by Kirby Hasseman
Even Finn loves the Commonsku SWAG
Creating a Branded Collection Can Elevate Your Brand
If you are a sports fan, you might remember being encouraged to “Be Like Mike.” There was an entire generation who idolized Michael Jordan and wanted to emulate his moves on the basketball court. More recently, if you were a fan of soccer (or football for those of you outside of the U.S.), you might remember trying to “Bend it like Beckham.” Anyone with a soccer ball was trying to spin it so it curved into the net. It was a sight to behold!
Now, if you are reading this blog, I want to encourage you to “Crush Collections Like Commonsku!”
Okay…maybe it doesn’t roll off the tongue quite so easily (I will work on it), but the message is similar. If you want to create a brand that people want to wear, support and be fanatical about, you should pay attention to want the good people at Commonsku are doing!
Building A Brand With Apparel
As I mentioned in this article, there are different ways to create value for your brand using Promotional Products. The first, and most common, is to use the vehicle (whatever that may be) to put your logo, phone number, and contact information on it to give it lasting impact. This has a ton of value when done right. When I first got into the business, I was taught to put the “who, what, where” message of any business on the item. This gives customers and prospects a way to contact you at their fingertips. It’s powerful.
But another way to create loyalty with customers is to create a “collection” of products that find their way into your audiences every day life. When done right, this can back up the brand you are building, the story you are telling and create real and lasting loyalty. Oh, and it makes your customers a walking, talking billboard for your brand too!
Commonsku is a master at this. Let’s take a quick look at how they make it happen.
Think Cool and Comfortable
As I type this, it’s a cool spring day in Ohio. I am a little embarrassed to admit I am currently wearing three different Commonsku apparel items! Why? Is it because I want to run around Coshocton promoting the Commonsku platform? Not exactly. I am wearing them because they are good looking and very comfortable. Your clients will choose their apparel the same way. Your collection should have a fun, cool design and be super soft and comfortable. This is what they will go in their closet and select again and again.
Partner with Amazing Suppliers
There are plenty of people in the promotional world who are very comfortable doing things “the way they always have.” That’s fine…unless you want to create something memorable. As Seth Godin would say, “If you want to be remarkable, you need to make something people will remark about.” Commonsku knows that doing things the way they have always been done will not create a collection that will “crush it.” So they have partnered with some great supplier partners willing to think outside of the box. They created t-shirts that are super soft with T-shirt Tycoon, hoodies that are so comfy with Sanmar, and even an amazing pair of joggers (that I am wearing right now) with Redwood Classics. There are others too, but I only have so much time here. Regardless, when you decide to create your collection, work with people that help you think outside of the box so you can create something your customers will crave!
Cover the Apparel Bases
As I mentioned, I am wearing three different pieces from the Commonsku collection right now. Why? Because they have covered the bases! I don’t just have one item to wear to rep their brand! I have a t-shirt, joggers, and a cool hat (from BamBams). As the weather gets cooler tonight I have a zip up hoodie that I love to wear. And when I want to dress it up on Monday, I have some cool and colorful socks to spice up my outfit. All in all, they cover any and all of the apparel items I might want to wear. When you create a collection for your clients, make sure you think of all of the ways they might want to rep the brand!
Listen to the Audience
One final piece of advice, especially as you get going, is to listen to the audience you want to reach! At a recent Commonsku event, co-founder Mark Graham stood on stage and talked about the term “Skummunity” (now on the shirts for the event) and how the audience coined the term to label the Commonsku community. Mark said, “I wasn’t sure about it. But everyone seems to like it, so here we are!”
So many times, we have ideas about what our customers will love…and we might be right. But sometimes the best feedback for what to do next, or what design might work best, can be right in front of you. Make sure you are continually listening to your passionate group of customers as to what apparel piece will be the next big thing!
When considering what to do next with your brand, think about creating a collection that your customers will love to wear. It might be just the thing that will help to take your brand to the next level!
If you want help with your next Promo campaign, you can always start here. Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here!
by Kirby Hasseman
When it comes to a successful education, old timers tell us about the 3 R’s of education. The idea is that a focus on “Readin, wRitin, and aRithmatic” would help create a good student.
And though that is hopefully not the entire focus of our education system today, we know that those are the basics for success.
The Three R’s of Business Growth: Retention, Repeat Customers, Referrals
When it comes to business, there are also the THREE “R’s” that are important in any successful, long term business.
We have already spent an entire blog post on one the role that promotional products can have in fostering the first “R,” customer retention. Today I’m going to introduce the next two R’s of Business—repeat customers and referrals.
Why are repeat customers so valuable?
All successful business owners want to have a steady stream of repeat customers. Repeat customers are the backbone of any vibrant business. They are the “holy grail” of business growth.
These customers come back again and again and (hopefully) their loyalty leads them to spend more time and money with us.
(Repeat customers are, incidentally, our best source for the third “R”—referrals—but I will get to that in a minute.)
Repeat customers are great because we have already won them. It takes a great deal of time, energy and money to earn a customer’s trust and business. It’s much harder to convert a non-customer into a customer than it is to sell to one of your current customers. Depending on the study, it’s been shown that it costs up to 6 to 7 times more to capture a new customer than to sell to a current customer.
Insufficiently focusing on their current clients is one of the main mistakes many businesses make. Why do so many spend so much time and money on the clients that are hardest to reach?
So, we have a base of repeat customers. Great! Now, what next? It’s safe to say the goal is to grow that base. But how?
The first way is to get these repeat customers to come and do business with us more often! If we can increase the number of times these customers do business with us, we increase sales. Duh…right?
Well in two separate studies (in 1993 and 1994 respectively) promotional products were shown to improve repeat business.
Research into How Promotional Products Encourage Repeat Business
Repeat Business for a Food Delivery Service
In the first study, conducted by Southern Methodist University, 900 people were divided into 9 groups of 100. These nine groups were broken down by customer type (existing residential food delivery, new residential food delivery, and business/commercial food delivery customers) and what they received (a promotional product, a coupon, or nothing.)
The promotional product and the coupon were both valued at $2. But which one turned out to be more valuable?
- Customers who received promotional products ordered up to 18% sooner than those who received coupons.
- Customers who received promotional products also averaged up to 18% more orders than those receiving coupons.
In other words, the customers that received the promotional products ordered more quickly and more often than those that received coupons…or nothing. Sales more often and sales more quickly = more sales.
Repeat Customers for a Dry Cleaning Business
This study, also conducted by Southern Methodist University, tracked the activity of 300 new customers at two locations of a dry cleaning business.
Customers were randomly assigned one of three groups. Everyone received a welcome letter from the company. One of the groups, in addition to the letter, received a promotional product valued at $5. The second group received a $5 coupon. The control group just received the welcome letter.
After 8 months, the results of the study were:
- New customers who received the promotional product spent 27% more than those who received coupons, and 139% more than those who received only a welcome letter.
- Promotional product recipients were 49% more likely than coupon recipients (and 75% more likely than letter recipients) to patronize the dry cleaner in each of the eight months studied.
Just as in the first study, this second study showed that customers who receive promotional products spent more and were more regular customers than those who do not.
If repeat customers are the “holy grail” to business success, then you need to consider how cementing that relationship with a promotional product can help you grow.
How to Get More Referrals
Another huge part of any successful business is the third R…referrals. As a business friend once told me, “The best way to get referrals is to deserve them!” Obviously, this is foundational. But I am going to assume that you’re already running a business that is worthy of referrals.
So here I’m going to talk about how to get more referrals.
As I mentioned earlier, your current customer base is often the best place to look for growth in your business. It’s also a source of referrals that many business owners and marketers ignore. Your current client base already “gets” you. They understand what you offer, and they love you for it. Repeat customers can be a fantastic source of new customers.
The problem with referrals is that no really likes to ask for them! Admit it. You, like everyone else, don’t like asking for referrals. (Most people don’t.) Nearly every time I speak to a group, everyone agrees that getting referrals is a great way to grow your business. It’s just common sense. And yet, most people admit to failing to “consistently ask” for referrals.
What I’ve found, time and again, is that giving a promotional gift before asking for a referral is a simple way to make asking for referrals easier.
And another study proves it.
In 1993, researchers at Baylor University showed that customers who received a promotional product are more willing to provide referrals than those that don’t.
The study was conducted with 20 Mary Kay beauty consultants, half of whom distributed a promotional gift to their customers; the other half of whom gave no promotional gift.
The results were impressive.
- Customers who received a promotional product were 14% more likely to provide leads than those that did not.
- Salespeople who gave promotional products to their customers received 22% more referrals than the salespeople who did not use promotional gifts.
Providing even a small promotional gift to your customers increases the likelihood that they will provide you with referrals. Combine that with the fact that you have a business worth referring…and you have business gold!
Here’s an Idea: Create a Gift-Based Referral Program
Are you still struggling to ask for that referral? Here’s another approach—create a referral program which does the asking for you.
First, create a flyer to email, mail, fax (or send via smoke signal, your choice!) to your current customers.
The flyer should advertise a nice “referral gift.” Use your imagination. The gift can be anything from a nice watch to a piece of luggage. The incentive gift does not have to break the bank, but it does need to be nice enough to garner attention.
Send your flyer, letting customers know that if they provide a referral that results in business for your company, they will receive this fabulous gift.
Boom. Watch the referrals flow in.
A few tips:
- The gift needs to be nice enough to get your customer to act: Make the new customer’s qualifying purchase large enough that the profits from that sale will cover the cost of the item. This way you might break even on this transaction, but now you have a new customer for life!
- Make it feel “exclusive”: Considering only sending your referral offer to your top 20% of clients. They are the most likely to give you the best referrals anyway!
Setting up a simple program like this—one where you “give first”—takes “the ask” out of the referral. Instead of asking for a referral, you’re giving them an opportunity to receive a great gift. It’s a win-win proposition.
Focusing on the three R’s—retention, repeat business, and referrals—lays the foundation for building a successful business. And the research shows that promotional products can help your business achieve all three goals.
Want more great content like this? Sign up for our VIP list to get access to our weekly content and special deals. Sign up today!
by Kirby Hasseman
A Good Sales Meeting Can Be A Great Investment. This past week, several members of the Hasseman Marketing sales team (and me) attended an intense, multi-day sales event at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. It was a “speed dating” style event where we got the chance to meet with a different supplier every 18 minutes. It was fast. It was productive. And…it was exhausting! We left with lots of ideas for our clients and ourselves.
I love to attend sales meetings and events like this because, though they do require time out of the office, they can really recharge your passion. You certainly get new ideas. But sometimes the most powerful takeaway can be an old idea that you have not implemented! Either way, I view these events as opportunities to invest in myself and my business.
But what do you do after the meeting?
One of the challenges I find with events like this is what comes next. We have all been there. After being out of the office for several days, we find that the world did not stop in our absence. As a matter of fact, I sometimes think things get more busy when I am gone! You get back to the office and face a pile of priorities, a mountain of emails and several emergencies. Despite the best of intentions, and tons of good ideas, you get back into the day to day and don’t follow up.
It’s called the Whirlwind…and it’s easy to get lost in it.
That’s why it’s so important what you do after the meeting or event. Remember, the event is an investment. It’s not just about pumping you up (though that’s great). The idea is to create a new and better business that is ready to grow. So here are a few things I try and do to make sure the ideas don’t get blown away in the whirlwind.
Schedule Time for A Debrief
After the meeting, before all of the ideas get lost (or the notes get thrown away) set some time to go over what you learned. By yourself or with the team, look again at some of the ideas that had you excited.
Get Specific Ideas on Paper
This seems obvious, but I often miss this step. I like to get the ideas I want to execute all in one place. Otherwise I spend a lot of time thinking “where did I write that down?”
Schedule Time to Implement
Now that you have gone over the meeting and created a list of “things to do,” put some time on the calendar to actually do them! My role is, if it is not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist. So create the time to make the plans come to life!
I always struggle to get events on my calendar. They cost you time and they cost you money. But every time I take the time to invest in myself and my business this way, I am glad that I did. It’s just important to make sure you take the time to make it worth it!
P.S. Congrats to the OPPA Promotional Group for putting on such a great event! If you want to learn more about us at Hasseman Marketing, check out our About us page.
Make sure you never miss an update. Sign up to be a VIP here!
by Kirby Hasseman
I am working on a project right now that scares me.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a bad project. On the contrary, it’s (potentially) big and exciting. It has generous upside. But it has downside too. In addition, it has lots of moving parts. It is going to make me do things that are new to me. It’s going to stretch the team…and me. It scares me because it’s (just a bit) outside of the norm for us.
But here’s the thing…outside of the norm is where growth comes from.
If you want to grow yourself, your sales or your business, this is the dilemma. You can’t grow (much) by doing the same things you have done in the past. Oh, sure, you can get just a little bit better at the things you already do. But you will never take the big leap that you want to by doing running the same plays from the same playbook. At some point, you need to try something new. You have to try something bigger.
And that’s when the voice kicks in.
The voice kicks in because you are uncomfortable and a little scared. The voice starts telling you all of the things that could go wrong. It fills your brain with worst case scenarios of doom. That voice is fear masquerading as your friend, pretending to keep you safe.
When we hear that voice, we are often convinced to stay where we are.
Here is what I am learning about “the voice.”
The voice shows up precisely when you are doing something cool and new and different. We most often see the voice or the struggle as a sign we are on the wrong path. We have it backwards. The voice shows up when you are onto something! It’s a sign you should keep going…not stop. The thing that has been stopping us is often actually a hint that we are on the right track.
It’s just how we interpret the signals.
As I write this, I am up early on a project that scares me…and I am excited about it.
Make sure you never miss a piece of content, if you head here you find all of our content in one place. And we also create one email called our VIP list where we deliver the content right to you once a week. You can sign up for that here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for the 7th episode of the He Said/She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
Last week we talked about unplugging from technology. This week we check back to see how that is going. In addition, we talk about the need for taking time of meditation and prayer. Kirby and Amy each talk about their rituals and their struggles with that.
Weekly Whirlwind
This week, Kirby talks about the excitement and challenge of bringing on a new employee. This week, Justin Mullens started with us. You can read about that here. Kirby talks about wanting to do a great job on-boarding new employees…but never being sure if he is getting it right!
Lesson In Life
We started this new session last week with the idea that we are trying to bring value. This time we chat about the notion that “once you find something you love, you will never work another day in your life.” It’s just not true…and it’s dangerous to say it. When you are trying to do something cool, or new there are going to be challenges and tough times. That’s not only ok…it’s a good thing. Listen in to here more on this one.
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This time on the podcast, Amy calls out Libbie and Em in the Hasseman Marketing office. You can find a bit more about them here. They do a great job of keeping the trains running on time at the HMC office! Kirby gives a shout out to his daughter Skylar. Not only is she chasing her dream…but she has done a great job here too!
So that’s a wrap! We will be back…and we will continue to improve. Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
by Kirby Hasseman
Welcome to the 6th episode of the He Said/She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This time our “trending topic” is unplugging from technology. This is something many of us struggle with. Kirby and Amy talk about his struggle with going on vacation recently without his laptop. It was harder than he thought! Amy talks about what she does when she is bored. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts!
Weekly Whirlwind
If you have been listening, you know Amy is knee deep in paperwork on the building renovation. We spend a short time on that recap, and Kirby talks about the launch of the new website (yes this one).
Lesson In Life
With the idea of trying to drive value, Kirby and Amy give out some life lessons. This time they each talk about lessons that they received early in life that they still lean on today. Amy talks about “giving to others” and Kirby reminds you to “see the people.” Want a little more? Listen in!
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This time on the podcast, they talk about the recent Clean up Coshocton day and the local Coshocton County United Way and the City of Coshocton…who organize that.
So that’s a wrap! We will be back…and we will continue to improve. Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
