by Kirby Hasseman
I am not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV. I am also not a nurse and do not have any medical training. And while, to my uneducated mind, the idea that masks can help to stop the spread of a virus makes sense, I am not going to wander outside of my lane here. There will be no fancy graphs. And there will be no links to articles that support my theory. God knows we can find plenty from either side on every argument nowadays. Nope…this is from your friendly neighborhood marketing guy. This is my simple take on the Real Reason Mask Matter.
I was on a shopping trip recently when I discovered this. I was with my wife and we went into two different Big Box stores (of course they were Big Box stores…that is what was open). In the interest of transparency, she and I were wearing masks. The first store we went into felt strange. Almost no one was wearing a mask. We were the outsiders and we got some funny looks. Kids were running around the aisles like it was a normal Tuesday night. To be candid, I was uncomfortable. Amy and I looked for what we needed, and when we couldn’t quickly find it, we left.
We left that store and headed to the next Big Box solution. But this one felt different. Even as we walked in I noticed that employees were wearing masks. As a matter of fact, once inside I realized that all of the employees had masks on. The vibe in the store seemed more calm. So Amy and I went through the store, found what we needed, and finished the shopping mission. And this leads me to the real reason masks matter.
Masks Matter Because They Put Your Customers At Ease
As consumers, when we head out to find necessities, most of us are on edge. We look at nearly everyone with judgement. Can they cause me harm? Are they doing what they should be? I talk about it in a vlog here. It’s natural. But if I am worried about whether or not I am safe, there is one important thing I am NOT doing…shopping. If your organization does not make me feel safe, then I (as a consumer) will not want to stay there. If I must, I will either leave before I get what I need, or I will get only what I need…and get out.
On the other hand, if I feel safe, I will take the time to find what I need. I might even find a few more things. Your team wearing masks sends a signal that you care for your team and for your customers. So while I believe masks provide another level of protection from the virus, my medical opinion is not in question. The real reason that masks matter is because of your customers.
Make sure you never miss an update. You can find all of our content on our blog page here. Oh…and if you do want to look at some products that you might need to open up safely, you can head to a shop we created here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Every once in a while, we get a question about the ROI on branded merchandise. It’s an important question, but often one that is difficult to answer. The first reason is because people mistake the difference between Brand Marketing and Direct Marketing (I explain the difference here). But another reason it’s hard to measure the ROI is because it’s very difficult to measure how you “feel” about a brand.
I mean, how do you feel about this picture? Jeff Wickerham sent in this story.
A few months ago, I gave a gift to a friend, Donna. The gift was a branded Bluetooth speaker. I thought Donna would have a need for it and when I gave it to her, she really appreciated the gift. I hadn’t heard anything about the speaker up until this past week when my wife, Sarah, received a text message from Donna’s daughter. She was pregnant and delivered her baby…yeah! We were super happy mom and baby were healthy and safe. The personal piece which makes the story mean so much to me, is the following message:
“Tell Jeff this speaker he gave to mom allowed us to have praise and worship music during our labor experience and after. Our son approved and it helped our family “SmileOn Together”.
This is one of the reasons I am proud to do what I do for a living. The branded gift brought joy to someone else’s life and when Sarah showed me the text message and picture, it brought me even more joy. This story is another reminder for me to continuing to do what I love to do: provide value to people through branded products.
That is incredible. As Jeff says, it brings me joy. But how do you measure the ROI on Marketing Joy? The short and honest answer is, you don’t. But you know it when you see it.
If you want to see more content like this, please check out our blog page here. And if you want to dig into our Free 5 Day Marketing Course, you can find that here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It feels like we have all been captured in some sort of weird time warp over the last month. We have been asked to work from home, or not work at all. Businesses that were not essential were shut down…mostly. But this past week Governor Mike Dewine (who seems to be one of the nation’s leaders on response to the Pandemic) has announced that Ohio will begin to open back up on May 1st. Dewine was optimistic, but cautious.
Dewine said, ““We want to do this in a thoughtful way that engenders confidence and ensures customers and employees are safe.”
If you are like me, this is welcome news! I am excited to get back to work! And let’s face it, I am excited to turn the “business faucet” back on. Small businesses, which are the backbone of the economy, need to create revenue again. On the other hand, I want to keep my customers, my employees and my family safe. We all do. So I put together a list of a few products to re-open your businesses in a safe and responsible way.
Face Masks
If you had told me 3 months ago I was going to be wearing a face mask every day, I would have told you “I don’t think so.” But as we have learned, a lot has changed as comedian Julie Nolke hilariously explains to her past self here. The reality is, face masks are very likely going to become the new normal for a while. We are all going to need them, and probably more than one. And if you are opening a business, you are going to want your employees to have them. Not only will it help keep your team members safer, it will also provide your customers some piece of mind as well.
So if you are going to need face masks for your team, why not make them an intentional part of the employee wardrobe? Your team probably wears a shirt with your logo on it (if not, why not?), so why not provide them with a branded face mask as well?
But if May 1st is the deadline we are all shooting for (and I know I am), then time is of the essence. There are some great branded options on face masks, but production time can take up to 4 weeks. So if you want to provide employees a comfortable mask (that they will actually wear) and have some branding impact, now is the time to act. If you are interested now, please contact your HMC rep or click here to shop now.
Hand Sanitizer
There has been a run on hand sanitizer across the country, and the same has certainly been true in the Promotional Product industry. But suppliers across the country are working feverishly (too soon?) to make more. While the production time for most orders is between 6 to 8 weeks, it still makes sense to get it ordered right away. In addition, the perceived value of branded hand sanitizer has never been higher. I talk about the importance of perceived value here.
So when you are able to hand out sanitizer with your logo on it, you will be showing your heart…and hand out gold. If you are interested in getting some ordered now, please contact your HMC rep or click here to shop now.
Signage
In any time of crisis, communication is key. Whether through direct mail, video, social media, or email, it’s more important than ever to keep your customers and prospects in the loop. But what happens when you get them in the store? That is where having proper signage can be a huge factor in communication…and safety. Especially in a retail setting, these are essential products to re-open your business.
In order to make sure you help keep your employees and customers safe, you should consider having signs in your space that encourage social distancing (think stickers for your floor). You could have standing signs that talk to customers about what you are doing to keep them safe or even have a sign at the counter to remind them to be safe.
Either way, you want to make sure you communicate to keep everyone safe. If you want ideas about signage options for re-opening, please contact your HMC rep or click here to get your order going right away.
For more guidelines for “Opening Up America Again,” check out this document from NPR. The goal is to not only get the country open for business again…but to do it safely. If we can help you in any way, we want to do just that. Again, if you are interested in any of these products to re-open your business, please check out this shop that we have set up just for this.
Make sure you stay up to date with all of our content here. And if you want to use the next 5 days to work on refining and improving your marketing, consider taking our FREE 5 Day Marketing Course here.
by Kirby Hasseman
The following post was submitted by Jeff Wickerham. Jeff is a rock star for Hasseman Marketing…and we hope this post inspires you to be smart and safe AND to think creatively about your branded merchandise. Now take it away Jeff, and tell us how “We are apart together.”
It is hard for me to sell right now. I’ve never been the type of sales person who pushes product. I’m guessing if I did try to push more, my sales would increase, but that is just not who I am. I enjoy working with customers on projects and if what I am showing fits, I feel much more natural in selling that way. I also enjoy selling what I would buy. I’m more passionate about those products so it is much easier for me to sell them.
In today’s sales environment, there isn’t much going on. Not many people are buying because, well, not many people are working (at least they are not working how they traditionally worked). I do have companies which are open, but most people are working from home and are holding off on buying, because their businesses aren’t bringing in the money they usually bring in.
When this pandemic became for real, one of the first thoughts I had was we are all going to be separated/isolated/apart. The irony in this is that the only way we will be able to get through it, is by being together. We send e-mail. Some people call. We Zoom. Social media is a great tool. To know we are apart is scary, but to know we can get through this together, is a little less scary.
I came up with the phrase, “We Are Apart Together” and shared my idea with a few customers.
We would put this phrase in white ink on super soft t-shirts (because comfy t-shirts are the only t-shirts I like to sell), but not put a company logo. They could choose the color(s) of shirts which would represent their brand, and give/sell them to their employees and/or customers with proceeds going to a local organization who is aiding in the pandemic.
The customers I shared this idea with liked it, but passed on the idea. It either wasn’t in their budget or wasn’t in their marketing plan. When my wife came home from work that night (came upstairs from working on our home office), I shared the idea with her. She loved it, but wanted to put her logo on the shirt. She is a State Farm Agent and shared the idea with other State Farm Agents and they did a bulk order. The agents gave each of their team members a t-shirt, instilling in them that even though they are all working from home, they will get through this together.
This is exactly why I love doing what I do. Taking a promotional product and filling a need, which helps other people. We will all get through this, if we do it together.
We Are Apart Together!
Incredible job Jeff! We love to see people using branded merchandise to bring people together. If you want to see more content, please check out our blog page here. And if you want to learn more about creating targeted marketing, check out our Free 5 Day Marketing Course 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.
