Calendars – Why they are the best promotional item in the industry!

Hello again! The day is absolutely beautiful here in Prague Oklahoma. The sun is shining we have a great breeze – perfect for being outside but of course what am I doing? I am sitting here in my living room writing my blog and very disappointed that the NASCAR race in Dover has been rained out.

As I stated in my last blog, I got the light bulb over the head idea on what my real first promotional blog would be about.

It has always baffled me why companies, schools, etc. don’t purchase calendars anymore. This is by far the best promotional item you can purchase for any occasion. Calendars are so customizable that there would be no reason not to buy them. They have the best ROI, Return On Investment, in the industry! What other item can you guarantee that your customers will look at every single day of the year?

I know what your thinking – no way, calendars, while handy, won’t go over with my clients. I hate to say this to any client or potential client but you are wrong! I would normally tell people to close their eyes but of course we can’t do that in this median. It is Christmas time and you have to drive to the mall for your shopping excursion. You confirm you have all your items you need for your trip: money, lists, comfortable shoes and aspirin. You drive down to your local mall get out of your car and walk into the mall. What is the first thing you see when you enter the mall? There it is before you – a shrine to calendars and it is being swarmed by people buying 3-5 calendars for gifts or for themselves.

Now you decide to stop and look for yourself. This gets you thinking of your business and what you have at home. How many calendars do you own from businesses you use? Do you keep a calendar in your briefcase or purse? How many times a day do you look at your MS Outlook or other calendar program? How often do you get frustrated that you don’t have a hard-copy calendar with your appointments on it? Then it hits you - people need calendars everywhere they go!

As I stated earlier Calendars as so customizable today without a great expense. Take the customized calendar to the right that I help create. We, two other ladies in the promotional industry and I, had the idea while we were sitting in a training session on Calendar Selling.

As with any company, the Promotional Products industry is very event driven. We must always be thinking ahead to the next holiday, be current on our clients business and what new products suppliers will be offering in the future, etc. We wanted our clients to know everything that we can offer at a glance. We decided to include a page with a list of items we have available for imprint. I know you are probably saying there has to be more and there is. I don’t want to give away our secret snag with this calendar as our competition might want to use it also.

The main point is that with your businesses whether you are in the banking, financial, plumbing, insurance business, a church, school, etc. creating a calendar about your specific business will better lend credibility in your client’s eyes. Showing them what you can do for them and all the options you have to offer is imperative in this competitive world.

Life happens so fast and there is never enough of you to go around. Include the information in a calendar and you can guarantee that it won’t be thrown away; at least until next year. You can spend thousands on brochures but can you guarantee that your clients will see this information when it counts?

People have a fickle memory. We only remember useless facts it seems and never can remember the important things when we need them the most. But keeping your information at your customers’ fingertips increases the chance they will give you a call when time matters the most.

I know you might be asking yourself – what type of calendar do I need to purchase? You can buy one or a couple different types. Women love to have a calendar to place in their purse – with kids and work we need to have a calendar handy at all times. We have to keep track of when our kids soccer games are, when they will be in dance class, what time their baseball games are and when we have to be in Chicago for an important conference. We also need to have a wall calendar at the house so our husbands and kids also know the daily, weekly and monthly schedule. Women also need to have a desktop calendar at work that lists the same information for easy reference for our boss and co-workers.

There are a multitude of calendars for purchase with your companies imprint information. You can buy wall calendars (agriculture, animals, dining, gardens, golf, homes, inspiration, motivation, etc.), commercial calendars, pocket books, desktop, notebook type, etc.

As any good blogger would do I have included a link to my website that will show all the different types of calendars you can choose from. I have also included a link to the Best Buys website that has unbelievable pricing on certain types of calendars. Next time you have a promotion, grand opening, school fundraiser, etc. think of calendars. They are by far the best item to promote your business everyday of the year.

I hope this has given you a great idea on what your next promotional item should be for your first purchase of the New Year. Remember though that you should purchase calendars in August; the earlier the better – better pricing and usually more for your money.
Like always, until next time – be great to each other, tell your friends and family that you love them, and pray for our country and the men and women who put their life on the line everyday to defend our freedoms (Armed Forces, Police Officers, Firemen, etc). God Bless the United States of America!

My First Blog

This afternoon I decided to join the millions of other people on the www by creating a blog. I have been meaning to do this for a while but I must confess that I have this horrible disease - procrastination. I understand that it is not an uncommon disease but I feel that mine might be worse than most. I wonder why the pharmaceutical companies haven't tried to create a pill for this. But I digress.

Since I own my own business, www.blueriversign.com, my customers always come first; after my husband and 4 1/2 year old daughter; and writing a blog (or I like to think of it as my own opportunity to live a life long ambition of becoming a reporter) has been low on the list. In speaking with my clients on how to advertise their business and what items will best work for their current promotion I decided that the time is now. My knowledge of the Promotional Products industry needs to be shared, along with all the other promotional blogs out there. But how do I make my self standout in the crowd? That will be a life long goal.

I have sat here staring at my laptop screen trying to decide what my first blog will be about. I am sure many of you out there have had this same brain draining ordeal. What will the readers of my blog want to read? Does it need to be technical? Does it need to fascinate and make them just sit at the edge of their seat? The bad part is I don't know the answers to most of those questions and I don't know if I really need the answers. I have an easy going personality and hope that my wit and sarcasm will come out. I always try to counsel my clients on the items they are looking for - just because they like an item doesn't mean that it will work. I look at myself as an employee of their business - how can I make the business succeed with the least amount of cost compared to the overall bang!

Buying promotional products for your company, wedding, bar mitzvahs, grand opening, golf tournament, etc. is a very personal decision. I don't think most people think of it that way and they should. The first question you need to ask is - what would you like to personally receive if you attended the function? Does it have to be expensive or can a moderate to low priced item work just a well? You always want good quality in anything you buy especially if you have your name on it but don't it doesn’t have to be the most expensive item.

There are over 750,000 items out there to place your name on. You can find anything from a band-aid dispenser to Waterford crystal bowls. There will also be items you will look at and wonder why anyone would want to place their name on the item and how it could be used in a promotion. Other items are always good staples - pens, calendars (always the best item to buy because of the ROI, Return on Investment), business cards, etc.

I am very fortunate to be a distributor for Kaeser & Blair, Inc. out of Batavia, Ohio. Because of this association I am able to offer great discounts on many promotional items.

My other blogs will focus on a specific promotion or a specific item. Promoting your business in a positive way must always be the focus – using the right item(s) for your promotion must be high on the list as well.

Well, I can’t believe I have finished. It didn’t take as long as I thought! I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Now comes the fun part of deciding what I will write about next – oh my! I just had the idea pop into my mind. That was kind of exciting and enlightening. I won’t tell you what it will be. You will have to wait until my next blog – but I can tell you this: I am getting ready to write it now.

Please post your comments as I want to hear from you billions of people that will want to know what I have to say. Yeah I know I am living in a dream world in my little town of Prague, Oklahoma (Birthplace of Jim Thorpe, voted the greatest athlete in the 20th century and home to the Prague Kolache Festival, First Saturday in May).

Well until next time – be great to each other, tell your friends and family that you love them, and pray for our country and the men and women who put their life on the line everyday to defend our freedoms (Armed Forces, Police Officers, Firemen, etc). God Bless the United States of America!