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First Things First
What you’ll need to do right away
is sit down with her and discuss
what you want to do – the more
specific you can be, and the more
lead time you give her, the better.
(Planning campaigns on the fly is a
recipe for disaster!) From your
initial conversation, she’ll be able
to get a handle on your goals and
every component of the promotion
will tie-in with that.
Some common reasons for crafting
a marketing promotion include:
- Introducing a new product or
service
- Recognizing employee
achievement
- Thanking customers for
referrals or business
- Building your company’s name
recognition in the community or
marketplace
- Increasing sales or
membership
- Increasing trade show
registration and trade show
marketing
Because promotional products can
elicit such strong feelings of
loyalty, appreciation and excitement
like few other mediums (but at a
much lower cost!), you and your
consultant will need to discuss
which item(s) will work best to get
your message across in your
promotion.
There are literally hundreds of
thousands of imprintable promotional
items from which to choose, and each
item category has many options. Take
pens, for example. They can open
with a click, twist or have a cap.
The prices can range from 35 cents
to over $15 each, and not all pens
or pen styles come in the same
colors – pen selection depends
primarily on supplier availability.
Are they going to have what you
need, when you need it? Guiding you
through this labyrinth of choice is
where your promotional consultant is
invaluable.
Make A List – And Check
It Twice
Before any questions can be
answered, though, you need to answer
a few questions so you and your
consultant have as much information
as possible and to make sure you’re
both on the same page. Decisions
should be based on all the specific
components of the project because
each single part is crucial to the
final masterpiece campaign. Share
everything with your promotional
specialist to make her a part of
your team. After all, everyone has
the same goal – your success!
Here’s a basic promotional
planning self-questionnaire and
checklist you can use to prepare for
your initial and follow-up meetings
with your consultant before each new
project. The more the two of you can
decide upon early and with
decisiveness, the better chance your
promotion will achieve your goals
and bring you a huge return on your
investment.
Questions to consider and discuss
with your consultant before
beginning a
promotion:
__ What do I want to accomplish?
__ What specific item(s) do I have
in mind?
__ How will the item(s) be used?
__ Can I see some examples how
promotional items have been used to
make a campaign a successful one?
__ Who will be receiving the items?
__ Who am I targeting with this
promotion?
__ How will the items be
distributed?
__ Approximately how many pieces do
I need? 50? 500? 5,000? 50,000?
__ What’s my budget for the item(s)?
(Both per item, and the total
including shipping, artwork design,
etc.)
__ What date do I need the item(s)
delivered?
__ What date will I be giving the
item(s) out?
__ What color(s) do I want the
item(s) to be?
__ What color(s) will be imprinted?
__ What will the copy conveying my
message say? (Will I want the
company logo to appear as well?)
__ Will I have a specific imprint
color match (PMS)?
__ Do I need special packaging?
__ Do I need to have art made or
designed?
__ Is my art camera-ready?
__ In what format is my electronic
art produced and saved?
__ What resolution is my art?
__ Do I have a hard copy of
camera-ready art?
__ If the imprint will be more than
one color, do I have color separated
art?
__ What else do I need to complete
this project?
__ What action do I want recipients
to take upon receiving the
promotion?
__ What kind of results can I expect
from the promotion?
__ Is a follow-up step necessary
and/or recommended?
Learn By Example
Like the following examples, the
information you and your consultant
glean from your responses to the
questionnaire can give you some
ideas how to turn your answers into
action.
Situation: A restaurant has two
goals: To thank customers for their
business and increase sales during
non-peak hours from 1:30 p.m-4:30
p.m.
Idea #1: Give
out magnets with the restaurant’s
basic information.
Imprint the restaurant’s name,
address, telephone number, fax
number and hours of operation and
make a flier stating orders placed
between 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. will
receive a discounted price or free
item. Distribute the magnet and
flier together by handing them out
at the restaurant or in person.
Idea #2: Use a
magnet attached to an imprinted
postcard.
The postcard will have the
special offer and the magnet can be
removed by the recipient and used
for future reference. The magnet
postcard can be mailed, handed out
at the restaurant or delivered in
person.
Idea #3: Give
out a punch-out key holder.
Imprint the restaurant’s
information and offer on the key
holder and give it out at the
restaurant. Offer to punch the key
holder of patrons who place orders
between 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. When
they get 10 punches, customers turn
in the keychain and will get a free
meal, dessert or other predetermined
offer.
Idea #4 Offer a
16 oz. travel mug.
Imprint the restaurant’s
information on the mug, then give
them out or sell them with drink
purchases. Patrons who bring the
travel mug in again and have a meal
between 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. will get
a free drink.
Result: In each case,
not only is the restaurant showing
its customers appreciation for their
business and building goodwill, it’s
also promoting patron retention by
enticing them to come back
repeatedly for a free meal/drinks
upon getting their card punched
completely.
And don’t miss these add-on sales
opportunities with the restaurant:
- Pens at the counter and for
the staff for customers signing
their credit card slips
- Mints or candy served with
the check
- Calendars, because they are
365 chances to get your
company’s name in front of
someone while saying “thank
you.”
Situation: A non-profit
association wants to increase
attendance at its annual trade show
and conference.
Idea #1: Mail
items with trade show information.
Send a “Things To Do” notepad
with numbered lines to be filled in.
On each sheet, imprint the
association information at the top
and a “Register for the Conference”
reminder on the first line.
To keep postage costs down,
consider using a notepad with 25
sheets.
Idea #2: Advise
show attendees if they register
before a certain date, they’ll
receive a gift.
When attendees pick up their
badges, give them a tote bag, pen,
breath mints, phonecard or foot
massage lotion – anything they’ll
use and appreciate while working or
walking a trade show.
Result: Attendees are
not only reminded of the event
daily, but buzz is generated by the
promise of a gift upon registration.
Situation: A city hotel wanted to
thank travel agents and meeting
planners who gave them referrals and
bookings.
Idea #1: Mail a
thank you note on a postcard that
has a picture of the hotel.
Writing a personal, handwritten
note on the postcard sends a
special, “I care enough to take the
time to write this” message.
Sometimes, it’s the little things
that mean the most.
Idea #2: Deliver
a jar filled with candy and
imprinted with the hotel’s name and
phone number.
The candy jar is a nice thank you
and will keep your name on the
travel agent’s desk. You can return
making sales calls and fill the jar
with more candy.
Idea #3: Give a
picture frame engraved or etched
with the person’s name.
They can be mailed or delivered
in person and will be used, no
doubt, to proudly display a photo of
one of the travel agent’s great
getaways.
Result: Immeasurable goodwill and
prime real estate on the travel
agent’s desk because of the
imprinted picture frame. The candy
jar is a fabulous gift because
everyone loves food, and it can be
easily shared and enjoyed with
others in the workplace!
By doing some homework ahead of
time and using this checklist to
generate questions and queries for
your consultant, the two of you can
develop a promotion campaign to
dazzle recipients and generate
amazing returns.
Kayla Tollen, CAS, MEd.,
president of Kayla Advertising in
Key West, FL, has been in the
promotional products and marketing
industry for over 18 years. She is a
national public speaker and author
covering such topics as special
event marketing, brand building,
employee recruitment and client
appreciation programs. Try not to
hate her because she spends every
day in paradise.
More
Ideas From Kayla Everyone
needs
some
advice
now and
then,
and
Kayla is
more
than
happy to
share
some of
her
promotional
experience
and
words of
wisdom:
Q: My
company
is
merging
two
departments
and they
want
everyone
to feel
part of
the
newly
formed
department.
Any
ideas
what
kind of
products
I can
use to
promote
teamwork
and
unity?
A:
How
about a
mug
imprinted
on one
side
with the
company
name and
then,
when hot
water is
added,
the new
department
name
appears
on the
other
(such a
cool
product!)
with an
inspirational
quote
about
the
power of
teamwork.
You can
place
the mugs
at each
person’s
desk the
day the
new
department
begins,
that way
everyone
can
share
the
experience
together.
Q: I’m a
marketing
manager
at a
rental
car
company
and the
v.p. of
sales
wants me
to give
our
employees
a sales
tool to
show the
different
car
models
and
their
specifications.
Any
suggestions?
A:
Ask your
promotional
counselor
about
pens
made
with a
pull-out
paper
scroll.
You can
get it
imprinted
with
descriptions
of the
various
rental
car
models
so the
reps can
have the
information
readily
accessible
at their
fingertips.
Or, how
about
magnets
with
pictures
of the
rental
models
and
their
descriptions?
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