Promoting Your Business In A Recession With Giveaways -unit K4 - By: Jules Rosen

Promotional products giveaways are standard enticement products or rewards offered to targeted clients at grand openings, trade shows, consumer shows, within business organizations and the retail environment. They can be referred to as "advertising specialties" which are meant to lure people to take notice and become future business opportunity. These can also be in the form of incentives and premiums given to employees or clients to motivate and compensate them for their efforts and contribution to the business. Considering the significant role that these giveaways are expected to play, it is imperative to create appropriate and effective items which carry value and message for the targeted customer. One needs to keep the final objective of the giveaway in mind, to come up with a most creative ideas and concepts to hit the nail's head. For a business meeting or sales meeting, design motivational giveaway products like a wallet with the salesman's name on it, meant to be used for his future additional commissions that he would draw after using the meeting's educational discussions. Another effective way is to give an unsigned bonus check for each salesman as a continuous reminder to earn this money by improving performance and meeting their sales targets. You need to relate the giveaway product to the theme of your business meeting for better impact and recall. For trade or consumer shows, your giveaway should be prized enough to have an impact on the target's buying decisions. Do keep in mind to at least have the visitor's contact details to have them on your mailing list. The advertising specialty product normally comes engraved or inscribed with your company's name and logo. Do not compromise on the quality of the product to have a detrimental or discounting effect on the reputation of your company. The giveaway should have end-use value to the customer and be ideally created to be positioned in the most appropriate and accessible place when needed. For an example, a Domino's Pizza fridge magnet with their nearest contact home delivery detail would be an ideal promotional giveaway; when there is nothing to eat in the refrigerator is when you need this delivery number. The perfect giveaways are the ones which help your guest or visitor to do their task quicker and better. They should rate high on the perceived value for the user and at same time cost you less for producing it. Intellectual property and information related products carry a highest perceived worth and are lowest on actual production cost. Examples include article reprints, reports, audio-visual tapes, ebooks and software. If used as giveaways, these products choose the targets on their own as they hardly carry any value generically. The next to perfect giveaways can include some products that your visitor is expecting or which would help him do his job better or which he would not spend on himself or products that is so uniquely attractive to naturally convert him into a potential buyer. If you do decide to exploit giveaways or premiums, go for a meaningful or useful product for the prospective customer, which can at the same time; be compelling to get you enhanced sales. Specialized tools for professionals are good examples; a plasticized slide ruler for landscape experts or a calculator that can be mounted on the keyboard for computer programmers. Another tip is to provide valuable information that the customer can refer back to whenever needed. Example can be a laminated wallet insert card which can list down the required information for easy access and use. A great idea to offer a promotional product is to do it in a controlled manner; meaning to request the visitor to attend a presentation or complete a questionnaire or a survey before they qualify for the premium product like a T-shirt, sunglasses or a hat. It is advised to not get yourself into a promo giveaway war with other promoting companies; look for the most appropriate unique product which is applicable to your business. Never use promo products like trivial things and candy bowls which are less in value as an exhibit for your business. Such giveaways do not get you serious visitors and buyers; they just attract people interested in candies and occupy valuable exhibit space and time which can otherwise be put into some better use to enhance sales. Avoid promotional gimmicks which attract crowds interested in the involved cash prizes and are actually not your targeted clients. If your marketing goal is to swell your mailing lists, then hold draws to give usable things away. Smaller and multiple prizes are preferable than a single and huge prize at the end of any show. The advertising specialties that you offer at trade shows should be versatile enough to choose their qualified targets. For example, while marketing toner cartridges, it is better and more reasonable to offer a free gift when one leaves their contact details instead of offering them a music system. Your campaign should attract the prospective buyers, not every uninterested individual. Such unqualified leads are not required and achieve no ends for you. Instead of choosing generic products as promos, select those items which will be of direct significance to the prospects. Finally, your giveaways can also be in the form of incentives which would bring your prospects for repeated visits and help you in your business endeavors.

Were You Misled About Smoking At A Young Age - By: Aydan Corkern

This seems to be the reaction you get when you ask long time smokers why they started in the first place. They thought it was cool and besides everyone smoked back then. In the late seventies. Tobacco companies advertised all these people on television that looked so attractive when they lit up almost as if you had to smoke to enjoy the evening and another one was when they had all that neat camping stuff they offered you to encourage you to buy, and if you save your miles that come on the packages, you could get some great stuff. The real kicker was and is, when you smoke cigarettes, who has the breath to go camping and hiking and all of the other physical activities that you can do in the great outdoors? Making cigarette smoking look so glamorous and enjoyable is possibly the reason many people started this nasty habit, that now, they have so much difficulty putting down. Many can not do it even though they know there life depends on it and it does. You would be amazed at the number of people that have been diagnosed with lung diseases, but still continue to smoke. Many of them think that it is too late to quit, but as long as you are still breathing, it is never too late to stop. When a smoker is pressed about quitting, you will probably not get them to say when they will ever quit. This is the common response you get when asking a smoker why they are now spending such a large portion of their paycheck each week for cigarettes. We all know cigarettes are highly addictive and is as hard to quit as if you were hooked on some other kind of drug like cocaine or heroin. Is this all caused by being misled by the huge tobacco companies with all their advertising that was done about smoking in the past? They still have the nerve to continue advertising where they can even today and actually try to suggest ways to quit while they are still selling this deadly product. You should ask yourself if this advertising and peer pressure is what led you to smoking cigarettes at a younger age. Starting to smoke when you are young and impressionable, especially when years ago cigarettes were sold to minors like candy at the candy store, but you are now grown and still smoke. Knowing the proven risk of lighting up and the results that come from it, continuing to smoke can not be blamed on anyone but yourself. There is nothing you can do about being misled into smoking at a young age now, but you can make yourself stop just like you started, one step at a time. If you estimate what you spend on this habit now, that alone should give you some incentive to quit, not to mention what you are doing to your health.

Printed USB drives – Get Your Messages Across - By: PrintUSB

The latest in the never ending range of promotional products currently available are printed USB drives. From big corporations, small & medium companies, to individuals, these printed USB drives are fast becoming indispensable marketing tools. They also make for good corporate gifts in that they ensure a customer’s name reaches a wider audience. Furthermore, these same drives can also be used by individuals such as aspiring musicians, entertainers, artists, writers as well as countless others who can make the most of the huge storage capability offered in these drives, which can, be used to showcase their talent in a very easy and accessible manner. And the best part is that with printed USB drives, they can get their messages across and leave a lasting memory thanks to the inscription on the drives, which act as a constant reminder of the said company. There are a wide range of design options to choose from when selecting a design. The exterior designs are manufactured by reputable companies, such as PrintsUSB.com, and can be crafted to perfection. Printed USB Drives can take on many shapes and sizes depending on the specific client’s preference, the only limitation being their imagination. Moreover, promotional USB drives are available in a host of colors, shapes, and sizes. Consequently, both individuals as well as institutional users can utilize these high-end tools to bolster up and embellish a brand value . Printed USB drives are usually made from materials such as silicon and aluminum, but can also be made from wood and bamboo. In addition, many of these Promotional USB Drives can be built to sustain the normal wear and tear of day-to-day use. The drives can be equipped with a wide range of storage options, with the obvious intent on adhering to the client’s specific needs and requirements. Also, special features such as shock resistance and water resistance are offered to help certain drives from being damaged while being used. Print USB products may be small in their looks; however, they are universal in their accessibility. Many providers ensure that printed USB drives incorporate the latest technology in their design to meet current demands. Special care is also taken to ascertain optimum storage capacity. So the next time you want to get your messages across to others, you could go for these very effective, innovative, and viable options from established e-tailers such as www.printusb.com.

New Business, Does My Marketing Need To Push or Pull? - By: Debora Kinsler

When a business is trying to promote a new product in the introduction stage, the public is not aware of the product therefore a "push" strategy instead of a "pull" strategy should be utilized. Instead of trying to pull your customers in utilize the push strategy whereby the strategy is to get the product to your buyers/customers without advertising. Some successful push strategies might include: Direct E-mail Campaigns Banner Advertising Word of Mouth Advertising Trade Shows (depending on your product) E-mail advertising has quickly become a major method of no cost advertising for all businesses whether they are new and old. E-mail advertising allows a business owner to maximize sales while minimizing expenses. Four advantages to a good e-mail marketing campaign are: Increased sales conversion Ability to generate repeat sales Up-sell and Cross-sell products Gain valuable feedback from your customers Sales Conversions. Statistics show that it takes 7-9 visits to a web site before a purchase is made. When someone visits your site, you have captured their e-mail address and can then utilize the pull strategy in which you develop advertising and promotional strategies that are meant to entice the prospect to buy your product or service. Some examples are half off or use this coupon to save 25% or, a free e-book or some other creative incentive. This is a great method to use if someone leaves your site without purchasing your product. Repeat Sales. Keeping in touch with customers that have previously ordered on a regular basis via e-mail is critical for customer service and creating trust. By doing this, you can more easily generate repeat sales that can be up to four times more profitable than the initial purchase. Up-sell and Cross-sell. E-mail gives you the chance to offer another product that coincides with the purchase. Such as someone who orders "Dotcomology The Science of Making Money on the Internet" would also benefit greatly from "SEO Made Easy" In your e-mail thanking them for their purchase of Dotcomology, you could simply suggest the benefits of "SEO Made Easy" Valuable Feedback. If you provide a section in your website that allows for customer comments you will allow your customers to provide feedback on your website, what they like or dislike about your website or products, offer reviews etc. This in turn will let you know what you need to do to enhance your site or product offerings. Another very popular method of push strategy is by use of banner advertising. A banner and link are displayed on a high traffic web site, in which the people visiting that site see when the page loads. This banner would advertise your product or service. Banner advertising in generally used to: Sell more of your products Notify previous buyers of new products or discounts Get people to remember your company name and business. Even though click-through-rates of dropped 0.39% on average, many companies both large and small are still sing banner advertising successfully. It is still possible to get a click through rate many times the industry average by combining good placement and design. Combining less than average advertising rates and above average response rates can lead to an acceptable ROI. In the past few years another method of push marketing has grown exponentially. Word of mouth advertising. Think about what you do if you are happy with a particular product or service. You tell everyone about it, especially if it is something that will help them. You do the same thing if you are dissatisfied with a product, except you loudly discourage it. Encourage your customers to spread the word about your product or service by offering them a referral incentive or discount on another purchase.

The Benefits of Promotional Gifts - By: crobike

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Getting a business to take off is not that easy especially for new ones that have just made its entry into the market. Constant and random advertising is needed, something that is unusual and interesting and that will get people talking and make the name of your company or the product that you are selling well known by majority of the people. Sounds easy right? In real world however most adverts fall short of their expectations and produce short lived results that leave much more to be desired. Well then why not go for promotional gifts and items? This is one way of advertising that will definitely guarantee a wider audience than any television advert (which is expensive to keep on air because of the ridiculous prices that are tagged on them especially if run in the middle of a major television show that generates a massive audience). There is nothing in this world that people are more fond of than free stuff and anytime that a company has some free things it is offering, then there is as sure a chance of attracting a huge number of people. The goal here is not to go around being generous; it is using this fact to your advantage. Make an offer like, ‘buy two get the third absolutely free’ or ‘get 50%discount for the second item you purchase that is of equal or higher price’. If you in doubt whether this will work then yes. It has had a long history of success. Printing of logos is an ingenious idea. This can be on mugs, t shirts, umbrellas and anything else that can come to mind and is realistic. This requires a fun day for the company or a meeting where you are sure that the audience will take home the items with them. In close relation with this is this is giving away of free products like branded bags or caps for anything that the customers buy from the company. This is a great idea since you can tag these gifts to most of the products while still retaining enough to build worthy profits. Depending on the company the choice of branding of logos will be from simple things like plastic bags, moving upwards to stationery and related stuff. The corporate leaders can come up with more technical gifts like watches that are sure to hang around with the customers for as long as possible. The main goal of using promotional items goes beyond advertising. It is a way that the company moves closer to the market by giving back to the community and establishing unspoken relationships. Besides, it is a way of getting good reviews and positive impressions that the company is part of the community and that it has a lot more to offer than what they see on the supermarket shelves. Employees also get part of the cake in promotional items by getting salary increments and tour packages to improve their productivity.

Promotional Gifts – Allowing the Businesses to Grow - By: Paula Jones

For anything that needs to become strong, first make the base strong. This is a true statement! These days, many business organizations are opting for this exact fact and trying to make their base strong by adopting few noble steps. Among all these noble steps promotional gifts are gaining high demand. Well, its time to get rid of these root and base story! Competition level is what that has propelled many companies to a back foot. To get rid of such problem all you need a strong clientele that can support you financially and with other objectives. These days, getting new customer and handling the pressure of the competition level can not be accomplished at one time. Also there will be few busy business schedules that may not allow you to go for extra miles for finding the right kind of solution for your business purpose. Well, in this regard you can look for promotional gifts that are gaining high demand among all the business institutions. Promotional gifts are the solid platform that allows you to concentrate hard on your client’s satisfaction. This is the exact thing that everyone out there is looking for. Through promotional gifts you can have a close look at your client’s satisfaction level while sitting at your office. How? Well, send your clients promotional gift during the festive season. This exact activity can show them the importance you bear in mind for them in mind. On the other hand promotional gifts can play a vital part in promoting your new products or services. Promotional gifts allow you to ensure that your clientele base is not moving away from you as far as the serious competition is concerned. These days, customers are getting more and more curious about extra benefits for their lending of service towards your organization. While purchasing one of your products, one customer is supporting your organization and for that he/she needs to be rewarded. Therefore, promotional gifts are the best ways to support them with a reward for their act they played for your organization. In this regard you can look for such promotional gifts that can transfer the message of your organization directly to the esteemed customers.

Long lasting Outcome of Corporate Promotional Gifts - By: Paula Jones

Talking about the various corporate gifts also referred as promotional gifts has given various endeavors and businesses working great and successfully. They offer fabulous things and is benefited to everyone which one can count simply for a good time and days. When captioned, these items have several outcomes, some stay for a longer period and some vanish with in a short span of time. These gifts which are promotional are really out of question some times which one cannot think too! With these gifts, you can keep your CUSTOMERS loyal for your business which is one of the most important things in these types of businesses. There is competition every where in the market now days and many companies who are jealous of your business or are your rivals, offer great deals and try to take your customers away from you. But if you play safe with these corporate promotional gifts, you can be rest assured that your clients will be loyal you too even though others try hard to drift away them from you. Brand awareness is a MUST which should be of high level! If your brand is really that good and of course well established in the market, then none of your competitors can take your clients away from you. There are many aspects which get affected by these corporate promotional gifts, interest groups relations, a business shares within the company. Your clients or audiences should know how HIGH VALUED your BRANDS are, so that they stick to your organization. The great way to make your clients happy and make them feel good, say “I care” or “We care”, rather than making them feel that you are just giving these promotional gifts not just for earning good revenue for the company but you really care about them and want them to be happy at the same time. This way, they will not only be loyal to you but will give you a good business too at the same time rather than vanishing with your rivals. They will not only be with you but will also take your business ahead, and will take you to the top where you want to be! The greatest asset for your company is your loyal customer.