The following posts were made in March 2011. You may subscribe to the RSS feed for this archive if you would like to take your time reading through our posts.

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Over the past few years, companies have had to take a hard look at their budgets and cut back where they can.  Many times the first instinct is to cut the marketing budget, as it has a direct impact on the bottom line.  Companies who have decided to continue marketing during the down market are the ones who have ended up on top.  Why?  Because when the economy shrinks, the amount of money spent on any particular industry will shrink as well.  This significantly increases competition.  A savvy business person knows that while companies are sitting on the sidelines, cutting their budgets and waiting for things to turn around, this is the chance to get in front of existing and potential customers with a marketing message.   Even as the economy starts to pick up, many companies are slow to increase their marketing budgets, so continuing to market regardless of the state of the economy is critical.

Finding the most effective way to utilize your marketing budget is what will determine your success.  Promotional products have proven to be an effective marketing tactic, serving not only as useful tools, but as powerful, long-lasting advertising.  In fact, a late 2009 study* of over 1,000 consumers conducted by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) revealed some interesting facts:

- 83% of American consumers surveyed liked receiving a promotional product with an advertising message.

- 48% would like to receive promotional products more often.

- 38% feel promotional products serve as a constant reminder of the advertiser.

The result - consumers are inundated with advertising messages and the challenge for businesses is to find a way to cut through the clutter and not only reach their target audience, but to resonate with them.  According to the survey, promotional products do just that.

So, how do you determine what promotional product is right for your company?  Prices range from under $1 to over $100.  This is the area where you can be creative in cutting your budget.  Usefulness, placement and longevity are the three most important factors to consider when choosing the right product for your promotion.  Below are some budget-friendly product ideas that meet all of these requirements.

1.    Usefulness - The most important factor in choosing a promotional product is its usefulness to the recipient.  The more the recipient uses the product, the more your brand gets visibility, and the more likely that recipient is to recall you as the advertiser who gave him or her that product.   Items such as pens, sticky notes and key chains are extremely useful and inexpensive.

2.    Placement - Products that remain in the office or in the home are going to get maximum exposure.  Consider chip clips, can koozies or stress balls as budget-friendly items with great placement opportunities.

3.    Longevity - Ensure your product can withstand the test of time, and your message will as well.  When was the last time you threw away an ice scraper, ruler or flashlight?  These are items that recipients will hang on to and use over and over again.

For a wide selection of promotional items at any price point, visit bestpromotions.com and for useful products under $1 visit our dollar store.

Make sure you stay in front of customers and prospects regardless of the state of the economy, but do so in a creative and budget-friendly way and your efforts are sure to be noticed.

* Fielded through MarketTools Inc, the study was designed and conducted by PPAI. The final sample consisted of a panel of 1,005 consumers who recalled receiving a promotional product in the past 24 months.

Posted by: Jamie Mlinarcik
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Topic: Promotional Products
Tags: promotional products , budget marketing , cheap promotions

Green.  Earth-friendly.  Environmentally-conscious.   Sustainable.  Recyclable.  Organic.

These are all terms we have come to know and hear over and over again in the past few years.  The eco craze has moved beyond individuals and into businesses across the country. Becoming conscious of the environment and taking steps to make organizations more eco-friendly is not a trend, it is a lifestyle shift and is here to stay.  If your company has not yet embraced the green movement or if you are in the midst of your eco efforts, read on for some ideas on how to promote your earth-friendly efforts.

Why is it important for companies to become green?
Besides helping to protect our planet, there are several other reasons for companies to go green.  First, it will help you save money.  Using energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs, switching to post-consumer paper, and encouraging employees to print less are a few of the many things that you can do to help the environment and save money for your business.  Becoming green also helps to attract new customers.  Consumers are likely to purchase their products from companies who share the same values, such as their commitment to the environment.  Growing your eco efforts can also increase employee well-being.  It creates a positive environment and shows employees that you care.  If your organization cares about the environment, you are more likely to care about your employees as well.

Ideas to kick start and promote your Eco efforts.

Create an internal green team. To ensure employees at all levels of the organization are engaged and excited about your eco efforts, create a team of people from different areas of the company to lead your internal campaign.  They can help implement, monitor and report on your progress and encourage others throughout the organization to take part in the mission. Give each of them an organic t-shirt with 'Green Team' imprinted on it, and outfit each team member with a supply of recycled pens to hand out to individuals as they catch them in the act of helping the environment.

Celebrate milestones. Make sure to celebrate all achievements so the entire organization is aware and inspired by your efforts.  Earth Day is a great day to celebrate, but expand the events to other days throughout the year as well.  Hand out recycled or reusable water bottles to your employees with information inserted on how much energy or money you have saved through your efforts.  Also, encourage them to use the water bottles in place of bottled water to help the environment.

Participate in community programs. Organize or participate in a volunteer clean-up effort at a local park.  Bring a team of employees and give them each a seed packet at the end of the event to plant in their neighborhood.  Sponsor the event by giving all in attendance a recycled shopping tote with your logo on it.

Incorporate your eco message into your marketing programs. Promote your eco friendly efforts in all of your marketing efforts.  Send out press releases on your company's efforts, create an eco story and include it on your company website or in your catalog, and make sure any promotional item you are using is eco-friendly.

There are a growing number of eco promotional products in the marketplace.  From items that are made from recycled materials to items that are recyclable to items that are simply reusable and promote eco friendly actions.  When initiating and promoting your green efforts, using eco promotional products to support your initiatives is a great way to make sure the message resonates with your audience.

Best Promotions has a large selection of eco-friendly promotional products ranging from pens to totes to notebooks at a variety of price points.  View our eco products.

Posted by: Jamie Mlinarcik
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Topic: Promotional Products
Tags: eco-friendly marketing , marketing green initiatives , eco promotion ideas , earth day promotions , earth friendly promotions

Do your employees feel valued?  Is showing employee appreciation a priority?  If not, it should be.  A 2010 study by Kelton Research revealed that 56% of employed Americans feel that aside from compensation and benefits, being appreciated would motivate them to stay in their current position - even more so than an opportunity to advance their career.

Employee appreciation is typically celebrated at the end of April, but showing appreciation to employees should be a yearlong initiative for every company. Read on for some imaginative ways to show your employees how much you value their commitment to your organization.

Hold a management-prepared potluck lunch for all employees. Ordering lunch is a great way to say thanks to employees, but if you want to make your event a little more special, have the management team make the lunch .  This will show them you really went the extra mile.  Make sure to include cards in front of each dish so customers know who made it.  Hand out lunch gift packages to each employee.  Package them in a lunch or event cooler and include useful items such as a folding umbrella, travel mug and a photo frame.

Arrange an employee picnic at a local park.  Give employees an early dismissal on a Friday in spring or summer and hold a picnic at a local park.  Grill dinner for everyone and bring outdoor games such as volleyball, baggo and bocce for employees to play.  Give each employee in attendance a logoed camp chair.  They can use them at the event and take them home to use all year long.

Promote a stress-free work environment with a relaxation break.  Bring in a smoothie bar and a massage therapist and rotate employees for a half hour of relaxation time during their busy day.  Hand out relaxation sets or stress balls to each employee with an invitation to their 30 minutes of stress relief.

Implement an employee of the week program. Pick an employee who has gone above and beyond each day or week and recognize them in front of the team.  Hold an impromptu gathering at the end of the day on Fridays to pull the team together and recognize the employee.  Give them a travel duffel or luggage piece and put their name in for a chance to win a weekend getaway.  Choose a winner at the end of each quarter to win a trip and use their new luggage.

Be creative in your employee events and make them as fun and stress-free as possible.  Everyone loves to receive a gift, so make sure to include a small token of thanks in your appreciation efforts.  When providing a gift it should be something useful or it's likely to be put in a desk somewhere and forgotten.

Best Promotions has a large selection of innovative and useful gifts for employee appreciation.  Visit our appreciation gifts store to find a product that will enhance your next thank you event.  Call us today for samples or a price quote.

Posted by: Jamie Mlinarcik
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Topic: Promotional Products
Tags: employee appreciation gift , staff appreciation gift , employee thank you gift , employee appreciation ideas , staff appreciation ideas