Last Week at Hasseman Marketing
6 Branded Products Beer Drinkers Will Love!
Let’s talk BEER! As Ben Franklin once said “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” I agree! And if you want to market your company or organization, you might want to consider this demographic. Especially with the rapid growth of Craft Beer Drinkers in the United States, reaching beer drinkers is a great marketing goal!
So let’s take a look at some great promotional items that are sure to reach the beer drinkers heart.
SiliPint: What is the SiliPint? It is the world’s first Silicone pint glass…and it can’t be broken! You can dishwash it, drop it, freeze it, bake or even hit it with a golf club! You can’t break it! And as a good friend of me once said “Drunk people drop sh#&$%!” 🙂 If you want your message to be kept for a long time…the SiliPint might be a cool idea!
Offero Beer Glass: For the true Craft Beer drinker, this is a cool gift. (You may have seen this mentioned before on the Coffee Drinker blog too). The idea is the back of the cup is higher than the front so your nose is totally inside the cup. This enhances the smell and the taste of the beer. You might want to give this a whiff!
Classic Paddle Bottle Opener: If you get a nice 6 pack of beer, you will need an opener. And if you are like me, yours tend to walk off sometimes. So it’s great to get a nice one! This is a really great opener with a huge imprint area and plenty of color. I really like this one…and have it in my kitchen. Check it out here.
Govinno 16 oz Beer Glass: The award-winning Govino beer “glass” is actually not glass at all. It is made from a food-safe, BPA-free polymer, which reflects a beer’s color and projects its aromatics much like crystal. It’s ideal for lagers, ales and weissbiers too. So again…no breaking of your Beer Glass!
12 Can Duffel Cooler: In case you want to take a few cold ones to the beach or the lake or the game, this 12 Can Duffel Cooler can be perfect. It’s a great size because it’s easy to carry (not too big) but can hold several beverages (not too small). I use this cooler bag all the time!
64 oz Growler: If you know a Craft Beer Drinker, then you know someone that wants a Growler! The Growler is the perfect vessel to transport a beer from a microbrewery to home. Great to try new beers…and great to get beers you love when you go back. Check this one out here. Now these are just a few! Let me know if there are other products that I forgot! Cheers! Want more great content like this? Sign up for our VIP list! Get access to our weekly content and special deals…by simply going here! Sign up today!
Add Proven ZIP To Your Direct Mail
Gary Vaynerchuk said “Marketers ruin everything!” Keep in mind that Vaynerchuk is a marketing guy. But he points out that as soon as marketers find something that works, they (we) tend to use it to death until it becomes a nuisance.
Consider email. We used to get excited each and every time we got an email. We read every single one! Now we can’t wait to hit the “delete” button so we can get rid of the nuisances.
The same can be true for many forms of Direct Mail. Direct mail is historically a great marketing tool for small businesses. It still can be. The problem is, this is a case where some marketers have ruined it for the rest of us. We know this as consumers. Where do you open your mail? Many of us answer that question, “Over the trash can.” We are standing there (mentally) hitting the delete button on marketers. Tell the truth, you are probably almost stunned these days when you get a real, sincere piece of mail!
So what can you and your company do? You can stand out…that’s what.
One way you can stand out is to get noticed before you hit the “circular file.” To do this, some marketers will create direct mail that looks like a real card. Some will even go to the lengths of having someone hand write out the envelope. This is a good news/bad news proposition. The good news is, handwritten envelopes DO tend to get opened. And if you have a small group you need to send a message to, this is a great way to make sure they see it. The bad news with this tactic is if your customer opens mail thinking they are getting a personal piece of mail, and it’s just an ad, it can backfire. You seem disingenuous, and the customer will likely (sometimes subconsciously) resent you and your company for it.
Another obvious way to get your message seen before it hits the trash pile is to scrap the envelope. You can send a colorful postcard or a flyer without putting it in an envelope. I actually like this tactic for some campaigns. But this idea too, has shortcomings. First, you are usually limited to what you can include on the space you have to imprint (especially with a postcard) AND you are never quite sure what condition your marketing pieces is going to arrive in! Again, sometimes this is fine. But sometimes these limitations are just too annoying.
One of the best ways to ensure a successful direct mail campaign is to incorporate promotional products WITH your direct mail. The results of this math equation should really get your attention. Direct Mail + Promo = Marketing Gold! But why does this combination work so well? Let’s get to it.
Getting It Open
First and foremost, using a promotional product can help you create what I call “bumpy mail!” Bumpy mail (or dimensional mailers) are packages that are odd shaped or bumpy. This unique shape calls to the customer or prospect “open me!” Curiosity will help you “kill the cat” because your potential client will want to know what is in the package.
But don’t just take my word for it! Let’s take a look at a study done in 1993. This study, done by Baylor University, sent packages to 3000 school administrators. They were divided into three groups. The first group received an envelope with a sales letter, sales collateral and postage-paid business reply card The second group received an envelope with similar contents plus a promotional product. The third group received all of the contents listed above, delivered in a box with a die cut slot, instead of an envelope. The results (as you might expect) were impressive.
Those who received a promotional product in a dimensional package responded at a rate that was 57% higher than those who received the same promotional product in an envelope!• Response rates for the dimensional package recipients were 75% higher than for the group who received only a sales letter! In case you were skimming, you might want to read that last line again. Response rates for the dimensional package recipients were 75% higher! Wow!
Now I can hear those “Yeah-But” folks now. “Yeah but the cost of shipping is going to be higher for that piece.” Of course it will be! But how much is a 75% increase in response rates worth to you? Remember a key word here. This is not a 75% increase in OPEN rates. This is RESPONSE rates! If you can’t increase your sales (and overcome in the increase in shipping) with that kind of response rate, you need to seriously reconsider your sales offer!
The Lasting Impact
Here’s the thing…if I ended the post with the above information it would be enough. But the best part about adding a promotional product to your direct mail is I get to say “But that’s not all folks!” I have always wanted to say that! The fact is, when you add Promo to your Direct Mail, you get all of the other benefits of promotional products AFTER your customer opens the offer!
- Remember the Rule of Reciprocity: Customers feel good about you and your company when they receive something from you. By adding something of value to the direct mail offer, you create a sense of value. This creates a better opportunity to sell to this client long term.
- Totally Targeted: This promotional piece is still super targeted. You have reached directly into this prospects home or office…and are communicating to them there.
- Lasting Impression: You have now created a long term advertising message (if you chose the product correctly) long after the postcard, letter or flyer has been thrown away.
Find Your Watermelon
Years ago I was in a sales training seminar with a Promotional Products Industry expert, Cliff Quicksell Jr. He told a story about a young industry professional that needed to get a message to only 6 people. She needed to get it to them…and she needed to make sure they did NOT throw the letter away by mistake. This young pro, as Cliff tells it, took a Sharpie and wrote the message on six watermelons…and sent them! “She had a tough time with the post office,” Cliff said. “But she finally got them to take them. So I ask you. You come in Monday morning and there is a watermelon on your desk. Do you read it?”
I love that story! The message is clear. Find your watermelon! While you may not have to send giant fruit (though that would be awesome), you better stand out. Promotional products can help you do that in a cost effective, results-based way!
This post is an excerpt from the book Delivering Marketing Joy. You can purchase that here on Amazon.
A Wrist Award
The year was 2004 and my wife and I were on a fantastic sales incentive trip in Bermuda. We had a great time (as you might expect). But one of the unexpected highlights of the trip came when we were given the “Sales Leader” award by the company. We were thrilled, to say the least. Then, as one of the awards, we were given a watch. At the time I was excited about all of the recognition, and I put on the watch right away. It became a symbol of that night for me. I didn’t always think of that evening when I checked the time…but I often did!
A New Wrist Award
I am reminded of that because when I was recognized recently as a Rising Star in the Promotional Products industry, I was given a new watch! The simple fact is, I was very excited. I promptly took the old watch off (yes it was still the one from that night in Bermuda) and attached the new one to my wrist.
Maybe you think that some people don’t wear watches anymore. “They have a phone for that!” And maybe some people don’t. But I don’t think watches are going away. And more importantly, you should never pass up the opportunity to make your team feel this special.
If your organization would like to call out people or teams in a personal way, a watch might be the perfect award. This might just be the award they wear on their wrist, every day. I speak from experience when I say, “It is a powerful and positive reminder.”
If you want to say “thanks” for a job well done, then an everyday reminder is not a bad way to go.
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Why Your Organization Should Do a (Fun) Video!
I have worked with hundreds of organizations over the years that have (at one point or another) said, “We need a video.” And in most of these instances, they are right!
The problem with the concept behind most of the videos is, well, they stink. They are either too long, or too jargon-filled, or too salesy or too boring. And did I mention too long? The problem with all of these video ideas is pretty simple. The organization producing it makes the video for themselves. I mean, they don’t mean to do that. But they do.
Let’s face it, no one other than you wants to watch a 15 minute video about your company!
As a matter of fact, many people (raise your hand if you do this) actually choose NOT to watch videos if they see they are too long. So that means the video could be absolutely awesome, and no one would watch it anyway.
So what do you do? Make it fun.
Here are some reasons to make a video that is fun for your customers (and you)!
You Show Personality: If your company is boring, then this is probably not your thing. But most companies are not. And even if many people in your company are boring, someone within the organization might be a hoot. People like it when you show personality. They like to know who they are dealing with…and it allows them to get to know you when are you not asking for money! 🙂 Here is a recent video from Hasseman Marketing that shows us let our hair down.
You Can Sell (with less sales): At the end of the day, most of us understand that companies need create sales. But humans like to buy, they don’t like to be sold. A fun video can help you showcase features and strengths without it seeming salesy. In this video from Distributor Central, I learn a ton about their software. I also learn that I want to party with Dave.
You Can Show Off Facilities: When we moved into our new location a few years ago, we had some requests for tours of the place. I am glad to do that, but it’s hard to at scale…unless we do a video tour worth watching! To this day, this is one of my favorite videos we have created. I dare you NOT to smile.
The fact is, a well done fun video can do a lot for your sales. But in addition, I have found that our team has fun creating them. Don’t get me wrong, we have plenty of grumbling about the process on the front end. But once we get “rolling” we have a lot of fun goofing around and teasing each other. It’s like a team building exercise that we don’t have to go off site for!
So if you think you need to create a video for your company, you are probably right. But considering doing something outside the norm…and have some fun with . You will be glad you did!
P.S. If you think hard enough you can work in Ninjas. And everyone loves Ninjas.
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