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.
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 Jay Sabine.
What is something fun that not everyone knows about you?
There’s always music playing in my life! In the background at home, or blasting from the speakers in the car (with the windows down of course), through headsets as I work in the yard, or my favorite – sitting around a fire with my family having “dance offs” and seeing who can “sing” the next lyric. I was lucky enough to be raised on the classics, so I am doing my best to continue that and share my love for a “great song” with my boys – as often as possible.
What is your all-time favorite Promotional Product and why?
Simple answer: the one that works best for the client’s agenda. My responsibility is to try to learn as much as possible about their campaign and then provide suggestions & ideas for them. Most clients already know what they’re looking for (hopefully),but more importantly they’re searching for a trusted partner to provide reliable products within their budget. Each opportunity generates it’s own list of best product solutions.
What is the current product you use all the time?
I’m a big Lip Balm & Hand Sanitizer guy! I usually have both either in my car, house, bag or with me in my pockets. (I cannot go without lip balm – it just doesn’t feel right.) For promotional use: I think both are great trade show hand outs and sales call leave behind items. With custom label options you can create seasonal campaigns to keep your current message top of mind and mix up your rotation of products – leading to more impressions at an extremely competitive cost.
What is a company or brand that you admire and why?
Michael Jordan… Mars Blackmon… late 80’s/early 90’s… Black & White media… “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes!” The launch of Nike Air Jordan! It forever changed sports, clothing, marketing, etc.… and still competes today with brands born from this campaign.
What is your favorite part of “Delivering Marketing Joy?”
The evolution of the partnership. I appreciate the client that values promotional products, but hasn’t yet utilized all the benefits in their marketing strategies. Working in support of them, providing answers, taking one burden off their plate and delivering results to meet the expectations. The success of the collaboration isn’t judged until the next opportunity or re-order is presented and the cycle begins again.
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
I had an “aha” moment this morning. Let me explain as I tell on myself a bit here.
Last week I told my team that, since we were in unpredictable times, focusing only on sales was misguided. Sales goals are important, but they are what The 4 Disciplines of Execution calls a “Lag Goal.” They are important. They are great to shoot for. But they are not something that you control completely. That is why it is important to create “Lead Goals.” These are things that, when you do them consistently, LEAD you to your goals. I talk about this here.
That is why I told the team last week that we needed to focus on our activity level…not only our sales. We can control our activity level. We can decide and execute on it. We use a software called Commonsku that allows us to track these sales activities easily. So I told everyone that I would report how we were doing on activity this week. Then, when I logged in this morning to see how I was doing, I noticed something alarming.
According to the activity that I logged, my actual pro-active activity kind of sucked.
How can that be? I have been working hard all week! I have created content. I have been working in my office. I have had contact with clients, right? So, I went back through my calendar. I look back at emails. I racked my brain for calls and activity that was not logged. But this tracking showed me something VERY important. While I felt busy (you know how I feel about that word right?), I was not productive. I was not nearly as awesome as I felt I was.
And that is why it’s important to track your activity. It reveals the truth.
Taking the time to track your real activity is not just busy work. It helps you understand your behavior and it helps to modify it. It’s the reason, when you start a new diet, they often ask you to track what you are eating. First, you start to get a real idea of what you are ingesting. It also makes you think first before putting something in your mouth! “Do I really want to write that down?”
Tracking your activity gives you the real truth and it helps you focus on things you can actually control. Oh, and it gives you information that can help you get back on track. I for one am going to make sure I increase my activity today. I can’t embarrass myself in front of my team! But it’s important to note that I would not have known that I needed to modify my behavior unless I tracked it!
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help you grow and evolve. If you want more content, please check out our blog page here. We have all kinds of blogs, videos and podcasts in one place. And you can sign up to become a VIP here.
