The Promo Coach

You’re the boss. You’re the main manager. You have a lot on your plate and now you have yet another project or task - deciding on corporate gifts. This is a difficult one since you’re dealing with your employees, which are your main assets. There are no guidelines and you have no direction on what to do. It seems every year you tend to push this to the bottom of your “to do” list and procrastinate. You always seem to get something boring and not very valued by your employees. So what are you to do? These days there are so many different items that can fit your budget. Get creative and search online; you will surely be pleasantly surprised as to how many different options you have available at your fingertips – literally, you can buy everything you need and find everything you want via a few clicks of your mouse.

So this year don’t hold back - go online and start your search.

You can find gifts that will work wonderfully in various events for all of your employees. Whether you are giving gifts for employee recognition rewards, holiday presents, retirement, birthdays, or new births, you will be successful in your online search.

Corporate gifts are great as well for a Sales team that attains a major sales goal, or for a Marketing team that launches an awesome campaign that brings great results or that increases revenue. Shopping on the internet not only saves you time, but it can save you money as well, especially if you purchase in bulk. You can possibly get a bulk discount; be sure to ask for this as it may not be stated or specifically promoted on the website. Just make sure to do your research and find a good vendor. Look for customer feedback or comments to see if others who have previously shopped there have had a positive experience. Watch out for those fake sites and just use your discretion. Once you go online you’ll never go back to waiting in line!

Companies usually give business gifts to advertise and promote what they offer. However, gifts can also be given to people other than customers and clients. They can be presented in many types of business affairs, such as trade shows, conferences, recognition and award days, anniversaries, and holidays. And there are so many to choose from, whether you want something simple or elegant. If you want to thank a colleague who has been a good partner and helped you a lot throughout your career, you can give something to show that you really appreciate it. This is where personalized gifts really come into action and serve a meaningful purpose. But it can be quite challenging to find a gift that stands out and is suitable at the same time.

Personalized gifts can make a one of a kind gift for your colleague. You can find different kinds of ways to personalize and customize various fabrics, leathers, wooden or metal items. Some popular choices you may want to consider personalizing include a leather business card case or holder, or a leather bounded business journal or planner. These business gifts are important and very useful accessories for a business professional.

In business, technology may reign supreme, but there’s always room for the elegance of actually writing! Giving a personalized black leather journal to friends who have innovative and intelligent ideas enables them to conveniently write down and preserve their spur of the moment thoughts. It is also great for writing down contact information and jotting down an ever growing to-do list so that nothing is forgotten. This is a sophisticated gift that can make a perfect solution to scratch paper.

You can find these sophisticated business gifts online. Other unique gifts you may consider are personalized bags, magnetic money clips, personalized photo albums, and monogrammed desk accessories. Personalizing your gift is a great and effective way to show how special the person is to you. So make the smart choice to personalize your gift, whether it is for colleagues, friends, or relatives. They will value and appreciate it and who knows, you may get something special in return!

Tradeshows can be a very overwhelming experience as there is a ton of information to absorb. Each booth offers guests an opportunity to see different exhibitors and to get the latest news and updates on new and exciting products and services. If exhibitors are smart or experienced they will have various pamphlets, brochures, and promotional giveaways to attract attendees and to provide them with details about their goods and services. However, in the end, all these informative handouts are gathered and placed into the tradeshow bag. Tradeshow bags that are custom made and imprinted with a company logo are an advertising dream for sponsors. Each attendee gets their own bag and repeatedly sees the logo as they walk around the tradeshow.

Everybody likes free stuff, and they need something to lug that stuff in! Bags that are used as tradeshow items are known to deliver more logo impressions over all the other items.

There are various elements to consider when choosing the right tradeshow bag, such as cost, logo size, logo placement, bag features, and bag functionality. Consider what size to make the logo and where on the bag you want to imprint it. Tradeshow bags have advanced and are now much more than just plain and simple tote bags. These bags now come equipped with anything imaginable for keeping your things organized. The best bags typically have feature key rings, pen slots, various compartments, and even headphone ports! These bags have been designed by tradeshow experts who know the importance of having a functional bag when browsing the aisles.

So if you’re planning to spend money on brochures and tradeshow gifts, make sure you also have enough marketing dollars to sponsor the tradeshow bag. Having your logo on a tradeshow bag is a time-tested and proven advertising method that is useful and effective. Brand awareness is a key objective at tradeshows - and there really is no better way to spread your brand name!

Using imprinted promotional items to increase revenue, sales, and brand awareness is not at all a new idea. In fact, this type of marketing has been around for years! Just look around your home and you’ll see a bunch of promotional free stuff stashed in drawers, magnetized to your fridge, or attached to your keychain ring. You may have magnets on your fridge with a company name, a calendar from your real estate or insurance agent, and pens from your auto shop.

So, how can you utilize such items to draw attention to your business, products, or services? You can hand them out in your lobby, at the counter, or during an event. You can give them away to customers that sign up to receive mail outs, news, company updates, or notifications about product discounts. You can also send them to clients that want to receive news on events your company has planned. How many people will turn down an umbrella, t-shirt, or other promotional logo item just for filling out a form?

Another great outlet for distributing your items is at school functions such as educational funded carnivals or other money making events. You can donate small branded products as prizes for the kids to win, or you can even donate larger items to be auctioned off by the school. You can send out promotional gifts for any holiday or event – even for your company’s anniversary. Your clients, vendors, and business associates will like the fact that you remembered them and will likely use the product repeatedly.

On your list of those to gift, be sure not to leave out your employees. You can give them small or large gifts for various reasons, such as number of years of service, highest sales for the month or year, their birthday, holidays, the birth of a new baby, wedding, an anniversary with your company, and so forth. Last but not least, you can use them for contests. Realistically, you don’t have to try hard or do much to get people to enter a contest to win prizes. There really are tons of ways to use these items. So no matter how, where, or when you do it, make sure you do it right!

Unique corporate gifts are a great way to convey your appreciation to your co-workers and colleagues. They are a way of maintaining goodwill at work and giving best wishes on festivals, holidays and other special occasions. These gifts can include a wide variety of items ranging from stationery to gourmet gifts. There are some innovative ideas for unique corporate presents! When it comes to corporate gifts, stationery may be the first thing that comes to mind. However, ensure that you add a personal touch to the stationery by personalizing it. For example notepads, organizers and even pens with the names of your employees can be a great idea.

You can also include bookends and paperweights in this category. Another interesting addition to corporate stationery gifts can be some great reference books or novels that you think will be useful and/or enjoyable. Pen holders or pen-stands have also been very popular corporate gift items. Table clocks or calendars can be useful corporate gifts as well. Knickknacks like key chains, CD covers, bottle openers; water bottles can be great corporate gifts as well.

Calculators and typewriters are history; make way for the new age gadgets that make for excellent gifts. There are a large number of electronic gadgets and gizmos that can be excellent ideas, starting from beverage coolers to laptops and iPods. Beverage coolers or beverage warmers that can be connected via the USB port are quite popular these days. You can also go with pen-drives or flash drives that are easy and convenient options for data storage. If you’re looking for some high-end products, then a sleek laptop might be the thing for you.

Good quality bags are great for corporate gifting. This can include wallets, purses, briefcases or even luggage bags in cases where jobs include a lot of traveling. Stylish leather bags in colors like black, off-white, or maroon can be great options. Sleek briefcases in jet-black or silver are quite in vogue. For the ladies stylish purses and handbags might be great options. Fashionable travel bags that can be used for business travel are a good idea. For an organization that has a very informal and open working atmosphere, backpacks can be a great idea as well!

In recent years, gift baskets have become extremely popular, with an increasing number of options available. Quite a number of specialty baskets exist, such as baskets for golf lovers, new baby baskets, as well as gourmet baskets. Another type of basket in great demand is the corporate gift basket. In choosing gifts for business purposes, a company has to decide what it is trying to achieve in giving the gift at all. Like any marketing decision (and let’s be honest, this is marketing), the choice needs to take into account costs, purpose, and benefits, as well as any possible adverse reaction if a bad choice is made. So, your gift basket, if that is the general choice you make, should be appropriate not just to the recipient but to the level and importance of the business relationship you have with them.

I am stating the obvious in saying that the corporate gift basket you send needs to both please the recipient, and further your business relationship with them. But it should also be kept in economic proportions. When you are deciding on your choice of gift basket, and what to include in it, then think very carefully. The best marketing and the best customer relationships are built on an individual basis. Ask yourself: do I not prefer to be treated as an individual, and receive gifts that are personalized?

Deciding what to put into corporate gift baskets requires a bit of thought, which benefits from the “know your customer” rule. Once you have decided on the budget for each basket, and the type of gift that would be appropriate, it is then a matter of being selective within those criteria. For Christmas gift baskets, some advance planning is definitely needed so you can source the best value and quality of products.

You can find suppliers of various gift baskets online who appreciate the need for personalization and will offer a range of options for you. So, if you choose appropriate quality products to fill the basket, and they are suitable for your gift “target”, you can then have one or more items personalized. The types of gifts you can put in the basket are really only limited by your imagination. The more you use your imagination, the more individual your gift basket will be!

If you are thinking about distributing branded promotional items, then now is the time to go for it! There are virtually limitless opportunities to meet potential customers and to acquire new ones. By giving away branded items that have your logo imprinted on them, you can advertise and promote your business like a pro. There are some time tested and proven marketing strategies that can be used to advertise a business via promotional products. Have you ever thought about hosting a raffle, giving out door prizes, or holding an auction? There are always fundraisers that offer perfect opportunities to give away your branded promotional products. Advertising through fundraisers is a multi-faceted strategy that should not be overlooked or underestimated.

What about fair or bazaar booths? Booths are a fabulous way for you to hand out promotional tote bags. The attendance at these kinds of events is usually high, so there can easily be thousands of people that will walk past and see your booth throughout the event. Have you ever hears of guerilla marketing? Promotional items fit in nicely with guerilla marketing. This is the kind of advertising where people are drawn to your business right off the street. You can give out promotional things like tote bags, pens, mugs, and magnets, along with coupons that must be redeemed on that day only.

There is virtually no end to the number of ways that you can advertise with branded promotional products. And these products are inexpensive when compared to other methods of advertising. Just think about it - for the price of just one newspaper ad, you could purchase hundreds of items that keep on advertising for as long as they are being used.

So, if promo products are currently not a part of your marketing campaign, then you need to take initiative and make some changes. Setting aside a small amount of your budget and using it to buy some promo items can really boost your business and yield you great results!

Giving out business promotional items during tough economic times may not seem like a top priority for many companies. But think about the long term implications of this advertising and promotional method. You can gain more returns and benefits than you’re able to imagine. When choosing what items to hand out to your prospective customers, you should find things that tie in with your products or services.

Since the attention span of customers is quite short, you can increase product retention in the minds of your customers if you give them a specialized item. Select one that is easily identifiable with your company and complements your business. That way you will be easily remembered when receivers have a need for your products or services.

Carefully choose business promotional items that your customers will find worthy. Also, select ones that will last over a long period of time. Seasonal giveaways may be a nice fit for your target market, but they limit your company’s exposure. The same thing goes if you give out edible products or fragile items. So go for something that can be used throughout the whole year, such as calendars.

The business promotional items should give your customers a positive impression and should reflect what values your business is made of. So make sure that your giveaways represent the strength and competence of your company. To guide you even more regarding what items you should distribute, think of something that makes people smile. Give out something people will like, use, and enjoy. The more they use it and the longer it lasts, the better! The success of your promotional campaign will be improved even more if you are able to relay a positive impression to your consumers. Show them that despite difficult and touch times, you still think of them and find ways to give them something back. Let them know that you are thankful for their ongoing support and patronage, which builds loyalty that will last.

Caring about your employees is important and you should show that you do. When people feel appreciated, they are more likely to be loyal to their place of employment and they will want to stay there. The more satisfied an employee is, the more likely they will continue working at the same place with the same people. That is why it is smart to give them incentives and tokens of appreciation on a consistent basis. You can give incentive gifts for no reason at all or you can put a spin on it. If it gets people excited, then it can make for more fun in the office. There is always the option of giving things away for better sales - but you can get more creative than that. You can reward a good mood or a nice outfit. Of course you can have contests for something as silly as the best Halloween costume.

You will find loads of wonderful promotional incentive items that will work well for your company. There are so many different products out there that you will surely find something that goes great with your business. You can really energize employees with promotional products that are given as incentives. Employees thrive on appreciation and respect. Just gift an employee with a gift and watch their work efficiency improve. Presenting gifts is the best way of showcasing your love, care, respect, affection and gratitude. Everybody feels special and overjoyed by being presented with gifts.

Promotional business incentives are a powerful tool for motivating a particular sect of people, either employees or customers. When the tool is empowered properly, it can boost up employee morale or create wonderful brand loyalty. The incentives are not required to be expensive or belong to material enticement to impress your employees. These types of incentives need to be given with the goal of showing your gratitude and appreciation to the people working for you. It is a smart investment and can truly improve overall productivity as well as employee loyalty, morale, and job satisfaction.