Summertime and the living’s easy….
July has arrived, and it's hard to believe we are halfway through
2013 already. July is a month where most people’s calendars are jam-packed with
events, activities, vacations and other obligations. No one wants to be working when we could be
outside, on the water, or doing otherwise more-fun things than worrying about
sales quotes, business plans or marketing strategies.
I don’t know about you, but I am all about working smarter
not harder. I like to take advantage of all
and any opportunities to make my job, and therefore my life, a little bit
easier. Enter: promotional products. These are items that by design are
MEANT to do half your job for you. Items that people will use regularly, to
keep YOUR company name and brand at the forefront of their mind.
Luckily, summer events and activities lend themselves to
using all kinds of promotional products. Things that are handy and practical
are good choices because they are used all the time. Examples of these are: sun
screen, hand sanitizers, water bottles, koozies/can coolers (these are VERY
popular), and bug spray. Other items can be customized for a specific event as
a prize/giveaway (think golf tournaments and other charity events). Examples of
these include: golf items, picnic baskets/items, blankets, coolers,
bar/stemware, etc. There’s also the option of making custom apparel for group
events (like health and fitness walks/runs/races, little leagues, block parties
and family reunions). Custom apparel can include: tshirts, sweatshirts,
jerseys, hats/caps, sunglasses, shorts, etc.
The thing about all of these items is that they are FREE
ADVERTISING for your company or organization. As people use or wear these items
with YOUR company logo/brand and contact info on them, you will continue to be
relevant to that customer or potential customer. The promotional product you choose to
distribute does not have to reflect
the kinds of products or services your business offers on an everyday basis. It
certainly can, if you choose, but it does not have to. You just want to ensure
that you are choosing something that the people you plan to distribute these
items to will find either extremely useful, or so unique and different that
they want to use the item as often as possible.
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| Slap-Koozies Fit cans/bottles of different widths Waterproof Material |
The free advertising with these items continues when OTHER
PEOPLE see your items being used. It is advantageous for your
business/organization to have your own team using/wearing the products you
create. For example, here at JC Graphics, we had slap-koozies made (shown on the left). I regularly use one of
these koozies when I’m at the pool or at an outside activity. Many people see
it and, because it’s a unique item, inquire about it. Then I have the
opportunity to not only talk about the item, but to talk about our business.
Does it guarantee any kind of sale or incoming revenue? No, of course not. But
the hope is that the person now knows we exist, where maybe they didn’t before,
so if a need arises in the realm of what our company specializes in, that they
will remember us and come to us in the future.
Free advertising and marketing. Promotions. Increased brand
recognition. All doing the work for you while you are lounging by the pool or
practicing your golf swing. Doesn't sound so bad does it?
