360 Promotions – let's brand together

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-

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”!

Welcome to our new blog- Let’s Brand Together! Over the last few months we have been working on getting up-to-date on all things social media. You can now find us on facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and the new blog. You probably also noticed that the website has recently undergone a face lift- I am super excited about the new site and hope you will enjoy it, too!

So, what is this blog going to be about? Let’s see…our adventures with promotional products (& believe me, we have some funny stories to share), tips and tricks on how to improve your marketing, cool products that you have to know about and i’m sure you’re going to find a special or two posted from time to time !

We hope you’ll stop by often to see what’s new and we have also added a subscribe feature so all you have to do is enter your email address and it will automatically email you once daily with updates.

We love feedback and want to hear from you so be sure to post a comment below! Also, feel free to ask questions via the comments and we promise to answer everybody.