360 Promotions – let's brand together

I recently referred a business to a friend that was in desperate need of their services – my friend immediately hung up with me and called Company A.  Company A had a recording on their line that gave an e-mail address and advised that communication would be conducted within this medium.  My friend is a busy person and she doesn’t have the time to keep this on her To-Do-List.  She is now on the path, so she just starts calling people that she finds under that type of service for our area under Google.  Company B is found, interviewed, hired and my referral status has just been demoted!

This is another one of those hmmmmm……moments for me.  The same practice has recently happened to me several times and I am wondering if this is the start of a trend?  A few months ago we had a wonderful person that we hired for a very important project at home – we loved her and the people that worked for her!  Problem….whenever I tried to schedule follow-up visits they would e-mail me dates and times.  I would e-mail them back and those times would now be unavailable.  We would try and again – yadda, yadda…down the road and still no appointment.  It was becoming too much work for me to spend my money with this company – why can’t we take care of this in one five minute phone conversation????  Since this happened I don’t even bother with companies that I have encountered that want me to e-mail them.  I do the same thing my friend did and keep going down the line – Let’s face it….there are very few industries that have only one person that does what you need! 

Why don’t I mind leaving a message, but I do mind e-mailing?  If I leave a message I have placed the ball in the court and anticipate a phone call where we will wrap up the business in less than 5 minutes.  It gives me the feeling of being really close to checking that task off of my MILE long to-do list.  Maybe it is a case of “Voice Mail Compassion”, – since I also work for a small company and while we have tried a million and one things to prevent calls from having to go to voice mail – The closest we get to the Magic Solution is that we immediately return phone calls!

So, my questions is….what is the logic behind this method?  Right now, it  feels like “They’re Just Not That Into Me” !

Shipping is part of everyday life for us as we have multiple packages in transit daily with UPS and FedEx. We track all packages from the time they leave the factory until they show up at your door and we have experience shipping everything from a 2”x 2” x 1” gift box to pallets that have to be offloaded with a fork lift. I know the UPS days in transit schedule better than I know my own schedule!

With that said, one of my biggest pet peeves is outrageous shipping charges. Last night I purchased a paperback book from a well know online retailer and when I checked out the s/h charge was $12.  I know from experience that I can ship a 48” x 8” tube of umbrellas that weights approx. 10 lbs. from Texas to New Jersey for $13.42. Something seems a little off, right?

I am obviously a pro-business person and don’t begrudge anybody running a profitable business. However unless you’re UPS, your profit model should not revolve around gouging customers on shipping charges. I can promise you that is not something we practice nor will we ever. In fact, I give clients the option to use there own shipper number.

360 Promotions specializes in helping companies gain brand recognition and shipping is just a means to an end. Don’t get sidetracked and loose focus of your true specialty – work hard to be the best in your field and the business success and profitability will follow. 

Some of us are dipping our toes into the Social Media waters and as we get used to the “temperature”….here are some tips that we have learned while getting wet –

·        Don’t mix your personal pages with business pages….for example – Facebook allows you to create a “Business” page within your personal account.  Don’t do this!!!  Your personal Facebook friends will be annoyed by all of your business chatter and the purpose of Social Media is to drive interest to your page – Not to force people into it!  Create your business page separately – mix up your content, keep it interesting and follow-up often!

·        When starting your adventure in the land called “Twitter” ….remember this one piece of very valuable advice that we were fortunate enough to receive…..Tweeting is all about building relationships and community.  Only 2 out of every 20 or so tweets should mention  your product or service.  Taking the time to build the relationships is what works. I know it seems odd to be able to do this in 140 characters or less…but trust us – this is the Twitter way!

·        Thinking about blogging?  Be prepared for the commitment of writing a minimum of 3 times per week and make sure to register your blog at www.technorati.com so that others can find you.  This has actually been my favorite leap into what my idea of keeping up with technology is – Keeps your writing skills sharp and I learned that I have a lot more to say than I thought!!  Ok – my husband would tell you that I have always had a lot to say J!!  This is different right?

·        Manners are crucial – if you wouldn’t say it to someone in person….you should probably not say it online!!!

As we learn more….we’ll share more!!  In the meantime -Jump in the Waters…it’s fun!   If you have any questions or tips of your own please feel free to comment-

Most days I forget to eat lunch until about 4 o’clock and then I start feeling like I might faint at any given moment. Last month I decided that enough was enough and I needed to start eating but I wanted something quick and relatively healthy. I decided on Lean Cuisine Original Pepperoni Pizza.

I’m not joking when I tell you that since the first of April I have eaten this, for lunch, at least four times per week.  3 minutes and 30 seconds in the microwave and viola – lunch is served! However, today the thought of eating another pizza makes me cringe; I am officially “totally burned out” from eating the same thing over and over.

 You’re probably wondering what my eating habits have to do with marketing? Companies tend to start a marketing campaign and when the results are successful, the tendency is to continue with the same campaign. Eventually your target audience will get “totally burned out” just like I did with lunch. In order to keep your marketing fresh you have to mix it up! 

A few simple ways to mix it up: 1.) Try adding a new color scheme 2.) Plan a year long campaign and have all of your collateral tie together but have slightly different items each quarter 3.) Consider packaging options. 

If you need help or just have a question, send me an email at jennifer@360promos.com!

Yesterday I was thinking about what to blog about and feeling the rising panic of writer’s block coming on.  I was staring out the window clicking my favorite pen – over and over and over.  Ding-Ding….the light turned on!  I love this pen and I have had it for years – literally, 5 or so years.  If you know me and my household, you know what a miracle this is! 

Doesn't It Bring You Back to the Good Ol' Days???

The pen is a 4-color Orbitor pen that I originally fell in love with because it makes me feel nostalgic.  Now that I work in promotional products, I insist that we regularly imprint a batch for 360 Promotions.  Why?  Because I also carry an Orbitor pen in my purse and I can’t tell you how often I whip it out to sign a receipt or jot a note and people FREAK OUT!  They LOVE it!!  I keep extras in my purse so that I can give them one and it always opens the door to “what I do” – Yes, we really have picked up many new clients this way.  This pen is an example of what we call a “Conversation Gateway” – a fun, good natured way to start a conversation about our business and brand!  Since we like the relationship with our clients to have the same undercurrent, this is a great technique for us!

Are you looking for a “Conversation Gateway” of your very own?  Give us a call and we can “Get Out and Be Creative”!

I recently went to one of my son’s games where the coach handed me a clear baggie with something red in it…..hmmmmm.  I shoved it in the side pocket of my beloved Big Mouth Kooler and promptly forgot about it.  When the game was over, I walked to my car and stopped at a dumpster to throw away my son’s snack trash.  Since I don’t live in an episode of Law and Order, my interest is not often piqued by the contents of dumpsters, but this time I was clearly channeling Detective Benson (er, well…the Promo Detective?).  The dumpster had a number of clear baggies with the random, red, plastic thingies inside.

When I got home, I pulled out the baggie for further inspection….it had a sticker on it “Thanking” us for participation in their league this season and inside was an imprinted transluscent red key ring.  I kept looking at it though… because… I work in Promotional Products and inquiring minds want to know.  The more I am looking, the better it’s getting!  In fact, it is super handy – a really bright red LED light (great fun for the cats or more practical things like finding key holes) and a whistle (great for getting your kids to come running or walking safely through parking lots)!  Wow – If my inner Promo Detective hadn’t shown up, I would have thrown this in the “Donate to Somewhere” box!  The packaging was intended to make the impression of a gift, but unfortunately this particular packaging devalued the key chain and made it appear unnecessary and disposable.

So, what’s my point????  Your Promotional Products Distributor could have helped to prevent this influx of pretty cool key chains to the landfill.  We always have tons of ideas and creative ways to use and distribute your promotional products with the very best ROI in mind. 

So, saddle up with your Promotional Products Distributor and say “Howdy Partner”!

I love all things unusual, quirky and “out of the box” – so, one of my favorite things to blog, talk or tweet about is adding a fun holiday into your mix.  June has a bunch of great ones…so, here are some ways to put this idea to work for you –

June 6^th is National Yo-Yo Day –

 Give Yo-Yo’s to your employees or clients and partner this with a fun yo-yo competition….Longest yo-yo time, best “Walking the Dog” or “Shoot the Moon”.  Prizes could be offered and ideas for this are endless.  Think this sounds kind of hokey for a “Place of Employment”?  Consider this…Three U.S. Presidents yo-yoed at work-Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon! Fun Fact – Jeffrey Hoffman took a yo-yo aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1992!

 June 23^rd – Take Your Dog to Work Day

 Every dog has its day and it happens to be June 23^rd.  The day was established in 1996 as a way to value “Man’s Best Friend” for their invaluable companionship and protection.  Have a luncheon for your employees and their sidekicks and provide imprinted dog bowls, Frisbees, leashes, etc.  Encourage clients to celebrate the holiday and drop off imprinted dog tags, pet bag dispensers or treats.  We’ll keep looking for an equal opportunity “Take Your Cat, Hamster or Bird” to work day, but we haven’t found one yet!

 June 27^th – Sunglasses Day

Summer is here and this is a fun way to get your name in front of clients or to give your employees a reminder of your appreciation.  From cool to funky….your name can be imprinted on it all!  Host a “Movie Star” event and use these as “gimmees” – Creative and cool!

We are all looking for ways to spend our dollars wisely – what better way than to do it the fun way?  Give us a call and we’ll help you “Get Out and Be Creative”!

When this special came across my desk this morning I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me (LOL)! Not to worry… it’s confirmed and it’s too good not to share!

20 oz. Premium Sports Bottle – BUY 250, GET 250 FREE!!

$1.99 for 250+!! 

Bottle-white. Lid colors available-black, green, orange, purple, red, blue or white.

3 ways you could use this item to promote your brand…

1. Donate to a school. Not only will your brand be running around in the hands of all the kiddos but parents notice of who supports the school and they support those businesses in return.
2. Are you sponsoring an event this summer? This would make the perfect item to use as a give away or in the ‘goodie bags.’
3. Give these to all of your employees to encourage less water cup waste during these hot summer months!

If you need ideas, you can search here or email me at jennifer@360promos.com and I will be happy to help you