Yep, sitting for long periods of time… in the cold… on HARD bleachers!!! Ahhh, the fun of fall. A stadium seat cushion would be a welcome relief, and your ad can be seen and “felt” by a great deal of folks!

You may not have considered seat cushions in the past, but you may want to give them a look.

In this rough and unpredictable economy, it is hard to think of investments.  Many businesses forsake promoting themselves when the economy gets bad…and that is the time that promotion should be foremost.  The business cycle shows that from recession comes depression, but from depression comes recovery.  It WILL get better.  Look back to the Great Depression.  It was terrible…but the country flourished after that.  It will happen again.  After that recovery will come a peak, and then a recession again.  This country is 233 years old.  It has happened before.

To shift the economy, it takes action by businesses.  A business hires more than it can handle, the people have money, they spend money, and the business is paid back for it’s stress.  I am not trying to convince you to hire out of your means, because it can work the other way around, too.  People spend money, businesses have more money, people are hired…it goes the same way.  To help push people to spend, a promotion is a useful tool.  Spending money always helps MAKE money.  It may seem bleak, but just keep on truckin’.

Audience means a lot in business.  If you are selling to a more…vintage audience, cartoons aren’t a good idea.  At the same time, formal promotions do nothing for us youngsters. Even with the same logo, this can be achieved depending on what you put the logo on.

A more mature audience will more likely keep a promotion if it is practical.  Mugs, blankets, and housewares tend to stay around.  On the other hand, things like flip-flops and guitar-pick necklaces appeal to the youth.  Colors variations between the products can help as well.

Some products can easily be modified to fit both a young and an aged audience.  Calendars are a great example of these promos.  Depending on the pictures and colors, a calendar can appeal to anyone’s taste.

Maybe these tips can help bridge the generation gap!

Whether it be personal or business, first impressions count. The question is, how can you make the first impression of your business better? Primarily, you have to think about what ‘message’ you want to be conveyed about your business.  Quality and reliability are two useful messages.

Nice, looks-like-you-care sign letters on a clean building can make a wonderful impression. Cheery and knowledgeable sales reps also help with impressions. And not only in ‘real life’ but a neat, well organized and informational website can work wonders on a company image.

A potentian customer makes a decision in about two seconds as to what business they want to use. Making a good impression makes all the difference!

Food Gifts are offered in many flavorful varieties… pun intended and are not only enjoyed when they are delivered, but the memory of the food gift is recalled long after the “real” taste is gone.  When you are considering a promotional item to offer your customers… you may want to strongly consider a really nice food gift.

If you really can’t bring yourself to give chocolate or cookies, maybe a nice food gift basket would hit the spot!  If nothing in the food gift line works on your taste buds, there is so much more to choose from… In addition to many high quality food gifts, (like chocolate gifts, gift baskets, candy jars, coffee sets, etc.) you could choose from hundreds of thousands of custom promotional products for your business or organization.

You may seriously want to give the food gifts a taste… I mean, give them a test

This is a continuation of the post Details, Details, Details…

A promo advertises a company, sure.  But if a keyring just says XYZ Company…who will know what they do?  I’ll show you how to establish “top-of-mind” association with promos.

What is “top-of-mind” association?  Take for instance, that XYZ Company sells light fixtures and bulbs.  Well, they already have a keyring (mentioned in the previous post) talking about “Lighting your way” to their product.  Another promo they could use would be a lightbulb-shaped stress ball.  In the end-user’s mind, XYZ will be linked to lights/lightbulbs.  It may not pay off immediately, but the stress balls plus the keyrings, plus a few other promos…and the snowball-effect with “top-of-mind” association will pay off!

…It’s All In The Details!!

Now what do I mean?  Lets look at a promo key ring.

One particular keyring is blue with a company name on it.  Whoo?…I didn’t think so.   What is different, catchy, or eye-grabbing about it?  Nothing.

Now lets look at this other keyring.  It has a company name on it, sure…but it also has a little ‘tag line’ (the tag line is “Lighting your way to XYZ”) that makes someone remember it .  And don’t worry about it being ‘lame’…people remember lame stuff too!

Do your best to make it about the product, as in the “Light you way” example on a keyring flashlight.  Sure, it may seem a bit too…cute, but for an end-user based company emotions help.

Remember the details!!  I’ll talk more about this in a later post.

Here’s the continuation of “Take A Chance With “Spins”"!

Now mugs…you can’t make an open mug . Thus, there are constraints
on the shape. However, there are as many styles of mugs as there are
coffee grounds in a pot. Meaning, not everything has to have straight
edges and a half-circle handle. Wide mouth mugs, pot-bellies, and
curving sides can make a mug seem elegant or playful. Decoration also
helps. Bright colors, toned glazes, and 3D embelishments can make all
the difference in a promotional mug. Look at these handmade medallion mugs.
Why are they great for promotions? First off, they are handmade. This
adds in the power of promotion because no two are the same. Secondly,
look at the shapes. All of them have a distinct ‘feel’ and style. The
glaze colors only help to accentuate this. Lastly, take a gander at
those medallions. Clean and distinct, these crests make all the
difference. A business logo placed here seems to be a part of the mug
itself, not just stamped on. Add to all this the quality and rustic
beauty of these mugs, and you have a winner!

Take a look at your current promotional tools, whether they be
t-shirts, keyrings, mugs, mousepads, or whatever. Now imagine how you
can make them different from the rest. That’s what spins are
all about; standing out. If you can stand out from the crowd in any
way, it can only help your company. Trying out new ’spins’ on old
favorites can bring a fresh face to your promotions, and a fresh wave
of business for your company.

Almost everyone in the US and elsewhere has seen a simple square keyfob with a logo screened on it. The same happens with mugs…simple colored mugs with screened logos abound. So how can keyrings or mugs be original, dynamic, eye-catching promotions? Simple, take the basics for a SPIN!

Not sure what I’m typing about? Take, for instance, the U-Ring. U-Rings are an innovative way to promote a business in a graphic fashion. A simple silver-plated “U” is topped on either end with cast 3D icons and adorned with an engravable tag. But what makes them work better than a cheap, plastic keyfob? Well, for one, they are DIFFERENT. Everyone has at least a few dozen split-ring keychains. A U-Ring…now that can catch a few eyes. Of course…catching eyes leads to infleuence of an advertisement. Therefore, making something eye-catching is helping your business! And the quality of an item like this only makes the infleuence last longer!

I will cover much more on this topic in a future post!

In the promotion of a business, it often seems like we simply can’t make it past GO without going through a Ride on some Railroad or a trip directly to jail! Often the “work” of business promotion seems to be a lot like “playing” a game of chance… like rolling the dice.

The fact is, if you solve the puzzle of how to use some type of game as your business promotion you will probably be passing GO more often and have happier customers in the process. The games and toys segment continues to show steady returns, both on the retail and promotional side.

U.S. retail sales of toys generated $22.1 billion in 2007 compared to $22.6 billion in 2006, a decline of only two percent, despite the toy industry recalls and difficult economic conditions that plagued the industry in 2007, according to leading consumer and retail information company, The NPD Group.

Your use of games to promote your business could range from puzzles to yo-yos to stress relievers to a barrel of monkeys. It could be a customized spin on an old-time favorite game such as checkers or a totally new, original design. The concepts are endless (using promotional toys), and so are the ways you can use them to build customer loyalty and/or product awareness.