by Kirby Hasseman
When facing times of retraction, the businesses and organizations that are willing to change are the ones that often grow and thrive. Well we are certainly living in a time of change. We must all be willing to look at what “we have always done” and re-evaluate. We are doing that with Hasseman Marketing MasterClass.
But let’s start with the bad news.
We have made the difficult decision to not have the in-person Hasseman Marketing End User show that we have had for over 15 years in Coshocton. It’s an event we love (and we hope you did too) so it was a tough choice. But when you factor in the safety of our team and our customers, we just felt it was the right thing to do. We are bummed…but have decided to make a shift that we are excited about.
Now let’s get to the good news.
We are VERY excited to announce that on Thursday October 15th, we will be hosting our very own Online Marketing Conference that we are calling Hasseman Marketing MasterClass. The event will feature amazing speakers, targeted breakout sessions, an Expo area for meeting with our suppliers and more!
We are using a platform called Hopin that allows us have engaging content that keeps moving fast. This is not just another zoom meeting and we are creating content with you in mind.
But wait there’s more.
There is a very small fee to attend the event (just $10), but we hope the value will far outweigh the cost. In addition, the first 100 registered will received a box with some sweet branded merchandise to get them ready to learn.
For more information and to register, please head here. We will be adding more information on sessions and speakers soon, but wanted to have you “save the date” and get in line for your sweet box of swag!
Thanks for your consideration, we hope to see you on October 15th!
by Kirby Hasseman
If you work in the world of Finance, you know that marketing to your clients can be different. Whether you are marketing a bank, a credit union, or another organization in the financial world, the issue is real. You probably have experienced both successes and failures in promoting your organization. So we have enlisted our Financial Marketing specialist Kelly Bowe for a few things to consider when creating branded merchandise for banks and credit unions.
Choose a Signature pen that is just “YOURS.”
Select a pen that no other financial institution in the area uses and stick with it. Eventually the customer won’t even need to read the imprint, they know this pen is yours. Customers come to count on receiving your “signature” pen when they see you at an expo or outing.
Our most recent popular pens are the Antibacterial pens. They have an additive applied in the production cycle to ensure safety. The stylus pen also allows the customers to use the stylus for touching credit card machines, pushing button on elevators and more.
An executive style pen is also appreciated when your customers sign loans or contracts. The executive pen you choose will need to offer blue ink for signing official forms. Formal vinyl envelopes can be a nice touch when presenting your customer with their closing documents.
A Calendar Is Functional and (Still) Valuable
One of the most popular and appreciated gifts you can give your customer is a calendar. Some people will say that they have their calendar on their phones; however, they still have a wall calendar, desk calendar or pocket calendar they refer to for appointments and references. A calendar provides 12 months of exposure to your brand and is always valued by your customers. If you are not convinced, just remember that your customers are heading to the mall and buying calendars each year in November and December. You have the ability to provide that value AND promote your brand on their wall if you choose.
Don’t Forget the VIP’s
Having a few high-level gifts on hand is essential. These nice gifts can be used in place of flowers for an employee family funeral, a retirement, a get well soon message or given as an on-board gift for a new employee. Wind chimes are a thoughtful and treasured gift. They have a magical sound and high perceived value. You could create a universal message for the wind catcher that can be used for all occasions. These wind chimes are tuned by masters to produce 6 distinct, rich notes. They are finished with a black powder-coating to prevent rust.
Regardless of the specific high end gift (and we can help you decide) we are believers in creating a high perceived value and choosing something that is very functional. That not only makes your customer understand that they are really valued and they see the item and branding over and over.
Let’s Talk about Kiddos!
Let’s not forget the children. Think about one of the simple McDonald’s marketing strategies behind the Happy Meal. Take care of the children, and the parents will follow. A reading book, coloring book or piggy bank will excite the children every time. The best part about marketing your services to children is you have the chance to help them create good saving and spending habits that will follow them throughout their lives!
If you are in the financial market and need ideas to help promote your brand, please let us know. We would love to help! Learn more here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Riddle me this. We are living through a strange season in the world today. We have pandemics, racial injustice and murder hornets. Nearly every event in the country is on hold or has been shut down and in-person meetings have all but stopped. So how do you create a successful company launch during this time? For that matter, how do you create buzz and excitement around any new product or initiative when we can’t see our customers face to face and everyone’s attention seems to be more distracted than ever? How do you successfully launch?
Let me introduce you to brandivate.
In the interest of transparency, the folks at brandivate are my friends. I got to watch, up close and personal, how they decided to start a company during a pandemic, and I was privileged to be one of their “brandvocates” (I will explain in a moment). But regardless of my personal relationship, brandivate created a Masterclass on how to launch a company (or product, or initiative) during these strange times using Branded Merchandise and Social Media. I was so impressed. So I wanted to share the story, and a few lessons that might help you in your next launch.
What Did They Do?
brandivate is a marketing, coaching and consulting company specializing in the Promotional Products industry. Led by two industry professionals, Bill Petrie and Kelsey Cunningham, brandivate wanted to announce their new business venture with as much fan fare as possible on a very limited budget. Sound familiar? So with that in mind, Bill and Kelsey created a curated box of nice branded merchandise and sent them to a select group of friends in the promotional industry.
In the box was a personalized and numbered membership card (or brandvocate card) for each person, a nice, soft tri-blend t-shirt (you know I love soft t-shirts), coasters, and more! It was a great group of products! Finally, included in the box, was a card that explained the concept, the items and gave suggestions on how to post on social media to help create a buzz on social media about the campaign. If you want to dig deeper into the exacts of the campaign, Bill posted about it on his blog here.
What happened with the group was really cool.
As you might expect, the friends and influencers in the industry were delighted with their “swag boxes,” and wanted to help. So on Day 1 there were a few people that initially posted the Membership card and pens (as requested). Then the group started to get more creative. And as the week went on, the brandvocates all started to compete (in a friendly and unorganized way) to see who could come up with the most creative post. It was a fun competition among friends in the industry, all on behalf of brandivate…and it created quite a buzz in the Promotional Products industry.
As a side note, if you want to know the winner of this friendly competition, it goes to David Shultz who created this video to post on the Brandivate Facebook page. How fun is that?
The gang at brandivate delighted a few fans, raised the awareness of their launch (during a pandemic no less) and created a buzz on Social Media. That’s great. But did it garner results? I asked for the details and here was was the answer to the question:
“Did you get business results from this campaign?”
Yes, yes, yes, and yes! Numbers are still coming in but we can conservatively say we’ve seen a 30% increase in likes on the FB page, 15% increase on Instagram, 20% on twitter. We saw a 25% increase in content subscriptions on the website as well.
From a sales perspective, we have four active quotes as a direct result of the campaign with one of them doing the same type of social media launch for another company. Last, and this is the most challenging part to quantify, the engagement on social was far greater than we could ever have expected – almost to the point where it was impossible to keep up. When you couple that with the level of creativity on the posts, videos, and comments, we created a cost-effective, fun, and, most importantly, engaging way to make the brandivate brand feel like everyone was a part of the launch.
And that, my friends, is why I say that you can still create an amazing product launch, initiative launch or even company launch right now…using branded merchandise as a catalyst. Now here are some quick takeaways on what I think they did right!
Target Your Market
You might be thinking, “If this is such a great launch, why didn’t I hear about it?” If so that’s cool. They don’t need you. It’s not that they are elitist. They just know their market. They focused specifically on their targeted audience. That is one of the strengths of great branded merchandise. It is incredibly targeted. Kelsey and Bill reached directly into the market they were trying to reach…with no waste.
Select Great Branded Merchandise
When you create a campaign to launch a brand, the merchandise you select is directly representing you. You don’t have to buy the most expensive piece on the market, but now is not the time to be cheap. Select quality. You want to create an impression of high value. And let’s face it, the value of a branded product is determined when they are used over and over again.
Tell Them WHAT To Do
One of my favorite parts of the campaign was so simple, but often overlooked. They told their “tribe” what to do to help them! So many times, the people who love and respect you want to help you succeed in your venture, but they don’t really know how. Sure, maybe they can buy from you. That’s great. But in creating this campaign the brandivate team told their ‘brandvocates” exactly what to do to help make the launch a success.
So there you have it. How do you successfully launch? Here is a simple case study on how to use branded merchandise and social media to create a real splash with any campaign.
If you want to talk to someone on our team on how to help you create an awesome launch, head to our Branded Merchandise page here for more information!
by Kirby Hasseman
If you are building a brand or you want to spread a message, a custom printed t-shirt can be one of the most powerful tools you can use. People are very passionate about their t-shirts…and with good reason. They are, quite literally, putting your brand message on their body. It’s a powerful endorsement. In addition, T-shirts often become a favorite piece of apparel for many people. So if you are considering a promotional piece, t-shirts are a great option.
But what does a custom t-shirt cost?
It’s an important question for you to ask…but a hard one to answer. I cringe when I am asked it. Why?. Because it’s a bit like being asked, “How much does a car cost?” There are so many factors. So rather than avoid it, we thought we would spend some time discussing a few of the factors that change the cost of a custom t-shirt, so you decide the kind of shirt you need for your next promotion. (I talk about this a bit in this video too).
What Kind of Material?
The kind of t-shirt you want can play a huge role in the cost. It’s an important question for you to understand because it will ultimately play a big role in whether or not your recipients actually want to wear (or even keep) the shirt.
Cotton Based T-Shirts
For many years, I focused on selling the lowest cost style of shirt. These were the 50/50 or 100% Cotton style of shirts. There are plenty of quality options in this style that can help you keep the cost of your promotion down and they still play an important place in t-shirts. This kind of shirt is the least expensive and can be perfect when you are in a situation where budget is a big concern. If you are going to hand out thousands of shirts at an event, this style of shirt might be right for you. Or maybe you and your team be going to wear these while working hard, and they will be taking a beating. This style of a custom t-shirt can tell your brand story while lasting. We have sold this style of shirt from everything to a huge event, to a small family gathering…and they can work perfectly.
Tri-Blend T-Shirts
On the other hand, as T-shirts become a more accepted form of normal corporate apparel, a higher-end, more fashion-friendly, softer shirt has become much more popular. Think of your favorite t-shirt. Often, these are the shirts that are super soft and comfortable. I like to say that they are the shirts that never make it back to the closet. When they are clean, you put them on. These shirts are often Tri-blend t-shirts and they have become in high demand. A tri-blend is a fabric made up of three different materials: cotton, polyester, and rayon. Your customers are asking for them…and they notice when you hand them out. These are wonderful shirts to tell your story, but as you might expect, they do cost more than your traditional 100% cotton t-shirt.
Performance T-Shirts
The third style of t-shirt that is popular is the performance style shirt. This is the kind of shirt that you see at local 5K road races and worn (and sold) by sports teams. This performance style fabric is designed and specifically engineered to be cool and wick away sweat from an athlete’s body for peak performance. Many of these performance-style shirts even have UV protection built-in as well.
Each of these styles of shirts can be perfect depending on the style of promotion or event that you have in mind. But each of these has a different price point and can play a huge role in what your overall shirt cost will be.
How is it being Decorated?
Believe it or not, there are lots of ways to decorate a t-shirt. And depending on what way you go, it can have a huge impact on the cost of your project. I will go over a few of them here.
Traditional Screen-printing
The vast majority of t-shirts sold in the United States will be decorated with screen-printing. This is an efficient and cost-effective way to decorate a t-shirt and can have a great look. This is what we would recommend on 95% of t-shirts we sell. There are (generally) minimums with screen-printing, but those have come down in the past 10 years, so usually, you can do as few as 12 or 24 pieces affordably. That being said, screen-printing is done one color and one location at a time. So each time you add a color, you add some cost. Each time you add another location, you do it again. This is not to say you should not add those imprints. Not at all. It’s just a place a lot of confusion is created. This is where a $6 shirt can become a $16 shirt.
Embroidery
I love embroidery on many apparel pieces, but not on t-shirts. For the most part, I don’t think it looks great. People will sometimes use embroidery if that is the only decoration option they have at their disposal. But it punctures the already thin fabric and often bunches up your logo. For the most part, I would avoid this method on t-shirts. Oh…and it’s more expensive than screen-printing.
Heat Transfer
While I am not a huge fan of heat transfer imprinting on t-shirts, it most definitely has a place. For the most part, this is for a very low quantity run. If you want to do a special t-shirt for your loved one, doing a heat transfer might be a good way to get it done. Local decorators can help in this case, or the proliferation of the Cricut has created a system of local creators that can help you get this done. The challenge here is wear and tear. If not done properly, heat transfers can come off over time. They have come a long way though and might be right for certain projects. The cost of doing a heat transfer can be good for low quantity jobs, but become more expensive for larger orders.
Direct To Garment
Direct To Garment printing (or DTG) can be a great way to print t-shirts…in the right situation. Direct-to-garment printing (DTG) is a process of printing on textiles using specialized aqueous inkjet technology. In other words, it’s like using a home inkjet printer on a t-shirt. The upside is that you can print a full-color imprint directly on a shirt without the up-charge and limitations of traditional screen printing. Done right, it can create amazing imaging. The downside is you are generally limited on the material you can print on. DTG generally works much better on Cotton shirts. In addition, the cost of DTG is still higher than traditional screen printing. But if you have a logo that has a lot of colors and gradients, this might be a good option for you!
Sublimation
The final kind of decoration you might consider with custom t-shirts is sublimation. Sublimation is a type of printing process that utilizes heat to transfer dye into the fabric. Colors and images are dye-sublimated onto transfer paper. It is different from screen printing in that you are dying the fabric of the shirt, rather than printing on top of it. Sublimation can be a beautiful way to decorate t-shirts for specific projects. The downside is you are limited by the material of the shirt you can imprint on. In addition, the cost and quantity are generally higher. So while sublimation can be a great way to create amazing graphics on t-shirts, it’s not for every project.
How Many Do You Need?
This is pretty straightforward. The number of shirts you need will have a big impact on the cost of the actual shirt. Most people understand this…but it’s worth mentioning here. The more shirts you order, the less per shirt you have to pay. Got it? Cool.
What Sizes?
This is an often-overlooked piece of information when pricing t-shirts. The fact is, despite the many variations of t-shirts, this can be a commodity game. So many t-shirt sellers will price S-XL t-shirts very aggressively. They know that most of the shirts they sell will be that size AND that most people will only price those sizes. So when you get to larger sizes, most t-shirts cost more. If you only have a few people on your team that need a 2XL, then you are probably not going to notice it. But the more people you have and the larger sizes they require, the more it will affect your overall pricing. You might not like it…but it’s standard practice…and you should be ready for it.
As a rule of thumb (and that’s all it is) we tell our customers to plan on $2 extra for 2XL, $3 extra for 3XL and so on. This is not a perfect formula, but it gives you an idea for budgeting.
How Fast Do You Need Them?
The final factor I will address here is speed. How fast do you need your t-shirts? One of my favorite rules of thumb in our industry is simple. You can get your branded items fast, cheap, and right…but you only get to pick 2! You will save yourself a lot of money if you plan just a bit. If you can give yourself 2 to 3 weeks for the production of your t-shirts, it can save you anywhere between 25% and 50% on the project…and that does not include shipping. So when you can…plan ahead.
So those are just a few factors to consider when looking for a branded custom t-shirt for your next promotion. It can be a lot to consider (which is why I have never written a blog post like this before!). And if it all just seems too overwhelming, no problem. That is what we are here for. If you need help selecting a custom t-shirt, please let us know. We are happy to help.
But How Much Do They Cost?
Yes. I realize that after all of that I have still not given you an answer. I think you may now know why! But because I want to give you an idea, I will define the parameters and give you an idea of what you should be paying…regardless of who you buy custom t-shirts from. I will base this on ordering 144 shirts, with a one-color screen-print on the front and back of a t-shirt. Any variation to these specifics will change the price of the shirt…but it should give you an idea.
100% Cotton T-shirt: Based on the PC61 100% Cotton T-shirt you should be somewhere between $6.25 and $10.
Performance T-shirt: If you want to dazzle the runners at your next 5k, you should probably land between $8.85 and $12.50 for this shirt.
Tri-Blend T-shirt: While there are many different tri-blend options, you should be somewhere between $8.25 and $12.25 for this style of custom t-shirt.
As you can see, there is a lot to consider. My hope is this arms you with information on how to get the right shirt for the right budget for your brand. Good luck!
If you need help with your next promotion, please reach out to us. You can learn more about how we help with branded merchandise here.
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by Kirby Hasseman
I think most of us can agree that 2020 has been difficult. Between pandemics, civil unrest, murder hornets and an election year, it’s hard to know which way is up! And if you are an entrepreneur (or in sales in any way) you know you need to keep the lights on. But how is it appropriate to market and sell? Should I keep posting to social (I was asked that here)? What branded products should an entrepreneur use to promote their brand in today’s world?
I think you need to go back to basics. Here are a few branded products we see working for entrepreneurs today. (Oh…and you can find all of these here).
Soft T-shirt
A t-shirt has long been one of the best pieces of branded merchandise for telling your story. It still is, but it has evolved. The customer is demanding more. While giving a lower cost t-shirt with your logo on it still has it’s place, you can do better. When you invest just a little more, you can create a shirt that you AND your customer base want to wear. As I have been told many times, the cost of that shirt is not decided when you purchase it. It’s decided at the point of use. If your customer wears your nice shirt once a week, the cost per impression gets really low.
Entrepreneurs don’t only want to create a brand, they want to create a movement!
A really nice t-shirt can help you! Again, find a couple of examples here.
Vacuum Sealed Tumbler
Like I said, back to basics. If you want to get something in your customer’s hands that they will use, a nice piece of drinkware is a GREAT place to start. The double wall vacuum sealed tumblers are great for keeping coffee hot and cold beverages ice cold. They can be used on their morning commute or on a beach vacation. And…you don’t need to worry about sizes! Then, if you want to take this idea to the next level, add personalization! If you add the name of your best customer’s to the tumbler, it will get used for sure!
Anti-Bacterial Pen
“Okay,” you might be thinking. “But what branded item can I do that is lower cost and timely?” I have you covered. If you have been to a bank or a restaurant recently, you might have noticed that they are handing you pens that it feels like everyone has touched. You could give everyone their own pen (and I wish they would) but that can become expensive. How about a pen that is Anti-Bacterial? Do you love it? What if you can also do a pen that has a full color imprint…and actually writes? It’s not too good to be true. For under $1 you can have a pen that is worth passing around.
Branded Mask
Yep. They are here to stay (for now anyway). And if you are going to be required to where them, you might as well tell your story. And here’s the thing, as an entrepreneur (or sales pro) your job is to put your customers at ease. If they are anxious, they are not going to be in a buying mood. I talk about the real reason masks matter here. In addition, our customers are going to need more than one mask. Why not give them one that shares your brand? You do it with t-shirts!
Year At A Glance Calendar
If you are smart during this time, you want to think of marketing pieces that have longevity…and don’t break the bank. This is why at Year At A Glance Calendar can be the perfect item. A Year At A Glance calendar (as it says in the name) shows you the whole year on one sheet…so they are cost effective. They are great for planning and there are simply not as many of them out there…so your customers and prospects are likely to use them. Combine that with the fact that your who, what, where message will be on their wall all year round and you have a cost-effective marketing hit!
4 x 3 Sticky Note
And speaking of cost-effective, let’s talk about a marketing idea that really sticks! (Sorry…I had to). Simple. Inexpensive. Old school. But a 25 sheet 4 x3 Sticky note is an incredibly functional piece that will allow you to tell your story to the masses. And if you are person who likes deals (and who isn’t?), these are on special right now.
Mission Pack in Black
We are not traveling much right now. But many of us are still heading to the office and seeing clients in modified ways. Well if you still need to be on the move, do it in style! This Mission Pack in Black is super functional. It’s the backpack I use and I love it. Oh…and for those that don’t have an army behind them, you can get JUST ONE with your brand on it. How cool is that?
These are just a few branded items that Entrepreneurs need to know about right now. You can find these items (and more) on the Product Shop we set up right here. But don’t give up there. We work with many entrepreneurs to grow their business…and we would love to help you. Learn more about that here.
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