Sunday, March 9, 2014

Key to Success on Tradeshow Follow-ups


What do you think are keys to success on tradeshows for promoters and business owners? One answer prevails – it’s the follow-ups!

But before you go into the details on how to do follow-ups you should understand what trade show is.

Tradeshow is about getting leads and promoting your brand. It’s about exhibiting what you have to offer to the market by hosting events along with other exhibitors. It’s a perfect opportunity to build relationship, talk to clients and prospects, show to the world your products, meet investors, and promote your brand to any passerby. A seasoned investor and marketer see tradeshows as an opportunity for growth of the company.

As for you, you want to make the most of tradeshows. It’s a given that you may have provided cool promotional products already in those tradeshows. You may have also given out your information already like email address, websites, and other contact information.

But then what? What’s next after a tradeshow? You probably have no idea and if you are then you may be included in this detail: 80% of tradeshow leads are not followed up!!

Imagine that! A total waste of effort and finance, well, unless you provided some intriguing promotional products you may get good leads and responses. However, for those who are in doubt, then you should consider checking these tips:

Understand the your leads

Of course not all leads qualify. Leads where prospects have not the qualities you need and some of them may be junk, however there are cherries in the crowd too. These are the ones you want to focus on. Never mind the useless one and focus right away to the leads that matter. You can let your marketer sort through the leads you got already and see the best fits.

Have the right team

For your knowledge, the leads can be broken down further. Those that are semi interested, highly interested, and those who are not interested at all yet you got their info. Bottom line is, all of them qualify as a possible client in the future. This is where getting the right team comes in. To get the most of this you should build a marketing team that is dedicated to provide good alternative and viable options for not-so interested prospects. Inside sales team are great for interested ones and standing customers. Furthermore, trade show specialist who has their way in knowing what promotions that could transform non-interested people to interested ones (usually via the use of interesting promo items).

The Follow up

Now the real secret is the follow-up. The teams above are the ones responsible for the follow up. Follow up is a priority. Always increase the amount of time and resources that are allocated in this process.

Never rely on just sending brochures or an e-mail address. Most of the time, it’s critical to call every prospect immediately after the show. In addition, consider whether which team fits well to the follow up.

You may want to focus on the best leads first, but you can also get the worse ones especially if you have provided them valuable business gifts in the first place.

Consider a professional approach as always. Make clear call to action and for sure your follow-ups won’t go in vain.

Good luck!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Top Promotional Products Industry Players

Top Promotional Products Industry Players

When we talk about promotional products, they are not possible without the manufacturers and suppliers that make them happen. Every marketer recognize the importance of having a reliable promotional products supplier for their marketing needs since they may need continuous relationships with them. Furthermore, it may be best to get this relationship right at the beginning rather than shifting in a middle of the deal, which not only costs more but also could waste your time.

This is why it is important to learn about the top promotional products industry players today. The list will be able to give you insights on what they offer and how they provide it to you. All companies differ in one way or another. Check out these industry players today:

Proforma

Founder Greg Muzzillo and CEO Vera Muzzillo who owns Proforma still ranks the top for consecutive years now in providing businesses with promotional products. Situated mainly in Cleveland Ohio, Proforma boasts on their tag line as the one source and infinite resource for marketers and promoters. Proforma with its wide scope of services is able to fulfill almost all graphic communication needs. The strategic team of 750 is hard to diss. They have around 15,000 product manufacturers who are experts in their field.

BDA Inc

While in Woodinville, Washington, BDA Inc proves to be the second noteworthy promotional item supplier. Jay Deutsch the CEO and Co-Founder of BDA claims to evolve branded merchandise. They boast to provide the impactful enterprise-wide support. Relationship is what they advocate. Creativity and innovation come next. They claim to do holistic market research and trend analysis, helpful for getting the best promotional items for your company. CPG sales promotion specialists are what they provide. With proprietary product design and development while focusing on eco-friendly solutions. Basically, they takes pride in their research and analysis of your audience to help you choose the right promotional products for your brand.

IMS

IMS or Integrated Merchandising Systems LLC with CEO Rick Remick is another top promotional products industry player. Rank third as the highest promotional product sales. IMS offers dedicated teams that are accountable for managing and coordinating activities across supply chain disciplines. Quite sophisticated but they focus on strategic sourcing and production.

4Imprint

Free art. Free samples. 4imprint based on Oshkosh is also another major contender in the promotional products supplier world. 4Imprint is also proud to provide 360 Degree Guarantee, which makes ordering risk free.

HALO Branded Solutions

With promotional sales over 150 thousand dollars, HALO is one of the great promo product suppliers out there. They brag to have catered over 40,000 satisfied clients to date.  Here are the services they include online and traditional solutions, employee incentive programs, rush promotions, global outsourcing, art and design creations, and fulfillment services.

Cintas

Scott Farmer is the CEO of Cintas with also over 150 thousand dollars sale like HALO and is based on Mason Ohio. Cintas focus on unconventional and utility promotional products. They also provide great apparels perfect for promotions.

Geiger

One of the largest family-owned and managed distributor of promotional products in the United States. Geiger tries to be different by taking a consultative approach to your current marketing or promotion challenge. No matter what the need, Geiger boasts their promotional consultant capabilities. It’s said that they work with you until you reach a high-impact program that gets your desired results.

The list actually goes on until 100 or even more top promotional products industry players. What matter however is that you get the best deals on whatever you pick. Those top suppliers mentioned above might not be appropriate for you with their locations, despite the delivery service they provide.

There are also notable contenders that are coming your way catering services in Northern America, such as SaveOnPromotions. Furthermore, you should focus on building relationships with your supplier. That is the best way to get better deals in the future.

There are a lot of things to consider when you want to promote your products, but with the help of the right supplier you will be able to get the results you wanted.  For promoters and business owners who consider promotional products, finding the supplier is not the first step, you actually need to understand how it works first to get a general idea.

Monday, February 24, 2014

How Promotional USB Drives Flow Through People

                                                                                  

Promotional USB drives are interesting especially when used as a promotional product. In fact, it’s been considered one of the best items out there as found in many online reviews. It’s kind of natural because this item is quite customizable and works with most people, especially those who work using a computer.

But have you ever considered how USB drives flow through people? They do. And you should know that this is the reason why you want to have this item as a promotional product for you and your campaign.

USB drives in general are quite useful since they are means to share information with others. This can be in a form of files. Files can be movies, audios, pictures, documents and so on. These files are quite crucial when it comes to businesses of people. In this world of ours, everything is now digital. It’s quite spectacular really that we have evolved so much for just a couple of years. Back then we only have tangible files and documents to share with each other. Now that it’s digital, these important files are shared via other means such as online, Bluetooth, airdrop (for mac), or semi-physically via USBs.

It’s really important to share files these days. However, sharing via unsecure means can only do more harm. This is why USB is the nearest and probably the most secure way to share files between one location to another, from one person to another. You are able to monitor how the transfer is done and you can facilitate it. Some people even store confidential information on USB and keep it safe with them.

Companies, nowadays, have managers and supervisors carry their own USB sticks for easy access of files as well as sharing of files. Employees also love to carry their own usb sticks to make smooth flow of file transfers at work and at home.

Furthermore, almost all students need to have their own USB device. In class, getting the PowerPoint presentation from the instructor is as easy as connecting the USB device with the instructor’s laptop and sharing files. Students are most likely to be left behind without having a USB of their own.

As you can see, USB drives flow through all sorts of people, from the young and old, from the professionals and students.

Now let’s dig in to promoting your brand via this wonderful product. As you know, there are a lot of suppliers that can meet your needs especially when it comes to modification of an item as well as designing it. Imagine your brand being printed on these usb sticks and used by everyone. It’s undeniable that your brand will be recognized sooner if not now.

On top of that, you can get cheaper deals with USB devices since you can purchase them in bulk. They come in affordable prices when you purchase them in bulk – it saves you money on shipping, manufacturing, and labor costs. Some great suppliers are willing to offer you the best deals in regards to bulk selling. Some companies even go beyond and even offer you samples. Samples are great in assessing the products that you ought to purchase with minimal risks of failure or, in some instances, regret.

It’s quite easy to be unique with promotional USB devices. Wooden frames, colorful designs, minimalist, you name it! This promotional product will certainly entice the eyes of anyone who sees it.

Hidden gems of Promotional USB

There are types of USB that are so-called gems. One example is a USB key. This item is a special USB. They can now set as keys for people who are required to have secured log-ins and passes. This makes

USB devices are also great for key chains or a simple accessory that comes handy whenever you need a file.

Let promotional usb drives flow through your market. Build your brand today.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Advice on How Promotional Products Companies Blog


This year is the year of promotional products. More and more companies, some trustworthy and some not so, are taking the lead of providing companies promotional items. It’s important to note that promotional products companies are not only competing with others, but they are also challenged to provide the best products that give value to their clients. It pays well to stand out from the crowd. One way to stand out and make a difference is having a blog.

Not all promotional products companies have blog on their websites. Having a blog has a lot of benefits. If you are ever considering one, then you should check these tips to help you truly stand out.

Provide quality information

For anyone who values his or her company, they know that promotional items marketing is always a smart strategy. This is why promotional products companies should blog more about quality information regarding this certain strategy. It may be best to provide factual data, in comparison to pure promotions. It also best to give non-bias opinions.

Thorough item description

Blogs are not just about talking about new things coming and ways to improve services for the company, but you can also blog about your products by giving it them thorough descriptions. You cannot imagine the number people who want to fully know about the promotional products that you offer. An image and a brief description is never enough. Try to hype people up by giving thorough descriptions of your products. Examples are giving pros and cons, sharing wonderful experiences with a certain product, giving reviews, and so on.

Always be up to date

What’s the purpose of a blog if you are giving outdated information? Make sure you are providing updated information especially with the latest trends. It does not have to be all about your company or your own products that you manufacture. It could be anything that’s going on the current trend of promotional marketing. This not only serves as a good resource of your would-be customers but it is also a great opportunity for them to learn about the latest trends. Besides, continuous research gives you better ideas on what to add into your company.

Post on a regular basis

Posting on a regular basis is one way to show life on to your website. People will consistently link to your fresh contents. This improves social media interaction. Not only that, it also gets you high in the search engine ranking.

Improve interaction

Always ignite the imagination of your customers on each blog post. It’s important to challenge their beliefs regarding whatever marketing strategy they’re using. Keep in mind that promotional item marketing is very effective. Therefore, you should always carry its flag. Furthermore, allowing a place for your customers to interact benefits everyone. It helps you cater better by knowing the needs of your customers. It also helps customers voice out their concerns in your site.

Blogging is not only a way to promote promotional products companies their brand and services but it is also a way to let customers to love them. Blogging is a very powerful tool so you better not take it lightly.