by Kirby Hasseman
“Let’s get more customers! We want better customers! And let’s spend less money to do so!”
This is the battle cry of any business owner, marketer or sales person. Whether you are Vice President of Sales for a Fortune 100 company, or a small business owner in Middle America, the goal is still the same. You want to drive more customers into your funnel. Then once you have them there…you want to keep them!
And of course, if you are this VP of Sales or anyone else who is charged with marketing their company, you also understand that there are a LOT of ways to advertise and market your company (or product or service). Between radio, newspaper, magazines, television and the internet, each of these media is working to show you why their way is the best to reach your potential clients. And let’s face it…sometimes they might be right.
A mistake some business marketers make is to focus solely on these mass media advertising elements when marketing their company. Though they may utilize promotional products in some cases, these dollars are spent only after the “real” advertising is done. Though many savvy business marketers are really beginning to understand the power of the promotional product, many are still utilizing them like “trinkets and trash.”
If you consider this promotional tool this way, those are the kind of results you will get.
In today’s marketing mix, well utilized promotional product campaigns can bring powerful, measurable results. But why do these imprinted items bring positive results? And more importantly to you, how can you utilize them to create real results in your marketing plan? That’s what we hope to continue to show you on this blog!
First let’s talk about WHY promotional products work.
There are many reasons for the many different situations, but let’s focus on three simple reasons why they are effect.
- Promotional Products are targeted!
- Promotional Products are cost effective per impression!
- Humans appreciate receiving valuable gifts!
Let’s elaborate just a bit.
Promotional Products are Targeted
This is one of the oldest reasons to utilize Promotional Products…and still a viable one. Done correctly, you are giving your promotional product (whatever that product might be) directly to the customer or potential customer. You are reaching out into their office, kitchen, car or yard and greeting them with your “who, what, where” message! As one of my first teachers told me, you are taking your business card and putting it on their wall (or desk or pocket). Since you are reaching directly to the people you want reach, there is little or no waste.
That same teacher handed me a calendar and asked me, “What is the worst thing that can happen to this when you give it to a client?”
I looked over the calendar for a moment, turned and cavalierly threw it in the waste basket. I waited for him to be upset, but he simply laughed and said, “Exactly!”
Smiling at the confused look on my face he explained, “You looked at the calendar—the advertising message—considered it and then discarded it. That’s the worst thing that can happen. But consider this; that is the BEST thing that can happen to nearly all other kinds of advertising! If someone listens or sees an ad long enough to consider it, that ad has succeeded. But with our advertising that is your worst case scenario! Most likely that calendar will be hanged and give you valuable advertising space on the customer’s wall all year.”
Which leads nicely into…
Promotional Products are Cost Effective
When considering many advertising venues you will hear terms like range, frequency, circulation to showcase the overall power or effectiveness of the medium. And although those can be impressive statistics, they are not always totally accurate. Just because 100,000 people CAN listen to a radio station doesn’t mean they DO.
When measuring the effectiveness of a well-executed promotional product campaign, I like to consider the CPI or Cost Per Impression of an item. Measuring the CPI of an item gives you a stronger understanding about the power of an individual product. It also quantifies the value to you, the marketing professional, of that same product.
Let’s take a promotional watch for example.
A decent watch for a customer might cost you $20 (less or more but let’s go with this for this example; you can do the math for other price ranges). Initially $20 might sound like a lot to reach this customer. But consider that the average person looks at their watch about twice per hour, 10 hours per day. Let’s also assume they wear this watch for the better part of year, or 300 days. That customer has now looked at your branding message 20 times per day for 300 days…or 6000 times! Now if you divide that $20 watch by the 6000 times your branding message was in front of your customer you realize the CPI on this watch was $.0033 per impression! Not a bad investment for your marketing dollar!
Of course you can easily think through the math on any promotional item. You don’t need to know any fancy statistics; common sense will do the trick. That’s why some of the classic staples of the promotional products industry are products that have lasting power. The more long term usefulness a product has the more value it has to your brand!
Humans Appreciate Receiving Valuable Gifts
Though this sounds like sort of the “duh” moment, it’s deeper than that too. It is true that many people like to receive things that are free. Unfortunately sometimes that leads us to think of the lowest common denominator of mooch out there that only comes to trade shows for the free stuff. Those folks are out there…but that is not what I am talking about.
Studies show that giving your customers (or potential customers) a promotional “gift,” you actually create a sense of obligation in that person to do business with you. That’s right. It’s called the Rule of Reciprocity. Studies prove that by giving that $5 item, your customer will actually feel like they owe you or your company the opportunity to do business. You have provided them something of value. Interestingly enough, this Rule states that this effect increases over time. So the more often you present that prospect with a promotional “gift” the more likely they are to give you an order. They subconsciously feel like they owe you!
And though that might not “exactly” be the intention, it is a wonderful added benefit.
I make it a habit. Each time I go to visit one of my customers; I make sure I bring “goodies.” As I tell them, I don’t want them to say, “Oh no, Kirby is coming.” I want them to be excited for my visit saying, “Oh, Kirby is coming! I wonder what he will bring me!” I am NOT above gift giving to gain business. I will trade a $5 promotional item for $1000 worth of business every day!
So remember…promotional products work for three simple reasons. They are a very targeted form of advertising, they are cost effective and people love free stuff (the Rule
of Reciprocity)!
If you want to get more customers, get better customers and spend less money doing it, then a well-thought out promotional product strategy had better be a part of your marketing mix!
The key here is “well-thought out” plan.
If you simply go around handing out things with your logo to anyone and everyone, you have lost the idea of “targeted.” So in essence, you negate one of the things that make promotional products effective. Think about it…have you done that? Then you say, “Wow I didn’t get any return on that.” Of course you didn’t! You blew it!
So when you are creating your marketing plan for the end of this year and beyond, make sure you consider promotional products and their three benefits to take your results to the next level! If you want help, click here to contact us!
by Kirby Hasseman
In today’s world, more than ever, we need to connect and communicate with our customers and prospects. With that in mind, Calendars are foundational branded products…and they need to be in your marketing mix.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of really smart business people who get a case of the “yeah-buts” when they talk about calendar advertising. They have created all kinds of “yeah-buts” in their mind about why this form of advertising won’t work for them. They have many (in their mind) well-reasoned arguments about it too.
Yeah-but…they are wrong.
First things first, let’s “say this out loud.” Sometimes, in business, we overthink things that are not that complicated. I think maybe calendars might be one of those things. “Saying it out loud” forces you to simplify things and decide if (or if not) they make sense. Let’s apply it here. Say this out loud.
Do I want my customers and prospects to take my basic who-what-where message and hang it on their wall all year long?
Uh…of course you do!
Do I want these same customers and prospects to hang my brochure up on their wall all year?
Sure! That would be ideal for any type of business.
Do I want to have this sort of exposure (did I mention it was all year?) for the cost of one radio campaign?
Well-yes!
At its most basic, calendar advertising just makes sense. I call it a “foundational piece of marketing.” You are not going to use calendars alone to market your business. But it should be the base from which you build the rest of your marketing campaigns. Make sure you get your message on your clients wall (or desk, or pocket, depending on the calendar you choose) and then build from there.
One final question before I get to some of the “yeah-buts.” What is the worst thing that can happen to a calendar that you give to a client? Think about it. In reality, the worst thing that can happen is that your client looks at the calendar and then throws it away.
Right?
Guess what. That is the best thing that can happen to nearly any other form of major advertising! If a customer consumes your radio ad, notices it, and then it goes away, it’s done its job! So consider that the next time you tell someone calendars won’t work for you.
Now let’s address some of the “Yeah-Buts” and see if we can get rid of the myths.
“Yeah-But” no one uses calendars anymore!
Hogwash. Don’t get me wrong there has certainly been a shift to technology for personal calendars. I get it. But studies show that there are printed (that means promotional opportunities) calendars in nearly 80% of homes and 80% of businesses (thanks PPAI). In fact there is more than one. Homes average 3 printed calendars and offices average 2.
As a matter of fact, you hear more and more people getting excited to receive calendars because they believe that “no one” gives out calendars anymore! That presents a real opportunity for business owners to fill a need…and get a boost of advertising.
Here’s another “say it out loud” moment. That’s right. Many of your customers will be excited to get this “as a gift.” This foundational marketing tool will be valued because of its utility and will be looked forward too.
When was the last time you could say that about a cable ad?
“Yeah-But” calendars are expensive.
I totally disagree. It’s all relative folks. As I mentioned earlier, done right you can get a year’s worth of exposure for the cost of one mass-media campaign. Whether it’s with radio, TV or even (to a lesser degree) print ads, small businesses will spend thousands of dollars on campaigns that come and go in the blink of an eye. But then these same marketers will balk at spending that on a year’s worth of exposure directly in the office of the customer they are trying to reach. This argument just doesn’t make sense.
Now it’s worth mentioning there are multiple ways to create a calendar campaign. You can use a stock calendar with great pictures and a basic area for imprint. Or you can create a completely custom calendar with your own pictures and information. Each of these options has real merit…depending on the target you want to reach.
As a rule, stock calendars can be less expensive. So if cost is a real concern for you, this might be a better option. But the cost of custom calendars has come down with digital printing, so you might be surprised with the cost-effectiveness of this option. You simply need to decide what you want to accomplish and then move toward that option. We will discuss that more later.
The basic point is calendar advertising is an extremely cost effective way to promote your business or organization. It is less than pennies per exposure. And I think most importantly, it is not wasted. Your message is reaching directly into the homes, offices, desks and minds of your target market.
“Yeah-But” calendars are passé.
Maybe it’s because calendar advertising has been around for 100 years. Maybe it’s because some business marketers are always chasing the new “shiny” thing. But sometimes the “yeah-but” comes because they think calendars are an old way to go to market. Maybe you think that.
Remember that “say it out loud” thing? Let’s do that again. I want you to say:
“I don’t want to use an advertising and marketing tool because it has worked for 100 years for thousands of companies.”
Sounds dumb, doesn’t it?
Calendar advertising is NOT passé. It is proven. Hundreds of thousands of companies have utilized this tool in the tool box to promote and grow their business. Nothing is around in the business world this long if it doesn’t work.
Period.
“Yeah-But” I get lots of calendars and I throw them away.
Congrats! You are super popular. But here’s the thing; you are the exception. Many people actually go to the mall during the holiday season and buy themselves a calendar. If that is your client, you just missed a huge opportunity.
The other problem with that argument is this you might throw a few away, but most people keep their favorite. So the issue is not that you get too many calendars. The issue is you get too few that move your excitement meter. I always tell people that the cost of a calendar is not determined at the point of purchase. It’s determined at the point of hanging.
If you spend $.50 each on 1000 crappy calendars and
only 1 of them is put on a wall, then that was one damn expensive calendar.
The rule is the same for mugs, mouse pads and calendars. Yes, most people have one. But if you give them one they like better, they will use yours. So don’t always go cheap on the calendar. It might be a very expensive mistake.
So now I have addressed just a few of the “yeah-buts.” You either believe me or you don’t. My guess is, if you are still reading, you do! So let’s talk about some options for calendars…and which might make sense for you.
Stock Calendars
There are tons of shapes and sizes and themes when it comes to “stock” calendars. Basically a stock calendar is simply a calendar that is mass-produced that has a specific space for you to put your business information on. Some examples of stock calendars include:
Appointment Style Wall Calendars: These wall calendars are the most popular style of promotional calendar. They often come with pictures ranging from scenic to puppies and kittens to motivation and thousands of others. These can be a great inexpensive way to reach customers in their home or cubicle.
Executive Style Wall Calendars: These are generally larger, grander calendars that are meant to be displayed in an executive office or board room.
Year At A Glance Wall Calendars: The name says it all. These calendars show the entire year on one page and are perfect
for planning.
Desk Planners: These calendars are used all over the world to plan hair appointments, schedule vacations, and
massages. Though some people believe that calendars are only being done on the computer, this type of calendar is still very popular.
Desk Pad: A great calendar to be able to have right on the desk to display appointments.
And there are lots and lots of other stock styles as well. What you need to do as a business marketer is simply decide where you should best try to reach your customer. Then choose the style of calendar best suited for that location.
A big advantage of a stock calendar is you can purchase a small quantity without breaking the bank. You have less flexibility on what you can put on them. But stock calendars can be extremely effective when done right!
Custom Calendars
As the name suggests, a custom calendar can be created from scratch to fulfill any of the above styles…but with your company’s pictures, styles, information and more. I always tell my clients that they are starting with a blank piece of paper. So within reason, you can do pretty much whatever you want to do on a custom calendar.
The custom calendar is fantastic because you go from putting your “who-what-where” message on the wall (which is great) to putting your entire company brochure on the wall. You can showcase products, services, case studies, success stories and more. You really have a chance to go all out and “story tell” on a custom calendar.
In addition, though Custom Calendars are generally more expensive than stock calendars, the cost has really come down. So reach out to your promotional consultant before you dismiss the idea of creating a custom calendar. It might be more in your budget than you think! Click here to learn more about our print offerings.
What it boils down to is, you should be incorporating calendar advertising into your marketing budget. Create a calendar campaign that you can be excited about and then build the rest of your advertising the rest of the year on top of it. Once you create the solid “foundation” you will find a great year can be built with ease!
If you want more foundational marketing tips on how to use branded merchandise to grow your organization, here are some things you can do. First, check out our blog page. We have lots of information like this there. You can sign up for our VIP newsletter. We send out one email per week with our content. Finally, you can check out the book this was originally written in Delivering Marketing Joy.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you are looking for a great branded gift item for your team or your customers, drinkware is a great category to consider. Why? There are plenty of reasons, but here are a few.
First, no sizing. While apparel is a wonderful item to give your team (and you should) you need to make sure you have the right sizes, or the gift is a waste. Functionality. Everyone uses drinkware. And if you get your team or your best customers a NICE piece of drinkware, they will use yours. It’s Personal. Anything you are putting in your mouth is personal! So tying your brand to something legitimately personal ties them more emotionally to you.
But what piece of drinkware?
At Hasseman Marketing, many of our team lean lean toward the Vacuum Tumbler. A vacuum tumbler (often a Yeti style mug) is double walled and insulated to keep your coffee hot and your ice cold for hours. With that, they are functional regardless of what kind of drink your recipient enjoys. Want to sip on a coffee all day, these work great! And if you like to enjoy a cold beverage by the pool all day, these have you covered as well.
But which Vacuum Tumbler? We asked our team!
Kelly Bowe Says: “The Viking Tumbler is always my go to tumbler. That’s the one I always bought for the hospital and everyone always loved it. The price was right and the quality was top notch.”
Jeff Wickerham Says: “Celeste: I love this tumbler! It is vacuum sealed, but unlike most vacuum sealed tumblers, it is ceramic. The Celeste has the traditional coffee cup feel but keeps my coffee hot, so it is the best of both worlds!”
Kirby Hasseman Says: “I love the Urban Peak tumblers. They have great performance as a tumbler, and the full color decoration is amazing. Oh…and you can personalize it so everyone makes sure they have the right tumbler.” (Yes…I just quoted myself there).
Regardless of what style you like the best, during this time we have a great opportunity to show our team and our customers how much we really appreciate it. Let’s not waste it. Please let us know if we can help. Remember, we have drop ship programs that can help you send your branded merchandise directly to their door!
by Kirby Hasseman
At Hasseman Marketing, we believe the best way to battle business challenges is through learning and hustle. I know the term “hustle” is sometimes over-used right now, but the reality is, your effort is one of the things you can truly control. It matters. In addition, when times are changing and challenging (as we can all agree they are right now), looking for ways to grow is one of the best ways to make sure you are prepared to adapt. That is why we have been so focused on providing education during this time (like this FREE 5 Day Marketing Course).
That is why we are so excited to host Hasseman Marketing MasterClass.
Yes it will take some time. It will take some effort. But we hope this event will be well worth it! If you are still on the fence, we wanted to give you 5 reasons to attend the first ever Hasseman Marketing MasterClass.
Amazing Keynote Speakers
Bill Petrie and Bobby Lehew are two of the most talented speakers in the marketing world. Both are industry professionals for sure. But each has wonderful perspective on story-telling and a track record for marketing success. I am thrilled they have agreed to share their talents with us. Each of their sessions will be well worth the price of admission as you plan the rest of your year.
Real World Breakout Sessions
As great as the speakers are going to be (and they are going to be awesome), I am really fired up about our Breakout Sessions. We will be tapping into our speakers (in a session about creating content), our team and even our customers. We have asked our team and customers about topics that would help them move the needle and responded. So we have a session on improving your website, how to maintain company culture during this time, changing your marketing during changing times, and more! We are adding more speakers and sessions all the time…so be ready to be inspired!
A Virtual Trade Show
As we discussed doing this event with some of our customers, one thing came up again and again. “We still want to be able to meet with your suppliers!” After over 15 years of hosting a successful trade show for our customers, we have created a demand. Great news. Some of our best supplier partners will be joining us virtually to show you the best and brightest year end gift ideas, apparel options, and branded merchandise to help you move the needle and end 2020 strong.
Innovative Learning
We have all heard it until we are blue in the face, “we are living in unprecedented times.” While it’s true, I am tired of hearing it. That being said, these times call for innovative solutions. We have a fun interactive platform and an energetic way to keep the learning going. It’s not going to be “just another zoom meeting.”
Inspiration For Year End
We are being bombarded with negative news every single day. Whether it’s CNN, FoxNews or your Uncle Joe on Facebook, it can be hard to escape. This event is designed to provide information and inspiration to help you take control of your marketing and your organization. We will be hearing from real people that have implemented real ideas to help them navigate this time. I mean, one idea might be, “How to host a virtual conference so we can continue to do business!” Just a thought!
Bonus Reason (for a limited time)…Great Box of SWAG
You know we love our swag! This is for a limited time, but for the first 100 to register, you will get a box of branded merchandise that will be more than worth the price of admission.
We are fired up about this event. If you want to learn more, please head here to read and and register. The cost is only $10 and I guarantee you will get your money’s worth.
by Kirby Hasseman
Despite the fact that technology makes us more “connected” than ever before, that is not how most of us feel. Studies tell us that people feel more lonely than ever. And this was true BEFORE Covid-19 forced us to isolate even more. Our culture is starving for real human connection. We want to have a sense of purpose and a sense of belonging. It’s a basic human need….and many of us are struggling to meet it. We want, and need, a tribe.
Believe it or not, great brands can help.
In his latest book, “Marketing Rebellion,” author Mark Schaefer says that the best brands build a tribe that helps them create a sense of belonging. These brand loyalties, when they are strong enough, help us to explain not only where we belong, but where we don’t. Harley Davidson, for example, has created a tribe that is passionate about a lifestyle of freedom. Yeti is a brand that represents outdoor living and high quality. The people that belong to these tribes not only are loyal to their brand, but they are proud to share the message too.
And how do they share this love for brand and show their sense of belonging? Promotional Products.
In his book, Schaefer talks about a Nike fan that was so passionate about his desire to “Just do it,” that he tattooed the swoosh logo on both ankles. While most of us are not willing to tattoo a brands logo to our body (more people do this than you might think) we often do the next best thing. We advocate for our favorite brands with less permanent “tattoos.” These might be stickers on our laptops, fun images on our socks and even t-shirts that we wear all the time. These simple pieces of branded merchandise help us to spread the brand gospel and show that we are part of a tribe. They show what we stand for…and what we don’t.
Done right, promotional products and branded merchandise can help our fans create a sense of belonging that is missing in their life.
We just need to be intentional about helping them create it.
For example, did you know that 22% of Harley Davidson sales are not the bikes? They have created merchandise that not only allows their fans to spread the gospel, it’s created a nice revenue source too. In addition, when YETI was getting it’s start, they included a branded t-shirt and/or a cap with every purchase. They used this branding strategy to help spread the word (and create that tribe) with every purchase. And remember that brandivate launch I wrote about a few weeks ago? They used branded merchandise to create a tribe from day 1.
As a side note, the response was so overwhelming that brandivate needed to go back to the well! People who wanted to be a part of the tribe reached out strongly enough that they created a 2nd wave of mailers for people that wanted to be in the group.
It can be exciting when we understand the impact we have have with our marketing efforts. Done right, you can not only impact your sales efforts, you can create a tribe and a sense of belonging for your fans.
And that is a purpose worth working towards.
