Why and How Promotional Products Really Work

No matter the state of the economy, business owners want to promote their company as effectively as possible. Sometimes, companies can afford to make riskier advertising decisions by using a shot-gun approach, which will reach more people with one message, but it is typically more expensive, and businesses would need a lot of sales to gain a positive ROI (rate on investment). Make sure that you are reaching your target market with a targeted solution.

I’m not saying that all shot-gun approaches are poor. Each business has a unique market, and shot-gun advertising is a good approach for a lot of businesses. However, one way to make sure that your advertising money is being used as effectively as possible is to use a targeted method of advertising. Promotional products have been proven to be successful over and over again.

By using promotional products, businesses can make sure they are still thanking, motivating and rewarding the people that mean most to the company: prospects, customers, and employees. Promotional products target exactly the message you want to be said. This can be done my imprinting a slogan, website, and/or your logo on any promotional product. This message will be delivered only to the people you want to be receiving your message. No more shot-gun approaches that gambles reaching your target audience.

So, how do promotional products really work? They work by saying ‘Thank You!’ by four different ways. First, promotional products keep existing customers happy. This will solidify the relationship you already have created with them. Secondly, promotional products will develop new business with existing customers. The existing customers will feel appreciated and be more likely to buy more products than they already are doing. Thirdly, promotional products attracts new customers. There are multiple ways that promotional products can be used to get new customers, but a couple popular ones are, sending a unique gift in the mail to a targeted mailing list, or handing out promotional products at a trade show or other event. Lastly, promotional products will motivate employees to work more productively. Even if a businesses’ employees are working hard, they need to be thanked.

Forgetting to say ‘thank you’ can be very simple for a company, but it can really go a long way to a customer, prospect or employee. The message of a thank you can go further when a business shows that they mean it by giving a gift or sending a card. Successful companies have a consistent program where they thank their employees for their patronage. For example, some businesses may give away a free reusable shopping bag when a customer spends over $100 at their store. Another good example would be to send a ‘thank you’ note to ever first-time customer.

Promotional products do not have to be expensive. Many products can be purchased for under $1. What it really comes down to is this: make sure that your marketing is doing something that is predictable. Do not rely on shot-gun advertising approaches alone. You cannot afford to miss the targeted marketing approaches that your competitors are already implementing. And if you are already using promotional products, continue using them. Think of unique ways to promote your business with an imprinted promotional product. Thank, motivate and reward; that’s the key to targeted advertising.

Reusable Shopping Bags and other Green Ideas for Business

Many people have some great green ideas for businesses. The biggest problem lies in implementation. Where do these ideas actually get put to use? And, maybe the better question, who will be paying for these changes?

Luckily a lot of green choices are not only good for the environment, but they also save money. As I have stated many times in the past, make sure you take small steps in going green before you take large ones. Following through is just as important as good motives. Do not bite off more than you can chew! Here are just a few tips that will get you started or keep you going:

1. Encourage employees to communicate via email rather than faxing or snail mail. This will save money on postage, paper and ink toner. Less energy will be used by emailing. More than you even realize, the environment is being saved. Less fuel will be used and countless other factors will be reduced or eliminated.

2. When you do need to communicate via traditional paper trails, print both sides of the paper. This will, at the very minimum, cut the paper cost in half. Cutting the use of paper will reduce the amount of trees being used to create new paper.

3. Turn off your electronic equipment when they are not being used. At night, instead of leaving all of the computers, copiers, and lights on or in “sleep mode,” simply turn them off. For even more energy savings, unplug your unused electronic equipment.

4. Encourage employee carpooling. There are a lot of “park and ride” options for employees. Using public transportation can cut fuel costs tremendously for your employees. Carpooling also helps to save gas money, and your employees might be able to find a few new friends as they commute together!

5. Provide reusable lunch bags for employees. A lot of employees bring their lunch to work. If they used reusable shopping bags instead of a throw-away paper or plastic bag, it would save a lot of waste. An added bonus of the reusable lunch bags is having your logo imprinted on the side. So, the lunch bags can work as an employee appreciation or a promotional item.

There are always more ways to go green. Anything you can think of that would save energy, fuel, and reduce waste is better for the environment. Implement just one or two ideas at a time. Following through is just as important as having good motivation.

Promotional Canvas Bags for Libraries and Bookstores

Growing up, I loved to read, and I still do. Books were a way to fill my imagination with cool stories about knights, animals, wizards, and anything else the children authors’ could dream of. When children read books, their minds are stimulated; something that today’s youth is seeing less of. Adults, like children, stimulate their minds by reading, as well.

Recently, I have noticed a big push on making reading a priority. My town’s public library is specifically raising interest in reading the classics. You can give away bags promoting a specific author or time period. Kids would love a getting a bag with Roald Dahl or Dr. Seuss on the side. In my opinion, whatever it takes to get people reading is a great tool.

One great promotional method to get people more involved in reading is giving away, or selling, promotional canvas bags with the library logo printed on the side. Kids, especially, will love carrying their new library books around in their tote bag. They will be encouraged to read and spend time at the library’s special events. Book stores can also use these bags to encourage customers to bring them back, which saves on traditional plastic bags.

These bags are great for the environment because they are used multiple times and canvas bags are made from cotton, which is a natural growing fiber. When the bag is eventually thrown away, the bag will biodegrade back into the ground.

Promotional canvas bags are a great way to stir up interest in reading. People will love getting their reusable tote bags and they will be excited to bring them back when they are in need of a new read. And, not only can these bags be used for toting bags around, but kids can use them in the make-believe of knights, animals, wizards, and anything else their imagination can muster.

Promotional Canvas Bags for Earth Day

Happy Earth Day everyone! This is is a great time to show your green side. And by showing your green side, you can also be making some green. If you are a business that has taken some initiative towards going green, you know that some green steps can actually save you money. By installing a few solar panels, you reduce your electric bill significantly. By unplugging electrical equipment you are saving electricity.

Taking small steps like these will help your business save money and it will help the environment. Put your good work to use now by letting your customers know that you are going green. Your customers will love to see the improvements that you are making as a business, and as a result, they will be more likely to buy your products or services.

Make sure they know you are green by giving them an eco friendly promotional product. If you have not considered advertising with promotional products before, it is a great way to build customer loyalty and attract new customers. Make sure that the promotional product you give out will be used often, so it will remind your customers of you.

Promotional canvas bags are a great tool to promote most businesses. Just about every business can give away a cotton tote bag, and the customers will greatly appreciate the item. The tote bags can be given away to all customers, or they can be given away as an incentive for a customer to spend a certain amount of money.

These bags are also eco friendly because they are made from cotton. Cotton is a naturally growing fiber, which means that it will biodegrade into its natural state. The bags are also reusable, so that will cut the use of countless traditional plastic bags. Make sure your customers know that you are green by giving them an eco friendly promotional product. Put your logo on promotional canvas bags.

Eco Friendly Bags: Put Them to Work

Promotional products are meant to give you more loyal customers and get new customers. If your promotions are not working, then you are not using them correctly. Eco friendly bags are a simple and very effective way to promote your business. You can hand more than just hand them out to your customers. You can put eco friendly bags to work for your business.

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The most simple way to use promotional tote bags for your business is to imprint your logo, website and phone number onto the bags. Then, just hand the bags out. You can hand them out to your customers as they visit your store, give them away at a trade show or convention. People love getting free things, and they will recognize that you are an eco friendly business trying to cut the use of traditional plastic bags. Your logo will be seen countless times by the people that receive the bags and they will remember your company the next time they need your product or service.

More Loyal Customers

This idea utilizes the eco friendly tote bags the best way possible. Instead of simply giving the bags away to all customers and potential customers, only give to customers that are loyal to your business. There are a couple ways to do this: give a free bag to customers that spend a certain amount of money at your store. For example, a golf store might say, “All orders of $150 or more, receive a free eco friendly shopping bag!” Customers are going to be more willing to spend that money when they know there is an incentive, and the bag only costs you a dollar or two a piece.

Another way to build customer loyalty is to give a tote bag away when a customer makes multiple purchases. For example, an oil changing company might say, “After getting your oil changed 5 times, you will receive a free eco friendly tote bag!”

These ideas can be used right away once you get your logo on some eco friendly tote bags. All you need to do is promote the bags to your customers. Customers will love getting ‘free’ things. You will see your business attracting new customers, and the customers that you have already will spend more money at your store and they will return more often; something every business could use more of.

Shopping Bags With Logo Imprinting

In this economy, you cannot afford to be wasting money on advertising that will not work for your business. There are, as always, tons of ways you could be promoting your business, but you need to have an iron shield in front of you at all times. Make sure that the ways you are currently using to promote your business are actually working. Measure the results of each promotion.

A great way to effectively promote your business is by putting your logo on an eco friendly shopping bag. Shopping bags with logo imprinting give you great exposure, help the environment, and they send good messages to your customers.

Exposure

By putting your message on eco friendly tote bags, your logo works as an advertisement. Your customers and potential customers will love using the bags when they go shopping, and they will see your logo every time they use the bags. Not only will these people see the bags, but other people in the grocery stores will see your logo. Your logo will be seen by countless numbers of people and countless numbers of times. You, essentially, have the cheapest mobile billboard you’ll ever pay for.

Environment

Because shopping bags are reusable, you will also be saving the environment. For every reusable tote bag you give away, you will be reducing the use of hundreds of traditional plastic bags. If you get a reusable shopping bag that is also made from cotton, you will be saving the environment even more because cotton bags are biodegradable. Cotton is a natural growing fiber, and when these tote bags are disposed of eventually, the will decompose back into their natural state.

Good messages

When you give your customers an eco friendly shopping bag, they will realize that your company cares about the environment. They will love the fact that you are trying to make a difference, no matter how big or small the impact. When your customers have a more favorable outlook about you, they will appreciate that, and will be more likely to purchase products from you the next time.

Make sure that when you advertise your business, you are getting good results. Reusable shopping bags with your logo imprinted on them are a great idea to promote your business. You will be getting great exposure, helping the environment and sending good messages to your customers.

Promotional Canvas Bags In the Workplace

Your employees can be the most valuable asset to your company if you treat them well and utilize their potential. I’m not going to go into detail telling you how you should manage your employees today. But a great way to motivate your employees to produce better is to give them a moral boost. Employees love getting gifts, and if you can find a gift that is good for your business and good for the environment, you’ll feel great, too!

Promotional canvas bags are meant to advertise your business for you. You can add a logo to any cotton canvas bag and now it’s a walking billboard. When you give these bags to your employees, you’re not only giving them a gift, but you are also advertising your business. We can keep that on the down-low if you would rather your employees not know! By imprinting your logo or message on a reusable grocery bag, you will have countless numbers of people see your advertisement. Your employees will take their bags to the grocery stores, the library, and other public places.

Don’t look at this promotional canvas bag just as an advertising expense. These tote bags will also boost the moral of your employees. They will be delighted when they receive a gift from their employer that they can actually use! A lot of companies give their employees useless gifts that are usually thrown away within weeks. Your employees and their families will actually use a promotional canvas bag because they know that it will save the environment by cutting the use of plastic bags.

Because the canvas bags are made from cotton, these bags are eco friendly. Cotton is a naturally growing fiber. The cotton is spun into long strands that are woven together to make the fabric, which is then sewn into the finished product. Since cotton is a natural fiber, the material can break down into its original state, making the bags biodegradable. Not only are these bags reusable for many years, but they are biodegradable when their life finally ends.

You do not have to give these bags away to your employees only. You can also give these bags away to potential customers. Many businesses also sell these bags for a small profit. I think the best marketing use of these bags is to give them away to customers who purchase a large amount of goods from your company. For example, a meat market might give a free tote bag to any customer who purchases over $50. These bags can be a great advertising tool and a great moral boost. Your employees will love getting an eco friendly tote bag as a gift from their employer.

Eco Friendly Water Bottles: A Step Towards Greening Your Business

Okay, you’re ready to start going green with your business, right? That’s a smart move because these days customers are pretty keen on which businesses are good for the environment and which ones are lacking in the “green” world. And when your customers know that your business is eco friendly, they will be more likely to buy from you. They trust that you are a good business. Being eco friendly sends the right kinds of messages to your customers and potential customers.

Maybe you have already been taking a few steps towards a green business. You could be giving away custom logo bags, which are great for the environment because they are reusable and some are even biodegradable. Or maybe you have been thinking about taking steps towards going green, but have not taking any action.

A great step for any business that would make them a little greener would be to use promotional eco friendly water bottles. People, today, realize that drinking water is a great benefit to their health, and lots of people are drinking more water. A big problem is that they are buying bottled water from the grocery stores, which extremely harmful to the environment. The bottles rarely get recycled and the energy consumed by creating and distributing these bottles of water is greater than the savings even if the plastic was to be recycled. Also, reusing the bottles greatly compromises the quality of the water.

So, as a company, you can take advantage of this opportunity by putting your logo on a reusable water bottle. Make sure that the bottles are BPA Free. By giving these water bottles away to your employees, customers and potential customers, you will greatly reduce the use of water bottles. By giving these bottles to your employees, you will be saving on paper cups that are purchased for the office, not to mention the morale boost you will see when employees receive their own eco friendly water bottle with their company’s logo on it.

If you are going green, or you are taking steps towards going green, make sure your customers know it. You can do this by giving them an eco friendly water bottle with your information imprinted on it. If you are still considering which green steps to take, don’t try to do them all at once. Take small steps first, then help the environment whenever possible.

If you would like more Green Ideas for you business, you can download this free eGuide with lots of eco friendly ideas. Just click the ebook below.

Trade Show Bags: Eco Friendly Giveaways

If you’re planning on being a member of a trade show anytime soon, you’ll definitely want to meet as many potential customers as possible. And, if you want to have any success with your leads, you’ll need to make sure they remember you. What better way than to give them environmentally friendly trade show bags.

These giveaway items are great for three main reasons. The first reason why you should give away an eco friendly trade show bag is because they are an item that will get your business seen by multiple people multiple times. What is the goal of a promotional product? You want your company in front of your customers’ eyes as often as possible and for as long as possible. The great thing about a reusable shopping bag is that it will be used multiple times.

Secondly, the tote bag will give you great exposure at the trade show. When you give away these bags to potential customers, they will, without a doubt, be putting other materials in your bag. People go to trade shows and collect all sorts of things like other giveaway items, business cards, brochures and posters. All of those items can be carried in the tote bag you just gave them. Now, everyone at the show will see your company logo on the bag, and they will want to stop by your booth to get one for themselves, which gives you an opportunity to talk to more potential customers.

Lastly, trade show bags can typically be reused over and over, which makes them eco friendly. Your customers can take your tote bag and use it at the grocery store, the beach, and countless other places. Who knows who will see your logo! Bags made from biodegradable material like cotton and jute are especially eco friendly because not only are they reusable, but they will also decompose after their life is over.

So, if you’re heading to a trade show in the near future, consider using promotional tote bags that will get you some milage. Eco friendly tote bags will give you great exposure and they will be helping out the environment, not to mention give your company a good image because you’re giving away eco friendly items. The bags can also be very inexpensive. Prices start from under a dollar.

Custom Logo Bags: Advertising in a Tough Economy

Well, we’re over halfway through the first quarter in 2010 and your business is probably overflowing with abundance. No? Well you’re not alone. A lot of businesses, especially small businesses, are struggling with their bottom line leaving an advertising budget very minimal So, you need an advertising method that you can afford.

In this economy, advertising is still expensive. In my opinion, these types of situations make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Explanation, advertising expenses have not decreased at all if any. Small businesses, generally, cannot afford the expense of a large advertising budget, but large franchises can. So, since the big companies can afford billboard, radio, television ad spots in a large volume, leaving the little guy out of the customers’ eyes.

If you’re looking for a cost effective way to advertise your company, then now is the time to check out imprinted promotional products. They can be very inexpensive and they are still effective. For example, by putting your logo on an eco friendly tote bag, your customers will see your ‘ad’ every time they go shopping. Your customers will also look at your business favorably because you gave them something they can use.

Promotional products are also a targeted advertising solution. You will be able to control who gets your promotional products. Unlike TV ads, where everybody watching the station sees your ad, whether they are a possible candidate for your products or service or not, custom logo bags can be given directly to customers you already have. They can also be given to other potential customers at special events like trade shows.

If you don’t have a logo or if you need help creating an ad to put on your tote bag, let us know. We have trained graphic design professionals that will give you a quality layout that you can approve before it gets imprinted on the bags.