PROMOTIONAL GIFTS ... GOOD MARKETING STRATEGY?

Do you think giving promotional items is just a waste of money?  

Think again!  The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) conducts research to draw conclusions about this very subject.  Here are a few results:

1.  Your brand name 'sticks' to customers' mind.

2.  People do keep the promotional items they received.

3.  Promo items convert more customers than any other media ... What???  Yes!!! 

20.9% consumers made a purchase (converted) after receiving a givaway -- compare this to print ad's 13.4%, TV commercial's 7.1%, and online ad's 4.6%.

(Resource: noobpreneur.com "Is Promotional Items Effective In Bringing more Customers to Your Business?")

Who doesn't love receiving a gift!

When you give someone a gift from your company, it really is FREE to that person.  They are not required to give anything back in return.  How often does that happen?  So, everyone loves it!  

Giving someone a tangible item is one of the best forms of advertising available.  People are not going to throw away a nice water bottle or an umbrella.  And, every time the item is used, your business is gaining more exposure.  

Promotional Gifts for your loyal and new customers.

Having your name printed on a gift is a great way to remind your customers to contact you, and they will remember your business each time they use or see your gift.

No matter what your budget there is certain to be something that fits within it.  Sometimes the simplest and most inexpensive promotional items are the most effective.  People love receiving gifts, and promotional products are essentially gifts that you give to potential customers.  A gift sends a message that the recipient is important to you and when people feel valued, they are more inclined to give you their attention.

Promotional products are valuable marketing tools that can be used as stand-alone campaigns or in conjunction with a broader advertising strategy.  They also reinforce your marketing message and provide valuable branding opportunities for your new business.

(Resource: localmarketingideas.com by Robert Bell)

The Holidays will be here before you know it!

We are already taking orders for holiday giving.  This is a great time (why procrastinate?) to look over the 10,000+ items we have to choose from here: 

PostNet Asheville Promotional Products

Let's schedule a time to meet to discuss your specific marketing goals ... and, work with you to consider which item(s) are most appropriate for your business needs ... and, especially for your budget.  

Call me at 828.707.0976, or email me: billmerwitzer@gmail.com.  

FAQ's About Printing From Bill!

Presume for a moment you are the owner of a small business and you find yourself in need of printing services.  Ok.  So, you start doing some research, perhaps even asking some colleagues about who you should call.  You get a few names of printers and you call and set up appointments to meet with them.  Then the thought hits you either before your meetings or during, "I don't know a thing about printing!"

There's really no reason to go into this blindly.  Chances are you'll be spending a fair amount of money on printing services for your business.  And, it's really not that difficult to be informed about what you're spending your hard-earned cash on.  Over the years that I've been in the printing business, as I speak with business owners or their managers, I have compiled a short list of their more Frequently Asked Questions.

****  FAQ'S  ****

                                                 
l.  When I order printing or look at my invoices I see "codes" as 1/0.  What does that mean?  I suspect it's a code to determine how much I'm going to be charged!

Answer:  Actually, it's one of the most common and essential ways to determine how a print job should be produced.  Here are the most common you'll see:
                                                                            1/0 = Black&White Front/Plain Back
                                                                            1/1 = Black&White Front & Back
                                                                            4/0 = Color Front/Plain Back
                                                                            4/1 = Color Front/Black&White Back
                                                                            4/4 = Color Front & Back

2.  What does UV mean?
                                                                     
Answer:  UV is a way of coating a business card, brochure or other printing so it has a hard and shiny surface that will withstand humidity and rough handling.  It makes a nicer appearance but is difficult to write on.  I often recommend UV on one side but either gloss or matte on the other side so it can be written on.  Gloss and matte are two other ways to coat your printing to enhance appearance.




3.  What does it mean when my sales rep asks if I want a "bleed?"  Should this make me nervous?



Answer:  Nerves of steel not required!  A "bleed" means that the color will go to the edge of  the paper with no white border showing around the edges.    





4.  What is a "reverse?"

Answer:  If, for example, you want to print red ink on a white background, a "reverse" would be white print on a red background.  These are often used to highlight portions of, for example, an ad.

Screen Printing Examples

5.  Well, then, what is a "screen?"

Answer:  A "screen" is a muted version of a reverse.  "Screens" can be adjusted to be bold enough to almost appear as a screen ... or, they can be very subtle.



6.  I'm seeing more and more printing (brochures, business cards, invoices, etc.) with rather strange looking boxes.  Since they're becoming so prevalent, I'm assuming they must be important.  What are they?

     

Custom Designed QR Code

Answer:  You must be referring to QR Codes (Quick Response Codes).  A consumer with a smart phone can scan the QR Code with an App on their phone.  They will then be directed to any website the sender desires. The Code can also be custom designed incorporating the sender's logo for additional recognition and impact.



   
7.  My eyes glaze over when my sales rep tries to
describe the various kinds of paper I can use.
 Is there any way to help me understand the differences in paper?

Answer:  The "bad news" is that the single most complicated aspect of printing is paper selection.  Different papers evolved over many years with many types of manufacturing ... each with its own jargon for describing their products.  The "good news" is that because of some comprehensive charts and tables that PostNet has, we can show you samples of virtually all papers regardless of what they are called by the manufacturers.

********

Keep this list as a reference.  It will help you make better informed decisions regarding your printing needs. And, we all know that better informed decisions yield increased efficiency and lower costs. And, just as important,  it will be obvious to your printer that you have done your homework and are an informed consumer.

Google Believes in Direct Mail Campaigns!

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT DOING A DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGN FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

Google believes in Direct Mail!

Do you?  

Did you know that Google is the second biggest user of Direct Mail Campaigns in the United States ... 

right after the federal government!!!

United States Postal Service increased their 

postage rates on their direct mail program:

Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) is now 18.3 cents.

So, you might say ... "Why not just use the old standard Bulk Rate system for my mailings?"

WOW!!!

Glad you asked!

                  The cost for Bulk Rate is                          approximately 35 cents!                   

      Your savings using EDDM is 50%!!!                                                                                        

"Why is that?" you ask.

Well ...With Bulk Rate you need to acquire a mailing list!  

And, you can't choose specific carrier routes 

that are your target markets like you can with EDDM!

And, did I mention that the postage rate is a mere 18.3 cents ... significantly less than Bulk Rate.  If you're mailing first class, your savings are even greater!

FRONT

BACK

Here are just two EDDM campaigns PostNet has done for its customers

FRONT

BACK

Ask us what you can mail for this low rate, and learn about the results our customers have enjoyed!

You can contact me by phone:   828.707.0976

  or email:   billmerwitzer@gmail.com
Click here to check out my new facebook page

Networking Tips

You are a believer in the power of Networking ... and, the extremely positive impact it has on your profitability.  You wonder, though, how you can best leverage your networking dollars ... and, your time.

HERE ARE A FEW "SECRETS"

FOR  NETWORKING SUCCESS:

A. Be sure to have an adequate supply 

of crisp, fresh business cards with you.  However, be prepared to take some of your business cards home with you because of Item "B."

B. Do not be a "business card whirlwind!"  The goal of successful networking is NOT to see how many business cards you can unload.  The goal IS to establish the beginnings of 3 to 5 business relationships.

C.  To initiate valuable relationships, be prepared to listen far more than you speak.  Listen to WHAT? Listen to the answers to questions you ask!  If you ask, for example, "What are the biggest challenges to your business?" you'll obtain a wealth of information, including possibly, how you can help! 

D.  Remember that your number one priority is networking ... not the food and libations that may be offered at these events!  


E.  Do have fun!  Keep in mind that everyone is there for the same reason as you.  So, relax, listen and learn about other business people in your community and how you can help each other be successful.  
 

You might even make some new friends!

What's the big deal about Social Media?

Google+

What IS the big deal about Social Media?  Is Liking, Sharing, Commenting on content someone posts all that important?  Isn't it enough that you buy their products,  use their service, or support their organization?  You already appreciate their business or their contribution to the community.  Surely, just knowing 

that is enough!  Isn't it?     

facebook

 I get asked these questions in some form or another quite often.  The bottom line answer is simple ... Well, no, not really.  Don't misunderstand.  Of course, most people who have a business page or account of some sort will appreciate your support ... more than appreciate ...  grateful!!!  However, if you, as a consumer, a business person or owner, or a person who is active in an organization of any type, really want to support  them, and perhaps even ensure their longevity, by all means, offer your support on social media!

twitter

Here's why!  To paraphrase a recent statement I read on a Blog about social media ... Shares, Comments, and Retweets are the holy grail and not just the Likes or Follows.  It's the actual interactions that bump up a business or community page in the search engine results of that page.  So, while it's nice to have 500+ followers or likes on your social media pages, the cream of the crop is in the actual interactions with your followers.   So, to continue down this road to its logical end:   more interactions = moving up higher in search engine results = more potential interest in your page = success!!!!  A bit oversimplified, but those are  the basic facts.  Simple, right?   Well, not so much, to use a trite current expression.

Most small businesses and community organizations struggle to find out how to entice their followers to share or comment on their content.  Thousands of articles, blogs and books have been written with how-to ideas, tips and rules of do's and don'ts to help with that ever elusive perfect post that will elicit those delicious comments and delightful shares!

linkedin

"Content Is King!"  I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have heard and read this phrase, which, by the way, is correct.  It's the content that will prompt people to interact.  So, the never ending search by people sitting in front of their computers (like me) searching for the magic words and images that will be irresistible to someone reading them.  And, then, hopefully, they will say to themselves, "I must share this!"  Or, words to that effect.  

And then, Click!    

So, when businesses and community pages you've already liked and are following,  post something on their status of facebook, twitter, linkedin, or google+, take a minute and read it.  If you really do "Like" it, please comment and share it with your friends, family, or business associates.  And, in turn, they might just do the same for you! 

 

All Aboard For The Social Media Train!

You are at a train station.  You are holding a sign that says, "My Small Business."  And, here comes the train ...  Attached to the engine are all the social media sites and behind the train are all the cars representing all the various types of businesses.

Find me on Google+

It pulls into the station and you watch as all the different business people get on board.  You stand there for a few minutes trying to decide what to do.  "Should I get on?" you think to yourself.   "What will happen if I don't?  I don't know anything about all that stuff.  What does it cost?  It all seems so confusing and, well, unimportant."  And, then you remember hearing someone make a joke about Twitter.  Oh, something about posting stuff about what they had for breakfast.  So, you decide to wait and think about it more.  Maybe there will be another train along soon. You watch as all those business people continue to get on board and then the train pulls out of the station.  How do you feel?  Perhaps relieved that you didn't follow the crowd.  You always thought of yourself as an individualist; an independent thinker.  Or, you wonder if you're making a mistake.  You saw some of your competitors board that train and you wonder if somehow they will have an edge with your target market.  So, you decide to do some research and find out more about this social media thing.

Connect with me on Linkedin

Where do you start?  You could ask other business people.  Perhaps, you could join a few networking groups in your community and find out what other businesses are doing to promote their businesses.  "I'll Google social media marketing and see what comes up!" you say to yourself out loud.  Then you realize that you just decided to use an internet search engine to find out if using social media would be a good idea for your business.  "Hmmm...there's a connection here," you think to yourself.  And, you are correct!

Find me on Facebook

The goal of any business is to create new customers, and the first step is to let them know you exist.  When we first opened our business introduced ourselves to someone and told them the name of our business they would respond, "PostNet? Never heard of it. What kind of business is it?" That was four years ago.  We don't hear that anymore, and we believe we owe most of that recognition to our social media involvement.  Intense networking, of course, added to that recognition, but having social media accounts and being active on them helped to engage people with the goal of developing relationships with them.

 People buy from people and brands they like.  

      

Follow me on Twitter

Being active on various social media sites allows people to get to know and like you as a person.  Interacting in that environment puts your brand and product messages in a position to be shared and commented on which leads to awareness, interest, and sales!  And, depending how you choose to interact, people begin to get to know you and your unique personality.  You sprinkle your posts with humor, perhaps a gardening or travel tip, offer an answer to a question you see posted by someone else, or refer someone to a resource that helps them. Voila!  You have become a person to "Like, follow, and connect with ... Someone people want to do business with!