by Kirby Hasseman
As I work to put thoughts into this blog, some days I have an idea I want to cover. But other days, I just have lots of random thoughts running through my head. Today is one of those days. So here are a bunch of “quick hit” random thoughts from quarantine.
Stop The Predictions
Each morning, I spend a bit of time on my treadmill in the basement. During that time I watch and listen to ESPN or other sports shows to pass the time. Now that there are not sports to report, I am fascinated by how much time is spent predicting when sports will restart. I am most often amused by the predictions about Football. I love the sport and would love to have it back. But it’s a fall sport, and while leaders in those leagues should be thinking about it, predictions are just silly.
None of these prognosticators were able to predict the situation we are in TWO months ago. So why would they have ANY insight into what is going to have FIVE months from now?
Listening and Reading Less
When this shutdown started I thought I would be able to read more and learn more. That has not been the case at all for me. I listen to a lot of books and with drive time and long run time gone, so has a LOT of my book time. I miss drive time.
I Will Take A Small Town
When this pandemic really started to become a reality, I was struck by how excited I was to get home to Coshocton, Ohio. Sure, it’s home. It’s where I am comfortable. But at a time when “Social Distancing” was one of the real ways to help slow the spread of the disease, I wanted to get to a place where people were not all over me. I live in a rural area for a reason. We have more room to breath. While cities have lots that small towns don’t have, I have never been more excited to live outside of those confines.
Pass The Judgement
With the build up of anxiety, fear and time, I have seen way too much snap judgement of others. To be candid, I have done it myself. We always seem to be able to justify our behavior and vilify others. I am always amused by the comments that say “I went to the grocery store and there were way too many people out and about.” Well, how would you know? Oh that’s right, you were out and about too. If you are an essential worker, great. You get a pass. But for the rest of us, take a breath before we decide everyone else is just being a selfish jerk.
Now More Than Ever…Be Kind
Which leads nicely to “be kind.” This is a bell we have been ringing for a long time. But when you can, and most of the time you can, take a minute to do something for someone else. When you feel helpless, be helpful. You won’t feel so helpless anymore.
Like I said, random thoughts. Thanks for reading. If you want to dig into more content, please head to our blog page here. We have new content nearly every day.
And in the interest of kindness, we have also created a Free 5 Day Marketing Course you can check out here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It seems like most of us are living somewhere on this scale.
- Getting Used To Working From Home
- Enjoying Working From Home
- Really Over Working From Home
- Going Stir Crazy and Ready to Scream at the Top Of My Lungs from Working From Home
The changes have been big for many of us. And while some of the adjustments have forced us to reconnect with family, some have been frustrating to say the least. So how are we coping? What do we need? I thought it might be fun to reach out to our Hasseman Marketing Team to ask them what pieces of “branded merchandise” they have decided is essential for survival during this quarantine! So here are Essential Branded Products (According to HMC) For Quarantine!
Bree McAndrews
Bree was the first to respond. She knows that while she knows she needs to work from home, she needs her privacy too! She says “Camera blocker! Good to quickly block camera if you need to (like if you haven’t changed from your PJ pants to yoga pants yet)” Great call Bree! You can find one of those here.
Jay Sabine
You can think of Jay as the Grill Master! Maybe it’s just an escape to get out of the house, but Jay wants to have tunes and tools to do Grilling right. So Jay’s must have items are:
Grill Brush Cleaner
https://www.hitpromo.net/product/show/7045/grill-brush-cleaner
Thumpah Wireless Speaker
https://origaudiopromo.com/product/thumpah/
Slice-it Scissors
https://www.baystate.com/?sku=K214#Slice-it-Scissors
Kelly Bowe
Kelly knows what she wants. And during this strange and stressful time, Kelly wants chocolate. She responded in all caps…CHOCOLATE! And if you want more specific, then think Turtles. You can find these tasty treats here.
Josh Williams
Our Master of Design, Josh Williams is all about Coffee! He wants his caffeine to keep him safe during this quarantine. “I really like the Urban Peak travel mugs we got a couple years ago. The twist of top and drinking slit weren’t as non-spill as some of the Starline stuff, but they are way easier to keep clean, and they hold a lot of coffee.” There are some great coffee tumbler options…and here is good one.
Jeff Wickerham
With a true house full of people (and animals), Jeff is all about managing time and sound. “For me, I use the Pioneer Wireless Ear Buds + 4400 mAh Power BankI use this for my conference calls, as well as putting them in to block out the noise my kids make. 😊”
We hear you Jeff. We hear you!
While the health and safety of our friends and neighbors is no laughing matter, we do want to keep our content light some days and hopefully make you smile. If you want to keep up with our content each day, head to our blog page each day for more. Oh…and we did actually create a blog with tips from our team on working from home…so you can check that out here.
P.S. Please feel free to use this time to create more targeted and more effective marketing. We have created a FREE 5 Day Marketing Course to help you with that. Check it out here and sign up.
by Kirby Hasseman
At Hasseman Marketing, we are proud of the team that helps us “Deliver Marketing Joy” each and every day. So we wanted to introduce you to some of our peeps with our series we call “Brand-ecdotes.” Today we get to meet Emily (Em) Bradford.
What is something fun that not everyone knows about you?
Something fun not everyone knows about me is I married my high school sweetheart. I became his girlfriend at the age of 14! Thirty years later here we are! It hasn’t been an easy road, that’s for sure, but we are lucky enough to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary on April 22nd, 2020. In these years together we have had our share of abundant ups and downs, but have been able to rely on each other through it all. Our blessed family consists of our son and daughter in law, our daughter, and our precious granddaughter. We are beyond proud of each of them. I know neither one of us could have ever expected to have this life of love, laughter, and the greatest blessings.
What is your all-time favorite Promotional Product and why?
Favorite Promotional Product – https://www.bicgraphic.com/US/straight-up-pint-glass – The silipint is so versatile for my hot or cold drinks. I love the “feel” and colors and the flexibility of it being unbreakable and dishwasher safe.
What is the current product you use all the time?
Promo Product I use all the time – Viking tumbler – I use this daily. Whether it’s for my morning coffee at home or work. I also use for a refreshing glass of ice tea, wine, or beer during nonworking hours of course.
What is a company or brand that you admire and why?
Company/Brand I admire – Herbalife Nutrition – I became familiar with this company when I gained interest in working out. Herbalife Nutrition is a global multi-level marketing corporation that develops and sells dietary supplements. I get a healthy protein shake almost daily for my lunch which helps get me through the day. This company also gives healthy eating tips, workout routines, and encourages a healthy lifestyle change for everyone.
What is your favorite part of “Delivering Marketing Joy?”
Since I am in the office and I don’t get to see clients face to face, my favorite part of Delivering Marketing Joy is receiving emails, texts, or phone calls of happy clients. It brings me joy knowing I had a small part of putting a smile on their face and making their promotional product ordering journey successful.
If you want to learn more about us and the Hasseman Marketing team, check out our About Us page here! And…you can always become one of our VIP’s. Just sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Branded merchandise is one of the most powerful tools you have in your marketing toolbox. Sure, we sell promotional products. So, you can certainly expect that we’re a little biased on the subject. But years of studies prove us right. Done well, branded merchandise powerfully impacts human behavior.
These are all impressive numbers. But it assumes one very important thing. To create results like this, you need to use promotional products correctly.
Like any other media, promotional products can be done wastefully, in-artfully, and even irresponsibly. All marketing channels can be done well, or they can be done poorly.
Don’t believe me? Then just consider this billboard that asks you to stop texting and driving…while expecting you to read a paragraph.
The point is, if you want great results with any marketing vehicle, you need to do it well.
The same is certainly true with branded merchandise. I have often said, you get what you pay for in promo. If you want to represent your brand well, take the time to consider which product you put your brand on! It seems simple, but so many organizations just gloss over it!
At a basic level, the best branded merchandise is useful. As marketers, it’s easy to lose sight of that. We want the newest, cutest, shiniest branded piece…and those are fun.
But if you want your marketing message to stick, it needs to be useful to the people you give it to.
Want to have a promotional product with a great ROI? Focus on perceived value.
Some of the best branded merchandise campaigns are built around high perceived value. What is perceived value in promo? It simply means that your customers think you spent more on the item than you actually did.
Leveraging perceived value in promo is when you only spend $5 but create $10 of goodwill.
When you focus on high perceived value items, you create brand affinity and fix the appreciation gap with your customers. You show them how much you appreciate them. And you create promotions that stick around. People don’t toss items that are genuinely useful, that make their way into the everyday routines of your customer’s lives.
Which promotional items have the highest perceived value?
There are plenty of promotional products which meet these criteria. Useful promo items with a high perceived value are available at any price point. Knowing your audience, your market, and your target demographic helps narrow down your options to those that will give the biggest ROI in terms of goodwill (we can help with that, of course).
There are a few products that often do well across many demographics. Consider these…
- Lip Balm: Lip Balm is an inexpensive marketing piece that outperforms its cost. Customers know lip balm retails for $2 to $3, but it will only cost you about $1, with your logo.
- Vacuum Drinkware: Yeti has a great product. And the company has done an incredible job increasing the perceived value of this category. Work this to your advantage. Your customer thinks this product should cost $30, and you can do it for $10 or $15. You’ll dazzle your customers with your generosity. (As a side note, this is why I say you should never buy a Yeti in promo.)
- Custom Calendar: Each year, people head to malls to spend $20 to $25 for their wall calendar. (Yes, people still use them.) Calendars let you put your marketing message on their wall (for a whole year) for just $5 to $7. Well, it’s a no-brainer.
These are just a few items that pass the perceived value test in branded merchandise. There are plenty more! Just make sure you spend the time to consider one simple question as you create your next campaign: Am I adding value?
Thanks for reading! Want to keep up with all of our content? You can do that here on our blog page. Oh…and now is a great time to upgrade your marketing education. Check out our FREE 5 Day Marketing Course here if you want to create more targeted and effective marketing.
by Kirby Hasseman
I was a terrible college student…when it came to education. As it turns out though, I learned a lot. You see, there is a difference between education and learning…and that is more apparent today than ever before.
Education is a form of teaching that happens TO you. It is often forced upon you. Education often includes vocabulary words, essays and pop quizzes. While most people would contend that education is important, I never really enjoyed it. I would do what I had to do (and nothing more) to fulfill the obligations of education. Often, I went to class less than I should have. I studied just as much as I needed to to get by. And to be honest, I don’t remember very much of what I learned during my “education” in college..
I was much more interested in staying in my dorm room, playing guitar, writing lyrics and performing my amateur songs for anyone who would listen. There was nothing formal about it. I did not have to take any tests. No one was looking over my shoulder. But I was insatiable about listening or reading anything I could on the subject. It had nothing to do with my education.
I was just learning.
As it turns out, the learning I was doing, while college professors saw me blowing off their education DOES have value. I was working to learn and improve my craft of playing guitar and songwriting. In addition, by using those skills to create and write, I was forced to put myself “out there” regularly. Sometimes the song was really well-received. Sometimes it was a total flop. It helped me to flex my creative muscle and be willing to try things that might not work with no guarantees.
It’s very similar, in fact, to what I do when I create content today. It takes some creativity. It takes some courage. And it is all done with the idea that, if I keep doing it, I might get better.
So while I was struggling through education, I enjoyed learning very much.
That brings me to today.
We are living in a weird and different time. Many people are working remote, and have more time on our hands. But what are you going to do with it? You can learn to speak a new language. Maybe you can take the time to learn to play an instrument. It’s your choice if you want to learn something new.
And if you want to grow your understanding of marketing your organization, we would love to help. We have created a 5 Day Marketing Course designed to help you create more effective and targeted marketing. It’s free. You can find the course here.
We hope you will take the chance to learn…and let us know what you think! Oh, and as always, feel free to keep up with all of our content on our blog here.
