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 Jeff Wickerham.
What is something fun that not everyone knows about you?
I absolutely love smoking meat. My specialty is smoked salmon…served with crackers, cream cheese, and chopped onions. Delicious!!! I drive a car with 321,000 miles! AND…I’ve written over 1,300 blogs!
What is your all-time favorite Promotional Product and why?
My all-time favorite promotional product is the custom sticker. I have collected stickers from every place our family has visited and put them on my refrigerator. I also put stickers of brands I love, on my water bottles and MacBook. Stickers are a great addition to put into packages, cards, and anything mailed.
What is the current product you use all the time?
Every single day, I use the El Dorado Roll Top Backpack. I love the style/look of the backpack and it is super functional: roll top, side pockets, side zip entry, and water resistant. I take it to meetings, to the coffee shop, to my office, on vacation, as a diaper bag, and on and on!
What is a company or brand that you admire and why?
The Apple brand is one I absolutely admire. Their product is not only top-notch, they deliver it in a way which makes me feel good. Whenever I open a new phone/computer/accessory, I always feel like I am getting a special gift. I have two phone boxes in my closet I just can’t get to the point of throwing them away. That is staying power!
What is your favorite part of “Delivering Marketing Joy?”
When I can drop off an order, I love seeing the look on someone’s face when they open up their product. It isn’t just the product though…it is the process from start to finish. Providing ideas, the process of ordering, delivering, and following up to make sure everything was exactly the way my customer wanted!
At Hasseman Marketing, we love our team. Want to learn more about us? Head to our About Us page here. And of course if you want to read more content, please head to our blog page here.
by Kirby Hasseman
I got a frantic text from one of my best clients just the other day.
“Can you meet me today or tomorrow?” she asked. “One of our events got cancelled and we need to do something quickly.”
To most of us, this is an all too familiar story. With the Coronavirus scare, conferences, meetings, festivals, sporting events and even small gatherings are being cancelled left and right. It is most likely the right thing to do for public safety, but it is wreaking havoc with businesses.
For businesses, these events and conferences are a chance to create relationships, form bonds, network, educate and, ultimately, sell. We host and attend these events because they give us something that emails, phone calls and even social media can’t. They represent true connection. These events can help to create brand affinity and growth.
During this time, when events are being cancelled at record rates, branded merchandise can help fill this gap.
“We had an event scheduled to welcome students who had committed to come to our university. We need a Brand Box, like you sent us,” she told me. “Cancelling the event is a bummer, but we are excited about this!”
As it turns out, Hasseman Marketing recently decided to send some of our top clients what we called a “Brand Box.” This box of Marketing Joy consisted of a very nice t-shirt, vacuum water bottle, a charging lanyard, lip balm, a pen and more. The items had the message “Be Kind. Give First. Work Hard. Repeat.” We curated the products with the idea of spreading some joy and to say “thank you” to our clients and prospects. It definitely helped us do that. And, as some of our clients have realized, this use of branded merchandise has created a brand affinity for Hasseman Marketing that they want to create with their clients and prospects.
My guess is, your company or organization has already been affected by the cancellation of events. If you haven’t, you will be. So what do you do? Instead of lamenting on social media and complaining to family and friends, I suggest you take a pro-active approach and take the #marketingjoy to your customers.
What will taking an approach like this do for you or your brand?
Surprise and Delight
Done right, a marketing box of joy like this will surprise and delight your customers or prospects. We don’t get a lot of mail these days that delight. This has a chance to turn the relationship upside down…in a good way! And because most of your competitors are not going to want to invest in this way, it will surely separate you and your brand.
Creates Brand Affinity
When you surprise and delight, you bring joy. And when you bring joy to your customers, especially in times of stress and need, you vault yourself to the top of their list. They don’t HAVE to do business with you…they want to!
Creates Long Term Value
Finally, if you select quality branded merchandise that will be used for a long time, you create marketing that works to further your story each and every day. Though everyone has to be conscious of budget, this is not the time to hand out new items that will end up in a landfill. Select items that create long term value to the customer, and you will create long term value to your brand.
I think we all would agree that we hope the Coronavirus quickly becomes a thing of the past. But in the meantime, officials are being rightly cautious. So while event after event continues to be cancelled, we can still create marketing and relationships that matter. Promotional products and branded merchandise continues to be the only marketing you you create where your customers will thank you. This is the time to leverage that tool to go on offense during these strange times.
For more information on how to create a Brand Box like ours, please contact us. You can reach out and email us at [email protected]…or you can head to our Promo page and find out more.
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 Kelly Bowe!
What is something fun that not everyone knows about you?
Hmmm…something fun that not everyone knows about me? I am a Nationally Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist.
What is your all-time favorite Promotional Product and why?
I think my favorite product would be the Viking Tumbler from Crown. I use this every day. It has the same high quality as a Yeti tumbler at a small fraction of the cost.
What is the current product you use all the time?
Silicone Square Spoon from Bay State. I did a self-promo of these and my clients keep asking for more. I use mine every day while cooking and baking. This is a high quality item that will last for years.
What is a company or brand that you admire and why?
Showdown Displays. This supplier goes over and above to help our clients and are always doing top quality work. Javier is wonderful to work with every time. My clients will comment that their product is even better than they imagined.
What is your favorite part of “Delivering Marketing Joy?”
I have met so many wonderful people through my work and have acquired many true friends. I will carry these friendships on throughout my life.
Thanks so much to Kelly Bowe for taking part in Brand-ecdotes. At Hasseman Marketing, we love our team. Want to learn more about us? Head to our About Us page here.
by Kirby Hasseman
One of the best pieces of advice I got when I first got in the promotional industry is simple. “The cost of a promotional item is not determined at the point of purchase. It is determined at the point of usage.” To translate into simple terms, it means “you get what you pay for.”
The cost of any item matters. Regardless of what you are going to purchase, whether it’s a car, a refrigerator, or a branded t-shirt, you have a budget. It’s important to stay smart about your money. And this blog is not about trying you to spend more. I cannot tell you how many times I have told a client, “You can do that. But if it was my money I would not!”
That being said, I would like to make the case that there are times when spending a little more makes a huge difference for your brand. It’s the difference between the item being in your client’s kitchen or the landfill. It might determine whether your logo is in the closet or at Goodwill.
ButterSoft T-shirts
One of the places I think it makes the most sense to upgrade is on t-shirts. Yes, we can all still get you the “promotional t-shirt.” These are the cheap, scratchy, ill-fitting shirts that our industry was known for for years. And there is (probably) still a place for them. But would YOU wear them? The answer is simple…not if you don’t have to! So why would your clients? If you want your clients to want to rep your brand, give them a shirt they get excited about. Yes, it costs more. Yes, it’s worth it. When we did our first “soft” shirt, we never looked back. Now people tell us that our shirts are their favorite shirts to wear. THAT is what you want your customers to say to you.
Premium Beach Towels
Studies tell you that the average lifespan of a beach towel is 7 years. At my house, I think that is low. A nice beach towel is not a cheap branded item…but it’s worth it. Not only do your customers, employees, and prospects keep them for years, but they tend to use them on a fun occasions. That means your brand is being tied (with a quality feel) to some good times in the person’s life. That, my friends, is a good place for your brand to be.
Vacuum Sealed Tumblers
If you want to reach just about everyone with a branded item, drinkware is a great space to live in. You don’t have to worry about gender, sizes, or many other factors. Everyone drinks something. But don’t go cheap…not if you want someone to use your drinkware! This does NOT mean you need to buy a branded Yeti product. You shouldn’t and here’s why. But there are some great Vacuum Sealed Tumblers in the promo world that are amazing. These are the branded drinkware items you targets will use over and over again.
Custom Calendars
Calendars continue to be a very cost-effective way to reach customers every day of the year. But the trend is that stock calendars slip. But if you want to buck that trend and get in front of clients all year around, think custom. When you create a cool custom calendar, you get your “who, what where” message on the wall of the client…and it goes even deeper. Essentially you hand your brochure on walls all over. Yes, custom is a bit more expensive…but in most cases it’s very worth it.
Personalization
If you want to make sure someone keeps one of your branded premium promotional items, put their name on it. It’s as simple as that. There is nothing we humans like to hear or see as much as our own name. It’s music to our ears. When you have the chance, add personalization to your branded merchandise and you will expand your impact. Yep…it costs more. And yes, it’s worth it.
Here’s the thing, there is still a space for less expensive promotional items. We get it. But if you want to have more impact for your brand (you do right?), and create less crap in a landfill, think about doing better SWAG.
It’s true in every area of life. You get what you pay for.
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by Kirby Hasseman
One of the most talked about topics in the last few months in the promotional products world has been Tariffs. It’s been talked about because it can and WILL affect your marketing.
Our goal at Hasseman Marketing is to keep you up to date with what you need to know…so let’s dig into what this means for you and your marketing budget moving forward.
Previously, I wrote a blog post about how tariffs will affect your marketing. You can find that post Here.
Just as a reminder, at my most recent visit to the PPAI Expo in January, tariffs were the talk of the show. When it comes to branded merchandise, a huge percentage of the items that are sold in the industry are imported from China. I mentioned in the previous blog post that the “pricing could change.”
And that price IS changing.
David Nicholson from PCNA (one of the largest suppliers in the Promo industry) released a statement on Wednesday, May 15, 2019. Currently, this is what we know.
- Tariffs on the existing $200 Billion of Chinese imports will increase from 10% to 25% effective June 1st (for shipments made prior to May 10th).
- The 25% tariff impacts the product categories originally included in the 10% tariff regulations that were enacted last September. The major categories relevant to our industry are: Bags and Stationery products, and portions of Drinkware, Technology and other Accessory categories.
- The US Trade Representative announced Monday that the US has begun the formal process to expand the 25% tariff to all other imports from China (i.e. those currently not subject to tariffs).
- This represents an additional $300+ billion of imports from China and would cover a large majority of product categories sold in our industry. The public hearing and comment period end June 24th – so the expanded range of tariff categories would not be imposed until after that date.
As I said, we at Hasseman Marketing want to be a great source of information for you and your team. Whether it be a great idea for posting on social media, tips on video or the trends and news of the day, we want to be a resource.
So what does this mean to you?
It means, quite likely, the price of promotional merchandise that you purchase will be rising. Now is a good time to start thinking about the items you are using to promote your brand. Here are a couple of questions to consider.
- Are you completely happy with the items you have been using? If the answer is yes, then the price increase might be acceptable.
- Can we look at new options that could better fit into the budget moving forward?
- Are there domestically made products that might fit our needs? We are going to be creating a list of some cool products that are made in the U.S. for you and your organization to consider. Be on the look out soon!
If you have more questions, please feel free to reach out to us and we can discuss it! Make sure you never miss an update! Sign up to become a VIP here.
