Archive for the ‘Corporate Gifts Advice and Help’ Category
Friday, September 18th, 2009
After the difficult year we’ve all had maybe as we come out of the recession it’s time to say thank you to your staff and clients for helping keep you in business… Our Corporate Giftware range is perfect for Christmas orientated products. The silver products give even the dullest office a great Christmas feel. Particularly the Barware section is great for Christmas giftware, perhaps a wine bottle stopper or a hip flask would be an appropriate products for your hardworking staff. What about giving your best clients a thank-you gift this year, it’s been so tough out there in the business world that its about time to celebrate still being in business.
And perhaps… with all this potential giving going on that the hard done by promotional giftware market will see a lift 
Tags: Christmas, corporate gift, promotion, promotional gift
Posted in Corporate Gifts Advice and Help, Corporate Gifts Barware | 3 Comments »
Friday, September 4th, 2009
BESPOKE USB FLASHDRIVES
The flashdrive is the promotional product of the decade; it has gone from a few megabytes (16mb at £20 plus just a few years ago) to unbelievable memory away; it’s a modern classic universally welcomed by the recipient as something size (many gigabytes) now! It is a promo give – away that certainly never gets thrown really to match any other corporate gift. useful they’ll use every day. Instant wow factor, genuine desirability, and longevity
The new larger memory sizes also mean that there’s more scope to upload content such as brochures, multimedia and other data.
Recent developments have broken away from the restriction of the standard designs which are normally simply engraved or printed with a corporate gift logo or promotional message.
Bespoke designs are now within easy reach with relatively low minimum quantities (just a few hundred) and affordable development and tooling costs (a few hundred pounds subject to design). Spread over a few hundred pieces, the bespoke flashdrive is now no more expensive than a bespoke lapel pin or a pair of cufflinks.
And design is only restricted to your imagination (or corporate guidelines, of course); from cars, planes, lorries, cartoon figures and licensed characters, to blinged insects, logo shaped flash drives and musical instruments. All incorporating your logo or corporate message for any promotion or event.
Call our sales team today and get free, no obligation visual for your bespoke flashdrive design.
Tags: corporate gift, Corporate Message, promotion, Welcome
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Thursday, August 27th, 2009
The 4 M’s
The renowned business school Cranfield School of Management extoles the virtues of running a business. And like any business mantra for improvement, it has a catchy phrase to get you hooked; “the Four M’s.”
So what is it all about?
ME
Articulate your personal goals and focus your business so that it is aligned with those goals. Take time on your business rather than in it, and make sure the business is not too reliant on you day to day.
MANAGEMENT
Your management team is key to your success. Allocate enough of your own time to coach your team; delegate real responsibility to your key personnel and work on your team’s dynamic to ensure effective performance.
MARKETS
“Stick to the knitting”. Sell more of the some type of stuff to more of the same type of customers. Profile your ideal customer for existing product and find more of them.
MONEY
Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity. Concentrate on profit, rather than turnover. Maintain margin and beware of discounting. Cash is king (especially in this economic downturn).so look after cash–flow.
So how does your business measure up to the “Four M’s”? for more information, check out the Cranfield BGP programme.
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Monday, August 24th, 2009
PR can be an invaluable part of the marketing mix or it can or it can be a complete waste of everyone’s time and money. So what are the things to look out for when considering PR for your company?
• Agency or in–house?
Cost is the biggest consideration when deciding whether to outsource your PR. Most PR agencies charge a monthly retainer and you’ll need a hefty budget if you want a good agency delivering relevant results. So if you have the budget, a good agency can offer a level of experience and influence difficult to rival in- house, although the focus and commitment from a dedicated employee is hard to match. You pays your money and you makes your choice.
• What to look for
Outsource or in house what sort of person or team are you looking for? Knowledge and affinity for your brand or company is essential. A willingness to research thoroughly (both your company and titles and journalists) is also very important in the digital age it’s not just enough to rely on just traditional mediums – PR must know now encompass online media channels also.
• Strategy
Make sure you discover the angle behind your story or business, without it no-one will be interested. A human angle is usually more powerful than simple product
related pieces
Used effectively, with either the right agency or staff, PR will be a powerful addition to your marketing arsenal.
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Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
RECRUITMENT
Let’s start at the very beginning. Building a great team starts with recruitment. Have a clear idea what type of attitude you ideally want from your staff – most skills can be taught, getting the right attitude is a very different matter.
BALANCE
Like a good football team, it’s not all about outstanding individuals, but more a balance of complimentary strengths and skills. Have a look at www.belbin.com for different team roles and how to identify who should be doing what.
MOTIVATION
It’s not always about money, especially in a recession, job security is vital, but so is a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities. From this transparent and cohesive team situation, you can build motivation and incentive programmes that will be able to drive performance and deliver results. Don’t forget, corporate gifts can be extremely cost effective and play an important part in staff motivation.
FEEDBACK
Let people know when they are not performing, but more importantly tell them when they’re doing well. Good teams are self policing - staff don’t want to let each other down and sub-standard performance is quickly identified and stubbed out
OPPORTUNITIES
Provide clear and achievable career opportunities – keep them interested and striving for the next level.
Tags: corporate gift, corporate gifts
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Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
In today’s difficult economy many companies are seeing their traditional revenue streams shrinking. If there is one challenge to the sales promotion industry it is how to reach minority markets, currently estimated at about £400billion. Conventional marketing and promotional methods are not enough to capture those hard – to – reach minority markets This is made up of a range of markets including ethnic minorities, seniors and the LGBT community. A lot of the organisations have been unsure how to respond to these changes, opting instead for a, “one a size fits all,” generic approach.
During the recession, businesses should be investing in marketing strategies that target these diverse, groups through targeted products and messages.
An advantage of the promotional merchandise industry is that it provides the perfect platform for this short of approach to our increasingly diverse, cultural society. Promotional products and services can reach and engage with hard to reach audiences.
In terms of cost, promotional items and corporate gifts, can reduce wastage and maximise efficiency. According to the Office of National Statistics and Brand Choice;
1) Disposal income in the U.K ethnic minority market is access of £90 billion.
2) 18.7% of the U.K population is 65 and over.
3) 8% of the population in the U.K are ethnic communities.
4) 1/3 of businesses are owned and run by members of ethnic minorities.
A number of major brands already communicate well with ethnic groups in the U.K as part as their marketing, and PR strategies, such as Tesco and HSBC. They, have conducted specific very successful campaigns and built brand loyalty and revenue. Niche products tailored to meet specific needs, are also doing well.
In the good times, when budgets are generous and targets are perhaps less important, sales campaigns often are characterised by a scattergun approach – throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping enough of it will stick. Obviously in a recession every marketing pounds or dollar needs to count and promotional items and corporate gifts can prove highly targeted and cost effective; different products can be chosen for each and target market with a range of branding techniques; from jewellery to keyings and flash drives .
Tags: Branding, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Cost Effective, promotional item, promotional items, promotional products, sales promotion
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Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
In today’s climate of slashed marketing budgets, a little guerrilla marketing could go along way – but what’s it all about?
Guerrilla marketing can shake up markets and break the mould. It can make your company seen as innovative and daring with a reputation for creativity. That goes for all of your promotional activities too. Guerrilla marketing with its unconventional tactics and frequent run-ins with the law can be an ideal way to launch a new business or product. By bending the rules a little by using a lot of imagination you can execute cost effective ideas to get your target marketing buzzing. Guerrilla Marketing tactics can also identify your brand or company as one to take notice of.
To refer to a campaign as guerrilla, it has been surprising and use media in unconventional way. But more than anything, a guerrilla idea must try and get customers talking. Trying to establish marketing on a low budget is particularly challenging. Guerrilla tactics raise your profile and can also position your brand as an unconventional and innovative company. Traditional forms of marketing might not be able to convey the same message to the right audience.
Online Guerrilla tactics- the internet is also a hotbed for guerrilla activity, from leaving comments promoting your sites in a rival’s forum; to posting brands content on sites like YouTube and Flickr some search engines marketing also have a rebel about it. Until recently if you typed in “miserable” failure into Google, George Bush’s homepage would come up as first result!
The practice known as Google Bombing is now a common part of online marketing guerrilla marketing.
Guerrilla marketting is a cost effective and way of promoting your business. It can motivate staff and make people take notice. It’s not for every one; you would not see many banks using guerrilla tactics, and it doesn’t always work. But every once in a while, a great unconventional idea can be highly effective and won’t kill your budget.
Click below to find examples of guerrilla marketing
http://weburbanist.com/2007/06/06/15-coolest-craziest-and-most-innovative-guerilla-marketing-campaigns/
http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Great_examples_of_Guerilla_Marketing
http://www.bootstrappingblog.com/10-great-guerrilla-marketing-examples
Corporate gifts are one of the most traditional promotional methods, but used creatively and imaginatively they can form of a valuable part of a Guerrilla marketing campaign – do something different with your business gifts, engage your target audience and really get them talking about you.
Here are a few ideas to get you thinking;
- If you’ve got an event you need to promote or invite customers, to use metal post cards printed or embossed with individual details. They can be used like a normal postcard. Costumers would have never received anything like it before.
- Most companies just engrave a logo on a promotional product; but why not engrave a challenging message, question or riddle that drives traffic through your business’s websites or initial a response.
- Business cards holders are one of our most popular corporate gifts; but most are sent out empty – why not fill them with your own cards or printed leaflet.
Obviously different things will work for different companies so why don’t you ring our sales staff on 0845 430 2902 to see how The Corporate Gifts Company can help with your marketing campaign.
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Corporate Gifts Co, Cost Effective, gifts company, promoting, promotion
Posted in Corporate Gifts Advice and Help | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
With the huge rivalry between companies online, it is hard to differentiate yourself from the throng. An area internet marketing people fail to utilise fully is with business giftware.
Corporate gifts are products that are branded with your company logo, URL, contact information or a different message you want to relay.
Normally the 1st item that comes to mind is branded pens or T-Shirts but in actuality there are thousands of a different items you can use all you need is a bit of creativity to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
Promotional product giving points:
1. Promote Your Website
• This is the one of the first things that comes to most people’s minds once they think of how they should use business giftware. Every product you choose to promote your business you should include your URL on it.
2. Niche Promotional Gifts
• You can find products that compliment your type of business items.
An example is, if you sell handbags, it would-be be a great idea to include a handbag hook for table that has your brand on it.
3. Motivate the consumer to purchase more – the upsell!
• You can use promotional gifts to incite your customers to buy more products than they would normally, this is called up selling. This can be easily achieved online by bundling multiple products on with a promotional item.
4. Affiliate rewarding
• Thanking your best affiliates by giving them a business gift. it shows that you appreciate that they promote your company. You could send gifts to your partners once they reach a pre-determined goal, or you can simply surprise them with a present. In doing this you are building a stronger relationship. And they will be more likely to promote your business more and make you more money in the long run.
5. Thank Your Customers
• Just like saying thank you to your affiliates, it is always worth considering thanking your clientele. The most effective way to do this is with a tiered giving approach. Give your top clients a high perceived value products and then decrease the value of the products for the preceding tiers. You can have as many tiers as you want.
6. Get a competitive benefit
• Because of tough online competition, it’s harder than ever to compete for business online. But promotional gifts can give you an advantage. If your competition aren’t utilising this essential marketing technique then steal a march on them!
Tags: business gift, corporate gift, corporate gifts, promotion, promotional gift, Promotional Gifts, promotional item
Posted in Corporate Gifts Advice and Help, Corporate Gifts Business Opportunities | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 20th, 2009
Giving business gifts is the most successful advertising and communication tool that a business can use. Corporate gifts remain the most enjoyable method to strengthen the relationship between staff in the office and to express your thankfulness to your customers, corporate gifts have come an extremely long way and do not necessarily mean plastic pens or bumper stickers!
Of late businesses have increased marketing budgets for business products, they have realized that it is one of the most cost effective marketing tricks available and frequently the most effective one. It doesn’t matter what the size of your company is or your budget, it is still possible to fit the promotional product campaign to your limiting factors.
Perhaps the most appealing thing about business gifts is the ability to articulate that certain sentiment you can’t communicate through other advertising strategies. People love to get gifts, especially gifts that are specially picked out for them and that illustrate how much you value them as a customer, a client, a business partner or a part of your team.
While business gifts are not the solution to start the ball rolling on new commerce contacts and dealings, they certainly play an important part in maintaining the associations you have already established. Giving corporate gifts is not just a way to construct relationships, but it’s more a way to continue them and it’s also a very good way to promote your commodities and services. In addition to that, business products can be used to improve your company’s image.
Tags: Advertising, business gift, Business Gifts, business products, corporate gift, corporate gifts, Cost Effective, promotion
Posted in Corporate Gifts Advice and Help | No Comments »
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Promotional giftware is a simple, low-cost, pleasurable, and successful promotional technique. Nevertheless, clichéd gifts like stress toys & Frisbees aren’t as effectual as they once used to be. When you come to choosing be sure to pick a gift that you think people will use frequently and that will remind them of you when they use it. The correct gift creates the correct reaction… Every action has an equal and opposite reaction! So picking your promotional giftware shrewdly is an imperative stride to getting the best return on your investment.
Business Gifts Tip 1 – Factor in what you know about your target audience are.
Be carful when choosing what events to use your corporate gifts at. If you pick an event whose target audience is not compatible with your own, you will be throwing your money away. So, think about who your target audience is and where they would likely be.
Business Gifts Tip 2 – The time of cheep and nasty promotional gifts is long gone.
Happy c**p has had its moment on the business giftware pedestal, but those style of products are not going to be able to speak much about your company. You should choose a gift that has attributes that are comparable to your company’s. If your business is adaptable, then give away a Swiss army knife). This gift communicates your company’s characteristic and can be regularly used.
Business Gifts Tip 3 – Creativity is the way forward.
Being scared to move outside the standard arena of business gifts is boring! Humans remember the extraordinary and we want them to remember you so be extraordinary!
Tags: business gift, Business Gifts, corporate gift, corporate gifts, promotion, promotional gift, Promotional Gifts, promotional products
Posted in Corporate Gifts Advice and Help, Corporate Gifts Business Opportunities | 2 Comments »
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