Branded Merchandise, or ‘merch’ as it’s commonly referred to, is a crucial aspect of any organization or personal brand. It serves as a tangible representation of the brand, often acting as a physical reminder of a brand’s values, image, and identity. However, not all merch is created equal. In this video and blog, we discuss the importance of avoiding bad merch and the detrimental effects it can have on your brand. It’s not just about saving a few bucks, it’s about preserving the integrity of your brand, respecting the environment, and making a smart investment.
It’s essential to understand that cheap and inexpensive are not synonymous when it comes to merch. The quality of the merch can significantly impact the brand’s image and reputation. Furthermore, bad merch is not only harmful to the brand but also to the environment. It contributes to landfill waste and promotes a culture of disposability. Lastly, bad branded merch is a bad investment. It does not leave a lasting impression and may not even be used by the recipients. In this article, we delve into these points in detail, providing you with four compelling reasons not to buy bad merch.
Cheap vs. Inexpensive Merch
When it comes to branded merch, there’s a significant distinction between cheap and inexpensive. Cheap merch often lacks quality and durability, leading to a poor representation of your brand. On the other hand, inexpensive merch can still be of high quality. For instance, a high-quality lip balm can be an inexpensive yet effective piece of merch. It’s essential to strike a balance between cost and quality when choosing your merch.
Investing in cheap merch may seem like a cost-effective strategy in the short term. However, the long-term effects can be detrimental to your brand. Cheap merch often breaks easily, doesn’t function properly, or wears out quickly, leading to a negative impression of your brand. On the other hand, inexpensive, high-quality merch can leave a positive, lasting impression, enhancing your brand’s image and reputation.
Bad Merch is Bad for the Brand
Branded Merch is a physical representation of your brand. It’s a tangible extension of your brand’s values, image, and identity. Therefore, bad merch can significantly harm your brand. It’s crucial to choose merch that aligns with your brand’s values and image. If the merch contradicts these, it can be detrimental to your brand’s reputation.
Imagine handing out pens that don’t write or t-shirts that fade after a few washes. This not only frustrates the recipient but also reflects poorly on your brand. It sends a message that your brand doesn’t value quality or customer satisfaction. Therefore, it’s crucial to invest in high-quality merch that accurately represents your brand and resonates with your target audience.
Bad Merch is Bad for the Earth
Bad merch isn’t just bad for your brand; it’s also bad for the environment. Cheap, low-quality merch often ends up in the trash after a short period of use, contributing to landfill waste. This not only harms the environment but also reflects poorly on your brand’s commitment to sustainability.
Choosing sustainable and reusable merch is a better option. Not only does it show your brand’s commitment to the environment, but it also provides a lasting, useful product for the recipient. For instance, a reusable shopping bag or a stainless steel water bottle can be a great piece of merch that aligns with your brand’s sustainability values and provides value to the recipient.
Bad Merch is a Bad Investment
Investing in bad merch is like throwing money down the drain. It doesn’t leave a lasting impression, and it may not even be used by the recipient. The perceived value of the merch is crucial for its usage and impact. If the merch falls apart or doesn’t function properly, it’s likely to be discarded, wasting your investment.
On the other hand, investing in high-quality, useful branded merch can have a significant return on investment. It can enhance your brand’s image, increase customer loyalty, and even generate new business. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider the quality and functionality of the merch before making an investment.
Conclusion
Choosing the right branded merch is crucial for any brand. It’s not just about the cost; it’s about the quality, the impact on the environment, and the return on investment. It’s important to choose merch that aligns with your brand’s values and image. Consider your target audience and what would bring them joy and lasting use. A well-thought-out merch strategy can significantly enhance your brand’s image and reputation, leading to increased customer loyalty and business growth.
So, before you make your next merch purchase, remember these four reasons not to buy bad merch. Invest in quality, align with your brand values, consider the environment, and make a smart investment. Your brand, your customers, and the earth will thank you.
As always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
You know what time it is! It’s time for Thirsty Thursday! Thirsty Thursday is the award-winning piece of content from Hasseman Marketing where we take a mystery drink out of a piece of branded drinkware! Be careful…it’s not for everyone. This week we feature the Venture Lite 24 oz Water Bottle from Tervis. It’s a fun one. Get ready to giggle…and be jealous of this new piece of drinkware. Watch now!
Why Should You Consider the Venture Lite 24 oz Water Bottle from Tervis?
Our 24oz classic Venture Lite water bottle features an easy-to-swap chug spout and straw spout so you can choose how to drink. It also has a push-button opening for one-handed operation, a safety lock to prevent spillage and a comfortable handle for easy carrying. Its large lid opening means ice cubes go in easily.
This printed wrap-around design is sealed between the bottle walls. Double-wall insulation keeps drinks cold longer and reduces condensation to keep hands dry in warmer weather.
Impact-resistant, BPA-free material makes these water bottles shatterproof. They’re also lightweight and leakproof for peace of mind when carrying.
Most classic water bottles are freezer and dishwasher-safe (top rack recommended, or away from heat element if on the bottom rack) and fit most cup holders.
Each classic water bottle is proudly made in the US with American and imported parts, and backed by a Lifetime Guarantee* so you can buy with confidence.
Delivering Marketing Joy is an award-winning interview show that helps marketers level up. Each week, Kirby Hasseman interviews the best and brightest minds in marketing to help you level up.
In this insightful interview, Robert Brandl, the founder and CEO of Tool Tester, shares his expertise on branding, SEO, and email marketing. As a renowned figure in the digital marketing landscape, Brandl’s insights are invaluable for businesses looking to strengthen their online presence and engage their audience effectively. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from the importance of branding for SEO to the common mistakes in email marketing and how to avoid them.
Branding, as Brandl explains, is a combination of design, personality, and positioning. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in creating a strong brand that resonates with the target audience and stands out in the competitive digital landscape. Furthermore, Brandl discusses how businesses can enhance their email marketing efforts by offering value to their audience and using quizzes to grow their email lists. He also sheds light on the mystery of email deliverability, providing practical tips on how to ensure that emails reach the main inbox.
The Importance of Branding for SEO
Branding is becoming increasingly important for SEO, and it’s not just about having a catchy logo or a memorable tagline. It’s about creating a holistic brand experience that combines design, personality, and positioning. Design is a critical aspect of branding. It’s about creating a user-friendly website that makes visitors feel at home. It’s about choosing the right color palette, typography, and layout that reflect the brand’s identity and values.
Personality is another key component of branding. It’s about the tone of voice used in the content, the use of real people and office photos, and the overall vibe that the brand exudes. A brand with a distinct personality can establish a strong connection with its audience, making it more memorable and relatable. Positioning, on the other hand, is about being laser-focused on a specific topic or niche. It’s about differentiating the brand from its competitors and attracting the right audience by offering unique value.
Enhancing Email Marketing with Value Offerings
Email marketing is a powerful tool for businesses, but it’s not just about sending promotional emails and newsletters. It’s about offering something of value to the audience to encourage them to sign up for the email list. This could be a lead magnet, such as an ebook, checklist, or cheat sheet, that provides valuable information or solves a specific problem for the audience.
Another effective strategy is to create smaller, more easily consumable resources, such as infographics, short videos, or blog posts. These resources can increase engagement and completion rates, as they are easier to digest and share. They also provide an opportunity for businesses to showcase their expertise and provide value to their audience, thereby building trust and loyalty.
Using Quizzes to Grow Email Marketing Lists
Quizzes can be a fun and engaging way to grow email marketing lists. Whether it’s a personality quiz or a quiz related to a specific topic, quizzes can attract website visitors and encourage them to interact with the brand. But quizzes are not just about entertainment. They can also provide personalized recommendations based on the quiz results, adding value to the user experience.
For example, a skincare brand could create a skin type quiz and provide personalized product recommendations based on the results. To collect email addresses, businesses can offer incentives, such as discounts or exclusive content, to users who opt to receive their quiz results via email. This strategy not only helps grow the email list but also provides an opportunity to segment the audience based on their quiz results and send targeted email campaigns.
Common Mistakes in Email Marketing
One of the common mistakes in email marketing is sending too many emails to everyone on the list, regardless of their interests and behaviors. This can lead to lower engagement rates and potential deliverability issues, as recipients may mark the emails as spam or unsubscribe from the list. Instead, businesses should focus on segmentation and targeting, sending relevant and personalized emails to different segments of their audience based on their interests, behaviors, and preferences.
Another common mistake is neglecting the importance of email deliverability. Many businesses focus on creating engaging content and attractive designs for their emails, but they overlook the technical aspects that can affect whether their emails reach the main inbox or end up in the spam folder. This is where reputable newsletter software and deliverability monitoring tools come into play.
Ensuring Email Deliverability
Email deliverability can be a complex issue, but there are ways to improve it. One of the key factors is the choice of newsletter software. Reliable platforms like MailerLite or ActiveCampaign have built-in features and tools to optimize deliverability, such as authentication protocols, spam checkers, and bounce management.
Monitoring deliverability is also crucial. Tools like Glock apps or Mail dt can provide insights into email placement and potential issues, such as high bounce rates or spam complaints. They can also help businesses test their deliverability by sending test emails to different email providers and checking if they land in the main inbox. By regularly monitoring and testing deliverability, businesses can identify and address issues promptly, ensuring that their emails reach their intended recipients.
Conclusion
Branding, SEO, and email marketing are interconnected aspects of digital marketing. A strong brand can improve SEO performance, attract and retain customers, and enhance email marketing efforts. By understanding the importance of design, personality, and positioning in branding, offering value in email marketing, and ensuring email deliverability, businesses can create a powerful online presence and engage their audience effectively.
To learn more about Robert Brandl and his insights on digital marketing, visit the Tool Tester website or connect with him on LinkedIn or Twitter. His expertise and practical tips can provide valuable guidance for businesses looking to strengthen their branding, SEO, and email marketing strategies.
As always, we want to provide you with value. So if you want to create marketing campaigns (and appreciation gifts) that hit the TARGET, check out our TARGET marketing playbook here.
At Hasseman Marketing, we work with organizations from all over the map. We have clients in manufacturing, financial services, education, healthcare, retail…and more. But what do all of them have in common? They all need an incredible workforce to deliver their products and services. Without exception, each of these companies needs a great team in order to do their best work.
So how do you attract and retain the best talent for your team, if everyone is trying to do the same thing? It’s the million-dollar question (or for some organizations, the billion-dollar question). And while there are MANY different strategies and tactics to make sure your people want to stick around, one is universal.
Care more.
Employees tend to stay where they are fairly compensated…and they feel appreciated. That appreciation can be shown in many ways. But one way that we have seen organizations showcase their “give a damn” is through Health and Wellness programs. The best Health and Wellness programs not only help employees be healthier but also show that the employer wants them to. As Maya Angelou said, “People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Why Do You Need A Health and Wellness Program?
While this all may feel warm and fuzzy, a great health and wellness program affects the bottom line too. Many organizations negotiate their healthcare costs based on the health of their employees. In other words, if you are team is healthier, it will save your company money on healthcare costs. But it goes further than that. In a study done on the ROI of employee wellness programs, Harvard researchers conclude that, on average, for every dollar spent on employee wellness, medical costs fall $3.27 and absenteeism drops $2.73. This is a 6-to-1 return on investment.
According to the Rand Wellness Programs Study, the disease management component of the studied wellness program was responsible for 86 percent of the hard health care cost savings, generating $136 in savings per member, per month, and a 30 percent reduction in hospital admissions.
So while you may explore a health and wellness plan because you want your employees to thrive, it can certainly help your bottom line as well.
5 Must-Haves For a Successful Health And Wellness Program
However, there is a challenge with organizations that want to implement a health and wellness program that will move the needle. Where do you start? What do you need to do to make it happen? As with most things, if you just throw it together, it will feel that way. And you won’t get the results or impact you or your organization wants. So here are the 5 things we think your health and wellness program needs to be successful.
Enrollment Plan
For people to make real change they have to be enrolled in the journey. Enrollment is not forced. It’s voluntary. There is a difference between education and learning. Education is forced. Learning is voluntary. We learn faster and grow faster if we WANT to do it. We need to be enrolled in the journey. The goal is not just to get people signed up. You want to get them enrolled! We recommend the 3 E’s to get the program started. Excite, Engage, and Enroll.
Excitement is what you create when you promote the program. This is when you tell the team about the program. You explain the potential results. This is when you talk about the impact on the team and on them personally.
Engage is when you get them to sign up. You give them their first cool branded merch to help them identify as a part of the tribe.
Enrollment is the process of getting their buy-in. They may have signed up, but you need to continue to motivate and inspire them to get started on the right foot!
Design Plan
While you can certainly use your company logo on the merch, we think it works best if you create something special. Make no mistake, your health and wellness design should match your branding guidelines to maintain continuity. But we think having a special design will help to announce to the team who is taking part in the journey. This allows to members of the team to build camaraderie on the journey and to lift each other up. By making a special design for the program, you can make your team members feel special in the process.
Merch Plan
We say all of the time “Friends don’t let friends do bad merch!” And while you might expect to hear that from a company that sells branded merch, we believe it because it’s about affecting human behavior. If you and your organization do trashy branded merch in your health and wellness program it will not encourage people to sign up. And if you don’t get enrollment, you will not affect any change. This does NOT mean you need to break the bank. But you do need to focus on items that will fit the goals and encourage people to jump in. It takes a commitment and a plan.
Communication Plan
If you have ever started a new fitness program, you know that maintaining consistency and motivation is a huge factor in success. We believe that creating a communication (or inspiration) plan that reaches out to participants consistently can help to increase their chances of success. While you may be completely self-motivated, most of us are not. A coach or a voice of encouragement can really help to push people to do their best.
Exercise Plan
A great Health and Wellness plan is not only about exercise anymore. The best plans help your team to focus on mental wellness as well. This might come in the communication/inspiration plan above. But it should include a fitness plan as well. As studies will tell you, your overall fitness will help shape your mental wellness too. So make sure to consider ways to get your team active in a real and positive way!
As you can see, a productive health and wellness program can really have a positive impact on your organization. On the other hand, you can probably see how much there is to run one well. Want help? At Hasseman Marketing, we have a program called Total Wellness. If you want to schedule a call to see how we might help you, click here and we can set it up. Â
You know what time it is! It’s time for Thirsty Thursday! Thirsty Thursday is the award-winning piece of content from Hasseman Marketing where we take a mystery drink out of a piece of branded drinkware! Be careful…it’s not for everyone. This week we feature the 20oz Traveler Tritan Bottle from our friends at CPS/Keystone. This time, we initiate Wendy, our new Finance person, to the show! Watch the latest episode here!
Why Should You Consider the 20oz Traveler Tritan Bottle?
The 20oz Traveler Tritan Bottle has a two-sided imprint included and features a stainless steel screw-on lid.
Thirsty Thursday is back! What is Thirsty Thursday? Thirsty Thursday is the award-winning piece of content from Hasseman Marketing where we take a mystery drink out of a piece of branded drinkware! Be careful…it’s not for everyone. This week we feature the 27 oz. Denali from our friends at Bel Promo. This is a fun episode. We try a brand new drink with Briar, Kirby, and Kelly. Does Kelly Throw up? It’s touch and go.  Watch the latest episode now and find out!
Why You Should Consider the 27 oz Denali Stainless Steel Tumbler.
In a word, the Denali is sturdy. This stainless steel double-wall vacuum tumbler has a great design and even better function. In addition, you can do a simple one-color imprint, or you can deck it out in full color. Regardless of the promo need, the Denali is a great option!
