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Is Company Merch Part of Your 2023 Marketing Plan?
Is Company Merch Part of Your 2023 Marketing Plan? Suppose you're one of the many businesses putting the final touches on your marketing plan and budget for 2023. In that case, you might be investing a good portion of your annual spending on digital ads, paid social, OOH advertising, etc. If brand apparel and corporate merch do not have a place in your marketing game plan, you could be missing out BIG! To help cut costs, companies will typically put branded merch first on the chopping block. Yet, company swag is one of the most effective and consistent ways to promote your brand and connect with more customers. Don't believe us? DID YOU KNOW that 70% of brands consider promotional merch an effective tool in achieving their marketing goals? The…
Best Client Appreciation Gift Ideas
Client Appreciation Gift Ideas Finding the perfect client appreciation gifts can be both stressful and time-consuming during the best of times. But, throw in extended shipping delays and international supply shortages, and this task may have you losing precious hours of sleep!The holidays are on the horizon, which means now is the time to start thinking about your corporate holiday gift list! After all, the last thing you want is for your clients to think you forgot about them, due to last-minute deliveries.But aside from expected delays, there's still the challenge of choosing the right gifts that send a thoughtful message and adequately demonstrate your genuine client appreciation.10 Experiential Gift Ideas To help you plan this year's corporate holiday gift selections, we've compiled 10 "must-have" items that we know they'll love.…
How to Step Up Your Employee Swag
How to Step Up Your Employee Swag Whenever employees are client facing, you want them to look their best. After all, your team is an extension of your company's values and brand image. Without them, the work wouldn't get done, and you wouldn't have the chance to create real connections with customers. Because employees are the ones interacting with your customers, it's important that they represent your brand both in terms of service and attire. They should look professional, be recognizable, and stand out from other brands who offer similar services. Let's use a quick real-world exampleImagine you run a landscaping company that specializes in residential lawn care. Because your landscape crews and foremen will likely travel to different neighborhoods to complete projects, they are often the first interaction customers have with your…
Welcoming New Employees the Right Way
Welcome Gifts for New Employees Congratulations! After months of virtual interviews and time spent vetting potential recruits, you’ve finally found the perfect individual to join your team! Hiring can be difficult, especially amid The Great Resignation. For employers, trying to attract and retain quality talent can feel much more challenging than it did in previous years. The reason? Employees want to work for organizations that offer career opportunities for development and personal growth. They want to work for a company that appreciates their work, values their insights, and respects their contributions. To put it simply, they want to become part of a team that supports and empowers one another. If this sounds like your brand then the best way you can convey your company's unique culture is to help new…
Why Freebies at Trade Shows Mean Business
Why Freebies at Trade Shows Mean Business Got an upcoming trade show to prepare for? You want to look your best, or more specifically, you want your brand to look its best! Tradeshows and industry exhibitions offer business professionals a unique opportunity to demo new products, boost brand awareness, and connect with new customers. It's also a great way to size up the competition. So, whether this is your 1st—or 10th—tradeshow event, you'll want to be prepared and be remembered. Offering free giveaways can do just that! Why Is Free Merch a "Must-Have" at Trade Events? Glad you asked! When you first think about your vendor booth setup, you're probably focusing on having branded banners, flyers, business cards, and maybe a few LED monitors to display how your products work…
How to Keep Your Franchise on Brand
How to Keep Your Franchise on Brand Maintaining brand consistency is one of the most important, if not most difficult, responsibilities of any franchise. Without it, you risk creating customer confusion that weakens brand recognition.When a brand is consistent, across its multiple franchisees, it becomes easily recognizable by both new and returning customers. And if customers have already associated a positive emotion with that brand, they will come to expect that same experience across all store locations (and marketing touch points). To put it simply, consistency helps build trust with customers and boost their loyalty.In contrast, when a brand struggles with consistency, it spoils the relationships you've worked so hard to build with customers, as well as undermines your brand's integrity.According to Forbes, "...consistency…is the lifeblood of your franchise network –…
5 Conference Swag Items You Need
5 Conference Swag Items You Need Whether you're hosting an upcoming conference, or you're sponsoring one, it goes without saying that you'll want to leave a lasting impression with attendees. Having a booth or table stocked with free giveaways and conference swag can certainly do the trick! No matter the event (in-person or virtual), when it comes to free merch, people can't pass it up. Just remember that you won't be the only company offering up "freebies." Therefore, you'll want to ensure your swag impresses the masses vs. getting thrown in a pile with the rest. So, the question is this: what's the best conference swag? Glad you asked! Before we share a few conference swag ideas, consider these 3 essential characteristics that separate good merch from blah merch. Quality…
Three Reasons why Swag is Not a Four-Letter Word
Three Reasons why Swag is Not a Four-Letter Word I’m always fascinated to hear about the “swag bags” given out to attendees of Hollywood award shows – the mix of high-end items and brands is always fascinating (and typically aspirational). Most of us in real-world corporate America don’t have the luxury of a big budget or connections with major brands and influencers to pull something like this off. Many of us are satisfied if we can get some pens, stress balls, and water bottles to give out at our next event. According to Merriam-Webster, the term “swag” or “schwag” came about in the 1960s to describe the free stuff companies would give out at events as a promotional stunt. Digging deeper (like 17th-century deep), swag was also a reference to…
Where’s My Stuff?
Where's My Stuff?Supply Chain Challenges & Promotional Products Another substitution? How can the shipment be delayed again? Why are these the only options? If you’ve recently uttered these questions in frustration, we completely understand. The past eighteen months have created the perfect storm of circumstances resulting in significant supply chain challenges across all industries. The record blockage of cargo ships in California is just another example of the ripple effect of these issues. Having some context to the underlying causes of product shortages and delays can help all of us better understand the impacts they have on product pricing and availability at a high level. After reading through the four primary challenges, we’ll focus on how we can address them together. Importing strugglesImporting challenges include the dramatic 300% year-over-year increase in…