Promote Your Business with a Book!

If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

It is has been said that we all have a book inside of us.  But how many of us actually have the ideas, the inspiration, the time, the knowledge, the courage, and whatever else it takes to sit down and write one?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if you could have a book for your business or organziation that was at once polished, well-constructed and meaningful?  Not only would it be “the ultimate business card”, it could also be used to position your company as an expert, reach a new audience, and leave a lasting impression everywhere you go!  Wouldn’t it be even better if this could happen without the blood, sweat and tears most authors shed when trying to create a masterpiece?  (As Gene Fowler once said:  “Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.”)

You’ve probably guessed by now that I’m writing this blog post to tell you that it is possible to create your own beautifully branded book!  Many of my clients work as Volunteer Specialists, coordinating volunteer programs for nationwide organizations that honor our country’s heroes.   That’s why I decided to create a book in their honor, entitled the heart of a volunteer.  The jacket of the book features my logo, my branding, my bio, and other custom features.

For example,  next to my photo on back of the inside jacket, there is a personal bio that reads:  “R. Renee Jones isn’t just a company CEO, she is an active volunteer for the Disabled American Veterans Association and other deserving groups. She strongly believes that “Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.”

The inside of the book features carefully selected inspirational quotes related to volunteer service.  Looking for a different topic?  No problem.  You can choose from more than 3 million book titles!  There is a book for every audience that covers every theme and topic  from 365 Ways to Live Green to The Pocket Guide to Wine to motivational business books like Good to Great.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed by so many choices, I’ll be happy to assist with suggestions that would be a perfect fit for your business or organization.

The production process moves quickly.  I will help you customize the cover imprint, the promo page, the belly band wrap, and the entire jacket!  Books can be delivered as soon as 15-20 days after proof approval.  All orders are delivered and and completed on-time; they can be shipped to hotels, convention centers, conference centers or your office.

As the Queen of Promotional Products, I’ve “written the book” on the best promotional products ideas in the industry, and I assure you that this one is a home-run.  Contact me for help creating your own branded book.

5 Ways to Use Promotional Products in Your Social Media Marketing

Like it or not, social media is here to stay.  Corporations of all sizes now have Facebook fan pages, Twitter accounts, YouTube videos and blogs in addition to their company website.  These social media forums have changed the way companies interact with consumers and the way they distribute promotional products to clients, prospects and fans.

If you’re a regular on social media websites, you know that creating a presence is not enough.  Successful social marketing happens when you drive people to your social pages to become “fans” or “friends”.  Here are some low-cost, yet effective ways to use promotional items to maximize your social media marketing:

1.  Include Your Social Media Info on Promotional Items

Promotional products, particularly ones designed for the office like mouse pads, sticky notes, pens, mugs, stress balls and calendars, should not only list your web address, but also direct people to your Facebook and Twitter pages.  This will increase the likelihood that recipients will visit your social pages and follow your business.  You can even offer an additional incentive (think 15% off their first order) if they become a “fan” or “follower”.

2.  Say “Thanks” with a Promotional Product

Social media ‘thank you’ prizes are another great way to utilize promotional products.  When someone becomes your fan, follower, or friend, send them a ‘thank you’ message with an offer to send a small token of your appreciation via snail mail.  This strategy helps to build a relationship with your new fan while building your mailing list too!  And remember, not all promotional products have to be physical items. You could send your new social media “fans” ringtones, mp3 downloads, screensavers, or electronic greeting cards via email.

The initial excitement surrounding “getting free stuff” will never go away, but that excitement can now be extended throughout social networks to generate even greater marketing impact.  Social media provides your clients, prospects and fans with a ready-made outlet to express their appreciation for the items you give them and rave about your company’s products and services.  Since they’re already on social media, they are more likely to use these forums to brag to all of their friends about the cool “free stuff” you gave them.  This means everybody wins–your new “fan” is delighted and (s)he is generating “free” publicity for you and your brand.

3.  Turn Your Promotional Product into a Contest

When distributing promotional products at trade shows, expos, conferences and events, take your give-away one step further by adding a social media incentive.  For example, let’s imagine that you are giving away beach towels at a trade show.  Wrap a paper band around the towel that says:  “Be one of the first 10 people to post a photo of this beach towel in action on Twitter or Facebook, and you’ll win a beach cooler stocked with cool prizes for more summer fun!”  Don’t forget to include your social media contact info or designated #hashtag.  A contest of this sort encourages creativity and interaction between your company and its followers.  It generates interest and traffic on your social media site and gives you an opportunity to double your exposure for your beach towel give-away with another great give-away for a select subgroup of fans.

4.  Use High-End Promotional Products for a Membership Campaign

When executed correctly, social media campaigns (or contests) can generate a significant return on investment.  You can use social media contest software create a contest on your social media page.  There are two ways to approach these contests:  a grand prize for one big winner or a modest prize for a number of winners.  Whether you choose: “Like us on Facebook, and you’ll be automatically entered to win a trip for 2 to Las Vegas and 2 travel suitcases (with your corporate logo, of course)!” or “Like of on Facebook, and you could be one of 25 people to win a Coffee Lover’s Gift Basket valued at $200!”, your contest operates the same way.  The media contest software walks you through setting the parameters of the contest (i.e., prize will be awarded when we reach 5,000 followers or December 31^st, whichever comes first); the software does the rest.  It captures fan information and even selects a winner at random.

Remember that the goal spreading the message virally.  Wherever you post contest details (webpage, blog, Facebook, etc.), visitors should have the ability to quickly and easily share with friends.  Provide them with toolbars, buttons, plug ins and other ways to spread the news at the click of button.  Then, imagine the powerful exposure for your brand as your current followers “share” and “retweet” a chance to win to all of their friends and followers.

5.  Get Your Fans, Followers and Friends Involved

Social networks are perfect for engaging your prospects and customers.  Use these forums to solicit their feedback and input.  Ask them questions:  “What’s the best promotional product you’ve ever received?”; “What is the must-have item this holiday season?”;  “If we send you a calendar, would you use it?”; “Where would you like to go on a dream vacation?”; “Would you rather give up coffee or chocolate?”.  Then, use that feedback to order your next promotional item or create a grand prize for your next social media contest.

Looking for more creative ways to pair promotional products with your social media communication?  Then give me a call!  Promotional items continue to have a lower cost per impression and a higher return on investment than other forms of marketing.  And, because they are tangible and longer-lasting, promotional items are a perfect complement to the fast-paced, virtual world of social media.

Back to School with ACT

It’s that time of year again.  Summer is over and kids are headed back to school while parents are breathing a sigh of relief.

Although I’m no longer a student and I don’t have any children, I still think there is something exciting about the stacks of clean notebooks and sharpened crayons lining the store aisles.  Have you noticed that many large, big box retailers are offering printed Back to School Shopping Lists for customers inside the entrance of their stores?  I couldn’t resist picking up one of those lists and checking it out.  I immediately noticed that if you did your shopping with A Creative Touch, you could get customized, personalized versions of every essential back to school item!

We offer pens, pencils, calculators, markers, highlighters, erasers, rulers, lunch bags, binders, folders, pencil boxes, water bottles, tape dispensers, duffel bags, backpacks, totes, rulers, USB flash drives, lanyards, computer accessories, laptop cases, cell phone holders, sweatshirts, t-shirts,  laundry bags, footballs, basketballs, cheering accessories, calendars, and so much more!

Best of all, at  A Creative Touch, we promise we’ll never call from school to tell you your child is misbehaving.  If you’re a parent, and that happens to you, you can always take a cue from Little Johnny’s mother:

Summer vacation was over and Little Johnny returned back to school.  Only two days later his teacher phoned his mother to tell her that he was misbehaving.  “Wait a minute,” replied his mom. “I had Johnny with me for three months and I never called you once when he misbehaved!”

Flag Day T-Shirt

 Happy Flag Day!  June 14th commemorates the day in 1777 when the Second Constitutional Congress adopted the thirteen-stripes-and-thirteen-stars American flag.

As the legend goes, it was George Washington and two other members of the Continental Congress who asked Betsy Ross to sew the first American flag sometime in the late spring of 1776.  The young widow was only in her early 20’s when she completed the first flag with thirteen stars arranged in a circle.  A year later, the Continental Congress officially adopted the design for the national flag, and our beloved Stars and Stripes became the most recognized symbol of the United States around the world.

In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 “Flag Day.”  Thirty-five years later (in1949), Congress passed legislation asking the president to issue an annual proclamation calling for the observance of the holiday.

This week, millions of Americans will observe Flag Day by waving Old Glory outside their homes and businesses. Veteran’s groups and certain communities also arrange events and special ceremonies in honor of Flag Day.  But, there is another way to show your patriotism–promotional products.

My favorite patriotic promotional products is this tie-dyed American flag T-shirt.  For me, it’s an item that puts a fresh, modern twist on the traditional Old Glory.  Available in sizes S to XL, the shirt includes your own 1-color imprint (front or back).  A client recently ordered this T-shirt with a custom imprint, and the results were fantastic!

Whether you enjoy a traditional approach to Flag Day or a modern spin on celebrating the Stars and Strips, you’re sure to enjoy these fun facts about our flag:

Who cut the American flag into pieces and was honored for doing it?

Robert Peary, who left pieces of the flag scattered at the North Pole

Is it ever appropriate to fly the flag upside down?

Yes, but only in an emergency. It means “Help Me! It’s an emergency! Call the police! I am in dire trouble and need immediate help!”

What is done with worn or outdated flags?

Flags are used until they are worn out and then they are destroyed, preferably by burning.

The American flag first flew over a foreign fort in what country?

Libya - over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli.

A vexillologist is an expert in what?

The history of flags.

Promotional Products & The Royal Wedding

On the eve of the royal wedding, I couldn’t help but share the role promotional products have played in the festivities.  From beer to pizzas to underwear to tea, the royal nuptials have shown us that there is no limit to the creativity of promotional products.  The Telegraph newspaper reports the sale of royal wedding merchandise could top $42.5 million.  Now, there’s something to celebrate!

The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) said that manufacturers are churning out mugs, plates, commemorative pens, compacts, ashtrays, shot glasses, book marks, reusable bags and car flags–all with a Will & Kate Royal Wedding theme.  Irreverent promotional products such as branded paper crowns and a commemorative plate reading “Thanks for the free day off” are also in high demand. 

Why are people buying promotional products?  Mostly to incorporate into personal and corporate events being hosted as a part of the celebration.  In fact, promotional products companies in the United Kingdom say that Will and Kate’s Royal Wedding has been the biggest occasion for promotional product consumer sales since the New Year’s Eve millennium in 2000.

Here are a few of the unique royal wedding promotional products that tickled my fancy:

And for those of you who are just plain sick and tired of hearing about this wedding:

A Decade of Deadlines

Happy Anniversary to us!  It was the day after Veteran’s Day, ten years ago, that A Creative Touch promotional products company was launched.  To read the story of how Veteran’s Day inspired our Grand Opening, click here.

Since that fateful day, we’ve helped hundreds of customers all across the country with creative solutions to their promotional product needs.  Our goal has always been to provide creative, effective, targeted marketing solutions on time, every time.  In fact, we take pride in never missing a deadline.  Up until yesterday, our tagline and the signature on every email we send read:

IN OVER 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 YEARS - WE’VE

NEVER MISSED A DEADLINE!

We’re proud to announce that our tagline is changing.  After thousands of orders and a decade of outstanding customer service, our track record is still perfect:

IT’S BEEN A DECADE, AND WE’VE

NEVER MISSED A DEADLINE!

If you’re already a customer with A Creative Touch, let us take this opportunity to thank you for your support and your continued trust in us over the past ten years.  If you’re not an A Creative Touch customer, we encourage you to give us an opportunity to show you why we’re celebrating a solid decade of meeting deadlines and exceeding our clients’ expectations.  To read from some of our happy customers, visit our Testimonial Page.

Honoring Our Veterans

Veteran’s Day is a very special day for A Creative Touch.  Not only is it an opportunity to officially honor our veterans for their service to our country, it is also closely linked to the history of our company.  Veteran’s Day is also referred to as Poppy Day  in relation to the poppy’s symbolism of Remembrance.

Poppies owe their association with the holiday to a poem, In Flanders Fields, written in 1915 by Canadian military physician John McCrae.  After witnessing the death and funeral of a friend, he wrote the poem which refers to the poppies that covered the cemeteries where war casualties were buried in Flanders, Belgium.

The poem (found at the bottom of this post) found its way into the pages of Punch magazine. By 1918 the poem was well known throughout the allied world. Moina Michael, an American woman, wrote these lines in reply.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies

She then adopted the custom of wearing a red poppy in memory of the sacrifices veterans made in war.  A French women, Madame Guerin, visiting the United States, learned of the custom and took it one step further. When she returned to France she decided to make red poppies by hand and sell them to raise money for the benefit of the orphaned and destitute women and children in war torn areas of France. This tradition spread to Canada, The United States and Australia and is still followed today.

Today the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion Auxiliary exchange poppies for a donation that benefits disabled and hospitalized veterans.   Poppies make perfect lapel pins for sentimental and patriotic reasons–and they’re beautiful.  Be sure to wear a poppy on your lapel today in honor of all of the brave men and women who have served our country!

The Magic of Pin Trading

Collectible lapel pins have been popular Disney souvenirs for decades, but it wasn’t until October 1999, to mark their Millennium Celebration, that The Walt Disney Company introduced the now wildly popular phenomenon of Disney pin trading.

Not surprisingly, when Disney does something they go all out. They have thought of everything for this theme-park-inspired sport, including an official pin trading etiquette guide!

To join in the Disney pin-trading fun, you have to start with something to trade. If you don’t already have a Disney collectible pin, you can get started with a handy starter set, a lanyard and four collectible pins. Pin traders wear the lanyards around their necks, using them to display their pins. Others secure their collectible lapel pens to hats, vests or sashes. Pins not intended for trading can be attached with secure screw-on locking backs which prevent them from becoming accidentally dislodged while riding the attractions or walking through the park. Pins for trading are best left with the original backs, which are easily removed.

To execute a trade, you simply approach another pin-displaying guest or a Disney Cast Member and make your request. Guests at the park can decline a trade, but Cast Members cannot refuse. In fact, they are required to make at least two trades per day!

Trading pins are available at kiosks in the park, at Disney stores, in the resorts, and online. Thousands of pins have been produced since the trading program began, featuring everything Disney—from characters to movies to theme park attractions. They range in price, style and availability, including special limited-edition pins. Each one bears a stamp on the back that details important collector information such as the limited edition number and copyright.

There is an entire culture around pin-trading and lots of terminology specific to Disney pin trading. For example, there is a limited edition “surprise” pin known as Wet Paint. Only one thousand of these pins, depicting the wet paint sign used at Walt Disney World were produced. They were introduced as a “surprise” at certain kiosks and store and they are highly coveted. In fact, it is referred to as the Holy Grail and it typically sells for more than $200 on sites like eBay.

Another pin highly coveted by traders is the “Continuing the Pin Trading Tradition” pin. This pin cannot be purchased. It is awarded to guests by Cast Member Leaders at Disney resorts when they witness positive Disney Pin Trading etiquette or when they see a guest promoting the spirit of Disney Pin Trading. Disney has indeed worked its magic, creating an entire kingdom of faithful subjects who are devoted to the thrill of pin-trading. You can learn even more about the Magic Kingdom of Disney pin trading by clicking here.

Pinning It Forward

I love lapel pins because they are great conversation starters. Like unobtrusive, little miniature walking billboards, they share messages about who you are: your professional affiliations, military service, favorite sports teams, events you’ve attended, or causes that you believe in. Wear a lapel pin and you open yourself up to meeting people who are interested in your causes. Ask someone else about their pin and you’re bound to finish that conversation more enriched, more enlightened.

It’s a subtle way of ‘paying it forward’. The ‘pay it forward’ concept really hit the mainstream when the movie, Pay it Forward  (based on the book of the same name) came out in 2000. In the film, a social studies teacher challenges his students to think up a practical way to make the world a better place and put it into action. His 11-year-old student comes up with the notion of Pay it Forward. The idea is to do a needed favor for three different people without being asked, and then ask them to do the same for others. It was a new twist on performing random acts of kindness.

I was thrilled when I discovered this New York Times article , Letting His Lapel Spread the Word About His Cause, where Mark Roithmayer introduces the idea of ‘pinning it forward’.  The article, (which is definitely worth reading) profiles Roithmayer, in his role as president of the national nonprofit advocacy organization Autism Speaks. Mark travels frequently for Autism Speaks and always wears a puzzle-shaped lapel pin on his suit. The article sites several different instances when Mark’s lapel pin has started incredible conversations about autism and opened the door for introductions to people directly connected to or deeply interested in this cause.

Mark (pictured above right) says:
“I always take off my pin and give it to someone who shares his or her story. I think of it as ‘pinning forward.’ In fact, I have learned to take a small bag of pins with me whenever I travel because passengers and airline workers — even the security guys — regularly ask me for them.  And I gladly give them away.  It kind of reminds me of when pilots used to give young passengers wing pins to commemorate their flight, and maybe build a little brand loyalty in the process.”

So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time that you started your own ‘pin it forward’ campaign?

The Bumble Bee Lapel Pin

Did you know that Mary Kay Ash, creator of Mary Kay Cosmetics, always wore a bumble bee lapel pin? Her signature lapel pin was a symbol for her achievements and the accomplishments of all of the women who made up her sales force.

Mary Kay used to tell the story of how scientists had proven that based on their anatomical construction, there are many reasons why bumbles should not be able to fly. Their bodies, for example, are too large in proportion to their wings. Yet, fly they do!

Mary Kay wanted to create a company that could offer women unlimited opportunities for personal and financial success. Many naysayers thought her ideas were too idealistic and that they would never work.

In 1963, at the age of 45, and with only $5,000 in savings, she opened her dream cosmetics business with her son Richard Rogers.  She had used furniture, homemade drapes and a single metal shelf from Sears to furnish her small Dallas storefront.

Her initial team of salespeople, or beauty consultants, as she called them, made nearly $200,000 in profits in their first year of operation. Today there are more than 1.7 million Mary Kay salespeople around the world, generating billions of dollars in sales.

Cue the bumblebee lapel pin. Mary Kay said, The bumble bee is “just like our women, who didn’t know they could fly to the top, but they did.” In 1970, at an annual seminar, Mary Kay started awarding the diamond bumblebee pin  to her top-performing sales consultants, telling the can-do story of the humble bumble bee. Her lapel pin message: If the bumble bee can fly, you can too!

“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn’t be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.” - Mary Kay Ash