PromoBlog

Anti-Bacterial Hand Spray

2009-05-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Help fight the flu!

According the health officials, one of the best ways to help prevent illness is through hand washing. We have all been hearing the reports on the H1N1 Influenza A, previously referred to as the Swine Flu. Anti-Bacterial Hand Sprayers are a great way to clean your hands when soap and water are not available. Small enough to fit in a purse or pocket.

These Anti-Bacterial Sprays can also be used on hard surfaces such as grocery carts, door knobs, and telephone receivers. For procautions, please do not spray directly onto any electronic equipment, i.e. cell phones. Instead spray onto a cloth then wipe down the phone.

Click for more information

Please note: Pricing includes a one color, one location imprint. Set up fee of $50 per color per location will be added plus freight charges. PromosMatter requires a minimum deposit of 50%.

Four Ways To Keep Your Customer Service Top-Notch And Indispensible

2009-04-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

Flexible Workforce
In the face of staff cuts, cross-train employees so they can fill a variety of roles.

Spoil Your Staff
Uncertainty about their jobs can shatter employee morale, so offer work schedule flexibility and other rewards to compensate.

Invest In Low-Cost Technology
Consider purchasing small pieces of new equipment that make your workers’ lives easier.

Play Favorites
Keep your best customers happy with fast service, extra attention and flexible rules.

Source: BusinessWeek

Plant a Shape Bookmark

2009-04-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

• Bookmark with seeded paper shape

• Perfect to communicate environmental messages

• Choose from 8 seeded paper colors

• 9 seeded shapes

• 12 varieties of flowers: Sweet William Pinks, Rocket Larkspur, Candytuft, Baby Blue Eyes, Corn Poppy, Forget-Me-Not, Wallflower, Columbine, Blue Flax, Zinnia, Lemon Mint, and Five Spot
Product Size:6" x 2 1/4" (Overall)

Promotional Video

2009-04-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

Many other products available. The video is a short sample.

Product Spotlight - Bookmarks

2009-04-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Bookmarks are not just for authors and publishers!

Virtually any industry can use bookmarks as a way to advertise information. We generally associate bookmarks for libraries, authors, publishers and schools. Listed below are other ways to use this inexpensive tool to advertise your business or product.

Authors and Publishers – Bookmarks are a great tool to use at literary events to promote your book. Bookmarks can be printed to match your book cover.

Libraries – Use them to promote reading in the community.

Schools – Print the school name and/or mascot on them to showcase your school or school district.

Realtors – House shaped bookmarks are a great way to advertise your agency or yourself. This puts a little something different into the hands of a potential buyer/seller.

Insurance Agents – Print bookmarks with product information along with your contact information.

Bands – Have a CD your trying to promote? Let us put your CD cover on a bookmark.

Bookmarks can be printed on two sides in full color for as little as $45 for 500 plus shipping.

Power of Promotional Products

2009-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

How many times have you received a gift from a company? What was your perception of the company?

What are promotional products? Promotional products (also called advertising specialties and identity products) are usually imprinted with a company’s name, logo or message. They include useful or decorative articles of merchandise that are used in marketing, educational, and communication programs.

Positive Image An experimental study conducted by Georgia Southern University in 2005, reveals that recipients of promotional products have a significantly more positive image of the company, than those who don't receive a product. This was evidenced by the recipients' comments about the company; they were notably more positive than those from the non-recipient control group. The difference was statistically significant.ReferralsA different survey found that customers who receive promotional products were more likely to refer the business (the gift provider) to others than the group that received nothing. Conducted by Louisiana State University and Glenrich Business Studies, this study discovered that the winning way to ask clients for referrals is to send a letter along with the offer a promotional product incentive, and eligibility in a sweepstakes. This type of promotional letter can bump up referrals by as much as 500 percent.The Bottom Line Using promotional products with your own clients, the one's who buy from you, is not only positive reinforcement, it is just good business. A random survey of travelers at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport underscores the importance of using promotional products. Seventy-one percent reported receiving a promotional product in the last 12 months. Of those, 52 percent did business with the advertiser company after receiving the product. This study, conducted by L. J. Market Research found that among the recipients who had not done business with the advertiser, almost half said they were more likely to do business with the company that gave them the item. You have the resources at your fingertips. Include promotional products as part of your routine marketing program, and watch your business grow.

Source: Promotional Consultant Today, November 21, 2008.

New Year - Back to Basics

2009-01-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

Each year countless people make resolutions to change something about their personal lives. Most of those “give up” or quit after a few short weeks. What about resolutions for your business? We work on preparing budgets for the year, establishing goals that we think people want to hear, but how much effort do we put into working our plan?

Our first goal was to update our website to provide more information, make it easier to locate product and make it appealing to the end user. Our focus over the past two weeks has been accomplishing that goal. Our much improved website has been launched, www.promosmatter.com.

With the current economy conditions, our next goal is getting back to basics. Like many other companies, we continue to seek out ways to grow our client base. Like so many others, we are focused on cold calling, whether by phone or door-to-door. We sometimes forget one of the most effective means of obtaining new clients, referrals.

Talk to your current clients and ask them for referrals. I have a good friend who lives by a philosophy of “the answer is always no, until you ask.” Asking for referrals is cost effective, builds on the relationship with current clients, and provides a means for an introduction. Who do your current clients know? Ask them to find the answer.

Tight Marekting Budget?

2008-12-01T13:06:00.000-08:00

Just about everyone is feeling the pains of the current economic conditions. Many companies have had to cut marketing budgets in order to meet other overhead costs. GM announced last week they were ending their contract with Tiger Woods a year early in order to cut costs. How is a company to effectively market their product or services on a tight marketing budget?

Print, radio, and television ads are an expensive option. Many small businesses simply do not have the capital to run these types of ads. Another alternative is promotional products. Used correctly, and the return on investment can be measurable.

A recent survey conducted by Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) shows how to get more impressions for less cost. This survey shows the number of impressions and cost per impression on various items. The survey was conducted in July 2008. You can receive a copy of the full survey by e-mailing kim@promosmatter.com with SURVEY in the subject line.

According to the survey, Promotional products deliver significant impressions per month:

Bags 1038
Caps 476
Shirts 365
Writing Instruments 363
Desk Accessories 294
Glassware/Ceramics 251
Calendars 227
Recognition/Awards 221
Wearables 64

The cost per impression of Promotional Products is very low, at fractions of cents per impression:

Bags $.002
Caps $.002
Shirts $.005
Writing Instruments $.002
Desk Accessories $.007
Glassware/Ceramics $.004
Calendars $.003
Recognition/Awards $.021
Wearables $.016

· 84% of end-users can name the advertisers on the items they receive
• 62% have done business with the advertiser AFTER receiving the item
• End-users keep products for 7 months
• The average cost-per-impression of a promotional product = $0.004
• The CPI for advertising specialties beats all forms of media (except billboards)

PromosMatter will gladly assist you in marketing your products/services with the use of Promotional Products.

Small Businesses at Risk

2008-11-06T12:41:00.000-08:00

10/30/2008

Almost 20 percent of small businesses are in jeopardy of closing due to the down economy, according to a new survey from American Express OPEN.

The company’s president, Susan Sobbott, says entrepreneurs are decreasing investments, limiting expansion plans, cutting expenses and focusing on adapting to customer demand, ASI central reports.

Amex attributes the threat on small businesses to a lack of available credit, and about 66 percent of small business owners say the credit crunch has affected their company, compared with only 50 percent who said so in August.

A few more telling facts:

More than one in 10 small businesses has had to lay off employees
Most survey respondents have had to use personal funds to pay off expenses
The vast majority are reporting decreased sales
One-third of small business owners are raising prices to make up for slower sales — down from 48 percent in August
71 percent of respondents are feeling stress about the economy

Source:ASI Central: Survey: More Companies At Risk Of Going Out Of Business

FDA To Re-Think Decision On BPA Safety

2008-11-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

In the back-and-forth ping pong match that is the battle over bisphenol A (BPA), the forces leery over the possibly dangerous chemical have just fired back. On Friday, a science advisory board to the Food and Drug Administration endorsed a subcommittee report that concluded the FDA’s August pronouncement of BPA’s safety was flawed. Reads the report: “[The information] provides a sufficient scientific basis to conclude that the Margins of Safety defined by FDA as ‘adequate’ are, in fact, inadequate.”

Through its decision, the science board (a group of outside experts), said that the FDA was wrong to base its decision solely on industry-funded studies – in the process ignoring other research with more damaging conclusions. The FDA declared three months ago that BPA (commonly found in reusable plastic water bottles, baby bottles and the linings of metal cans) was safe in trace amounts. But since then, BPA has come under repeated attacks. A September study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association linked it to heart disease and diabetes. Another study last month by the National Toxicology Program suggested that BPA exposure to expecting mothers may cause alterations in brain, prostate gland and behavioral development in fetuses and children.

The report, penned by a subcommittee on Wednesday before it was brought to light Friday, charges the FDA with using old data, employing studies that weren’t designed to study newborns and not taking into account the cumulative effect of BPA exposures from multiple sources. “It is the judgment of the Subcommittee,” pronounces the report on that last charge, “that lack of consideration of the totality of exposures from other sources severely limits the usefulness of the safety assessment.”

In a statement Wednesday, the FDA stood by its initial decision over the safety of BPA: “Current levels of exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pose an immediate health risk to the general population, including infants and babies.” However, FDA director Andrew von Eschenbach has stated the agency will revisit its decision in light of last week’s ruling.

Counselor PromoGram, http://www.asicentral.com/asp/open/news/promogram/vol564.asp, Volume 564, November 4, 2008.

Weekly Featured Product

2008-10-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Imprint Area, Standard : 3/4"w x 3/8"h. One-color imprint now available on all five ports at no additional charge Imprint Method, Standard : Pad Printed Packaging, Standard : Gift Box Size : 3-1/4" sq. x 1"t

Minimum quantity 50
Standard Production 8.98 ea
Rush 11.23

Standard production time 3-5 business days
Set up fee $50.00 per color per location

Featured Product of the Week

2008-10-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

Relieve stress with this Turkey! Get your Today!

Polyurethan Stress Reliever

Product Size: 3-1.4" x 2-3/4" x 3-1.4"

Imprint Area:

Chest - 3/4" x 1.2"

Tail - 1-1.2" x 1"Product Color - White

Minumum Quantity - 150

Special Pricing through 12/30/08 $2.00 each includes 1 color 1 location imprint. Setup and frieght charges NOT included.

Why Invest in Promotional Products

2008-10-10T10:03:00.000-07:00

Awareness

Whether you are just starting out or have been in business for many years, obtaining and maintaining awareness is essential for your business. You don't just want people to know that you exist; you want them to know that you stand for quality, stability and success. Custom imprinted promotional products can help leave a lasting impression.

Branding

All businesses know that branding your company image is vital to success. Making your name a bankable brand is achieved not only through reliable service, but also through promotional and advertising strategies. The most important element of branding in this marketing plan is the consistent use of your logo.

Caring

Show your customers, employees and community that you care about them is an investment that quickly pays for itself. Rewarding loyal customers with promotional products shows that you are taking the time to notice who has been consistently supporting your business. Recognition leads to increased business and brand loyalty. Hard working employees and associates also deserve the gift of a thoughtful promotional product, to show your appreciation.

Say Thanks with Holiday Gifts

2008-10-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

The holidays are a great time to show your customers, supporters, employees, and clients that you appreciate them. Branding, keeping your name in the fore front, doesn't stop for the holiday season. But you also don't need a large budget.

Holiday cards are an expensive means to reach out. How about a Holiday card with matching CD?

Have a larger budget? Food items are the number one item that most companies use to say "Thanks" during the holidays.

Need help finding something? Have a lower budget this year? We can help. We have several suggestions available at www.promosmatter.com

Building Fan Base

2008-09-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

Do you, your band, or your group have custom imprinted items that your fans can purchase? If not, expand the marketing by providing t-shirts, lighters, cups, etc., that your fans can purchase. Having these types of items keeps your name and/or newest release in front of people, and build your fan base.

Have you ever been to a concert where shirts and other items advertising the band and the concert was not available? Thats because the marketing people for these bands know that one of the best ways to grow a fan base and maintain a fan base is providing products with the bands name/concert tour imprinted.Every band should have product(s) available for purchase at every show.

Don't miss out on the marketing of your band, we can show you how to put and keep your name in front of the people who can make a difference.

Welcome

2008-09-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

In this day and age it seems that having a blog has become a necessity. With that in mind, we have created PromoBlog. A place where we can introduce products and ideas for the use of promotional products.

Located in Bartlett, TN, PromosMatter offers well over 350,000 promotional products to fit just about every budget.

Promotional products are not just for businesses they can also be used for:

Churches
Weddings
Clubs
Events
Parties
Schools
Sports Teams
Tradeshows
And many more.

How have you used promotional products? Leave me a comment.