Take a second and look around.  You are probably at your desk reading this blog post or you are reading this on your phone. My bet is you have a few promotional items around that you may not realize are there anymore, but for one reason or another you kept it nearby.  Me?  Just at my office, I have an acrylic cup from one of my favorite vacation spots, a cup from the World Championship Goat Cook-Off, a couple of coasters, one representing my Longhorns, koozies from numerous clients, a client’s calendar and too many pens to count! At home, I have so many chip clips that I am never hurting for one when in need! Do I use them all?  Yes!  That’s what makes them effective.  Even the notepad that I love so much I use it daily has the company’s logo on it.

Promotional items are often no different than the everyday items you buy, but often they are unique items you didn’t realize you needed (or wanted) until you got them. But what makes promotional items so special is that every time you see them, the company’s name and brand are further solidified in your mind.

Promotional items are walking billboards for your company.  They have a number of benefits, which we will get to momentarily, and they have an unlimited amount of uses.  They don’t even have to be given away for free to see a real return.

Take for example one of our favorite clients, Happy Hollow Frio River Outfitters. They order promotional items each year for the summer season. This year, they opted for a double wall tumblers one of the choice items. These awesome tumblers are perfect for their clientele who are enjoying a day or a weekend on the river.  The tumblers have lids that screw on for a secure fit, a straw for easy drinking that won’t fall out, and they are naturally insulated making these a perfect vessel for holding (and keeping in) cold beverages while tubing down the river.  In just three days of putting it on their shelves, they blew through almost 10% of their inventory equating to a 15% return on their investment.  And the best part is that each cup has their name and contact info on it.  So whoever sees these awesome cups, will remember the name and will want one as well.  Remember, promo items are walking billboards for your business!

When working with a client, we help them decide what items would most speak to their client. We want to make sure they get something that their clients need and build on their brand recognition as well.  A lot of companies sell their promotional items, but most promotional items don’t have to be products you resell.  They can be effective giveaways that reap higher returns in sales and have a high ROI.  We can help you decide if a giveaway or an item for sale is right for your company.  Promotional items can be a silent salesperson for your products or services.

Here are some important things to remember when deciding on your next promotional item.

1.  Like anything else in your marketing strategy, take the time to think about your audience, event (season, a trade show, a sales event, etc) and result you want to accomplish.  Is it brand recognition, sales, awareness?  Promotional items can be used by all types of organizations.  Your strategy will depend on your company’s goals, so be sure to set clear goals for what you want to accomplish.

2. The item you give away is a direct representation of your company.  Make it count. Be creative! There are thousands of items available.

3. Give people what they want.  Don’t give away pens at sporting event.  No one is going to be signing contracts, they are there to have fun. Find items that fit your niche.

4. Make sure your logo, your website, phone number, or some other way to contact you is included on the item. Even on the smallest products, people need to be able to reach you. People who receive promotional items recall the names of the companies that they received them from by about 25% more than those they read about in an ad.

5. If your budget is small, limit your giveaway, don’t skimp on quality.  You can supplement with light marketing material (brochures, postcards, etc.) and keep the promotional items for your target audience.  Another option is to seek out partnership opportunities to defray some of the costs.

6. Don’t buy more than you need and don’t buy items that can’t be used again.  Some items have a shelf life so be aware because you don’t want to be stuck with a bunch of items that you can’t use.

7. Use items as giveaways in contests and drawings. This is an excellent way to get people to sign up, it helps with limited budgets, and it increases the perceived value of the items being given away. Additionally, you can use it as an incentive for customers to buy more.  Bundle the giveaway with a sales unit.  Buy 2 and get x for free!

8. Rewards – Promotional items are an inexpensive and effective way to thank your best customers and reward  affiliates with whom you do business.

Full Moon Design Group can help you with your promotional strategy and help you find the perfect item to reach your target audience. Did you like those Tumblers?  Check out the info sheet for your business: Tumbler

As a side note, I want to send a special thanks to Jerry & Melissa for another fantastic Frio River Funcation!!

Frio River Fanatic,

Katie O.

How to Green Up your Marketing

There are many ways to be a little bit greener when marketing your product and thus reducing your company’s carbon footprints along the way.  No matter what the size of your marketing campaign, you can incorporate the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) into your marketing efforts.

Green Marketing Tips

Some examples of how to incorporate the three R’s are as follows:

• - Spend more time focusing your target list and targeting only true potential customers with your printed materials or promotional items; being careful to only order what you need according to the list.
• - Discuss using digital and online proofs with your designer vs. paper proofs wherever appropriate.
  Have all of your marketing materials printed on recycled paper with no more than 10% post-consumer waste
• - Using Soy inks for printing rather than petroleum-based inks.  Their colors are richer, they create less waste in the printing process and they are more-easily stripped off paper during the recycling process.  Also, please keep in mind that 90% of American Daily Newspapers print with soy inks.  Full Moon Design Group works with “green” print vendors that use vegetable and soy-based inks.
• -  When ordering promotional items, request that they be made from recycled items, like old tires and plastic bottles.  Try to make sure that the promotional product is something that the recipient can and will want to use over and over again.
• - Finally, recycle every opportunity you can.  You can even recycle that promotional drink koozie you have left over; they make great pen holders you know.

Green Marketing for Greener Results

Just by following one of the steps mentioned above, your company can decrease their carbon footprint.  You can also share your green marketing efforts with your clients, by having Full Moon Design Group incorporate a “Made from Recycled …” message, as well as a recycle logo on all your marketing materials.  For more information on how to market green, you can give us a shout and you can visit the Website for the Green Marketing Coalition at www.greenmarketingcoalition.com.