The SOUVENIR® brand is back and it's Kevin's choice!

KEVIN'S CHOICE

The SOUVENIR® brand pen brand has been revived as of October 1st with an initial collection of 14 new pens, plus additional designs launching in early 2019. This distinctive collection was designed in-house and includes exclusive writing instruments with unique features and elevated ink technology.
I received and used a sample of the SOUVENIR® "Story Pen" and it immediately became my "go-to" pen. I was impressed with the way it wrote as well as it's styling and last but not least it's price point. I bought them for ourselves as a promotion vehicle for Advantages. (I guess you can say we like it!) Ask me for some samples and you'll be on my bus too!
This isn't a pen that will re-write (pardon the pun!) the writing instrument industry. It's simply a pen brand that's solid and worthy of your logo brand.

SOUVENIR®

 The Souvenir® brand tells modern stories with a fresh and imaginative twist. Designed to fit your unique style, Souvenir® writing instruments are the perfect choice to record special moments, memories, and ideas. Use the power of Souvenir® quality to effortlessly showcase your distinctive brand. 

It¹s your personality on paper, it¹s your story!

Click Here & See them all!

The Promotional Calendar : True "Top Of Mind Advertising"

Of all available promotional products, I can’t think of a better return on investment than the advertising calendar. When your calendar is on a client’s or prospect’s desktop or wall, they’ll see your “ad” every working day throughout the entire year. And when they need your type of product and/or service it’s your business name that will pop to mind immediately. This is true “Top of Mind Advertising”.

Statistics show that households have an average of four calendars per home and that the typical businessperson has an average of 2.5 calendars in his/her immediate work area. There is no question that calendars are a necessity as people juggle busy personal and business schedules. The demand for calendars on an annual basis provides an ideal opportunity to use them as an advertising vehicle.

One-to-one marketing: Seeing your calendar at home or at work every day of the year builds brand loyalty—the kind of loyalty that is hard to get with any other form of advertising. Best of all, it’s these loyal customers who recommend your brand to others.

Cost per Impression:   You’ve most likely heard the term. Let’s say you decide on a three dollar calendar. It’s a given that your calendar will be looked at a minimum of once a day for the whole year. That amounts to an eighth of a cent a day!

The Testimonial: Anyone who sees your business name on the calendar on the client’s desk or wall will automatically assume that person is doing business with you. It acts as a testimonial to your business!

TIP:   If placing your add on a desk calendar, be certain to include a “second-side” imprint. This will make certain that the individual sitting opposite your client’s desk will see your ad too!

R.O.I.: My own experience with the calendars that AdVantages distribute to our clients is that the calendar is the only advertising people ask for. Customers essentially ask for this advertisement year after year. People need and use calendars to manage their time and, receiving a calendar as a gift makes it all the more beneficial and provide a superb return on investment.

Calendar advertising is meant to promote your business while building recognition of your brand at the same time. Customers don’t view calendars as advertising— they view them as gifts. People actually look forward to receiving their calendars each year.

Click now and view our selection of wall and desk calendars

TRADE SHOW TIPS & TRICKS

 

It’s no secret that trade show success is directly related to how much effort you put into it. The right combination of preparation, eye-catching displays and merchandise can result in serious sales. In fact, the Center for Exhibition Industry Research has determined that 83% of show attendees have some sort of buying power and 79% say tradeshows help them decide what products to buy. [1]

Take advantage of the face to face opportunities shows provide with these ideas to help you stand out and get attention in a crowded space.
Less Is More
It may be counterintuitive to employ a “less is more” philosophy in your space, but limit your display to key products that are eye-catching to start a conversation. The last thing you want is people leaving your booth to escape the overwhelming feelings that can accompany a cluttered space.

• Use a selective assortment of colorful, innovative and new products to start conversations. If you have a favorite product be sure to include it in the display – your excitement will be contagious!
• Keep things within reach and organized in categories that make sense to you. Group products by type, or marketplace trends.

On Display
While a trade show can be a large investment of your time, energy and money, you don’t have to break the bank to create an effective display. Be creative to build a space that grabs attention and makes the most of your booth space – no matter what size.

• Look up! Vertical displays help in utilizing minimal booth space. Use vertical shelving units, risers, or even drying racks for hanging items.
• Professional looking booths and accessories always are a top priority. Here's where our experience will be invaluable.
• Small budget? Check Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for inexpensive shelving options. Tiny budget? Just cover cardboard boxes with cloth for low-cost shelves.
• Don’t forget to leave plenty of space to interact with visitors, hand out flyers and showcase catalogs.

Take-Aways
A unique giveaway with WOW factor is going to get people talking and keep your business top-of-mind after the show is over. Items that have a story provide a built-in conversation starter and give you plenty to talk about.

• Do your research. Prior to the show make sure you understand who is attending. The demographic at the show will help determine the best giveaway item (IE: Young crowds respond well to technology).
• Ask friends/suppliers who have been exhibitors at trade shows for their experiences - good and bad. You'll be surprised what pitfalls you can avoid and what marketing ideas to use.
• Bring functional handouts that are useful and/or interactive. Take the time of year into account and be sure to merchandise for holiday and seasonal factors. Again, lean on us for suggestions and ideas.

Questions to Ask Your Suppliers

• What are the hottest products right now?
• What are some emerging trends in the industry?
• What are your best sellers?
• Do you have a list of high-margin items?
• Why have you chosen to display these awesome products?

Helpful Hints

• Be sure that a bag is being given away at tradeshow entry. If not, providing a bag as your handout could be the most useful item people receive!
• Remove the guesswork and have an approximate price displayed on products.
• Don’t forget a “goodie item” to attract people to the booth and literature they can take away.
• Use a logoed tablecloth, name badges and lanyards to be sure visitors know who you are.
• If you’re not sure where to start, find client-focused shows like Chamber of Commerce events or shows that are tailored to a specific industry.
• Don’t be afraid of color! Have bright show shirts for staff and remember light & bright when selecting your display and showcasing product.
• If you partner with a supplier, only show their items and ask if they will provide product to enhance your display and maximize your space.

Visit is at AdVantagesAdvertising.com

Many brands belong in the heart of the home

Think about where you spend the most time in your home—the kitchen, right? When you have guests over, chances are that everyone congregates around the cheese-and-cracker tray at the kitchen island even though there are perfectly good couches and snacks over in the family room. With the open concept design trend toward big kitchen islands, and Food Network-inspired home chefs cooking meals with ultra-fresh ingredients that need chopping and sautéing, the kitchen is where the action is.

 According to Statistics 2015 in a Time Use Survey, 43 percent of men (up from 35 percent in 2003) and 70 percent of women engage in food preparation and clean up. Consumers report that the main reason for keeping a promotional product is usefulness, they are already primed to be interested in tools that help them with food preparation and clean up. Kitchen products are a great opportunity for brands to engage with end users. PPAI research shows that 91 percent of consumers have at least one promotional product in their kitchen.

Ron Williams, director of marketing for Fey Promotional Products, says Fey’s Mi Line of products is all about putting a brand’s message in every home. “Given that 52 percent of adults spend three hours in and around their kitchen daily, and 80 percent of households cook with fresh ingredients that need to be prepped, it’s important to provide practical products that deliver premium exposure.”

See what kind of Promotional Kitchen Tools are available - Click here.

Sales Prospecting Tools

The 3 Digital Ones You Are Not Using (But Should Be)

Posted in Sales, Toolkit on November 21st, 2013


One of my favorite things about working in the startup community is the exposure I get to awesome new tools. There are tons of smart people building genuinely useful technology, allowing us to continually get more efficient at what we do.

There are three prospecting tools in particular that our clients and fund companies have incorporated in the last year. When startups are getting off the ground, they have to rely on a lot of prospecting and old fashioned hustle to get in front of their audience (the “entrepreneurial sales challenge” is just different). These tools have made them more efficient and improved their results considerably.

These same tools can be leveraged by individual salespeople and teams with equal effectiveness – anyone who does outreach on a consistent basis will likely get huge efficiency gains.
Are you using these sales prospecting tools to prospect efficiently and effectively?
How to Get Anyone’s Email Address

Finding contact information is routinely a struggle for people trying to build prospect lists. Companies are hesitant to publish contact information for individual team members on their sites. Wouldn’t it be great if you could track down email addresses without having to hunt for them? Turns out you can, without leaving your inbox.

Rapportive is a Gmail plugin that shows you social media account information for your contacts. You enter the contact’s email address, and in the sidebar you’ll be able to see their LinkedIn account, Twitter account, etc. Useful.

But Rapportive has an even better, unstated use – reverse engineering it to find email addresses based on the existence of social accounts.

If you know someone’s name and the URL of the organization they work for, you can simply start typing different combinations of email addresses into the To: field, like so:

sean@digintent.com

sjohnson@digintent.com

sean.johnson@digintent.com

If the person’s social accounts populate in the sidebar, you know you have a match. Spooky.
How to Know if They’ve Read Your Email

Another great gmail plugin is Yesware, which tracks if and when users have read your messages.

This can be useful for prioritizing follow-up. While no one would argue an opened email is a strong buying signal, people who open your messages are more likely to engage with you than people who deleted or ignored your email.

It can also help you learn the email patterns of your prospects or current clients. You might discover that a particular person tends to check their email at night or first thing in the morning, allowing you to time your messages so they’re on the top of the stack. Another person might open emails but consistently wait a few days to reply. You’ll no longer be in the dark wondering what’s going on.

Yesware has a number of other useful tools. You can store templates of messages you reuse frequently, and can track the success rate of a given template. It syncs easily with Salesforce. And it’s super simple to use. They have a free plan, but don’t be surprised if you immediately upgrade – it’s a service that instantly proves its usefulness.
How to Follow Your Prospects Around the Internet

You’ve probably had this happen to you – you visit a website, perhaps starting the checkout process to buy a product but you bail midstream. Over the next week, you start seeing ads from that company on dozens of other sites you visit, perhaps including the item you were about to purchase. Creepy, right?

That’s called retargeting, and it’s become an extremely valuable tool in most digital marketing arsenals.

Turns out the same technology can be leveraged with email. Some remarketing platforms, including Perfect Audience, allow you to embed a remarketing pixel into emails, which tracks when prospects open a message (just like Yesware). Once an email is opened, you can show them display ads on other sites they visit.

This can be super powerful, and smart companies are experimenting with this in a variety of ways:

Holding a webinar or event? Offering a whitepaper or ebook? Remind people who opened and clicked through to the landing page but didn’t sign up.

Have you found social proof to a great lever to get in the door? Show logos of recent national press or industry awards.

Trying to overcome a particular objection? Create mini-case studies using quotes or example results from satisfied customers that specifically hit those pain points.

Remarketing requires the most work to set up, and you’ll need to have a designer create the display ads for you. But there can be huge upside. Optimizing the middle of your sales funnel can provide huge ROI – getting more prospects to take action is much cheaper and easier than finding more prospects.

So there you have it – three simple digital tools to dramatically improve your prospecting effectiveness.

Eco-Products: Make a Bigger Difference

Thinking about the corporate social responsibility side of a business can have many benefits, from boosted profits to improving customer loyalty. Customers are increasingly questioning unethical business practices, which means you will have to make an effort to earn their trust and loyalty. Implementing eco-friendly practices in the way you run your business is a great way to show that your company cares. Below are some great ideas on how to get started.

1. Energy-Saving Light Bulbs
By using energy-saving light bulbs in your office, you can save money and cut back on your carbon foot print. It’s a win-win! With climate change concerns hitting the headlines this year, customers will truly appreciate your efforts.

2. Green Office Supplies
Using greener office supplies will reduce waste and help preserve the natural environment. Using recycled paper is a great idea. Also, make sure that the products used in your office come from ethical sources. Taking these small steps will give you the reputation of a business owner who is committed to saving the environment. It will surely help you earn the trust of your clients.

3. Recycle, Recycle, Recycle!
Recycling is an easy, eco-friendly practice which is gaining popularity in households and businesses. If your business requires a lot of printing, you should consider using remanufactured inkjet cartridges. This simple switch will reduce the amount of waste generated. Since most Americans already recycle, your clients will expect you to do the same.

4. Manage Your Travel Emissions
Thanks to the internet and global business networks, there are many ways to work with your clients without having to meet them face-to-face. Frequent air travel and road trips are harmful to the environment. Using apps such as “Go To Meeting” will help you manage travel emissions and also save precious time and money.

5. Create Your Own Renewable Energy
Depending on the size and location of your business, micro-generating your own energy could be an option. Try putting solar panels on your office building or installing a biomass heater for hot water. You may even be able to sell the surplus energy you generate! These solutions will save your business money and help you gain the respect of your clients.

Thanks to Robin Richter of Wearable Imaging for the above blog article.

5 Effective Ways to Measure the ROI of Promotional Products

Is your swag really working? You hand out hundreds of branded journals at a trade show. You freely give out mugs and tote bags at career fairs. You’re generous with promotional pens; you have been giving them out for years. At some point, you just feel like you can’t keep track of all these giveaways and pinpoint their value to your company. 

The truth is promo products can be easily traceable. Here are 5 simple methods to do that:

1. Strong CTA

When tracking the results generated by promotional products, a solid CTA (Call-to-Action) is an absolute must. A CTA makes it simple to measure the effectiveness of your giveaways and should be used with every other strategy you adopt from this list.

Want some examples? “Get a free trial,” “Talk to a consultant anytime,” “Answer the online survey,” “Get 20% off.” A CTA asks the person to take an action and makes it clear how to do so.

Print an offer with a strong CTA directly on your promo and monitor the traffic it generates. If the offer is useful and relevant for the consumer, you will have no problem seeing people react to strong CTAs.

By making your CTA simple and appealing, you ensure that your recipients will take you up on your offer.

2. Social Media Hashtags

Smartphones and social media are part of a consumer’s daily life. Put the hashtag you want your consumers to use on your promo items and track how many times that hashtag is referenced. Once you have identified those using the hashtag, you can follow them all the way through the buying journey.

3. QR codes or unique URLs

You can create a landing page for your promotional campaign and print the URL or a QR code on your giveaways. Here you go – now you can track the hits/leads/sales that come directly from the products.

4. Phone numbers

Create a specific phone number and place it on your promos, tracking the number of calls that come as a result of the giveaways.

5. Promo Codes

Promo codes are given out everywhere – websites, social media, TV and radio ads, email marketing campaigns -- all day long. Print a promo code on your promotional product. It acts as a strong CTA and can be easily tracked and traced for an ROI report.

For example, in a sports event, when giving customers a custom branded bag/cap/jersey of the team they are there to watch, place a CTA on the package or on the product itself telling them to go to the team store in the next 3 days and use a certain promo code for 20% off their next purchase. You can measure the ROI with the number of times the promo code is used. 

Thanks to our supplier partner SpectorandCo for allowing us to republish this blog.