You would think the relationship between Politics and Promotional Products would be amazing. Whenever I think of the quintessential politician, it’s hard to get past them shaking hands and kissing babies without thinking of them handing out buttons to wear, notepads to write on or pens to write with! It feels like Politics and Promo are the perfect pair. But alas, that is not always the case.
The hypocrisy is always strange to me.
Usually it happens after an election cycle…or at the beginning of a budget cycle. A politician, looking for a “quick fix” to a budget challenge tries to find a place where they make a “big cut.” This is when the Politician turns on Promo. They make a declaration that their government will no longer spend money on non-essential items like Promotional Products.
This is just ONE example: Iowa Senator proposes cut on State Promo Spending. The promotional products were not “non-essential” when they were seeking to be elected, of course. At that point they were valuable election material! And that’s the thing. They ARE valuable campaign material. One of the things we know about (well done) Promotional Products is that they affect human behavior. If you want people to work safer, Promo can help. Do you want people to go to your website? Great news, an amazing Promo item will remind them. If you want them to vote for you, it works as well. (And if you want a legendary Beatle to jump up and down in excitement, a cheap t-shirt will work).
As a side note, as you live through an election cycle, most other forms of media make you frustrated with the process. TV ads, radio spots and Newspaper campaigns spread vitriol and hate. A well-done Promo campaign can help you celebrate your candidate…and keep you engaged in the process. But I digress.
The fact is, Politicians (and other leaders) should work to use the Promo that got them elected, to try and affect human behavior now that they are in office. Let’s face it. Some cool SWAG that brings your constituents some joy make us trust you more…not less.
Just about every good mother and father teach their children two phrases just as soon as they can talk. Say them with me… “Please and thank you.”
Awesome. That means this blog is read by wonderful parents (or soon to be parents). But here’s the thing. As nearly any parent will tell you, we get tired of hearing “please.” “Please can I go to friend’s house?” “Can I stay up later, please?” “Please can I have just one more?” On the other hand, we never get tired of hearing “thank you.” That simple sign of appreciation is much more rare. And even if it’s not, it’s never annoying.
We appreciate the appreciation.
Our clients and prospects and employees feel the same way. As business owners, sales people, and leaders, we spend a lot of time asking people for something. We ask employees for their effort. We ask customers for their money. We ask both of them for their time. We ask…a lot. But how often do you really spend time saying “thank you?” Not just the basic “hey thanks” you say in passing or the automatic email that says “thanks for your purchase.” Those are fine…I guess. But they don’t take effort and are not really sincere.
How often do you stop by a customer’s office just to thank them for their business? How often do you pick up the phone to do the same? How often do you schedule a meeting with a person in your organization just to take the time to applaud their efforts? If you are like most of us (me included), the answer is probably “not enough.” So here are 3 ways to fix the “appreciation gap” in your business.
Just “Thanks:”
Go to your clients or your employees with a simple “thanks meeting.” If it’s a client, let them know you are only there to say “thank you for their business.” If it’s an employee schedule a quick meeting. Both will probably give you quizzical looks because they are not used to this sort of meeting. But both will appreciate it.
Send a Card
Yes…we are going old school. Take the time and send out a simple greeting card showing your appreciation. The fact is, most of the mail we get these days is a bill. This will stand out!
Appreciation Program
This is for your best clients. Most businesses have a rule that 80% of the revenue comes from 20% of the clients. This is for that 20%. Create a quarterly program where you get a simple gift for your best clients…just to say “thanks.” It’s simple and it’s easy.
We have all been there. You have an event or promotion coming up, and someone in your organization runs up to you frantically and says “We need something to hand out!”
It’s the last minute! So you scramble to find the number of people that are going to attend (hopefully) and a budget and find things that fit in that box. You get “something” that fills the need, but frankly, does not delight. As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that workin for ya?”
So how do you create a Promotional campaign that makes a real impact? How do you create the campaign that has your customers talking and keeps them coming back for more? The answer is “better questions.” When you are starting your discussions, you need to think deeper. Of course you want to know the budget. Yes you need to understand that number of prospects and customers you want to reach. And yes it would be super helpful to know the logo, the number of colors, and the messaging. These are all good…but they are basic.
Here are 5 questions to consider if you want to take your Promo to Pro Level.
How do you want your customers/prospects to feel?
I absolutely love this question. It really makes you consider the impact you are trying to make. Do you want customers to feel appreciated? Do you want them to be shocked? Do you want them to laugh? By getting introspective on this question you have a real opportunity to consider what premium will be the perfect item to get inside that emotion.
What action do you want your customers to take?
Studies will tell you that adding Promotional Premiums to a campaign increases the chances that a prospect or customer will take action. So what do you want them to do? Does this item or items increase the chance (in your mind) that it will happen?
What is the overall theme of the event?
This can be basic, but I am amazed at how many people ignore the theme of an event. It can give you a place to jump off from when it comes to creative. Or you can create a theme of your own! What do you want customers to remember?
Who EXACTLY are you trying to reach?
Dig in here and be specific. Maybe you don’t want to reach everyone at the event. If not, maybe you should create a VIP gift that you only give to legitimate prospects. Either way, do it on purpose.
Where do you envision your customers using the item?
I find this is a great way to narrow down what is a perfect item. If you want to reach an audience that sits at a desk all day, then picture what they see all day. What would make their life easier or more fulfilled. Do that. These are just a few important questions that you need to ask yourself before creating a campaign or purchasing any item. They don’t take long to consider and they will make a huge difference in your next event!
Happy Thanksgiving! The holidays are officially upon us. And as the Black Friday Sales start (on Thursday, no less) it is extremely easy to get sucked into the stress of the holiday season. We can get too focused on the gifts and less on the meaning. We get focused on the tasks on the to-do list and less on the point of the exercise. I know I am guilty of it. So on this day of Thanksgiving, I wanted to take just a moment to outline a few of the things I am thankful for here at Hasseman Marketing.
The Team
I really am excited and thankful for the team I get to work with every day. From different backgrounds and different parts of the country, the inside employees and the outside sales team are what make us go. They are who “Deliver Marketing Joy.” Thanks to the Hasseman Marketing Team!
Our Customers
Nothing happens until there is a sale. That is true of any business, and certainly ours. We so appreciate the faith and trust our customers place in us every day. Thanks to each and every one of you!
Our Communities
Our Corporate headquarters is in Coshocton, Ohio and we love that area. We #ChooseCoshocton. We are proud of it. We want to have an impact. But with the nature of our business, we have team members in other communities too. Yes, we have people in Ohio. But we also represent communities in Virginia, North Carolina, and California as well. We are thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in each.
Our Suppliers and Partners
As with most any business, we are not in it alone. We have a host of fantastic suppliers and partners that help us do what we do. These suppliers are manufacturers, printers, designers and software developers…and more. We are thankful for the opportunity to work with each. So thank you! If you are reading this, you are likely in one of these camps.
All of us at Hasseman Marketing would like to take this chance to give Thanksgiving…for you!
Please allow me a “proud dad” post here. But I think you might get some value out of it as well.
My oldest daughter Skylar Hasseman is an aspiring dancer. She just finished her Freshman year at Kent State University (and did very well) but it struggling with the idea of whether to return. Like many young people (and not so young people) she is trying to decide which is the best path for her to reach her dreams and goals. So in working to build her own personal brand, she has decided to create dance videos that showcase her dancing and her choreography skills. (You can subscribe to the channel here).
Her first video went up last night and (again proud dad here) I think it looks great. You can check it out here.
But what does this all mean to you? Great question. I think she is battling with what many of us work on. How do we work toward our goals? How do we stand out in a loud world? What if no one likes what we are doing? You understand. If you are like me, you have heard those voices in your head.
So here are 3 Lessons you can learn from my daughter and her video.
1. She Chose Herself: Dance is something where you can wait your whole life waiting for someone to “choose” you. You go to auditions. You are judged at competitions. You wait to get chosen. She decided to take a different (or maybe just an additional) path. She created an opportunity to showcase her skills on her own.
2. She Took Action: How many times have you said, “I have an idea…” only to let it go because it might be too hard? It’s those ideas that you need to take action on if you want to stand out.
3. She “Shipped:” The project is never done until it’s out there. She could have waited to get one more shot. She could have continued to work and edit and wait until it was perfect. Instead, she pushed it out into the world. I am proud of that. This first project can be deemed a success. That’s great stuff. Now, if she wants to really take this path, she needs to create more and more consistent content to build her brand. Whether or not she does that is up to her. But what’s cool, is that she knows that now.
Social media can really be a wonderful thing. We get the opportunity to connect with people from around the globe and reconnect with people from our past. We get to share and communicate, and it gives each and every one of us a voice. But we all know that there are some things about social media that are not as good. People have a tendency to get themselves in trouble by making some pretty simple mistakes. So here are 7 things that you (or the people your organization) should STOP doing right away.
Stop Complaining About Work or Co-Workers: If you are complaining about your co-workers or your job, and you think they can’t see it, you are wrong. They will find out. It’s unprofessional. And if you don’t care that you lose your job, just keep in mind that your next employer will be checking social media on you too.
Stop Passive Aggressive Complaints: This is when someone is obviously complaining about something that happened but does not want to address it in person. “Some people should just stop…” or posts of the like. If you have a problem with someone, be a grown up and talk to them about it.
Stop Claiming Free Speech: The First Amendment was created so that we could speak out without fear of being imprisoned by the government…not for being a jerk on Facebook. You do have freedom of speech, but you don’t have freedom of consequences. Stop acting like you do.
Stop Looking for a Reason to be Mad: It seems like some people wake up each day searching for a reason to be outraged. If you look for reasons to be angry all the time, you will find them (this post for example). Stop seeking out reasons to be mad and you might actually get happier.
Stop Comparing Your Life to Others: The fact is, most people (myself included) sometimes put up our “highlight reel” on social media. We post the pictures that look great. We show our vacations, not the times we are crying in the corner. Just be better than you were yesterday…stop worrying if Frank is on vacation again.
Stop Saying “Woe is me:” We all have challenges, and social media can be a place to vent…sometimes. But if you are constantly complaining about your life, then stop it. Take that time and energy and go out and change it.
Stop Forgetting Social is Public: I am always a little amused when people are surprised that what they put on social gets seen by people. It’s a public forum. So when you post things, just understand that your co-workers, your boss, your customers and even your future employer can and will see it.
These are just seven things to stop, but it’s a good start. Let me know if we have forgotten any that we need to add to the list. Again, social media can be great. But be smart…and it can be even better.
