ or 'different' among products I would suggest you first answer the question ‘What is the primary objective for us at this show?’

To stand out among several competitors?
Introduce your company to the marketplace?
Showcase a new product?
Generate sales leads?
Show your support for the organization putting on the event?.
Be seen at the event while keeping costs to a minimum?
Generate a WOW?

Counter rumors that your company is in a weakened market position?

Or it could be an objective that I haven’t listed.

Promotional products can successfully solve all kinds of marketing challenges, but first you need to determine just which challenge (or challenges) it’s going to be. Defining exactly ‘why’ you’re exhibiting at the show helps narrow the amount of promo item choices considerably and gets you closer to finding the right items for the task.

However this is not the only step.  More to come in future posts.

Some Trade Show Marketing Tips

Trade Show Tips Trade Shows are a big market for promotional products. Shows provide a great opportunity for companies to present their products/services to potential clients and even existing clients in an atmosphere that's a little more relaxed than an office or meeting room. Promotional products, of course, are important for keeping your brand and marketing message in front of the people you meet at a show long after the show has ended. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your next show. If your show display table does not include a tablecloth, be sure to get one that complements your display and represents your company’s image and color scheme. Even if a tablecloth is supplied, bring your own or at least something to add some depth to your table (i.e. a table runner). Try to make your space stand out. Trade show hand outs work. Most people who attend shows are expecting to take home some goodies. The key with these items is to first determine the objective behind them – i.e. do you want to deliver a verbal ‘pitch’ to make a strong first impression on visitors who aren’t yet clients or keep your name in front of prospects in the days following the show? Or do you have a new marketing slogan and want to hand out items that play off of it? There are strategies (and products) for all scenarios. Consider a drawing for a prize – and have it be a good prize that people really want and that complements your business in some way, if possible. Have visitors and entrants sign a guest book, fill in a ticket, or drop their business cards into a fish bowl or gift bag. The great thing about this type of technique is that you can then use this information at a later date to make a follow up contact. Have a portfolio of your work available as part of your trade show display. Print off some of your best projects, put them into plastic sheet protectors, and arrange them in a binder. Then lay out the binder where visitors can flip through the pages. Don’t Forget the Follow Up- Companies that get the best results will market continuously to the qualified contacts they meet at a show until the start of the next show the following year. There are several techniques for doing this and I’d be happy to share my views on this subject if you’re interested. Promotional products can be very helpful in this area, but they are not the only method of staying in touch. And some of those methods don’t cost anything.

The Ongoing Challenge to Teach the Value of Promotional Products

The following article first appeared on the blog site Technorati under the title: California Bans State Agencies From Buying Promotional Products.

I wrote it because stories like this one seem to be coming down the pipeline far too often these days. There is a sentiment out there among some that promotional products are about 'trinkets and trash' or 'swag'. With all due respect, my response to that is that those who feel that way really don't have much of a concept of what marketing is really all about.

Anyway....here it is.....

You know the expression 'penny-wise and pound foolish'? That's California Governor Jerry Brown. Governor Brown this week banned state agencies from purchasing promotional products — a move that figures to save the state in the neighborhood of 7 to 8 million dollars over the next 3 years.

For those unfamiliar with the term, a promotional product is a useful everyday item that carries an ad message — be it an imprinted pen, a t-shirt or something a bit more elaborate like a computer flash drive with a logo printed on the casing.

Read more: http://technorati.com/business/advertising/article/california-bans-state-agencies-from-buying/#ixzz1EwjE1npF

Marketing Trend - Freebies are In

It's been awhile since my last post and I apologize for that. Business has really picked up for me over the past 4 weeks, plus I've had some personal commitments that have prevented me from posting to this blog. I hesitate to say that this is part of a trend, but the business end of things is definitely a welcome sign following a year that could charitably be described as 'challenging'.

Here's article on MSNBC's website about a current marketing trend that ties right in to the power of promotional products. And the trend itself is probably a direct result of last year's downturn:

Weak Economy Means it's a Freebie Nation

Using a valued promotional product as a gift with purchase is certainly a great use of the medium to boost sales. In fact offering a promo item that isn't directly related to the retail product(s) being sold is probably a better approach vs giving away 'free goods'. I agree with the sentiment expressed in the article that giving product away in the hopes of boosting sales of that same product can backfire - especially if the product in question is an established one.

On the other hand, giving away a gift that's indirectly related -- says a gym that offers a free gym bag with a new membership -- can be a very effective technique. The key to making it work however is the product being good enough that someone would actually want it. That person who's been thinking of joining a gym may finally commit if they can get a nice gym bag as part of the deal.

One of the core values of promotional products is their ability to motivate someone to take action. A gift with purchase is a great way to make that happen - and it has an added value -- you can easily calculate Return On Investment (ROI) by simply looking at the number of bags given out and comparing current and past sales numbers.

##

The Demise of Brand Tiger

Plenty has been written and said about Tiger Woods and his current challenges, but the one thing that I've been curious about throughout is whether his sponsors will stay with him.

Certainly there has been no better pitchman in sports or maybe in general since Michael Jordan retired from basketball. Tiger was identified by Corporate America while still a child and as he grew into adulthood, his name quickly equalled dollar signs for the likes of Nike, Titleist, Gillette, Electronic Arts, General Mills and Buick among many others.

The list of companies doing business with Tiger practically reads like a 'Who's Who' of corporate America. We at Geiger are even in on this act -- though in a very small way. Sanmar, our top wearables supplier, contracts with Tiger via Nike. We can sell you 'Tiger Woods' brand golf apparel because of that relationship -- not that I'll be recommending those items to any of you anytime soon.

Brand Tiger is in a heap of trouble and this past weekend one of those major sponsors, the global consulting firm, Accenture, officially cut ties with him. I would imagine that more may be following suit.

What I find really interesting is that Woods has not 'come clean' so to speak, in the manner that David Letterman did immediately following his recent transgression. Given that Tiger has world class handlers, it leads me to speculate that possibly there's too much there to come clean about. And if that's the case, then how long can these corporations afford to have their brands associated with him?

If I had to guess, the two companies likely stick with Tiger the longest will be Nike and Acushnet, the makers of Titleist golf balls. Nike because of what they have invested in him and because they've dealt with pro athletes for decades. Their brand may also be a bit more resistant to the bad stuff associated with an athlete's off the field activities. And Acushnet only because Tiger IS golf, and is arguably the greatest golfer of all time -- it's either Woods, Nicklaus, Hogan or Bobby Jones -- and personally I think it's Tiger.

But there are limits to the resiliency of any brand and I'm wondering whether this thing will eventually pass the point of no return for even those two companies.

It's fascinating, but not in a good way. The demise of Brand Tiger is very much in play and that's something I would never have thought possible.

Just think of what it took to create that brand....all the work Tiger put in to become the greatest golfer of his era, the incredible, off the charts performances that helped create the Tiger legend, the time and money that these major corporations all devoted to make Tiger's brand what had been up till mid November of this year. All of that could be flushed down the drain because of Tiger's alleged problems.

I guess it's proof that no brand is indestructible. And the marketing lesson that I take from all this is that a brand - any brand - has a certain degree of fragility, and needs to be fiercely protected at all times.

##

A Few Tips on Calendar Advertising....

Following up on my last post, here are some ways you can maximize the promotional value that you receive from calendar advertising:

1. Distribution is Key

This is the one aspect of calendar advertising that most often gets overlooked and unfortunately it's the most important. Those calendars you bought won't do you any good if they don't leave the box. In fact, you shouldn't even commit to a calendar advertising program unless you've determined what kind of distribution plan will go along with it.

Will you mail them? Deliver them in person? Send them out with your drivers? Have people pick them up in your store? Some savvy marketers will go so far as to hang the calender in their client's office themselves (with their client's permission of course). What better way to guarantee proper placement of your ad?

2. Who's going to receive them?

Clients...prospects....high traffic places like your local convenience store or the post office? Think about where you're going to get the most eyeballs of people who will spend money with you or the most eyeballs in general if that's more appropriate.

3. Think about WHERE you want people to see your message.

This certainly ties into calendar selection. Where do your clients or prospective clients make their buying decisions? In the kitchen? If so consider a food themed appointment calendar. At their desk? Commercial or Year at A Glance calendars are prefect for this purpose, as is the much smaller desk calendar.

4. Remember it's not necessarily about which calendar YOU like......

It's which calendar best appeals to your target audience -- and most importantly which one is most likely to get hung on a wall. You may hate muscle cars and like Norman Rockwell, but if your client base is mechanics, which calendar is more likely to actually get used?

5. Think about the message you're sending about your company.

If you're a Mercedes dealer, chances are your customer base isn't going to be too eager to hang up your $1.30 wall calendar. By the same token if your plumbing company serves a working class area and you're handing out $10 calendars personalized with your customers names, some customers may decide that you'd be better served giving out a less expensive calendar and lowering your prices.

6. Don't order them too late in the year.

Ideally you want to get the calendars in your clients hands at some point in December, so don't wait until mid November to order them. As we move into November, production backs up and inventories of the more popular calendars can disappear. Remembering that distribution is key, handing out calendars in January is generally too late. So get them ordered early enough in the fall to allow plenty of time for proper distribution.

These are just some of the concepts that will help maximize the effectiveness of a calendar program. If you'd like to discuss these a little more in depth, just drop me an email at sboyages@promoresource.com.

##

Swine Flu & Marketing

News Item: On June 11, the World Health Organization officially declared that the H1N1 Virus or Swine Flu has officially reached Pandemic status.

The last time a flu pandemic was declared was in 1968 when the so called Hong Kong Flu killed over 1 million people. And it brings to mind thoughts of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which is believed to have infected 1/3 of the world's population and killed over 50 million people. That's the frightening aspect of this story.

However, the better news is that so far, most cases of Swine Flu have been relatively mild and the mortality rate has been a lot lower than the typical seasonal flu's which strike every year. Some have accused the media and the World Health Organization of overreacting. And whether they have or not is certainly up to individuals to decide. However, one thing that seems pretty certain is that the so called Swine Flu isn't disappearing from press coverage anytime soon.

It's on everyone's mind, and for that reason it presents a marketing opportunity...and here's why:

One of the best ways to prevent spread of the Swine or any other flu virus is hand washing...and over the past few years, antibacterial hand gel has become universally accepted as a more effective method of cleansing hands than soap and water. It's something that health care workers have known about for a long time, but now the general public has embraced this as well.

In the Promotional Products industry, hand gel has become a top selling product. It's available in bottles of varying sizes, on a 'leash' that attaches to a zipper or lanyard, and on a carabiner, which attaches to just about anything. Given the popularity and universal acceptance of hand gel, any organization looking to promote itself may be overlooking a terrific marketing vehicle if it doesn't consider utilizing this product.

The value of promotional products vs other forms of media is that they're tangible and functional -- and usually appreciated by whoever receives them. In the case of sanitizing hand gel, many people will be using the product regularly -- and buying them via retail. If given a container for free -- it's virtually guaranteed that the item will be used -- and each time it is, think of the multiple ad impressions your logo or sales message is going to receive. I'm talking about when it's removed from a purse, a pocket, used in a bathroom, a car, at work...virtually anywhere.

If you're looking to get a marketing message out to a targeted audience....there aren't a whole lot more effective vehicles out there right now than on the outside of a container of hand gel.

I just checked my product database and counted over 300 different hand gel products currently available via Geiger. You'll find all of those on my website at www.promoresource.com. And here's a little insiders tip....hand gel promises to be a red hot product as we head toward the 2nd half of 2009. Our suppliers are going to recognize this and will be fighting each other to grab a share of this explosive promotional market. That means price deals....and great value for the advertiser when you consider the number of ad impressions per marketing dollar spent.

How can you maximize your opportunities with this product? We can certainly help you with that. For more information drop me an email at sboyages@promoresource.com.