360 Promotions – let's brand together

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

I’ve been told that I don’t do a very good job of saying *No*… What can  I say? I’m just the type of person who likes to help others because the alternative  - that I have sucker written on my forehead – is just unacceptable!  So it will come as no surprise to you that I am treasurer, 25th Anniversary steward, chief blogger, newsletter schlep and a multitude of other titles for CAPPA (Corridor Area Promotional Products Association).  Part of being *25th Anniversary Steward* (sounds so fancy, ha!) is posting a collection of articles on the CAPPA blog, written by my peers, who have been in the industry for 25 years ++. 

Which brings me to my point… I got the 1st article today and let me tell you it was shocking (especially for somebody like me who will gladly volunteer to be the 1st human to have a Blackberry permanently implanted in my ear)! In 1984 the only way to view a catalog was via microfiche *gasp*, art had to be hand drawn on transparent film and imagine having no email or fax so everything was done via USPS- WOW! I am feeling a little unconnected just thinking about it!

Well, the good news is… 25 years later art is created in eps format with computer software, catalogs are available online and the post office has a $2.8 billion dollar deficit in 08′. You get the point! 

The era of 15-20 day production lead time is fading fast as manufacturing becomes much more streamlined. Even better news is that we have 1,000’s of products that can be ordered on Monday and ship on Tuesday at NO ADDITIONAL COST to you! I’m talking all kinds of products to choose from with multiple imprint methods available in every budget range possible. 

Need it now…Now, that is not a problem!

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

On April 18th the Lone Star Ladies presented *Shop Austin* and our client, IMT Residential was a sponsor. Check out some of the fun photos from the event!

Toni Guggenbickler from IMT Wells Branch said “Not only was the event fun but it was also a big success! At one point during the day everybody was carrying our bags- I was so excited! Thanks you so much for all of your help!”

If you have an event coming up and you need ideas search here or email us at PromoteYourself@360promos.com and we will be happy to help you!

I wanted to share this opportunity for you to help- please click here to support a great cause & my friend Katy! 

Sometimes I wonder how we ever managed without Blackberry phones, Twitter and facebook. Gone are the days of personalized snail mail – now when I want to say hi to a friend or colleague I either tweet them or write on there wall. With the technology we have available today, making smart marketing choices is even more important. One of the things we have to remember is that people are being constantly bombarded by advertising through television, radio, internet, billboards and the list goes on and on.

 So the question becomes how do you set yourself apart from your competitors? The answer is by building brand loyalty and one effective way to do that is through the use of promotional products. Studies show that 84% of people who receive promotional products can recall what company they came from and 62% of people have done business with that company after receiving the product. Those are powerful numbers!!

 When I meet with clients most people ask me “what’s new?” but the real question you want to know is “what works?” 81% of people keep a promotional product because it’s useful, so if you purchase 1,000 imprinted widgets that nobody knows how to use or what to do with and they end up getting sold in a garage sale…well, you get the picture! On the other hand if you pick an item that people like and use (i.e. tote bags, tee-shirts, hats and flash drives…just to name a few) your brand will get a lot of mileage from that one item. 

 Right now what’s working is quality over quantity. In a good promotional campaign you know what results you want to net, before you start and that sets the tone. A great example is a tennis club that was struggling to get new members. Previously they had been mailing postcards monthly to thousands of homes within a 200+ mile radius and there conversion rate was almost negative. They were very unhappy and about to give up when a new campaign was launched. Instead of mailing to 1,000+ homes monthly the criteria was redefined and the list was culled down to 300 people that lived within a 50 mile radius and had an income of at least $100,000. (Side note- you can buy these types of list from marketing companies) They decided to stop the postcard mailings all together and built a custom promotional product which consisted of a small box that has the tennis club imprint on the outside, when you opened the box on the top flap it listed the features of the tennis club and why you should become a member –w/contact information- and then sitting down in the box was a set a imprinted tennis balls, that said “The balls in your court!” The results were amazing…3 weeks after the mailing when out they had 11 new members. Bottom line: promotional product campaigns build brands, increase revenue and inspire loyalty in customers!

 Right now you’re probably considering how to leverage your marketing dollars effectively. I can tell you, based on experience, to keep marketing – it takes 12-18 months, of consistent marketing, for a potential customer to instantly recognize you and only one month of doing nothing for them to forget you.

If you need more ideas, you can search here or email us atPromoteYourself@360promos.com and we will be happy to search for you.

Q: What do these three items have in common? 

A: Each of these items can be used as a recognition gift! 

Traditionally we tend to think of recognition gifts as brass plaques, desk clocks, crystal awards and so on. While those are very nice recognition pieces for sales awards, managers, safety programs, etc… you don’t have to limit your choices to traditional items. In fact, I suggest you go with something different like one of the items above. Even the watch (which can be branded) is an updated *hip* version of the 1970’s era gold wrist watch your grandad got for retirement! 

One final thought to consider…right now many people are concerned about jobs and what better way to reassure your team, of the value they add to the company, than by giving them a token of your appreciation!

If you need more ideas, you can search here or email us atPromoteYourself@360promos.com and we will be happy to search for you.

We hope everyone has a Happy Easter and enjoys the 3 day weekend !! Our offices will be closed on Friday but we will be back, bright & early,  Monday morning! 

On a funnier note…Andrea told me a couple of days ago that she heard cake balls were the new trend to replace cupcakes. As you can see we attempted to make these *culinary delights* tonight and while they might not win any awards for best of show, they sure are tasty! 

Cake Ball Recipe: Bake any cake of your choice in a 9 x 13 dish according to the directions on the back of the box. Remove the cake and let it cool completly. Crumble the cake into a bowl and add 1/2 to 1 jar of icing (chef’s choice). Mix the cake and icing with a hand mixer until is all mixed together. Meanwhile, melt your choice of white or milk chocolate bars in the microwave and remove – do not let it cool or it will get hard (we learned the hard way . Take your cake mix and pinch off 1/2″ size pieces, roll into a ball and dip in chocolate. Spread them out on wax paper to dry. You can decorate with sprinkles, icing, etc… just be sure that if you use food coloring to dye your chocolate that it is oil based (oh, and let us know where you find it because searched all over Austin with no luck). Enjoy!