Archive for Branding
Marketing Monday - can your promo items be collected?
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Watching The Collectors on the ABC1 the other day, they had a guest talking about collecting promotional buckles.
This got me thinking - can your promotional items form part of a collection?
The example they were showing on the show were belt buckles from machinery suppliers. Other examples they have shown include t-shirts, things that are a particular colour, and so many more. Have a look at their site and check out some of the past collections that have been featured.
Now, I’m not suggesting you set out to create promotional products that can be collectors items. However, this is something you may consider, especially with the quality of a product. For example, a cheap t-shirt is unlikely to be kept, however one that is good quality with an interesting design might be kept.
On this topic, I have some mugs from the company my Dad used to work for. They have cartoons on them as well as the business logo and I have been told of people who would collect those mugs just because they loved the different cartoons.
Another business I know of has a series of magnets and will send out a different one with each order. Customers have been known to collect the set (meaning they have to buy at least 6-10 times to get the set!).
While your items may not be a “collectible” you may be able to create a series of something your customers can collect.
Put your thinking cap on and see what creative ideas you can come up with. Don’t forget, however, to remember the point of your promotional products so they still fit in with your goals for marketing your business.
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Is your site part of a set?
I’ve heard so many business guru’s talk about how everything has to match and be identical as that is the only way your brand can get out there. Your website, blog, business card, and so on - everything must match.
On Facebook I recently followed a discussion between some business mums about how this was really hard (and expensive) and they simply didn’t have the budget - yet.
For some business mums, it can be out of their price range to start off with everything matching, especially while you are trying to work out what your identity is. One option is to make everything into a set.
To see how this works, have a look at Your Cheeky Monkey. Her identity is a monkey and everywhere she can she has her monkey logo. On places where she is unable to use the same template, such as her blog, she still uses the monkey in her template. It is a different monkey, but it is still a cheeky monkey. She has used her monkey logo as her profile image. This continues through to her Facebook page. As you get to know her business, you start thinking about Your Cheeky Monkey every time you see a monkey around the place.
If you are at the stage where you are unable to have everything matching, is there a way to make everything part of a set. It could be your business colours, a symbol, such as a monkey or a flower or something else, it could even be a shape, for example if you use circles on your main site you may choose a template with circles in the background.
Be creative and have a play and see what it is about your business that you can turn into a set so you can have some consistency in your brand.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums Daily“Free” Samples
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Are "free" samples getting you results?
Samples are great. They can help customers try before they buy, they can be used as fillers for goodie bags, they can great.
There is also a down side to samples. As a business owner, it usually costs money to purchase or create these samples, so when you get “sample hunters”, people who just want to get samples, they are not so free, or so useful.
I went to the Australian Business & IT Expo a couple of weeks ago and there were some high school students running around collecting pens and other samples off stalls. It seemed they were playing the game “He/she with the most free samples wins”.
I have also heard of a number of business mums being contacted by people who only want the free samples.
So, how do you get around this?
One idea is to pre-qualify sample hunters with a survey or similar. Also, let them know you will add them to your database and will follow up. If people are just in it for the samples, they may not fill in your survey.
Another idea is to charge for the samples. For example, you may charge $5 for the samples to cover postage and the sample. You may want to include a $5 voucher with the samples, meaning if the customer loves the samples and goes on to buy a full size product, the samples will be free as the voucher will cover the samples. If people are just in it for the sample, they won’t pay for them.
If you are at an expo or market and people just want your samples, put them a little further back, or only hand them out once people have either bought something or entered your prize draw. Again, this puts your sample to work for you and you are handing them out to people who are genuinely interested.
Samples also make a great gift with purchase - include a couple of samples with your orders so customers can try something else in your range. This works as a reward to your current customers as well as introducing them to new products.
If you are giving out samples in a goodie bag or similar, include a gift voucher or similar with the sample to encourage people to buy and so you can track any sales that may come from this marketing activity.
As with any other marketing you do, work out what you want out of it and put your samples to work for you.
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Posted by: | CommentsThere are so many different marketing ideas and opportunities out there - from directories to networking to banner ads to letterbox drops to… the list goes on and on and on.
It is tempting to look at the opportunity and your bank account & jump on anything that comes along that can get you in front of your target market that you can afford. Much of the marketing material I see looks like this is what has happened - basically there is no thought to it.
Before taking up any opportunity, think about what you want to get out of it. Do you want subscribers on your newsletter list, traffic to your site, sales, people signing up to your next information session or do you simply want people to see your business name? Whatever the aim, make sure your marketing material supports this.
For example, you have the opportunity to put some items in a goodie bag that will be placed directly in the hands of your target market. As a first step, you want people to visit your website and subscribe to your newsletter. With whatever you include in the goodie bag, include an invitation for people to visit your website and have an amazing bonus for anyone who subscribes to your newsletter. It could be an eBook or audio or gift voucher or some other “no strings attached” gift.
Once you know what your goals are, you can then track how well your marketing material works for you. Make sure that whatever invitation you have in your marketing material backs up the goals you set.
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Posted by: | CommentsIf you have an online shop, it is obvious that you use images of your products to show customers what they are buying. Product images can be used in a number of other ways to promote your business. Some of these will be obvious and others you may not have thought of using before.
Good product images can be worth a lot - not only in terms of sales. They can also increase brand awareness and encourage people to visit your shop in the first place.
- Annette Piper Jewellery uses product images in her blog posts. Each post features one of her stunning pieces of jewellery and she relates the post to the image in some way.
- I regularly see marketing pieces by different online shops featuring photographs of their products taken in different ways.
- Use a product image as part of a Facebook welcome image or even the profile image. This will not only show off your products, it will give your business an interesting profile image.
- Use your images as promotional postcards.
- Have some stock images of your products you can use for the media if requsted.
These are just a few ideas how you can use product images. Have a play with different settings and layouts for your photos, and if you aren’t experienced, it pays to invest in having some great photos taken.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyFriday Five - Uses for e Books
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It’s a great idea to create e Books and reports for your business to share your knowledge and give tips and ideas to your customers. Most people can think of one or two ways to use them in their business. In this post, I will share 5 ways you can use eBooks in your business.
- Sell them - this one is obvious. E Books can be a great product to sell and bring in additional income to your business. A product such as e-Junkie makes selling e Books easy.
- Incentive for newsletters - e Books are a great way to grow your email list. Give away an e Book in exchange for people signing up to your email newsletter list. You can send the e Book through an auto responder, or simply have a download link on the confirmation page.
- Goodie bag giveaway - there are many opportunities to include items in goodie bags. If you have an e Book, you can either print it out or burn it to a CD and use it as an insert in goodie bags. Make sure it is branded with your business so those who read your e Book can follow you up.
- Gift with Purchase - e Books can make a great gift with purchase. You can either email it to people after they have bought your products or provide them with a download link. You could also either print it out or burn it to a CD to include with the package you send out. How you present your e Book as a gift with purchase will depend on what you sell and how people buy from you.
- Strategic Alliance Offering - some of your strategic alliance partners may be looking for e Books to use as a promotion or reward for their customers. If you have an e Book, you can offer it to some of your strategic alliance partners for them to give away. Again, make sure it has your business details on it so readers can follow up your website if they want further information or to buy from you.
While printing an e Book or burning it to a CD may seem a bit odd, if you are able to do this, you can end up with an additional promotional tool for your business and a new group of people who will read your information and be exposed to your business.
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Do Something Different
There are many things a business can do to be different, and I love it when I find examples of business mums that are doing this.
This week, I have found some examples of businesses that are doing things a bit differently.
- Spellbound Creative have a yearly design package. This means you buy hours each month that can be used for any project you need. Most graphic designers charge by the hour or by the project.
- Your Cheeky Monkey uses Fregie sacks (reusable cloth bags) for all their gift packs.
- Leaf Journals uses their own story starter products as inspiration for weekly blog posts, showing off their products as well as encouraging others to join in.
- Creating Order from Chaos has started an ‘in real life’ declutter club to support clients while they are getting organised.
These are just a few examples of the many I have found. What do you do in your business that is different from what everyone else does? Share what you do, or what you have seen others do, by adding a comment to this post.
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Posted by: | CommentsOver the weekend, I took advantage of the boys being away and did some cleaning out in their toy boxes. In the bottom of the boxes I came across a pile of promotional products - stress balls, Frisbee’s, yo-yo’s and similar toys that I had picked up at various expos, networking events, and other places I can’t remember where.
I am an advocate of promotional products, especially if you are putting things in goodie bags at events as it’s always better to have “stuff” than paper that will just be thrown away.
Added to the collection in the bottom of the boys toy boxes, I have a collection of mugs and pens from different companies. These don’t end up in the toy box - they get used.
Which brings me to the point of this post. If you are creating promotional products for your business, create something that is useful and will get used. This way your logo or message is not ending up in the bottom of a toy box!
Some ideas for useful products are mugs, pens and magnets, although it is possible to have too many magnets on the fridge.
When choosing something, think about your target market and what they will use. From one company, we were given some great sun hats. They are too small for my head, but perfect for my kids. When out and about, those are the hats we use all the time! One of my favourite mugs is a promotional mug I won at a networking event. And I LOVE my pen from Tilda Virtual Services, though my Dad pinches it!
So, when you are deciding on something to create as a promotional product, put some thought into it and come up with something that is useful.
PS, it is also possible to have too many of the eco shopping bags!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyDecorate Your Envelopes
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Make your envelopes stand out
I love seeing fun ideas that people use to make their business stand out from everyone else.
I am a “liker” of Fairy Me by Tarja on Facebook. She shares photos of her amazing creations as well as an announcement and photo of fairies that are heading to a new home. One of the thing I love about these is the envelope she uses.
Each envelope is decorated with shiny stickers of fairies and butterflies. They are normal envelopes from Australia Post, however she adds her own touch to them. If you want to see the photos, go to her fan page and visit the “Fairy Fan Photos” album to see these pictures.
There are many ways you can make your envelopes stand out for delivery. Tania Wright over at Green Room Interiors uses green envelopes to send out her newsletter.
A different coloured envelope can often do the trick, however I love the idea of decorating them too. This is something children can help with - most children love sticking stickers on things.
For Christmas cards, I put Christmas stickers on the envelopes. If you send birthday cards you could do the same thing.
The sort of decoration you use will depend on your business. If you are sending computer equipment, for example, then stickers of fairies and butterflies may not work so well, however they will work if you are sending items to little girls.
Have you decorated your envelopes in a special way to help them stand out? Please share your ideas by adding a comment to this post.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- For your daily dose of business mums websites and blogs, check out Business Mums DailyIt’s all about how you present it…
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How do you present your products?
Nappy cakes - they were the latest thing a few years ago and it seemed every business mum was trying her hand at nappy cakes. The ones that stood out were the ones who had something different in the way they presented their gifts.
S.O.H. Sleepy Baby Bouquets presented their gifts as a bouquet of flowers rather than a cake, and Novelty Nappies has created some nappy trains.
Monique over at Your Cheeky Monkey packages her gift bundles in a Fregie Sack, a resuable bag.
Essentially the gifts consist of similar products - nappies, socks, singlets, and other baby items - however it is in the way they are presented that makes all the difference.
With a product such as cross stitch patterns, there are not a lot of creative ways you can present these, however Bernadette over at the Needlework Boutique wraps all her orders in light blue tissue paper and makes sure they look good before putting them in an envelope to send out.
Tania at Green Room Interiors sends her quarterly newsletter out in a green envelope. The green envelope really stands out in a pile of plain white envelopes.
So, how do you present your products? Whether it is a creative way to do gift hampers or a special way you package your products before posting them. What is it that sets your business apart?
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