There is a simple solution to prevent this, it’s a sleeve that just blocks all this information, made using a patented process and special alloy to protect the data. This is inexpensive enough to use as the low price point giveaway at events and trade shows when looking to tie in promotions were protection or security is the core message, such as insurance agencies, financial institutions and advisors, travel  related, government, just to name a few. It provides great value since the entire item can be printed in full color, offering a generous area for a high impact communication piece.

If you are intersted in more information about this product contact us either call 954-636-1685, or email gloria@action-promo.com.

• You know that using promo products is a good business practice but don’t know exactly how to fit them in your mix.

• Making buying decisions because you have a deadline and it’s better to have something at hand, but deep down thinking these are not quite right for your brand.

• The selection criteria is based on someone’s personal preferences, or a product being a novelty or trendy, rather than connecting your target audience’s profile and your message with the product’s/services you offer.
• Being so busy with your business that the event date creeps up on you and you end up with last minute ordering, with sky-high extra costs caused by rush charges and overnight shipping.

• You buy online and when products arrive they either don’t look quite as good as the picture, the imprint quality is poor or the wrong color, or they arrive after the fact. And your supplier doesn’t accept any responsibility.
If you look at ROI, chances are in any and all the above situations you won’t see much of it.

What can you do to realize the promotional products full potential?
• Think of a promotional item as a marketing tool that must be perceived as useful by your audience or may be used as a response mechanism.

• Look for a provider who understands your goals, your audience and looks out for you. It will save you money, hassles and get you your money’s worth.

• Beware of providers who promise the best price but require hand holding, don’t provide ideas or options, or come up with surprise issues that will cause extra charges or delays.

• Check what kind of warranty the provider is committed to. Human error can occasionally prevail over the most thorough quality control, but the provider must be willing to make corrections to your satisfaction.

• Don’t trust the pretty pictures. Start working with your provider at least 8 weeks prior to your event, so you can request samples of the products you are considering.

To help make sense of the proper use and implementation of promotional products, we have put together a guide available as a free download to our readers, click here to access it.  If you have no time to read and could use a shortcut, contact us to discuss your upcoming project, click here to email me: gloria@action-promo.com.

Wishing you success!

When you think about it, if every one of your clients uses a calendar on a daily basis, why risk they’ll be looking at your competitors? One thing is for sure, if they’re looking at yours, they won’t be thinking about your competitors…. and vice versa.

Choosing A Good Fit For Your Business
There is a calendar for every budget, industry and target audience profile. Starting at under $1, for peel and stick type or credit card size, you are sure to find one that will accommodate the tightest budget.

Some tips to help make your selection:

1. Think about were your recipient spends most of their time.
Does your client works in an office or in a shop? Or perhaps driving or in appointments on their customers locations? Base your selection on what type will be most useful to your customers.

2. Pay attention to the size of the dates.
A desk or wall calendar with very small size dates will be difficult to read at a glance, therefore is more likely to not be put to use. A good rule of thumb is to pick one where the numbers are nicely spaced and with a light background so it’s easy to read.

3. How do you want to be perceived?
To get the most out of your investment, your calendar choice needs to match your business personality. You can find many stock themes that come with a space for your company info or you can go fully customized.

4. Don’t forget to put your contact information
Make sure your logo and phone number can be prominently displayed on it. Better yet if you can have your website and tag line. If space doesn’t allow for anything other then your logo, pick another one.

5. Think long term
Calendars are a so well appreciated that when the year is over your clients will be expecting a new one, which only means that it did what it was supposed to: keep you top of mind. So based on this fact, keep it simple selecting one that you know will easily allow for the continuity.

Although when asked, employees claim they prefer a cash prize rather than an award, cash incentives tend to be aggregated with overall compensation. Cash is seen as an entitlement and perceived as income, while tangible awards are perceived as a trophy and tend to generate positive reactions toward the item and the company. In a Gallup survey of 80,000 employees, which identified 12 Workplace areas that correlated with higher employee retention, customer satisfaction, productivity and profits, employee recognition and praise ranked fourth highest on the list.

In today’s market’s conditions, where businesses might not be able to increase salaries, a very effective way to improve morale and performance is through the use of recognition programs.

A perfect example of a small investment delivering high returns, when implemented properly, is a recognition program for an assisted living facility for seniors, that wanted to improve their care givers’ quality of work. The program basically consisted of giving a silicon wristband bracelet to every caregiver that was seen going the extra mile for a resident. The bracelet was imprinted with the facility’s name, and a slogan praising the employee’s extra care. The results were outstanding, while such a simple gift, it created a high level of enthusiasm to “earn” the band. As added value, it became a strong brand reinforcement and selling point as both, families of residents and prospective residents, would see the personnel wearing the bracelets as proof of how well their loved ones were being taken care of.

The Point: Recognizing employees’ efforts will always result in higher job performance and therefore improve your bottom line.

If you need to bust employee morale and performance, we can take all the guesswork out. We can help you develop a successful program that will accomplish the results you are looking for. Call or email now! We would love to help you brainstorm!

Phone: 954-636-1685
Email: info@action-promo.com

Top rated suppliers of promotional products also support this cause. They donate a percentage of the sales, from the large selection of pink promotional items, to breast cancer research. This is a cause that concerns everyone and we should all get involved.

Ideas for October’s marketing plan
1. Put together a team with you employees and their families and sign up for the breast cancer walk.
- This team building activity is very important now that the economy might not allow you to offer the great employee benefits that you would like to present.
- Some of your client’s and even prospects might be at the breast cancer walk too so you’ll score some points with them.
- Get custom T-shirts done for your team, which have a very large space to display your company’s logo and message.
- If you don’t have employees, you can invite business associates, your clients and your family, to form a team and include the T-shirts.
2.Broadcast the upcoming events in your place of business

-Put up a sign in your location, with information about the upcoming events in the community. Even if you are not assisting it will encourage others to participate.

-Take pictures of the events you attend, post some at your location and also in your company’s facebook. It will prove to others that they can help too.

- Use facebook and twitter to inform everyone of your participation, and encourage everyone to participate as well.

-Remember, if you can’t afford to participate, broadcasting these events it’s still a contribution.

- Don’t let your contribution go unnoticed!

3.Sponsor a fundraising event at any level you can afford.

-Donate a pink theme item with your logo for the breast cancer walk or any other event. This will help your branding and the organizers will appreciate your donation.

-Donate a set percentage of your October sales to a charity foundation.
-If you are in retail, put a clear box next to the register and ask people to make a small donation in exchange of a branded pink item. If you want to go the extra mile, match every dollar you collect.
-Organize a fundraising between your business neighbors. Offer a prize for the company that accumulates the most funds, and donate all the collections to a charity foundation.
-Make sure your advertising is appropriate for your audience and make public how much you are collecting and giving to the charity.
Make sure you consult about the legalities by consulting with your attorney or contacting the local chapter of the Breast Cancer Association or American Cancer Society.
If you need any help finding products or putting ideas together don’t hesitate. Call or email now! We would love to help you brainstorm!
Phone: 954-636-1685
Email: info@action-promo.com

Basic Definitions
Advertising, Promotion, Publicity, Public Relations, Marketing, and Sales.

Circus Marketing
If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairground Saturday”, that’s ADVERTISING.

If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s
PROMOTION.

If the elephant walks through the mayor’s flower bed, that’s PUBLICITY.

And if you get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s PUBLIC RELATIONS.

And if you planned the elephant’s walk, that’s MARKETING.

If the town’s citizens go the circus, you show them the many entertainment booths, explain how much fun they’ll have, answer their questions and ultimately, they spend a lot at the circus, that’s SALES

The mobil promotion is available to customers that are using a postal permit, the mail pieces must incorporate a QR code within the mail piece, and the marketing information in the mobil site linked to the code must be relevant to the mail piece.

According to the press release, “Customers receiving these special mailpieces will be able to use smartphones to scan Quick Response (QR) barcodes to obtain more information or qualify for additional offers posted on mobile-enabled websites. This promotion is another step in our long-term strategy to ensure mail remains relevant as a key element in the overall advertising mix for an increasingly interactive marketplace, said Tom Foti, manager, Marketing Mail. By creating a promotion for placing mobile barcodes on mailpieces, we’re providing marketers with a compelling way to reach an internet-savvy customer base.”

In today’s busy world of online clutter, direct mail, if done right, remains a valuable tool to target your audience and get their attention, and directing them to a mobil site to continue the experience and even close the sale, adds tremendous value. The Postal Service promotion provides a great opportunity to increase return on investment on your direct mail campaigns, not only by engaging qualified mail recipients and accurately tracking response, but also reducing campaign costs.

Find complete details of this promotion here: http://delivermagazine.com/mobilebarcodepromotion/

To discuss how you can use this in your mailing contact us.

QR codes can be scanned by a smartphone through an application that is available as a free App, which scans and reads the code, opening the web browser on the devise to a specific URL, initiating any of a wide range of actions on the devise, such as view a coupon, launch a website, a Facebook page, a video, dial a phone number, capture contact info of the phone user, etc.

Ways to incorporate QR codes in to your marketing
QR codes offer a unique way to integrate the print component of your marketing to the online portion of it, engaging your target audience in an interactive way, and allowing for outstanding response tracking capabilities.

QR code can be placed just about anywhere, as long as the surface is relatively flat and the print method will ensure good quality reproduction. So depending on your marketing campaign, you can place them on your actual product labels, books, signage, banners, T-shirts, mugs, flyers, to name just a few. In order for them to support your marketing efforts enhancing response, they must be properly incorporated in your marketing mix. Take a look at your marketing plan and find the place where QR codes can increase your target audience engagement in a productive way.

Examples of putting QR codes to good use
The URL that opens on the smartphone user can be:
• A sign up page
• An online catalog
• A product spec page
• A video that shows a demo
• A recording with testimonials
• An instant discount coupon
• A contest entry form

A few QR codes good practices
• Do some research and make sure your audience is at least 90% smartphone user
• Tell the scanner what will happen when the code is scanned, such as “scan me for video demo”.
• Make the QR code at least 1″ x 1″ to make sure it can be read properly
• Create a re-directed landing page that can be changed without changing the code
• Consider a plan B for those people who are not (yet) Smartphone users
• Test them before you send them to print

Is this the next marketing shining object?
In today’s mobile society, mobile marketing, in it’s many forms, is here to stay and expand. According to Nielsen report, as of December 2010, 31% of US mobile phone owners have either an iPhone, Android or Blackberry, and it is expected that eventually smartphones will become the majority. This fact explains why the use of QR codes for marketing purposes is a such a fast growing trend, as marketers will continually come up with new ways of engaging their target audience moving them to action, making their marketing come full circle.

If you are not quite sure how to make it work for you just get in touch with us, we’ll be happy to help you set up a highly profitable campaign incorporating these powerful response vehicles.

If you, on the other hand, have a great experience implementing QR codes, I would love for you to share it, please post it below.

· Large imprint area: a walking billboard
· Used frequently in public places
· Long Lasting
· A wide range of styles, sizes and prices

Reusable Bags are available in an extensive range of materials: traditional, such as cotton, nylon, polyester and non-woven polypropylene; organic, such as organic cotton, jute and hemp; and recycled materials, both post consumer and post industrial. They are also available in many sizes, colors, the options are endless, so you are certain to find the precise one that will fit your brand and get you the return you expect.

Reusable shopping bags are not only perfect for marketing campaigns that support the environment conservation movement, they are also a great choice for just about any kind of Events, Trade Shows, Incentives, Fundraisers, Retail Stores and More. And the best quality ones are Made in America!.

If you have an event coming up and are thinking about integrating this outstanding advertising medium, or want information on how you to use it for your specific objectives, contact us, we are here to help!

The irony is that hardly any of these patriotic themed items, are actually made in America. Recently ABC World News and Dianne Sawyer launched a series, “Made in America”, which focuses on U.S. manufacturing, jobs and what they mean for the nation’s economy. They claim that if every American spent an extra $3.33 on U.S. made goods every year, it would create nearly 10,000, much needed, new jobs.

For the kick-off show they asked a Dallas family to take part on an experiment, where they were to remove everything from their home that was not made in America. They were left with just the kitchen sink, some candles and one vase!  The idea was to bring in household replacement items that were made in the U.S. and it turned out that finding those items was not easy. The team later went to the Smithsonian to find that most of the American memorabilia sold at the gift shops was made in China.

There’s no question that manufacturing still has a major impact on our economy and on the nation’s workforce, since, according to Moody’s Analytics, the U.S. remains a global leader in the production of medical equipment, airplanes, movies, pharmaceuticals and agriculture products.

However, nearly 60% of everything we buy is not American Made.  Given the significant growth of the economy in China, it seems we need to be more aware of the impact our buying habits have in the world’s economy, especially if a seemingly small increase in spending in American made can make such a huge difference in job creation.

So let’s show our patriotism with our wallets, making it a point to keep more of our consumer dollars in the US. We can extend this criteria in every circumstance, even when planning a promotional event, since Made in America promotional products are available in almost every category. If you are interested in using U.S. produced advertising products for your business promotions contact us. We’ll be glad to help.