All things promotional marketing including industry news, trends, product features and more.
Promo How-To
Custom Stress Balls
Dec 27th
Stress balls are a longstanding, fan favorite giveaway item. They are incredibly effective when used for their intended purpose – stress relief – but we have all also used them for interoffice games of football and basketball, and they are great fun to toss out as giveaway items.
Stress balls have evolved over time, though, and they are not just made in your classic Round Stress Ball shape. This is great for people who would like a giveaway item that, upon first glance, really illustrates the nature of their business. If, for example, you work in the law industry, this Gavel Stress Ball is a great, fun idea for a promotional product that not only gets your logo out there, but lets people know what you’re about at first glance. If your industry of choice is the music industry, this Guitar Stress Ball is both cool and functional.
You can also get stress balls that are particular to the event at which you will be representing your business. For example, if you are at a sports event, don’t hesitate to pick up this Football Stress Ball. Even if you are just a sponsoring business and you don’t normally work in the sports industry, it can sometimes work to great benefit for you to tailor your promotional items to the particular event. This is even true if you’re doing a booth at holiday themed events – such as this Pumpkin Stress Reliever. Great for booths at mall walks geared toward safe trick-or-treating for kids.
Never be afraid to think outside the box when you are looking at custom stress balls as a promotional item for your business. They fit so well into any budget, you may even want to indulge your own inner child and invest in some of these Cup of Coffee Stress Relievers. And that’s more than okay. People cannot stop playing with custom stress balls once they have been given one, so people will be looking at your logo multiple times a day, and whether it’s because they’re stressed or they’re playing a quick game of catch at the water cooler, they’ll be thinking of your business.
How Small Businesses Can Use Promotional Marketing and Promotions Effectively
Oct 13th
By Karen Fischer, Principal, RK Fischer & Associates
What is promotional marketing? Most would agree that promotional marketing is strategy that companies utilize to stimulate customers to make a buying decision. This can be in the form of prizes/giveaways, contests, calls to action, coupons or many more activities. At the end of the day not only should the companies be trying to stimulate a buying decision, but should also be looking to have their company and brand recognized more than their competition. Also included in promotional marketing are the actual promotional items that can be utilized in the promotional activities which give way to company branding.
It is as important for small businesses to utilize promotional marketing as much or more than the large corporation because in most cases we already know their company and their branding. It is understood that the small business cannot afford the same level of promotional marketing due to budgetary constraints, but there are definitely ways to make sure your company name and your brand are recognized to meet not only your budget, but to get the return, recognition, and prospects you want.
Direct Marketing is a very effective way to utilize promotional marketing to get your brand recognized externally and generate leads. The next time you run that contest online or use print advertising and give away a high end gift to attract leads, look at the option to brand it with your logo. The winner cares about the gift for their participation; they do not care if it is branded with your company logo. Every time the person uses the promotional item, it will be seen and recognized not only by themselves but by others that might see it and ask about the company. The same is true about the use of promotional item as a call to action for a direct mail campaign or as a giveaway at an event such as a trade show or conference.
For a small business, your employees can be your greatest ambassadors, especially those that travel or visit customers on a regular basis such as sales and service personnel. Promotional items can be utilized by employees to promote the company by wearing and using items that are branded with the company logo and taglines such as shirts, jackets, briefcases, or portfolios. Whether we admit it or not, we do tend to notice and it sticks in our minds when we see a company logo over and over. I am very aware and remember the people who attend my networking groups that wear their company shirts. Think of this as basic advertising for your business. Employees should also wear branded items at events to show their company pride and brand. The days are gone of suits and ties standing in a trade show booth. It is less intimidating to talk to the guy in the khakis and golf shirt with a company logo than the suit, even though it is apparent they are both trying to sell you something.
One use of promotional items that is underutilized is that of employee recognition. Think about when you reward an employee through winning a contest or for special performance next time to think about providing something that you have engraved with your company logo. This can also be done for employee gifts for holidays as well.
If you happen to belong to the Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade or any other Non-Profit Association, at one time or another you will be asked to sponsor or provide giveaways for an event such as a golf tournament. You get to decide what gifts to choose so why not provide something that has your brand on it for them to remember. Instead of just a golf bag or club, why not have your logo engraved on it.
The key to using promotional items anywhere is choosing the appropriate gift or giveaway. Too many times companies buy really cheap giveaways that end up in a drawer. Instead of giving something to everyone that no one will remember or use – choose the prospects or customers to receive a gift. Better yet, choose the occasion of why they are receiving the gift, whether it is when they sign a contract, are just a valued customer to remember at the holidays, provided you with a case study/press release, or just happen to be the right targeted prospect that walked in your booth. You want the receiver to remember your company and your brand, versus handing one out to everyone. The more unique and appropriate the gift or giveaway, the more memorable it will be. A couple of the best gifts I have received from vendors and use the most is a 256 Gigabyte portable backup drive and a USB hub that has 4 additional ports. I carry these with me everywhere and use them every day in my office. I have been asked several times where I got them and told them about the companies that provided the gift. One conversation ended up in providing the company a referral.
The use of promotional marketing and promotional items should be part of your marketing plan and budget just like any other marketing activity. Just don’t forget the next time you are developing your marketing plan to try utilizing promotional marketing and promotional items, as brand and company recognition are even more important to small businesses in gaining traction and new prospects.
RK Fischer & Associates is a small business consulting and advisory firm which serves Canadian small businesses and is located in the Toronto GTA. Visit us at www.asmallbusinessconsultant.ca, to see how we can help you with your small business requirements.
Swag Done Right
Aug 5th
Often simple, occasionally deluxe and sometimes humorous, promotional products and corporate swag perform their jobs very well: generating word-of-mouth advertising for businesses. How often does it happen that a friend borrows a pen, looks at the imprinted name and asks about that particular business? The friend may not become an immediate customer but the business name and information received will stick in his memory from the visual impact of the promotional stuff.
Corporate swag done right leaves a memorable impression whether humorous or meaningful. Shaw Communications, as one of the top Internet service providers in Canada, might generate a giggle if they stressed their online security tool in a marketing campaign with promotional stuff like hand sanitizer. The Orange Group, an up-and-coming website development company, could symbolize lighting the way to a newly renovated or created website using miniature LED flashlights as tradeshow giveaways.
Design is an essential part of successful swag!
Custom promotional items need to have thought and concept behind them; this is especially true for tradeshow giveaways. Tradeshows are infamous for people walking out with bags of swag. Successful swag is clever. Think of an Internet travel agency handing out mosquito traps for clients that book accommodations at a fly-in fishing lodge. Those would be custom promotional items that stand out in the consumer’s mind.
It would be difficult to meet this level of Canadiana with every promotion but tee shirts and sweatshirts can become a collectors item based on the artwork alone. CBC did wonderful marketing with their collection of tee shirts and sweatshirts incorporating classic images such as The Big Snit and The Log Driver’s Waltz. A business logo, slogan or campaign can just as easily stand out and become an item in demand using a cool art background.
Everybody likes swag. Free promotional stuff gets people’s interest. When swag is done right, it is it interesting and made of quality. Who does not like walking away feeling as though they gained? What company does not like the word-of-mouth advertising gained from promotional products?
It is true that people cannot be bought but businesses that follow the tradition of radio stations get the name of the company out there. When a person holds a custom promotional item in his hand and recalls how memorable the item is to the idea, slogan, tangent or basic concept behind the swag, it is never a fail!
Promotional Toques Warm the Brand Image
Aug 4th
If there is one thing Canadians know, it is how to keep warm in winter. That knowledge is an instinctive talent we possess. When it comes to keeping our heads warm, we know that winter toques are a Canadian fashion necessity.
Showing your pride never felt so warm!
The origin of the toque is uncertain. There is a story that European sailors originated this type of head covering: They would wear large wool stockings on their heads in order to retain body heat. There is another story that fur traders in Canada would wear wool nightcaps during the day to fend off the cold. Regardless of its birth, the toque is certainly a Canadian staple.
I was born and raised in Winnipeg. I know toques. I also spent a few years living in Iowa and am amused by some of the explanations I had to come up with when my American friends would ask about Canadianisms: The word toque rhymes with Luke, the scruffy officer on Hill Street Blues wore a toque and Santa Claus wears a fancy toque. In some regions of the world toques are called toboggans but it was hard work convincing my friends that, to a Canadian, a toboggan is that wooden contraption used to slide down a hill. A person from Canada would find it difficult to walk through the doors of their work place wearing a toboggan on his head instead of this wonderful toque with the colours of Canada.
This covering is known everywhere regardless of whether it is called a beanie, a toboggan or a toque. This popularity makes promotional toques a hit. When fall turns into winter, we all begin to search our closets for favourite branded toques as it is almost a national past time to read the logos on these wonderful creations as we pass each other on the street.
Think of the impact of a black toque against the white snow brandishing your company logo for all to see. Warming heads with a custom toque may also warm your brand image with potential future customers.
From the knit beanie that fits close to the head to the floppy version worn by that beloved cartoon character in The Log Driver’s Waltz vignette from the National Film Board of Canada, the toque is a Canadian institution that will always exist.