posted
Hello Letterheads. I was thinking of ordering some promo freebies, such as keychains, pens, etc. Do any of you do this, and does it work? Any ideas on this? Any reccomandtions for a good source to purchase from? Any feedback would be appreciated! See ya in Jersey!
-------------------- Devin Fahie Sebago Signworks Rt. 302, Raymond, Maine 207-655-6622 devin@sebagosignworks.com Posts: 96 | From: Raymond, Maine | Registered: Jun 2003
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posted
Devin, Felix posted a similar question recently.
We've been through a ton of travel mugs, etc. from banks & every other business that wants to get their name out. When new ones show up here, they go in the cupboard until I get frustrated that the cupboard is full & pitch them.
If you want to do this as a "thank you" for existing clients, there is a way to keep them from pitching it so easily. Put your logo AND theirs on the item. 1 on each side of a mug or keychain, etc. You already have their artwork, so there is no additional work for you other than gathering the files. And people are a lot more likely to keep a mug or whatever around if it has their business logo on it instead of someone else's. I do dye sublimation stuff, drop me a line or call me.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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I can just tell you this , 10 000 pieces of cheap junk is 10 000 pieces of poor PR , 1000 pieces of stuff that costs 10x the cheapys price and is sent or given to a targeted market is 1000 pieces of good PR - they both cost you the same!!! Put yourself in a consumers position , if you are given a .9mm abs ruler , cheaply screen printed and innacurate - what would YOU do with it and what would YOU think of the co that gave it to you , freebie or not.
-------------------- Rodney Gold Toker Bros Posts: 57 | From: South Africa | Registered: Aug 2003
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Rodney, I couldn't agree more. Higher quality giveaways are the way to go. Pens, coffee mugs, etc go missing, get forgotten about and just plain don't do it. I've learned lots over a couple of years working with Marketing here, and getting your name out there is important, but get it on something they're going to use and appreciate. It sounds dumb, but a nice calendar always helps---our shipping companies provide large wall calendars and they're always put to use! Hats, shirts---they're hit & miss. Maybe try to tailor your giveaways towards something that shows what you do. Not to turn into a commercial, but we give ALOT of stuff away that I produce here with our Gerber EDGE, be it magnets, cool print samples, smaller decals with AcuDome on it. Spend time on it and do something quality---use a rifle with a scope and hit your target instead of the ole shotgun approach!
posted
Ted hit it right on - incorporate something that you already do, into the promo piece, but keep it simple at the same time.
Example: I recently developed an LED brakelight for Ford Rangers.. crystal clear urethane lenses, carbon fiber inserts, bright beautiful LED's.. it's hand-built and beautiful - I put the last YEAR into R&D'ing this thing and have finally started selling them a couple months ago.
I've also developed some jewelry and built prototypes using urethane resin, made a mold from my prototypes to send out to have gold and silver castings made. Just for grins I cast some crystal clear parts before sending the mold out.. it's a rectangular shape with some designs in it.. put maybe 2-3 days of production into the whole thing..
The crystal castings turn out to be a good size for keychains, so I use a scribe and put my signature on each one, thread a keyring through the loop that's cast into each piece, and I've been dropping one into the package with the LED brakelights I mentioned above, just a little give-away that uses maybe 5 cents worth of resin, an 8 cent keyring, and a minute to cast.
One of my customers puts up pics of his LED setup and the keychain I sent him onto a Ranger related website and you'll never guess the responses:
"Hey, that LED looks really sweet! But where can I get one of those keychains?!?!?!"
So here I am with this really cool LED I put tons of work into (it's selling pretty well at that) and this stupid little keychain with my signature that took no time is the hot product.
Now I'm working on making a slightly larger version of the keychain, and making a larger mold that will allow me to cast about 100 pieces at a time, with my signature cast into each piece.
I'll continue giving them away with bigger ticket items but I also plan on selling them at $4-$5 a pop. I might do carbon fiber versions as well and get a little more money for them, since that's a hot thing these days.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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Although per piece they are more costly, more people see a tshirt in more different locations that most other promotional materials.
Tshirts are worn and thus are more frequently visible to the public.
For the same cost as a box of pens or keychains, one customer wearing a tshirt can do so much more to increase the visibilty of your company name. Also, tshirts have a much lower tendency to go unused or become lost.
Rapid
[ November 25, 2003, 11:41 AM: Message edited by: Ray Rheaume ]
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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I do short run(small or no minimum) items just like you are talking about. I have a bunch of clients just like you that would like to say thanks to a client but aren't impressed by the pencil and pen stuff. I do mugs, shirts, SS travel mugs, clipboards, etc. etc. etc. My clients tell me that this stuff with their logo and clients name(like someone else mentioned) are a real winner and put them at the top of the next order list. Consider your clientel carefully. You might want different items for different people. It can be a good move for you. Not done right, it could be a not so good move too. You are taking the best step by running the idea through the 'peer mill' here on the board. Good thoughts, especially just entering the holidays. Mike
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