I’ve just returned from the land down under, where the winter season is set and the night brisk air forces me to wear a heavy jacket. I noticed while I was in Australia all the “Christmas in July” parties that were going on at the local clubs. An Aussie told me how it’s strange to hear the holiday jingles “chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” or “walkin’ in a winter wonderland” because Christmas is actually summertime over there. Now I know where the term “Christmas in July” comes from! They’re just making up for all the seasonal feelings that we get during our frosty winter days.

Which brings me to Christmas/Holiday Promotionals!

Even with all the hype that the November-December months are just another “hype,” it’s a great season to show your appreciation to customers, friends, family, and employees. ‘Tis the season to make an extra effort to show your thanks and love.

The early bird gets the worm, right? A word of advice: get your holiday gifts as early as possible to beat the rush and to avoid delays on shipping. How many of us are guilty of procrastination: shopping last minute amidst the angry co-procrastinators, fighting for the best deals and getting that one perfect gift before it runs out!

The same thing goes for corporate and employee gifts. If you need to order personalized items in bulk for your entire clan, start NOW! It takes some time to choose the right gift, get the list of names, production time, and shipping. If you do end up needing gifts last minute, don’t hesitate to call us because we can do rush orders without skimping out on quality. Or perhaps you are head of an organization and need to recognize officers/members at a Winter Banquet. We work with you to find a unique and fitting professional gift. Ask us about special holiday offers.

We’ve started our holiday cards already, 6 months in advance because we’re super excited for the season to come. Don’t worry, if you need us, we got you!

So start thinking about Christmas.. in July!

Have dreams of saving the world? What about the environment? Good, because in today’s environmentally conscious society, it has never been easier. With new developments in eco-friendly products, you can go green from A to Z.

Some examples of trendy companies include: American Apparel, Bic Pens, and Logomark. For more ideas, go to www.logomarkportfolio.com/dtnpromos for eco-friendly promos and inspiration.

Going green is not just good for the environment; it is also good for your business — two good reasons to feel good about yourself. Beat the bandwagon and jump start your own green revolution.

 

Looking back at my high school career, I find that what I remember the most is all the fun I had at school (or club) sponsored events – the matching t-shirts at Key Club’s Fall Rally, business cards at FBLA state conferences, colorful banners advertising the choir car washes, and matching embroidered backpacks among the many for ASB camp at UCSB. Members of these clubs can’t be anymore different from one another, however united through their interests (and through their matching shirts) they took on district events by storm. This was all thanks to effective marketing strategies.

Before you start looking at promotional items, you will need to come up with a color scheme and a theme. This strategy is an effective way for unification and helps eliminate some of the other more random products available on the extensive market. One good example would be our outfit at ASB camp. Since our school ASB was new to this particular camp, we were careful to come prepared for battle. We chose red, white, and blue to go along with our school colors and a nautical theme. The results were navy blue button down shirts with our names emblazoned in red on the left chest above our positions, white capris, and matching Jack Purcells. Our accessories included nautical hats embroidered with our school name, magnetic name tags, business cards, a flag, and of course our red, white, and blue megaphone. By the end of the first day, it was clear that despite our diminutive size we weren’t an ASB to be messed with.

Here are some examples of new and unique ways to market your organization:

- Lifeguard/Swim Club: Whistle blowers, Towels, Gym Bags, First-Aid Kits, Lotions, Flip Flops, Sunscreen

- Red Cross Club: First-Aid Kits, Pill Boxes, Hand Sanitizers

- Traveling Club: Travel Kits, Umbrellas, Shoe Bags, Luggage Tags, Flashlights, Backpacks, Beach Bags, Passport Covers, Playing Cards

- Book Club: Notebooks, Book Parks, Journals, Reading Lights, Coffee Warmers

- Sports: Soft Footballs, Pennants, Foam Hands, Jerseys, Pom Poms, Jump Ropes, Visors, Pedometers, Water Bottles, Golf Balls

With a wide range of items to choose from, there’s always something for every organization.  SCHOOL SPIRIT has never been easier.

 

The New Flyer: Tissue Pack Marketing.

Actually, it’s not that new. In the late 1960s, this low-budget type of guerrilla marketing was being used by Japanese shop owners from their store fronts. The concept is to get the message in the consumers’ hands with a useful product, instead of the traditional flyer that could be easily tossed away. The consumer will at least “glance” at the message on the freebie tissue pack. It is also a way for consumers to retain the message because the tissue-pack will go into a purse, car, or bag.

Japan is the guru of tissue-pack advertising, and the introduction to the United States a few years ago by AdPackUSA has deemed successful. Tissue pack campaigns for musicals and services have included coupon inserts that consumers can use, creating an incentive for people to collect these tissue packs too. For example, AdPack’s make on tissue packs for “Legally Blonde the Musical” in New York helped generate $150,000 in sales. Other major companies have done creative ads with creative pictures, making these tissues hot to consumers.

They are typically passed out on the streets, for events (good for those allergy seasons and winter sniffle days!), and within stores. Who doesn’t like free tissues? In Japan, individually packed tissues sold in stores are almost non-existent because tissue packs are always free on the streets. Some people even collect tissue packs and interesting or “rare” packs can be bought on Ebay.

It’s functional, creative, and it works!

After designing a variety of business cards, I’ve learned more and more ways to create a business card that speaks for itself. A business card not only serves as an informational tool, it is also a marketing tool. The business card could be the only tangible item a business card collector takes home. Sure, you can leave the lasting business impression with your great conversation, resume of qualifications, and a selling attitude, but what’s that last tool that will make the business card collector be reminded of you when they go home?

Scenario #1 - the Business Person: You are trying to sell a service or a product. You meet a potential client and you make the best sales pitch you’ve ever given. At the end of the conversation, you get their information, and bust out your own contact info.

Scenario #2 - the Employment Seeker: You are looking for that new opportunity, whether you’re a college graduate or advancement lover or you just need a new job. I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t want the best deal they can get out of a job. So you meet a potential recruiter or a person who could link you to your next dream job. You have a great convo, yaddy yadda, and what’s the LAST thing you want to do? Give them your business card and get their contact! With the internet these days, paper resumes are the old-fashioned way of giving your qualifications. Plus, who wants to lug around a resume when you can get conveniently get it in your email at the office? A professional BUSINESS CARD would be the way to go - ask them for their business card, and give them your own impressive one.

With those two scenarios, you obviously should give the card because it could be the quickest and most convenient way to advertise to your prospective client. But bringing it to the NEXT step… how do you make that business card stand out?

Some Business Card Pointers:

• Organized. Go with a clean cut design, but at the same time SELL IT and be creative!
• Professional. Represent your company or yourself with professionalism but capture the feel of what you’re trying to sell. Don’t just add a whole bunch of pictures or words and expect it to sell.
• Informational. You can certainly make it pretty, but also make the contact info and services be clear. Especially your email and website. People want to go home and be able to look you up or contact you.
• Conveyer. Convey your creativity, your message, your uniqueness, your brand.
• The ONE THING that makes them REMEMBER your card! A splash of identifiable colors, custom corners, creative layout, a memorable quote. Whatever works. But when a person thinks of your business card, what do they remember? Hopefully not that it’s boring. Yawn.

 Simply make your business card tangible AND intangible.