The Write Choice in Writing Instruments

Writing instruments, particularly pens, are the most popular promotional product, accounting for 9 percent of promo industry sales.  There are a large variety of styles to choose from, as well as many colors and options.  There are also other items under the category of writing instruments, including pencils, highlighters, fountain pens, markers, highlighters, and crayons.

As we use these incredible tools in our everyday life, very rarely do we stop to realize the impact these instruments have had in our history and how they continue to effect our lives, making them not only items we can’t live without, but also making them some of the most popular promotional items today.

There are also some facts that you may find interesting…

Pencils:  FACT – More than 14 billion pencils are produced in the world every year – enough to circle the globe 62 times. 

Pencils are an inexpensive way to distribute a message to an audience.  Many popular imprints include messages with prevention and safety tips from police and fire departments.  Other agencies use pencils to support their causes, look for volunteers, or thank people for their support.  Distribution is often at community events, fairs, and parades.  Popular slogans featured on pencils include “The Write Choice” and “Sharpen Your Skills”.

Erasers:  FACT – Pencils didn’t always have erasers.  The first patent for attaching an eraser to a pencil was issued in 1858 to a man from Philadelphia named Hyman Lipman.  In fact, today in Europe most pencils are still sold without erasers. 

Erasers are a terrific product to build a theme around and are very affordable.  They are useful in trade shows for traffic builders, can be custom-shaped to introduce a unique product, and often are available in prices as low as 12 cents each.

Fountain Pens:  FACT – In 1883, Lewis Waterman, an insurance broker in New York City, was getting ready to sign one of his hottest contracts.  In honor of the occasion, Waterman bought a new fountain pen that he considered far more stylish than a cumbersome dip pen and ink well.  With the contract on the table and the pen in the client’s hand, the pen refused to write, and actually leaked onto the precious document.  Horrified, Waterman raced back to his office for another contract, but a competing broker had closed the deal.  Determined to never again suffer such humiliation, Waterman began to make fountain pens in his brother’s workshop.  Waterman used the capillary principle  which allowed air to induce  a steady and even flow of ink.  He christened his pen, “The Regular”, decorated it with wood accents, and obtained a patent for it in 1884.

Fountain pens are classic and timeless in their design and make an ideal gift for the most special occasions.  For the discriminating buyer who wants to present a unique item that is guaranteed to be prominently displayed, the fountain pen is a sure bet.

Ballpoint Pens:  FACT – The first great success for the ballpoint pen came on an October morning in 1945 when a crowd of more than 5,000 people jammed the entrance of New York City’s Gimbels Department Store.  The day before, Gimbels had taken out a full-page ad in The New York Times promoting the first sale of ballpoints in the United States.  The ad described the new pen as a “fantastic…miraculous fountain pen…guaranteed to write for two years without refilling!”  On that first day of the sale, Gimbels sold out its entire stock of 10,000 pens – at $12.50 each.

Since a single pen may have mulitple owners over its lifetime, there is no smarter choice for brand exposure and ROI.  There is a trend in the industry in colorful and stylish choices at excellent price points.  And the industry continues to build on the writing instrument success with innovative new styles.

With nearly every person in civilization using writing instruments on a daily basis, you just might find using them in your next promotion could be the write choice!

(some excerpts in this post were taken from PromoMarketing magazine)

Business Card 101: convey the appropriate message!

It certainly is no secret, business cards are as much alive today as they ever have been.  It’s the first piece of the advertising puzzle that EVERY new business person purchases (ok, just about every new business person).

Unfortunately, however, many people take the easiest way out when it comes to their business cards and purchase the cheapest they can find.  Along with the cheap price usually comes a standard format, or a choice of one of a few standard formats.  You may be one of those people.  And if you were, I hope you were not some of the folks that received their cards and found out they had perforated edges and a flimsy feel (and then started handing them out!).

If you haven’t purchased the “cheap cards” already, or if you have and you realized after you received them that you NEED to do something else, then you are the reason for this article.

Let’s start with the design.  I suppose the standard formats that you can choose from are the lesser of the evils when it comes to the cheap cards.  If every other aspect of the cards were acceptable, you may be able to get by with the standard format.  Of course, there is one caveat if you are using a standard format – it must let you use your logo and tagline!  If the “standard” format does not let you print your business logo on the card, or a tagline that can let you explain your business with a little more description, then the standard format is absolutely no good at all.

Here are the elements you need to consider when it comes to designing and printing your business cards.

LOGO:  if your business doesn’t already have a logo, you really should consider getting one designed.  A logo is a simple, quick, and effective way to identify your business.  The more a logo is used, the more recognition you carry throughout every place you advertise.  And CERTAINLY, you absolutely need it on your business card.

TAGLINE and/or GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION:  a tagline is a phrase or short sentence that describes what you do a little more clearly and provides the reader with a reason why they should contact you.  It can be a clever saying or a serious description, just as long as when someone reads it they’ll understand what it is you do, and they’ll want to take the next step of contacting you.  You could state a problem that your service or product solves, or you can state a benefit that your service or product provides.  Just something that makes the reader say “Geesh, I need that!”  Another method, if using full color business cards, is to actually use a picture of your product.  Or a picture that represents what your service can do for the reader.

CONTACT INFO:  of course, the main purpose of the business card is to give the reader the information they need to contact you.  You should have only the contact info that is relevant to your service or business.  If you don’t want people calling your cell phone, don’t put it on your business card.  Save that info to write on the card if you need to give it to someone (not to mention it makes the person feel important if you give them your personal cell number by writing it on the back of your card).  If you are a home-based business and only use your address to have packages delivered, don’t put your home address on your card.  You just may have people stopping by because they assumed they could because your address is on the card.

YOUR WEBSITE:  If you do not have a website set up for your business, you need to get one!  In today’s world, it costs very little to set up a simple website, and it will prove invaluable to your business.  If you are a salesperson who works for a larger company, you can still set up a personal website for your sales advertising and print it on every advertising piece you create.  Of course, if you are using any company information you will want to clear it with your employer, but never-the-less, you can always have a personal website to showcase things relative to your industry to keep in touch with your prospects and customers on a regular basis.  Oh, and for the purpose of this article, make sure you print your web address on your business card!

CREATIVE ELEMENTS:  depending on the type of printing, sometimes adding an element of creative design can add flash to an otherwise boring layout.  There are many types of printing for your card – thermography (raised print), engraving, foil, and full color deluxe cards.  Of course, a full color layout will allow more creative freedom, but any type of printing will lend itself to enough creative freedom to allow your card to stand out.  If you are printing your cards with thermography or foil you will have different paper stocks to choose from as well.  There is the standard white vellum and others such as linen and laid, which gives your cards a textured look and feel.  When it comes to full color cards, you will most likely have a 14pt or 16pt card stock with a UV coating.  These cards have a heavy and high class feel that your customers will notice when you hand them over.

One aspect that should be considered when designing your card utilizing the above elements is the type of image you are trying to project.  Are you trying to project a serious image?  Elegant?  Fun?  Traditional?  Of course, the type of industry you’re in will play a part in your image, but you can actually put a twist on any industry by creating a different feel when designing your card (wouldn’t a FUN card from a lawyer attract attention?). 

When you know what type of image you are trying to project, you can then put the elements together to create the perfect layout printed in the perfect type of printing on the perfect type of paper.

When it comes to your business cards, it boils down to creating an informative card that gets your message out effetively with the creative edge that makes you proud and excited to hand them out to everyone you see!

Have fun, and enjoy handing out your business cards again!

New Industry Catalogs!

The promotional industry just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year.  Sometimes being so closely involved in our industry, we forget that there are literally hundreds of thousands of products that our customers can use to get their advertising message across.

For this very reason, we’ve decided to split our products page up to give specific industries a head start on finding the products they need quickly.  Of course, we still have our main products search engine to browse the thousands of products available, but we’ve also introduced some specific product and industry themed catalogs to help narrow down commonly used items.  We’ve started with two major industries – Real Estate and the Construction Industry!  Check out our new Product page right now!

2-4-6-8-Make Your Marketing Really Great!

As much as we all enjoy the hazy lazy days of summer, there is always a feeling of excitement when the Fall season rolls into the area.

Is it because the beginning of a new school year is fast approaching?  Or the start of a new football season?  Or maybe the crispness in the air as the temperatures begin to lower?  It could be any one of those.  But it’s probably a combination of all three as well as other things that we can’t quite put our finger on.  There’s just a magical aura of a fresh beginning.

It’s not just a great time to be a student or football fan, however.  It’s also a great time to be a marketing person for a business or organization.  There are many opportunities this time of year to spread your message far and wide, with many low-cost options to also spread your budget the furthest it can go.  Let’s take a look at some of these opportunities.

High School Activities - Probably the biggest and most effective opportunity during the fall is right with your local high school.  You have thousands of students heading back to the grind.  And with every new school year, students and their families spend A TON of money to prepare.  If you are in retail or sell a service that coincides with student needs, you can start your promotions early enough to be sure your name is there when that money starts to fly.  The best methods are in keeping your name right where folks will see it every day – on the refrigerator or on the dash of their vehicle, for instance.

If your business doesn’t exactly fit a student need, you can still get in on the fun!  Promotions to help parents prepare for the year would be beneficial for both you and them!  This can be accomplished with home organizers, planners, or picture frames (stand up and magnetic) for when those new school pictures arrive.

Sports Teams – This could go along with the high school opportunity, but can also include recreational sports that aren’t sponsored through the schools.  The one that usually comes to mind first is in sponsoring a team.  Your name is printed on the front of the jerseys so parents and other spectators will see your support.  For those sports you can not sponsor or are part of the high school, you can use the sporting event itself as an opportunity to spread your message.  Having a representative at the event to pass out giveaways is always a big hit with spectators and parents.  Some great products for event giveaways include magnets with the team schedule, mugs or tumblers with the team mascot, or decorated apparel.  Of course, you should include your company information along with an incentive and a call-to-action on all of these items so your organization has staying power.

Trick or Treat – The kickoff holiday to the fall season, Halloween is actually one of the most celebrated days across the country.  Ghosts, ghouls, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, and every creepy critter you can think of generate boundless opportunities for fun and advertising.  Safety is a huge market when utilizing Halloween.  Glow-in-the-dark items and products that light up or flash are popular and effective.  Not to mention the staple of the trick-or-treat activity, candy bags!  Pricing for trick-or-treat bags are very reasonable whether purchased as stock items to add your company information or completely customized with full color artwork.

Make A Difference Day – Initiated in 1990, this is a national holiday held on the 4th Saturday in October, and is devoted to helping others by doing volunteer work in the community.  Millions of Americans participate in community projects, clean ups, repaintings, and just about any other project you can think of to help the local area.  The best method for your company to show your community spirit is simply ordering a few dozen t-shirts and start asking for volunteers to help!  Contact your local non-profit organizations if you are looking for a project to join.  Of course, you can also pass out some momentos imprinted with the date of the project for a long-lasting remembrance of your contribution.

So even though we are losing the warm temperatures and long summer days, we can certainly look forward to the many wonderful opportunities that are available as the fall season approaches.  Route for your local team, help out your community, and enjoy promoting your organization!

Distribution Methods (Part 2 of 2)

In the last post we discussed Personal Distribution Plans, which are some methods of getting your custom imprinted merchandise into the hands of your customers and prospects.

In this follow-up post we will discuss two additional methods, Carrier Distribution Plans and Third Party Distributions.

In Carrier Distribution Plans you are sending your promotional piece to the recipient.  These are probably the most well-known methods of delivering your goods, such as:

• United States Postal Service (USPS):  An obvious dependable choice offering a large variety of options including, among others, Express Mail, First Class, Priority Mail, Bulk Rate, and Book Rate.  It is not as well known, however, that you can pretty much send anything through the USPS, even something the size and shape of a watermelon!
• United Postal Service (UPS):  Includes other common national carriers like Federal Express, Emory, Airborne, and Express Mail.  These services usually have a lower cost on larger and heavier items and have less restrictions.  One additional benefit is a higher perceived value than using the USPS.
• Local Delivery Services:  These services are available from private entrepreneurs in most cities.  You can usually find them under “Mailing Services” under your local directory.  Although the cost will vary, some general benefits of a service such as this is zero/low waste, the delivery can usually be timed during the day, and the delivery has a much higher perceived value which can add a great impact to your presentation.
• Independent Personal Delivery:  Includes Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, 4-H Clubs, and other groups including “rent-a-kid” all of whom want to earn extra money for their organizations or for themselves personally.  There is a slightly higher risk than the other services due to the potential for negligence, but the cost can be lower as well.  This service in addition to the local delivery service above both contain one added benefit – you do not need to have exact addresses.

The last distributon method we’ll discuss are Third Party Distributions.  In these plans, items are distributed by someone other than the advertiser who has something to gain by distributing the items (besides direct payment, of course).  Here are some of these methods explained:

• Piggy Back:  Sometimes called Co-op Distributions, this method involves selecting some third party – other than the advertiser and his customer – who has something to gain by distributing the advertising.  Often an exchange between two or more non-competing businesses that share a common market can add value and impact to your message.  Some examples would include Health Clubs and Chiropractors; Landscape Architects, Contractors, and Lawn & Garden Outlets; Playground Equipment Manufacturers, Private Nurseries, and Schools; Hospitals and Insurance Companies, and many others.  Think about shared advertising space in association with this method to further expand your reach into your target market.
• Public Good:  This method associates the message and the advertiser with the good causes promoted by various public, civic, and charitable organizations.  Distributions are made by a wide variety of organizations including schools, churches, non-profit United Way organizations of various kinds, fraternal organizations, state and federal agencies, your local Welcome Wagon, and many others.  This method is a strong image builder that creates a perception of honesty, integrity, and permanency in the community (and of course, we hope you actually ARE honest and have integrity!).
• Associations:  Any number of professional and business associations provide outstanding distribution value for items needed by these organizations for meetings and special events.  Using this method gives the perception of a great gift and creates a high implied endorsement value as well.

All of the distribution methods from this post and the previous post – Personal Distribution Plans, Carrier Distribution Plans, and Third Party Distributions - summarize most of the methods that you will use in delivering your custom imprinted merchandise.

You most likely have used one or some of these methods, and we hope you’ve learned a new one through these posts that has opened the “idea generator” to getting your next promotion off to a great start!

Distribution Methods (Part 1 of 2)

Putting together an idea for a promotion with custom merchandise is a fun experience.  You can get as creative as possible with the hundreds of thousands of merchandise items available.  Couple this with the ability to imprint absolutely anything you need on these items, it’s no wonder that specialty advertising with custom merchandise is one of the largest growing media today.

One very important aspect of creating a new promotion, however, is often the part that is sometimes the last piece of the puzzle, the distribution method.  The method you choose to actually deliver your merchandise to the end user can add just as much to the impact of your promotion as the product itself.  The distribution plan is the piece that gets the message to the right people.  It’s what makes your promotion a powerful targeted plan which reduces wasted advertising, a benefit not found with most marketing media.

There are many types of distribution methods available.  Most fit under three main categories – Personal Distribution, Carrier Distribution, and Third Party Distribution.  In this article we will review some of the methods involved with Personal Distribution methods, and we’ll review the other two methods, Carrier and Third Party Distributions, in our subsequent article in a few weeks.

Personal Distribution plans include methods which you or someone associated with your organization hands the item to someone.  Some of these methods include:

• Point of Purchase (POP):  sometimes called over-the-counter (OTC).  The specialty item is presented personally usually with some ceremony like: “Ms. Jones, we have a limited number of these (name the item) for our regular customers.  We’d like you to have one in appreciation for your business.”  If a premium incentive promotion is geared to attract new customers, you should add “Do you mind registering for our preferred customer plan?  We’ll notify you in advance of any upcoming sales.”
• Take One:  Customer takes an item, usually small and inexpensive, from a container imprinted with an appropriate message like:  “Free.  Please take one.  We sincerely appreciate your business.”  Containers are usually located on the sales counter or in waiting rooms.  Or in the case of hotels, restaurants, and hospitals, at a place convenient to guests or patients.
• Leave Behind:  Item left with customer by service people or sales reps.  Can be left with or for neighbors as well.
• Event Distributions:  Sometimes called “At Function”, items are distributed at and in association with special events like ground-breaking ceremonies, grand openings, company picnics, company tournaments and events external to the company like public events, civic organization meetings and events, and county and church fairs.
• Trade Shows:  Technically the same as Event Distributions, trade shows and specialty advertising are bread and butter partners in marketing.  Trade shows, conventions, and association meetings are outstanding opportunities for booth and on-floor distributions.
• Self Liquidation and Loss Leader:  Technically premium distributions, items are sold at cost or less normally as an incentive associated with purchase of a service or product.  Items may be sold without a purchase as a tie-in to prompt voluntary advertising when customer sends in coupon and payment for the item and receives more information.
• Employee:  Items are issued free or at cost or less to employees who act as voluntary “advertising agents” for their employer by displaying and distributing the item inside and outside their place of work.  Employers may issue several items to each employee asking they distribute them to friends and relatives for expanded exposure of the message.
• On-Pack:  With this distribution method the specialty item is physically attached to a product and used as a premium incentive to buy that product.  The product manufacturer or distributor normally attaches the specialty item to the product, but not necessarily.  You may be attracted to this method to feature or introduce a particular product and for the added value it gives a product which otherwise would be a slow mover.

Personal Distributions are usually the most cost-effective method of delivering your promotional items to the end-user.  This leaves more room in your budget for the actual product and message.

In our next article we’ll review the methods involved with Carrier and Third Party Distributions. Until then, enjoy your promotional planning!

Branding or Marketing?

I’m sure you’ve heard both of the terms “branding” and “marketing”.  In fact, I’m sure you’ve heard them used interchangeably many times as well.  Some folks simply refer to either term when trying to get across the idea of getting more exposure for their business or organization.  There is, however, a subtle difference in what these two terms mean.  And this difference can make a great impact to your immediate promotional results as it relates with custom merchandise.

When it comes to custom imprinted merchandise, the difference between these two terms comes down to what is imprinted on the product and how the product is used with the end user (your customer or prospect).  If the expected result is simply to keep your name “top of mind” to the end user, with nothing specific to say and no designated action for the end user to take, the product would be considered as a form of “branding”.  In other words, you just want people to see your name and/or logo multiple times over to establish a presence in their mind (much like branding on cattle!).  On the other hand, if you have a specific goal in mind, and imprint goal-specific information on your products, you would be taking more of a “marketing” approach.  The information to be printed on the merchandise could be certain benefits of your product or service along with a call to action for the end user to take.

As an example, lets imagine this scenario: a local pizza parlor decides to order two types of promotional t-shirts.  On one order the t-shirts have the pizza parlor’s business name and/or logo printed on the left chest.  On the other order the t-shirts have a large imprint on the full front which not only contains the parlor’s name and/or logo, but also states:

FREE SODA AFTER EVERY GAME!
Stop in at Pete’s Pizza on Main Street

Now, the pizza parlor takes both orders and distributes the t-shirts at various high school sports games during the school year.

What do you suppose would happen?  First off, people LOVE to receive free t-shirts, so both shirts would be highly accepted at every event.  But the difference is in the message.  People who received the shirt with the logo only would certainly be very appreciative to the pizza parlor, and may decide they should go down and try the pizza sometime.  People who received the shirt with the offer of free soda after the game, however, would react differently.  Not only would they decide to try the pizza parlor sometime, but, hey, why not after the game?  We get FREE soda, so we should do it tonight!

And that is where you feel the most impact with marketing versus branding.  Branding certainly has its place.  If you are hosting an event, merchandise branded with your logo adds a distinguished and successful image for your guests.  Also, supply items are also used as a branding item.  Pens in your office, the shirts your staff wear as uniforms, etc.  Things people see when they are already using your product or service or visiting your location.  Many very large corporations also use branding to situate themselves effectively.  Pepsi, Nike, and McDonalds to name a few.

But if you are looking to create the most immediate and effective result for your advertising budget, it is always a great choice to use your custom merchandise as a marketing tool, stressing a benefit to the end user that will give a reason to react to your call-to-action, whether it’s to visit your location, log on to your website, or give you a call.

Branding is for your overall image.  Marketing is to accomplish a specific task.  And with these differences in mind, you can more effectively choose which method you should use for your current needs.

The New Yankees!

It’s finally here!  The new Yankees Stadium will be offically inaugurated this week.  What does this mean for fans?

Cool promotional giveaways!  Today, opening day, will include “The Inaugural Season Opening Day Commemorative Pin”.  Tomorrow, the second home game will feature the official “2009 magnetic schedule”.  And folks attending the 3rd and 4th days of the new home field season opener will receive Yankee calendars!

It’s simple, these 4 promotional items are staples to keep the Yankees team branded in the homes of all of their fans, exactly where it should be!

Go Yankees!

It works for The Masters

If you were watching the Masters Golf Tournament this weekend, you may have caught a quick shot of bottled water!  Yes, bottled water!  And why would CBS Sports use a precious 10 seconds of coverage for something as simple as a bottle of water?  Well, as the announcer put it “It’s all about the branding“.   Yes, it makes perfect sense that an event as huge as The Masters would need to brand everything right down to the water. 

The bottled waters were adorned with a custom white label with The Masters logo in green and yellow (and although we’ve looked for a recap of the photos, we’ve been unable to find any!).  The folks who put together this golf tournament definitely understand how effective branding like this can be.  Look around at any event and see how many people are carrying bottled water.  It’s a huge market that is perfect to drive a marketing point home.

Why have all those other brands of bottled water travel around your special event?  Make your event as memorable and effective that it can be with your very own custom bottle of water to sell or give away!

Make an Impression (literally!)

Everyone wants to make their mark on the world and leave a great impression when they leave.  Usually this is simply a figure of speech, however, there is an actual way to do it! 

Check out these custom sandals from Neet Feet.  It just doesn’t get much cooler than this in the hot summer.

High quality surf style flip flops with a recessed Pantone color 3–layer sole, arch support, and embroidered, fleece lined fabric straps.  Perfect for school fund raising programs or beach wear.  Similar to Reef brand.  Available with optional “Logo Footprint” that leaves an imprint in the sand.

What a great idea for great impressions!