With our wide variety of clients from every sector from community service organizations to Fortune 500 corporations, us team members at DTNtech are proud to be affiliated with some of the outreaches our clients do. I’d like to rant a little bit about one of our clients from Portland, Oregon, who had done a missionary trip to build homes for the poor in Vietnam this past summer. After DTNtech had aided in designing and making their team t-shirts, the group from Lavang Parish were off to do a deed that will change lives.

The picture above is of a home in an actual village of B’Dor, a village so secluded and unknown that it’s not even on the map.

This is a home housing SEVEN people.

The Lavang team built homes for people in this village at a ridiculously affordable price of $600 per home (for materials, not including labor). After much fundraising and community support, they were able to build a few houses and will continue this mission again next year.

Building homes, giving rice to the local families, clothing and aid to the children, and making a presence in this small village were all part of the vision this group had.

Thanks for ROCKING those shirts and for doing good GLOBALLY.

If you are interested in more information or donating to this cause, email thao_nguyen_81@yahoo.com.

Do you have a cause or team or organization that you feel is worthy of being represented here on the DTNtech blog? Send us your pictures with your DTNtech shirts and blurbs about what you’re about to blog@dtntech.com! We’d love to hear what you’re doing!

Ella… ella.. ella ay ay… under my umbrella…

Featured Umbrella: our Sky Umbrella. Other styles available.

Through economic slowdowns or business uproars, employee and customer appreciation should be a value within any company that’s serious about lasting in the long-run. Statistics have shown that the right kind of employee appreciation (intrinsic AND extrinsic) can improve productivity and customer satisfaction. A happy employee can contribute to having a happy customer, and in return can make the business owner happy!

As you may be familiar with Maslow’s Need Hierarchy in the theory of human MOTIVATION, in which each person has FIVE needs: Physiological needs, Safety needs, Belongingness needs, Esteem needs, and Self-actualization. This is related to EMPLOYEE motivation. (you can wiki it here)

Whether you are a small business owner or big corporation, your employees are still assets and representatives of what your company stands for. Small gestures such as “thank yous” and giving feedback are forms of encouragement and improvement motivators. Don’t feel like you’re a cop-out if you give your employees appreciation – remember that the majority of companies FAIL to show enough appreciation.

Sure, extra mula is always nice if you can afford giving it out. But here we talk about more of an intrinsic reward, something that can be talked about at dinner or remembered in a more heartfelt manner. These inner values make the employee more loyal to the company as well.

IDEA: As a company motivator, organize a sports league or group to do a community service event (such as a Walk or Marathon for a greater cause). This can increase a sense of belonging for each employee. This gives each employee to be involved with no pressure of performance, and for teamwork to be built. The janitor can bond with the CEO, or the VP of Finance can bond with a lower level associate. Giving a sense of community rather than an office hierarchy.

Where does DTNtech fit into this picture? If you visit our site or showroom, we can give you many examples of what to do for Employee Appreciation.

Some of our ideas that you can play off:

• Perhaps your company is going through turbulent changes. SHOWER your employees with appreciation. Put a message related to “we stick together through rain or shine” on an umbrella. It’s useful and gives a simple message.
• TEAM t-shirts (team identification) for organized extracurricular activities such as a baseball league or walk-a-thon.
• Matching mouse pads or office supplies for everyone in the firm, with your company name
• Giveaways or raffle prizes for staff appreciation lunches/dinners (customized)
• Celebrate success with matching gift baskets or duffel bags
• Encourage GOING GREEN to benefit the environment & community be spreading the message with eco-friendly items
• Stress relievers such as hand massagers, personal care kits, desk gadgets, etc

Employees contribute to your bottom line, so don’t forget about showering them (in a healthy way) with new things every once in a while.

Do you ever drive down the street and wonder how do buses change advertisements all the time? Or how do those ads get painted onto the car? Those CAR WRAPS are actually an adhesive customized to the bus, and a very noticeable marketing strategy. Now, you can get YOUR vehicle wrapped with your brand name at DTNtech!

ANY type of vehicle is wrap-able, including cars, vans, motorcycles, boats, RVs, off-road vehicles, box trucks, planes, helicopters, etc. Whether you are sole proprietor wanting to market your name or product, or a large corporation wanting a fleet wrap for every company vehicle, awareness will be built with every trip and every parking lot.

BENEFITS: Low-cost and highly effective moving billboard, in public eye, customized to your car/vehicle, eye-catching, perforated window vinyl so the wrap is see-through/one-way.

For example, a custom paint job on a sedan can cost approximately $20,000+. Whereas a full custom car wrap can cost $2,000-$4,000, varying on detail level of artwork and vehicle. The cost is even lower if you do partial wraps.

STATISTICS: A vehicle advertisement receives an estimated 30,000-70,000 views per year (Traffic Auto Bureau; FLEET advertising offers the lowest cost per thousand (CPM) of any mass advertising mediums (based on research conducted by Outdoor Advertising Association of America & Fleet Advertising Media Group); 91% of people notice words and pictures on fleet vehicles (American Trucking Association).

Basically, to get started, you just need to contact us, and we will set up an appointment to get a personalized quote based on the size, make, and model of your car and what type of wrap you’d like to do. Next, James, our Car Wrap specialist, will measure your vehicle dimensions. Then comes the artwork! The artwork must be prepared in very specific formats and vectorized, at least at 150 dpi at actual size. Our artwork department can also help you out with the formats if needed as well.

The adhesive of the car wrap not only serves as a marketing purpose but it also protects your car. We put a laminate coating on the car wrap to make it more durable and longer-lasting. It provides UV protection, strength during installation and removal, and abrasion protection. The wrap is removable, and can be on the car for as long as 3-5 years. Talk about long-term marketing investment!

AREAS THAT CAN BE WRAPPED: ALL parts of your car that are PAINTED, plus the back side windows and back windshield

AREAS OF VEHICLE THAT CANNOT BE WRAPPED:the front windshield, plastic panels, rubber panels, trimmings, two front side windows (if you can’t tint the front windows, you can’t wrap them either)

If you have company cars or employees willing to wrap their car for advertisements, this could be a viable marketing strategy! It’s low-cost and removable after you want the promotion to be done.

WARNING: If you wrap an employee’s car, make sure to sign liability agreements. It is a company liability if anything happens to the car (accident, speeding ticket, etc) because the car would be endorsed by your company.

That’s a wrap, folks!

Sadly, summer is about to end. Which means (come on, be excited with me!) school is beginning! Club rush, first meetings, the fresh-meat scent of excited freshman looking for associations to join, and all the potential of Back-to-School times in autumn. Fulfill those potentials by marketing yourself correctly at a crucial time.

CLICK HERE for Back-to-School Coupon

If you need:

• T-shirts (teams, clubs, associations)
• Flyers/Postcards
• Business Cards
• Staff/Alumni Appreciation Gifts
• Banners
• Uniforms
• Tote Bags
• Pens/Pencils/Notepads
• PROMO items to pass out during Club Rush
• Tablecloths
• Stickers

..be sure to check out the specials! If you are at a local school, you can come into the office to check out items for ideas. Or you can shoot us an email or ring us (find contact info on www.dtntech.com) to ask us to find specific items for you, and present you with the most reasonable prices. Also, take advantage of the school discounts to leave the rest of your budget to other fun stuff!

Be on the cutting edge and make your org stand out. Marketing your organization right can make it more identifiable, more professional, serve as way to gain more membership, retain memberships, and add to the success of your term. If you need any advice, you know DTNtech is here.

“Look at me… you.. are.. exquisite.” Mary from “The Wedding Planner”

Getting married? Or know of someone about to tie the knot? This couple has probably got their colors chosen, the theme, venue, the bridal party, and etcetera. Now… how about the guests?

Something you may not know is that DTNtech makes exquisite wedding invitations. We have our own little wedding department, headed by Angie. With an army of stationary-obsessed creators, whom if you put a stack of pretty colorful paper with color match-ups, you hit the wedding invitation designer jackpot. With designs and colors for every wedding possible, the classy and elegant invitations are hard to pass up.

Each invitation is made with care, diligence, and meticulously planned to YOUR dream vision of your wedding invitation. You can also sit down with Angie and plan where you want each insert to fit, and the team will help you see how it can be organized and be eye-candy at the same time. With an incredible collection of paper textures, colors, envelopes, and ribbon to top it off if you wish, your guests will be sure to “ooo” and “aahh” upon the receipt of the invitation. With so many styles, sizes, and color combinations, it will be fit to or even exceed your expectations. Come by and check it out, it’s always a fun experience to have hands-on feel to the paper and colors.

Check out this link for a preview of what we have to offer: DTNtech WEDDING INVITATIONS

Make it an exquisite one to your own wedding dreams.

RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY: Amongst the DTNtech design team not only does invitations, imprinted apparel, promotional products, but we also have a talented creative team who works weddings for fun (hair, make-up, wedding singers). Don’t forget that in the promotional product category are WEDDING FAVORS and for print media we do plenty of WEDDING BOOKLETS. We can even do “SAVE THE DATE” magnets for those busy guests to be reminded of the when, who, where. So we have people who understand that your special day is YOUR special day, and we are there to help fulfill your dream.

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!

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.

 

Welcome to www.functionalcreativity.com! This is a new spawn from DTNtech marketing solutions, where we offer services in Promotional Products, Imprinted Apparel, and Print Media. I’ll explain later why it’s called functionalcreativity.com. But welcome welcome!

So we’re going to begin blogging here at DTNtech, sharing ideas, topics of interest, marketing pointers, our specials, or just to update you on how we’re doing. Feel free to comment, start discussions, and give your own input. We would LOVE to hear from you and get some interaction on our blog.