It’s that time of year again… time to replace the trusty calendar that hangs over my desk, and the one in the kitchen too. As 2008 draws to a close, many are happy to see her go — New Yorkers even hosted the second annual Good Riddance Day event to symbolically be rid of the year. Paper shredders (for all those dismal 401K statements, photos of cheating spouses and the like) along with a sledgehammer (in case you needed to smash something to bits) were on hand to give people a way to break free and make a new start. Sledgehammers and shredders aside, the arrival of the new year brings you a wonderfully effective, totally affordable opportunity to promote your business. Promotional calendars.
A mid-November post in this very blog touched on the results of a recent ASI survey that found promotional products (including calendars) are a more affordable (vs. TV, radio and print) way to get your business name and number in front of customers, or potential ones. It’s the cost per impression that’s so good. Knowing how advertising budgets are shrinking, you want the money you do spend to do the most it can for your business.
“During a time when we’re facing turbulent economic conditions, this research advises marketers and business owners to invest in advertising specialties now more than ever,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of the Advertising Specialty Institute. “Advertising specialties provide measurable results for a very reasonable investment.”
The ASI study found that 62% of those who’d received a promotional item from a company did business with that company after the gift. This seems to bear out what we’ve mentioned before, the mere act of giving customers or potential ones an unexpected gift sets up a psychological need to return the favor to the giver.
Now combine that subtle need with the display of your contact information on a beautiful, useful, quality calendar (right before their very eyes every single day of the year) and you can see where this is going.
If you’re thinking that the printed calendar most certainly is about to go the way of the dinosaur and rotary dial phone, think again. There was a piece in Promo Marketing Magazine this past June that pointed out how many people, despite our techno-savvy world — still hang on to that desk or wall calendar. It’s familiar, expected and easy to use. And at this time of year, everyone’s looking for them.
Of course you need to put some thought into the type of calendar that would be most valued by your customers. This is where working with a promotional consultant, who has helped many businesses create quality promotional products, can be a huge help — guiding you through the many styles, colors and choices to find the one that will work best for you. For some lines of business, like banking and real estate, a full color wall calendar is a must. For other firms, magnetic calendars can be a great choice. Pocket styles, even in this age of Blackberry’s and cell phones, continue to be staples so many of us can’t live without.
No matter what style calendar you choose, putting your business name, logo and phone number on a quality 2009 calendar is a great way to build business… all year long!
A mid-November post in this very blog touched on the results of a recent ASI survey that found promotional products (including calendars) are a more affordable (vs. TV, radio and print) way to get your business name and number in front of customers, or potential ones. It’s the cost per impression that’s so good. Knowing how advertising budgets are shrinking, you want the money you do spend to do the most it can for your business.“During a time when we’re facing turbulent economic conditions, this research advises marketers and business owners to invest in advertising specialties now more than ever,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of the Advertising Specialty Institute. “Advertising specialties provide measurable results for a very reasonable investment.”
The ASI study found that 62% of those who’d received a promotional item from a company did business with that company after the gift. This seems to bear out what we’ve mentioned before, the mere act of giving customers or potential ones an unexpected gift sets up a psychological need to return the favor to the giver.
Now combine that subtle need with the display of your contact information on a beautiful, useful, quality calendar (right before their very eyes every single day of the year) and you can see where this is going.
If you’re thinking that the printed calendar most certainly is about to go the way of the dinosaur and rotary dial phone, think again. There was a piece in Promo Marketing Magazine this past June that pointed out how many people, despite our techno-savvy world — still hang on to that desk or wall calendar. It’s familiar, expected and easy to use. And at this time of year, everyone’s looking for them.
Of course you need to put some thought into the type of calendar that would be most valued by your customers. This is where working with a promotional consultant, who has helped many businesses create quality promotional products, can be a huge help — guiding you through the many styles, colors and choices to find the one that will work best for you. For some lines of business, like banking and real estate, a full color wall calendar is a must. For other firms, magnetic calendars can be a great choice. Pocket styles, even in this age of Blackberry’s and cell phones, continue to be staples so many of us can’t live without.
No matter what style calendar you choose, putting your business name, logo and phone number on a quality 2009 calendar is a great way to build business… all year long!
