Marketing Ideas

Jun

2015

Custom Products: Adding Fireworks to Your Brand Strategy this 4th of July

When major holidays roll around, you probably get caught up in all the excitement of planning parties, vacations, and spending time with friends and family. While that’s certainly fun, at the same time, you could miss out on a huge opportunity—marketing your business.

No matter what type of business you own, the summertime allows you to both reach out to your current audience AND bring in new leads. This doesn’t mean that you have to put your holiday plans on hold. You can still have that fun and help your business simultaneously, without worrying too much about time or expense.

Promotional products will make this a reality. By incorporating them into your marketing strategy, they can seriously help you utilize holidays to your advantage (and help you celebrate in style)!

Connecting

Holidays are all about making connections, whether it’s with friends, loved ones, or even your own customers. Reconnecting with customers whom you haven’t heard from in a while reinforces your interest in being known. Extending your warm wishes to customers by providing them with complimentary promotional gifts serves as a means of expressing gratitude for their support, and as a gentle reminder of your brand. But don’t just customize just any swag – in order to actually make a connection with customers, give them items that they’ll actually appreciate. That way, customers will automatically have a positive association with your brand.

We’re all naturally inclined to connect with brands that have personality, and promo products are perfect ways for you to show YOUR brand personality. For example, in honor of Independence Day, why not give the Window Box of 12 Corporate Oreo® Picture Cookies? Delicious, hand-dipped cookies with your logo on each one, proudly made in the USA will definitely add fireworks to your brand strategy!

Setting Yourself Apart

While you are busily trying to make yourself the star of the holiday, so is your competition, but you can set yourself apart with some creativity. In order to do so, however, you have to remember how essential it is to humanize your brand and make it more personal than just any annoying ad. Custom gifts show customers that there are real people behind your brand, not just a business entity, and that you have a unique and meaningful message to share.

Customers get tired of seeing the same sort of campaigns over and over, and it has become increasingly challenging to capture their attention. Thus, a promotional swag lets a customer easily interact with your brand on his or her own terms without feeling pressured into a purchase. This time of year, customers are preparing for cookouts, and firing up their grills. Your business can equip them with all the tools they need to be the Grill Master with this set that can be custom branded with your corporate logo.

Tie Up Your Campaign

During the holidays, a custom promotional gift can wrap your marketing up in a bow – literally. Cohesive messaging is absolutely necessary for your marketing efforts to be successful, and in order for customers to clearly understand who you are, every piece of marketing and advertising that you put out should have the same look and feel. Custom gifts can be the final means of communicating and reinforcing your brand message to customers. It acts as a call-to-action, encouraging customers to further communicate with your business. You could satisfy their sweet tooth and get the energy going at the next holiday party with this delicious Chocolate Dream Caddy gift basket, complete with a branded ribbon.

This Independence Day, and for every holiday moving forward, remember the marketing opportunities that abound, especially when you have promotional products and custom swag on your side.

That way, you can have fun and still help your business flourish creatively and most importantly, memorably. Happy Fourth of July!

Jun

2015

Custom Beach Towels: The Perfect Summertime Swag

There is no denying that the summer season means spending more time outdoors with the family, whether that’s a seaside picnic, an afternoon at the beach, a cool dip in the pool or anything else.

Knowing this, your business shouldn’t miss out on the marketing opportunity available to you during this time of the year. You may be running marketing campaigns on a shoestring budget, and are consequently hesitant to explore other marketing avenues.

This is where custom beach towels come into the picture. With this remarkable giveaway piece of branded swag, your business can provide customers with an incentive to connect with you.

Here are just a few reasons why custom beach towels are some of the most beneficial promotional items.

Functionality

More than likely a beach towel will NOT be thrown away. Regardless of age, everyone has a use for a custom towel. To dry off, to have a spot to stretch out on the beach or laze in the grass, it will constantly be used. Unlike some other promotional tchotchkes, when it comes to custom towels, one size fits all. You won’t have to worry about having a bunch of different sized items left over. With its staying power, customers will be using their branded towels in more places and in more facets of life, which undoubtedly means that your brand has the potential to reach a broader audience, and attract a fresh following.

Bigger Branding

The imprint area of many types of promotional products presents a slight constraint; size. You have a relatively small section in which to creatively display your corporate branding. This is not at all the case with custom beach towels. You actually have the largest imprint area of almost all promotional products. That much space gives your business a major branding advantage. Your corporate logo can be seen at company events, tradeshows, and beyond. Employees and customers alike will love receiving this token of appreciation time and again.

Cost-Effectiveness

For many businesses, traditional forms of advertising, such as television and magazine are not feasible within their marketing budgets. A custom promotional towel essentially enables your customers to spread your marketing message, as it is completely portable. Customers can conveniently carry your brand wherever they go. The best part is that you don’t have to spend much to produce an eye-catching and professionally finished product.

Perhaps you want something more premium, Pinnacle Promotions offers signature midweight custom beach towels to scratch just the itch! Start customizing today!

It’s pretty clear to see that custom beach towels offer advantages that you cannot get from other promotional products and forms of advertising. You don’t need to break the bank or concern yourself with marketing restraints just to achieve your business goal of brand recognition.

For more custom outdoor products and sunny essentials, visit Pinnacle Promotions, and we would be happy to help you begin your branding journey.

Jun

2015

Custom Bag Must-Haves: Finding the Perfect Summer Bag

When it comes to choosing the perfect summer bag, every person has his/her own judging criteria. And as the seasons change, so do the style trends, and in turn, the needs of the customer. Along with being attractive, a good bag needs to meet a customer’s lifestyle.

In fact, according the Advertising Specialty Institute, bags have been found to generate more impressions than any other promotional item. In terms of your business, you can take advantage of this opportunity, in order to build your brand.

How??

By rewarding current customers for their continued support, and attracting potential customers with a custom bag that’s both fashionable and functional.

Utilize these suggested promotional products, and you’ve literally got sales in the bag!

Cruising Tote Bag with Rope Handles

Customers are sure to appreciate the Cruising Tote Bag with Rope Handles which is a sturdy tote that’s perfect for summer activities. Available in four colors with 25″ rope handles, this bag is easy on the eyes AND on the hands. You may think that it’s special enough to turn heads at summer get-togethers, but by custom printing your corporate logo on it, you can make your brand the starring feature. With each use, your customers can inspire curiosity about your brand amongst your potential clients, consequently building your audience and achieving heightened brand awareness. Your business will certainly not blend in with the competition using this fresh perspective on a standard summer bag.

Alison Cotton Tote Bag

From the beach to the trade show to the company picnic, the Alison Cotton Tote Bag is a winner. The simple, yet impactful design provides a huge, blank canvas for neatly screen-printing your corporate logo on the front of the bag. Additionally, you can choose from five bright color schemes that are perfect for any season. As an added bonus, this custom bag is available for free rush production 5 days after your logo art is accepted. An Alison Cotton custom swag bag is a simply meaningful gift for customers to commemorate their positive experience with your brand.

Sifter Beach Tote Bag

Keep your gear and accessories in, and keep out the sand, water, and dust. The Sifter Beach Tote Bag is a sturdy cotton canvas tote with a mesh bottom. Simply expose the mesh to shake out any sand that’s accumulated in the bag. It will be the perfect accessory for customers to use regularly over a long period of time in all different places. Custom branding this bag will allow customers to safely and stylishly carry their necessities, and to act as your personal marketing team. In doing so, your business can build brand awareness and recognition at very little cost to you.

Your ongoing business goal is to build brand awareness and “get your name out there.” Custom promotional bags have proven to be impressive marketing tools to make this possible. Custom bags allow you to capture the character and personality of your brand, all while building a loyal following.

For more great ideas for unique, brand-building giveaways and swag, be sure to visit Pinnacle Promotions to learn how you can Make the right impression™.

Jun

2015

Why You NEED Leed’s Promotional Products in your Marketing Arsenal

For a marketing message to resonate with an audience, a business should be able to show how their product or service will improve the lives of their customers in an impressionable and memorable way.

In order to be memorable, it’s important for a business to differentiate itself from its competitors. Many businesses mistakenly think that it takes a big marketing budget and/or team to achieve this goal.

Promotional products, however, allow a business to creatively find its way in a crowded market, no matter the business size or budget, and without sacrificing quality.

The award-winning line of promotional products created by Leed’s will help any business attract customers, and most importantly, to be memorable. So here are some ways in which Leed’s promotional products can make your brand become a Leed-er.

Hit Your Target

Every business has a specific target audience for their products or services. A business then creates its marketing strategies based on an understanding of that audience. Whether your customer is a lover of technology, a fitness fanatic, or a busy businessman, there’s a Leed’s promotional product to help your business connect with potential customers AND remind existing customers of your business message and value. For example, a techie can appreciate a custom branded mobile power bank and flashlight, while an avid outdoors-man would like a 24-can access cooler. Customers will be inclined to support your brand if you can show them that you really are committed to meeting their needs and exceeding expectations. Custom promotional products that are actually useful to customers will make all the difference.

Reinforce Your Brand

Marketing is all about communicating a cohesive brand message to customers through several different touch points or outlets. Once customers have heard your message, you need to make the effort to reinforce it. The last thing that you want to do when it comes to marketing is following the “set it and forget it” strategy. Superior quality promotional products by Leed’s can be a unique means to reinforce your brand in a way that resonates with customers. Offering customers promotional products like a chevron shopper tote or a fleece custom blanket, with your logo custom printed on them, keeps your brand fresh in their minds, and inspires them to maintain communication with you.

Build A Community

When your brand has a distinct voice and personality, you can gain the trust and respect of customers, and they will share your message with others. Your business, in turn, gets free advertising courtesy of the people who matter the most – your very own customers. In this way, you’re building the very foundation of brand loyalty. Leed’s promotional products successfully help your brand tell its story and bring a sense of cohesiveness to your marketing campaign. You would be surprised how a bottle opener or a 5-piece knife block set, when custom branded, can bolster your brand reputation while still connecting with customers.

Adding Leed’s promotional products to your marketing arsenal can only have a positive impact on the establishment and growth of your brand.

Custom swag and tchotchkes from Leed’s will help you creatively and memorably attract and keep customers at an affordable price, on a larger scale than you can possibly imagine.

Jun

2015

Promotional Calendars: A Year’s Worth of Branding

If your business is on the fence about using promotional products as a marketing tool, consider a product that will not just represent your brand, but will also prove to be useful for customers.

With consumers living chaotic lives, they need a way to keep their minds clear and their days organized. Therefore, an excellent promotional product to take advantage of is a custom calendar.

Here’s a selection of promotional calendars on sale now that will provide a year’s worth of branding without much effort on your part.

Life’s Little Instruction Book Desk

What sets this calendar apart from the others? With this custom calendar, your customers can get every month of 2016 off to a bright start. Each month, customers will enjoy reading a piece of handy advice from H. Jackson Brown, the acclaimed American author of the best seller, Life’s Little Instruction Book. With your corporate logo custom printed on the base of the calendar, this sale item will make an exceptional complimentary gift to customers that reminds them of some helpful little life lessons AND your business value. Perfect for the home or the office, this custom calendar is an attractive and cost-effective way to achieve long-term branding.

Scenic Moments Large Desk

Customers can take a trip across North America over the course of a year without ever leaving their desks, and they can rest easy knowing that your custom calendar is close at hand. When brought together, these features create a winning combination that gives your business the ticket to better brand awareness. Being able to connect with customers and to simultaneously promote your products and services without having to distribute something bulky to them, will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.

Presidents Hanger Span-A-Year

There’s never a bad time to learn a little history. This single-page custom calendar features all forty-four United States presidents, with the Declaration of Independence as the background. On the backside of the calendar, you will find short bios of each and every president. A rectangular area in the middle of the calendar provides a solid amount of space for you to add your corporate logo and any additional branding. With the information provided, customers will be inclined to retain it as a keepsake even after the year is over. This custom calendar is a meaningful tool that provides value to your customers (and your brand) every day of the year.

Adding custom calendars to your marketing campaigns will benefit customers day by day at little cost to your business, all while successfully developing brand awareness and building a loyal following.

Making your brand and business a success does not happen overnight. It takes time and strong marketing, and promotional calendars are a top choice for expediting this process and helping you Make the right impression™.

Jun

2015

Trade Show Tuesday: How to Create a Killer Trade Show Display

Businesses of all sizes utilize trade shows as a platform to share their products and services, to interact directly with their target audiences, and most importantly, to find customers and help their business grow by driving sales.

In order to do this and to successfully attract the attention of potential customers, each business must create a memorable exhibit that differentiates itself from the others.

With a combination of creativity and smart planning, it’s easy to create a winning trade show display. Keep the following in mind when designing your booth’s display at your next trade show.

1. Consider Exhibit Size

You may think that having the biggest booth at the trade show is a sure fire, winning marketing strategy. However, this is definitely not the truth. Instead, you should consider what your goals are, as well as what’s required to achieve those goals. You may be more focused on generating sales or introducing a new product to the public or EVEN just to gain a stronger brand awareness. Consider how many attendees you can expect at the show, how many of your own representatives will be at your booth, and how much space is required for you to conduct business. Once you have an idea of what you need to stand out amongst the plethora of other exhibits, you can then decide what sorts of graphics and displays you need to achieve the most visual impact.

Item#: 333285 – Show ‘N’ Rise ™ 10′ Curve Floor Mural Display Item.

2. Make Your Brand the Star

At a trade show, you want to make your brand the focal point of your display. Instead of overwhelming attendees with excessive information and graphics, it’s absolutely essential to clearly outline your brand message, your mission, and its benefit to your target audience. If you can do this effectively, that attendee will be interested in learning more and possibly even conducting business with you. Keep in mind that trade show attendees have only a few moments of their time to see what you have to offer. Ultimately, you ideally want to create a professional looking booth that makes your brand’s point and clearly explains your business. Items like custom table skirts are perfect for brand recognition and awareness. Remember that you are trying to draw in potential prospects with your display – not just random people. Therefore, while your brand is still the focus of the display, you should know whom your target prospects are, and then develop your design accordingly.

Item#: 109002 – Four sided 6′ Standard Table throw

3. Make Your Display Memorable

In order to get some ROI from your trade show display, above all, you have to make it memorable. There’s no point in investing extensive time and energy into creating a display that doesn’t attract prospects or stay fresh in their minds long after leaving the trade show. You want your display to be the most positive representation of your business, so you must know your unique selling proposition (USP). What is it that differentiates you from your competitors? Knowing this, you can create appropriate and impactful graphics, and this will make it easier to showcase your products and services in a memorable way. Incorporating promotional products or promotional giveaways into your trade show strategy is also an incredibly cost effective and creative way to grab attention and invite customers to your booth. Providing attendees with complementary, unique and useful promotional takeaway items functions as an alternative business card and call to action that can actually be used everyday.

Item#: 227 – Silicone Card Sleeve

When planned and executed correctly, trade shows can be incredibly effective marketing tools. So before you head out to your next trade show, make sure that you have a professional display, a brand with personality, and a smile on your face.

Going in with a plan will make the experience all the more relaxing and will help you reap the maximum benefit and ensure that you Make the right impression™.

Feb

2014

The Fuller Brush Man’s Necessities

The Fuller Brush salesman is a legend in the outside sales community. The Fuller Brush man was the original traveling salesman. He went door-to-door, cold calling from city to city, state to state across the country. Movies have been made about him, from The Fuller Brush Man to Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. He is a part of pop culture, and the ideal that salespeople strive to be.

While the Fuller Brush man-model has changed over the years, the role of the “traveling” or outside salesperson still exists. Whether a local person or across states or countries, the role of the salesperson has changed over the decades but there are some business essentials that every outside salesperson needs.

See if you agree with our list:

Business Cards: A must for any salesperson, inside or out. You can order online, or even print your own these days. Business cards are also moving out of the traditional-size mold and branching out into more creative shapes and designs.

Business Card Holders: Don’t keep your cards in your wallet. Instead, pull your business card from a classy holder.

Luggage Tag: Easily spot your luggage on the baggage carousel. Luggage tags make life easier for the seasoned traveler!

Messenger Bag: Many of our messenger bags have a handy laptop compartment.

Seat beads: A must-have for the salesperson who spends most of their life in the car!

Good Shoes: Enough said.

Sleep Mask: This Napoleon Dynamite sleep mask will keep other flyers from bothering you because they know you mean business.

A Good Book: Goodreads will help you find your next good book, and tell you what your friends are reading, too!

Hand Sanitizer: Stay germ free and safe while you travel.

Fun Giveaways: What a better way to make the right impression than to give your clients and potential customers something to remember you by. And if you can make them smile in the process, even better! Our clients loved their poppers! VIDEO

Stress-headache Medication: And lastly, do not leave home without relief for those long travel days, weather delays, or cancellations!

To be successful, you must always be prepared. So, make sure you don’t leave the office without these sales necessities!

Jan

2014

Promotional Product Hacks to Save Your Trade Show

We know how difficult it is to plan, prepare, and execute a trade show and that you’re looking for tips and tricks to make it easier. Storage is in short supply at trade shows. So, how can you make the most of it? We suggest doubling up the uses of your promotional items so that you don’t have to remember quite so many things. Some people call these hacks. We call them “imaginative repurposing.”

1. Silicone wristbands make handy rubber bands when you’re overwhelmed with loose pens or pencils and short on bundling methods.

Not only are these handy customized wristbands going to be utilized over and over by tradeshow attendees (because you just gave them a new idea) but will also allow you to be organized at the same time.

2. Reduce the number of office supplies that you need to take by leveraging your promotional items for your booth staff.

These will be handy for your staff to jot down notes to hand to attendees. Branding and personal contact reminder all rolled up in one.

3. Got a tablet or iPad to display but can’t get a new case or stand?

Order the Windsor Reflections Promotional Jotter and use it to double as a display stand.

4. Cups are a great tradeshow promotional item because they are likely to be used again; they have a long “shelf life.” However, cups use up a lot of space, but really most of it is just air.

So, how do you take advantage of this? If you will be shipping your giveaway cups, use the cups for storage or stuff them full with other essentials that need to go to your trade show. This will reduce the number of boxes that you would need to ship and reduces clutter at the actual booth. In addition, many booths will use music to create the ambiance within the booth. Think you need to take along extra speakers to be heard? Think again. If playing music from your phone, place your phone’s speaker inside one of those snazzy promotional cups to amplify the sound.

5. Traveling with fragile tradeshow items and need cushioning to pack your valuables in? Have you ever thought of using a 1/4’ mouse pad, imprinted with your logo to cushion your precious delivery?

Mouse pads come in all shapes, sizes, and thicknesses and can be used not only to ensure your mouse works correctly, but can be used to take up extra space in the box and absorb any shock that your shipping boxes may incur.

So, when you get ready to pack up your trade show tables, displays, and promotional items, recall these tips to save space, time, energy, and keep you organized. Well, at least make you look smart by knowing the hacks.

Got any good hacks of your own? Let us know!

Nov

2013

ING Marathon and Swag Redemption

Internet-banking giant ING and their sponsorship of perhaps one of the largest sporting events took a big blow in 2012.

“Superstorm Sandy” landed on the upper east coast starting on October 22 through October 31st, 2012. Hurricane Sandy would become the second-costliest hurricane in U.S. history. The ING New York City Marathon, which was scheduled to take place on November 4, went through a painful decision-making process that resulted in the full cancellation of the marathon only two days before the event.

With the cancellation, ING and the New York Road Runners club faced a hailstorm of criticism. Runners were upset the marathon was cancelled. Runners were upset the marathon was not cancelled sooner. Participants took to blogs and social sites to express their feelings. Race organizers faced a daunting PR challenge, but one not completely unique to events of this nature. What to do with all the race swag?

From t-shirts and clappers to the actual finishers medal, race organizers faced a difficult problem. In an effort to create goodwill among racers who couldn’t race and wanting to encourage people to sign-up for next year’s race they made an unprecedented decision. They would take every opportunity to get the gear to the 2012 registrants. When race entrants showed up to the 2013 expo to get their race bibs and promotional items, the 2012 registrants were directed to a location within the Javitz Center to receive the 2012 race shirt and their 2012 finisher’s medal.

Image by Robert Reese

The icing on the PR cake for ING and the NYRR came in the form of a poncho. In light of the events in Boston last year, race entrants were strongly discouraged from checking a bag at the race start for security reasons. Following the completion of the race, if a runner had not checked a bag they were directed to a special area of the race route. Upon exiting the official race area, runners were given a customized fleece-lined poncho.

The ING Marathon is not the first event to face a swag problem. Each year teams produce promotional items to acknowledge a sporting event that hasn’t happened yet. In the event that your team is playing in the big game, chances are the celebratory shirts and hats have already been printed. When the team loses, what to do with the promotional or marketing materials? Because of licensing agreements, most items are donated overseas.

The ING NYC Marathon organizers were able to heal some old wounds by giving 2012 runners their gear and medals. And, they were able to build good will with the 2013 by rewarding them for choosing the less convenient bag option. In this case, the ponchos went a long way towards swag redemption.

Pinnacle Promotions

Can #swag save you? “Swag as Redemption” #promoitems

Click To Tweet

Oct

2013

Pinnacle Promotions Goes Mobile

Buyers Can Now Shop For Branded Merchandise On-The-Go

Pinnacle Promotions, a top 50 ASI distributor of branded merchandise, logo apparel and giveaways, announced the launch of its much-anticipated mobile website today. The launch complements an award-winning website used by some of the most recognizable brands and organizations in the world by enabling its clients to search for products even when not in the office.

“The way our clients are shopping for promotional products is changing at an exciting and unprecedented rate,” says Mitch Weintraub, founder and CEO of Pinnacle Promotions. “We wanted to be one of the first to support that trend.”

Being at the head of the pack has been a hallmark of Pinnacle Promotions throughout its 20-year history and what has propelled it to the top. Its ecommerce website was the first of its kind. It also pioneered the 24-hour turnaround through its RocketShip 24-Hour Express Service™ and originated the idea-generating service through its IdeaKit™, both of which have been emulated throughout the industry.

More than 30% of promotional product web searches take place on mobile devices. In an industry where customizing apparel, drinkware, gifts and other promotional items is more than a one-step transaction, designing an experience around a small screen was no easy task.

“Our clients come to us because they know we’ll get it right,” says Rob Nelms, Vice President of Marketing. “That kind of thinking permeated every decision we made with regards to how to design our mobile site. With an approval rating that is through the roof, we had a high bar to reach.”

The same, convenient features that set the Pinnacle Promotions website apart from the rest are integrated into its mobile site. Customers can easily find a product they are interested in, request a quote, request a sample or share an item via email or various social media channels.

About Pinnacle Promotions, Inc. (www.pinnaclepromotions.com)
Since 1994, the world’s leading companies and organizations have trusted Pinnacle Promotions to provide them with customized solutions for their marketing and branding needs. The company’s agency approach to promotional marketing makes consumers’ jobs easier and provides them with an unprecedented array of exclusive services. With dedicated Account Teams and innovative technology, Pinnacle Promotions delivers new and unique promotional products quickly, and with the quality expected from an industry leader. Make the Right Impression ™ with Pinnacle Promotions. Please call 800.351.4226 or follow us at facebook.com/pinnaclepromotions for additional information.

Pinnacle Promotions

Marketing Ideas

Custom Products: Adding Fireworks to Your Brand Strategy this 4th of July

Custom Beach Towels: The Perfect Summertime Swag

Custom Bag Must-Haves: Finding the Perfect Summer Bag

Why You NEED Leed’s Promotional Products in your Marketing Arsenal

Promotional Calendars: A Year’s Worth of Branding

Trade Show Tuesday: How to Create a Killer Trade Show Display

The Fuller Brush Man’s Necessities

Promotional Product Hacks to Save Your Trade Show

ING Marathon and Swag Redemption

Recent Posts

Browse by Category

Archives

Get blog updates via email