It’s a tradition like no other. For over 15 years, Hasseman Marketing has hosted an “End User” trade show and has invited our customers. It’s evolved and grown over the years and we are quite proud of it. This year’s event will be Thursday, October 14th from 11 am to 3 pm at Coshocton County’s Lake Park! And since we missed hosting the event last year, we are ready to get back after it!
But why should you come? We want this event to be fun AND add a ton of value. Here are 6 reasons to attend The Hasseman Marketing Trade Show.
Incredible Product Access
We invite some of our top (and favorite) supplier reps to showcase their lines at the show. I like to say “There is no way I could fit all of this in my trunk.” You get to see and touch and feel the product and see what it’s really like. We all know that many products look the same online or in a catalog. But when you get them up close you can really see a difference. This is the perfect place to make sure your brand materials are on point.
Idea Generation
As you walk around and see the latest and greatest in Promo, you will come up with some great ideas for upcoming projects. The reality is, the show is at a great time of year for year-end gifts for your team or customers. But some of our best customers come every year and start to plan their marketing for the next year and beyond.
Great SWAG
Nobody leaves empty-handed! We put on a fun event where (with the help of our suppliers) we invest in putting some really cool SWAG in your hands. In addition, we build the event around a theme so you can see how we use a bunch of different items around a theme!
Additional Services
You may think you know all that we do at Hasseman Marketing, but we find that most people discover some new ways to promote their organization! Having all of the ideas in one place can be very illuminating! For example, did you know we do website development or in-house print services? We do. And you can find more about them at the event.
Tasty Food
You have to eat right? We have food and drinks as well. Each year we get compliments about the tasty treats and we know this year will be no different. The event this year is on Thursday, October 14th from 11 am to 3 pm at the Lake Park Pavilion (in Coshocton). Our goal is to create an event that provides value and fun…and you never want to miss.
Things Have Changed
I am not sure if you heard about it, but a lot has changed since we were able to do this event last! And while we are excited to get back together to get back to normal, there are some real business reasons you should attend. Your organization might have changed logos, brand messaging, go-to-market strategies, where people work, and so much more. Or, like some of our clients, you might just need to update your materials because it’s been 18 months since you’ve needed them!
The weather is officially making the transition from spring to summer in many parts of the country. The temperature is warming up and so is the desire to get together. People are hungry to have real contact again, and we predict that will lead to some amazing opportunities for outdoor events. This creates some cool opportunities for you and your brand. With more organized events, you can use some great summer swag to recognize employees, appreciate customers and even create awareness with your prospects.
Here are a few pieces of summer swag that are sure to delight the masses.
Sunscreen
Over the course of the past year, hand sanitizer has been a “go-to” promotional product that says “I care.” And it still should be. (We still want to stay clean and safe, right?). But during this season, Sunscreen is the perfect product that sends that same message. This is a super functional piece of branded merchandise that shows you care. If you are having a summer employee event, a golf outing, or are excited to sponsor an outdoor festival, these can be perfect. You can find a few options here.
Beach Towel
When you think of summer, what is better than a beach towel? The answer…not much. We talk about the “worst thing that can happen to a branded beach towel here. They have a huge imprint area, are incredibly functional and the average lifespan of a beach towel is 7 years! How about that for bang for your branded buck? This towel is sand-proof and quick-dry. It’s different and is sure to turn heads. Learn more here.
Vacuum Drinkware
When most people think of summer, we think of sitting on our deck (or by the pool, lake, beach, etc) with a warm breeze in our face and a cool drink in our hand. Right? The right drinkware piece has become essential for enjoying summertime to the fullest. The right vacuum drinkware can keep the hot drinks hot and the cold drinks cold. So if you can provide your employees, customers, and prospects their favorite new drinkware piece, you are going to have a special place in their heart (and on their deck). Here are two drinkware pieces that are sure to delight. And since you can imprint with full color, you can have all kinds of fun with branding too!
Wearables
There are so many items that can fall under branded “wearables,” so let me narrow it down here. I am thinking of t-shirts, sunglasses and branded caps! These are quintessential summer ware! But we are t-shirt snobs. We can tell you all you ever wanted to know about them here. You can’t just hand out some cheap, scratchy shirts if you want your folks to wear them. If you want a summer shirt, think performance, wicking, and soft!
And the same is true for a summer hat! You want to give something to your tribe that they will want to wear. Oh…and don’t be afraid to get creative with your decoration. You don’t just have to splash your logo on the front. You can…no problem. But what about creating a meaningful saying or slogan on the front with your logo on the back? Consider creating a movement with your merch! Yes…we have wearables on our store here too.
Cheers! Here’s to a fun and productive summer with your team and your tribe. If you want to talk about other fun summer ideas, click here to set up a chat! We would love to help. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
When I first entered the world of promotional products (or branded merchandise) I was so hungry to create business and opportunities that I would do nearly anything to make a sale. Oh, nothing illegal of course, but I was not choosy. I was not particular about the clients I took on or the vendors I worked with. I just needed to put food on the table, so “a sale was a sale.” In that season of my career, that was what I needed to do.
But as time went on, I learned and evolved.
I learned that one of my jobs was to curate products. That’s pretty straightforward. There are millions of options and our clients simply don’t have the time or the knowledge to sift through them all. If I could narrow the search to just a few appropriate selections, I would be serving my clients. I could help them create a cool branded campaign that fit in the budget and (hopefully) moved the needle for their desired results.
Then I realized I was also curating something else…my vendors.
After a great deal of time in the business, I realized that not all suppliers are created equal. This is not as simple as some suppliers are “good” while some are “bad.” That is a wild over-simplification. The reality is, we are all better at some things than others. Some of our suppliers have an amazing selection of low-priced branded merchandise. A few of our suppliers have totally creative art teams that can dazzle us with mock-ups. And a few vendors can turn our branded products really fast, but they are not the cheapest. Each of the suppliers has its strengths and weaknesses.
That leads me to an important lesson.
When it comes to branded merchandise, you can have it:
Cheap
Correct
Fast
You get to pick two out of three.
While this lesson almost certainly applies to many industries, I can say for certain that it does to branded merchandise. As a distributor in this industry, it’s our job to do our best to guide you to the product AND supplier that can most effectively meet your need. As much as we want the industry to be amazon, it’s not. So if you want a branded campaign to be done in a week, there are options. They just probably won’t be the least expensive (or they won’t be done right).
As a side note, as I write this the challenge is doubly difficult. It seems nearly every industry is being affected by challenges in the supply chain (can’t get the product) or the labor force (can’t get people to work). It’s a reality we are all facing.
So my advice to you…plan ahead.
While that has always been the case, it’s really true right now. Stock is here today…and gone tomorrow. So please give yourself lots of time to make sure the item you want for your next campaign can make it on time. And if it’s not, it gives time to find a replacement.
If you have been paying attention to our communication lately, you might have seen the conversation around a new program called Better Business University. We are extremely excited about the new platform. And while you might have heard about it, many people still have questions! We get that. So in this blog, we wanted to address the top 5 questions we are getting about Better Business University.
What is Better Business University?
Better Business University is an online platform of business education that is real-world-based and very affordable. We will have a yearly subscription and give people complete access to all classes. The classes are video-based, so you can watch at your pace and on your schedule. As we add more classes…no more cost. Our goal is to reach 10,000 entrepreneurs, leaders, and sales pros to help them elevate their game.
Why Is Hasseman Marketing Involved?
At Hasseman Marketing, we have always been about helping other organizations grow. That might mean assisting you with a marketing campaign, or helping guide our prospects and clients to grow personally. That is why we spend so much time and energy creating content! We feel that Better Business University is the perfect next step to help our prospects and customers level up!
What Courses are Available?
As of this writing, there are 5 robust video courses. The courses available now include:
The Give First Economy
How To Get More Done
Create a Website That Works
How to Market like a Rock Star (on social media and through content)
Build Your Brand with Branded Merchandise
We will be adding more courses soon, and there will be no additional fee for subscribers on the platform.
Who Is Better Business University For?
We are calling Better Business University the “Entrepreneur’s MBA.” We have created the program for entrepreneurs, leaders, freelancers, sales pros, and anyone else interested in leveling up their skills and their career.
What is the Cost?
The goal of BBU is to help 10,000 entrepreneurs and leaders level up. In order to do that, we have made it very affordable. The yearly subscription will be only $249 for the entire year…and you will have access to all classes. As we add more courses, there will be no additional cost! We think that is an incredible value. But during our launch week (May 3-7) we will have a special offer that is even better.
There are plenty of reasons you might want to do business with Hasseman Marketing. We have that bubbly personality, our engaging smile, the ability to tell dad jokes, and more. But our goal is certainly to provide more reasons than just being fun at a party! We want to make sure we stay up on all of the latest trends that will affect our business…and yours. That is why we come to you today to discuss some of the trends we see in promotional products and marketing now.
The Costs Will Be Rising
We hate to be the bearer of bad news…but here we are! Challenges with shipping items into the country are no secret. For the past few months, getting large ships into port has been a challenge. We can blame any number of factors…but more and more shipments have been affected. Combine that with the ship that was stuck in the Suez canal that backed up shipping for days and cost billions, and you have a recipe for increased costs. It’s not just in the promotional industry to be sure. But it will be coming, as soon as later this year. This is not a doomsday prediction. Everything will be fine. But just be prepared. As a matter of fact, if you are planning for events later in the year, you might get ahead of the game by getting orders moving sooner rather than later.
Work From Home Is Still A Thing
While some companies are calling people back to the office, a large number of organizations may have changed the way they work forever. While I personally wonder what this means for company culture moving forward, many point to increased flexibility and productivity. And let’s face it, for many organizations it means a decrease in rent! What does that mean for you? It means you still need to consider delivery in your promotional products campaigns. Some suppliers have really become amazing at creating drop-ship programs that can reach your team or customers right where they are. Make sure you factor that in your cost and your timeline when you create your next campaign.
Doing Brand Good Is Important
We have talked about this for over a year now. Brands want to not only tell their story. They want to leave some bread crumbs of “brand good” behind. This means creating promotions with a purpose. You can do that in a ton of ways. One of them is to support suppliers or products that have a giveback component to each item. There are more than you might think. One example is the Basecamp line of products from Sweda. Every purchase from this amazing brand donates money to the Wounded Warrior product. They donated $100,000 in 2021! You can learn more here. There has never been a better time to use your brand to do good.
Online Learning Is Here To Stay
While no one is more excited to get back to in-person events than me, online learning is here to stay. The technology has been here for years, but now we have come to accept that we can level up our game from home…then use it right away. This has created the chance to learn at a much more affordable cost. That’s great news. That is why we have helped to create Better Business University. Our goal is to create a low-cost learning option for those that want to level up…and help their team do the same. You can learn more about this project here...and help us shape it as well.
These are just a few trends that we see in promotional products and marketing. As I said, we love that you do business with us because of our sparkling personality, but I hope this adds some value to the relationship as well! If you want to chat more about any of these, please reach out to your rep or click here to schedule a time to chat!
