by Kirby Hasseman
I think most of us can agree that 2020 has been difficult. Between pandemics, civil unrest, murder hornets and an election year, it’s hard to know which way is up! And if you are an entrepreneur (or in sales in any way) you know you need to keep the lights on. But how is it appropriate to market and sell? Should I keep posting to social (I was asked that here)? What branded products should an entrepreneur use to promote their brand in today’s world?
I think you need to go back to basics. Here are a few branded products we see working for entrepreneurs today. (Oh…and you can find all of these here).
Soft T-shirt
A t-shirt has long been one of the best pieces of branded merchandise for telling your story. It still is, but it has evolved. The customer is demanding more. While giving a lower cost t-shirt with your logo on it still has it’s place, you can do better. When you invest just a little more, you can create a shirt that you AND your customer base want to wear. As I have been told many times, the cost of that shirt is not decided when you purchase it. It’s decided at the point of use. If your customer wears your nice shirt once a week, the cost per impression gets really low.
Entrepreneurs don’t only want to create a brand, they want to create a movement!
A really nice t-shirt can help you! Again, find a couple of examples here.
Vacuum Sealed Tumbler
Like I said, back to basics. If you want to get something in your customer’s hands that they will use, a nice piece of drinkware is a GREAT place to start. The double wall vacuum sealed tumblers are great for keeping coffee hot and cold beverages ice cold. They can be used on their morning commute or on a beach vacation. And…you don’t need to worry about sizes! Then, if you want to take this idea to the next level, add personalization! If you add the name of your best customer’s to the tumbler, it will get used for sure!
Anti-Bacterial Pen
“Okay,” you might be thinking. “But what branded item can I do that is lower cost and timely?” I have you covered. If you have been to a bank or a restaurant recently, you might have noticed that they are handing you pens that it feels like everyone has touched. You could give everyone their own pen (and I wish they would) but that can become expensive. How about a pen that is Anti-Bacterial? Do you love it? What if you can also do a pen that has a full color imprint…and actually writes? It’s not too good to be true. For under $1 you can have a pen that is worth passing around.
Branded Mask
Yep. They are here to stay (for now anyway). And if you are going to be required to where them, you might as well tell your story. And here’s the thing, as an entrepreneur (or sales pro) your job is to put your customers at ease. If they are anxious, they are not going to be in a buying mood. I talk about the real reason masks matter here. In addition, our customers are going to need more than one mask. Why not give them one that shares your brand? You do it with t-shirts!
Year At A Glance Calendar
If you are smart during this time, you want to think of marketing pieces that have longevity…and don’t break the bank. This is why at Year At A Glance Calendar can be the perfect item. A Year At A Glance calendar (as it says in the name) shows you the whole year on one sheet…so they are cost effective. They are great for planning and there are simply not as many of them out there…so your customers and prospects are likely to use them. Combine that with the fact that your who, what, where message will be on their wall all year round and you have a cost-effective marketing hit!
4 x 3 Sticky Note
And speaking of cost-effective, let’s talk about a marketing idea that really sticks! (Sorry…I had to). Simple. Inexpensive. Old school. But a 25 sheet 4 x3 Sticky note is an incredibly functional piece that will allow you to tell your story to the masses. And if you are person who likes deals (and who isn’t?), these are on special right now.
Mission Pack in Black
We are not traveling much right now. But many of us are still heading to the office and seeing clients in modified ways. Well if you still need to be on the move, do it in style! This Mission Pack in Black is super functional. It’s the backpack I use and I love it. Oh…and for those that don’t have an army behind them, you can get JUST ONE with your brand on it. How cool is that?
These are just a few branded items that Entrepreneurs need to know about right now. You can find these items (and more) on the Product Shop we set up right here. But don’t give up there. We work with many entrepreneurs to grow their business…and we would love to help you. Learn more about that here.
And as always, if you want to make sure you never miss an update, join our VIP newsletter here!
by Kirby Hasseman
I pride myself on creating content. At Hasseman Marketing, we create podcasts, videos and blogs, and if you are ready this, you probably know this. In addition to enjoying the process, this content drives traffic to our website. That’s all good, right?
Well this week, Eric Dingler did an SEO audit of our website and found something interesting. (Yes we not only do website design, but can provide this sort of service for your website too. Learn more here). You see, some of my blogs are marketing related. These posts are specific to our field of expertise. I might talk about helping your team maintain culture and productivity with a “Work From Home Kit” or we might give you 10 tips on creating better video. These blogs not only help to drive traffic, but they improve our SEO score.
On the other hand, some of the content I write has more of a Personal Development feel. These blog posts are designed to help you (and me) be more productive, chase goals and be more happy. While these blogs are popular (and hopefully helpful), Eric’s assessment of our newly designed site tells us that they “confuse google” as to what Hasseman Marketing does! Well that’s no good!
Would You Be Willing To Change Your Marketing?
The lesson here is simple. It has been well documented that we are living in new and different times. But are you taking a fresh look at your marketing tactics? Just because one path you got you and your business here, does not mean it’s the best tactic to continue today. Are you willing to take a long hard look?
For years, using trade shows and other in person events has been a great way to go to market. But in 2020, that strategy is a tough on to implement. Have you considered Replacing Your Events with Branded Merchandise? This is the right time to have that conversation.
As for me, I am going to work to change too. It doesn’t mean I will stop writing blog posts on why we need to stop being so angry! I enjoy that style of post. It helps me and I hope it helps you too. But I will direct them to KirbyHasseman.com. That is a site I created to promote my books and speaking (yes you can hire me to speak). I will begin posting new blogs there very soon. I am even planning to move some of my older blogs over there too. This seems strange to me, but I am willing to do it if it helps me create better marketing for Hasseman Marketing.
So what are you willing to change in your marketing? It might be time to take a look. And when you are ready, we are here to help.
by Kirby Hasseman
So here we are in 2020. A lot has been made about the “unprecedented times” we are living. But here we are. As I have said before, we need to stop talking about things getting “back to normal.” The reality is, we don’t know when that might happen. We do need to take an honest look at where we are…and start working to succeed from here.
We need businesses to get rolling again. I mean, we NEED it. But you might be asking “how do I market our business in 2020?” Times have changed. People have changed. We need to consider that as we tell our organizations’s story today. So here are some things I see working (right now) to market your business in the world we live in.
Direct Mail
In a world where people are less likely to leave their home, direct mail has become more effective. Yes, it’s a bit old school, but it’s a low cost way to reach the masses right where they are. And if you can create a creative, valuable offer, you have a real chance to stand out in a mailbox full of bills.
Email
One of my favorite things that Joe Pulizzi says is that we are very comfortable ( as marketers) with “rented lists.” The radio, tv station or Facebook owns the list…and we just rent access. But a real, vetted email list of people who have subscribed to what you have to say is a list that you own. You get to decide when you send it, what they see, and who gets to see it. You have to provide value, or that audience can opt out. But there is real power in owning the list. And I am not sure how long it will last, but email open rates have actually gone up during this pandemic. Give value through your email list and you can make an impact in 2020.
Postive Content on Social
In this 2020 world of arguing politics, racial divides, mean spirited debates and complaining, your organization has a chance to stand out. Just create content that is nice! Regardless of the content platform, most of us are starved for something that provides us joy and inspiration. If you and your organization can show up like that (consistently), you have the chance to gain a real audience and a real following.
Branded Merchandise Kits
You don’t need me to tell you, but the traditional way we see our customers and employees has changed right now. Many events have been cancelled. Trade shows have been put on hold. Heck, even the idea of going to work has shifted (it’s hard to believe March was only like 4 months ago). With that in mind, Branded Merchandise kits can be an EXTREMELY powerful tool to reach your target audience. When done right, branded merchandise kits can improve brand affinity, affect behavior, help company culture, and yes, get people to pick up the phone. I talk about one of my clients using branded merch to replace an event they were holding here. If you have your team working from home, there is a kit for that. What if your team is coming back to work? You can create kit to (safely) welcome them back. What about creating an online conference and mailing attendees some cool swag to get them fired up? The possibilities are limitless.
Online Learning
I have been a believer is providing value first in marketing for a long time. Heck, I wrote a whole book about it! Well 2020 is a great time to do just that. Create online learning to provide value to your clients. Our friends at Commonsku created an amazing online conference to do that for their clients and over 800 people attended. It was awesome. That is the inspiration for us creating Hasseman U. We also spent some time creating a FREE 5 Day Marketing Course for anyone that wants to take it. The idea is to provide value for your clients in a new way. When you do that during this time, you have the chance to build real trust with customers and prospects, and come out stronger on the other side.
Those are just 5 ways that I see companies successfully marketing in 2020. I hope this gets your wheels turning! While these are not necessarily prescriptive for your business, what I will say is, now is not the time for business as usual. It’s a great time to really consider how you want to tell your story moving forward.
Good luck!
Want more content? Head to our blog page here for more.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s hard to believe it, but we are almost halfway through 2020. Depending on you are feeling this morning, you might be thinking “I can’t believe we made it this far!” Or you could be thinking “Oh my God this is only half over?” Regardless of what camp you sit in, here we are near the end of June. So I thought it might be good to look back at some of the top marketing posts we have written so far this year. This is your chance to make sure you are caught up…and ready to take part in the second half of 2020 (may God help us all)!
Products You Need To Re-Open Your Business: While you may or may not already be open, this post is worth a look. Check back and make sure you are doing all you need to keep your employees and customers safe. We all want to get business back on track, but a recent surge in Covid-19 cases reminds us we need to do it the right way. Read this now.
Replacing Events with Branded Merchandise: This is one of my favorites. Why? Because while we all want to get “back to normal,” I think that in many ways, that is not happening anytime soon. We need to start living in the now (like I talk about in this post) and working to create marketing that works today. This blog talks about a different way to go to market…and one we should all be considering now.
The Real Reason Masks Matter: There is some sort of political divide over masks that I really don’t understand. But this post explains the real reason you and your business should care about them. It’s called “commerce.” Read more here.
What Message Are You Sending: While we should always be thinking about what message we are sending to clients, it’s really important right now. It’s also a great time to really look. Customers are more open to change than ever. Take a look and honestly ask “what message are we sending?”
Creating A Work From Home Kit: More and more employees are going to be working from home. That’s fine and dandy, but how do you continue to create a work culture that matters? One way is to create a kit that makes your team feel valued. Here is a post to get your wheels turning. We can help creating a custom kit just for your team.
These are a few of the top marketing posts we have written so far in 2020. Now that you are caught up, it might be a great time to consider jumping in on Hasseman U. Learn more about that program and how to sign up here.
by Kirby Hasseman
Different times call for different solutions. We are in a different place than we were 12 months ago. So NOW THAT WE ARE HERE (I wrote about that here), what do we do? How do we find ways to go to our clients now? It might be time to invite your client to coffee.
Coffee with Clients
For those of us in sales (and we are all in sales), we need to create new ways to connect with our customers. That bad news is, it has become harder to physically get in the room with them. Some companies are banning travel, while others will not let anyone in the door! The good news is, many people are starved for human contact. So they might be more open to creative solutions in order to connect. Why not invite them for coffee?
The idea is pretty simple. Select your favorite mug or tumbler for coffee or tea. Send them a package with the mug, a K-Cup, and a note inviting them to join you for coffee over Zoom. You can each have a cup of coffee and re-connect while chatting about upcoming business needs for the rest of the year. Either way, you have created a powerful branding “touch” while showing your customers and prospects you can think creatively in the world we are in.
As a side note, make sure the coffee mug is worth keeping.
Everyone has coffee mugs. But if you give them one that is really cool, they will want to use your coffee mug instead. As we always say, the cost of an item is not determined at the time of purchase. The cost is decided at the time of use-age. We used this mug for this idea. I think they are functional and elegant.
Of course you could invite your client without the tumbler. But by adding this simple item, you will increase your response rate 10 fold. And you add a long term branding opportunity as well. Good luck…now go invite your clients to coffee!
As I said, we need to think creatively during this time. Using Branded Merchandise like this can be a powerful way to increase your effectiveness. If you want to dig deeper, check out this blog about how to Replace your cancelled events (anyone have one of those?) using branded merchandise.
If you want help creating a targeted campaign that will get results…please let us know! We would love to help!
by Kirby Hasseman
As we enter into a new world, businesses are exploring new ways to do business successfully and safely. Most of us want to get back to some sense of normalcy, but we want to do it in a smart way. That is why Hasseman Marketing is announcing a new education series called Hasseman U.
The idea is simple. We want to bring as much education and value to our customers as possible, in a safe way. So each Thursday at 11am , starting June 4th, we will feature a different speaker in order to provide ideas and inspiration on how to succeed in the new normal. Each Hasseman U session is schedule to last only 30 minutes. There is no cost to participate and there is absolutely no obligation to buy. It’s just about providing value to our customers and prospects in a new way for a new time.
The schedule for Hasseman U (so far)
June 4 at 11am: Javier LaFontaine from Showdown Displays will be joining us to explain how powerful and important proper signage can be in order to re-open and keep employees and customers safe. You can register for this first session here.
June 11 at 11am: Doug Oslance with Starline is going to talk about reconnecting with customers in a meaningful way…and how to save some money while doing it! Sign up for this class here.
June 18 at 11am: Matt Eysoldt is the Master of Branded Masks…and more. Matt is joining us to tell us the trending products that will help you stand out in a nation trying to safely open back up! Click here to get registered for this one!
We have plans for more Hasseman U sessions, so please be on the lookout. Follow us on Facebook to make sure you never miss an update.
The goal is to provide value and the tools to succeed in this new world. With that in mind, now is a great time to sign up for the FREE 5 Day Marketing Course. Each morning a new lesson gets delivered to your mailbox in order to help you market better. And did I mention is was free? Sign up for that here.
