Sunday, February 9, 2014

Promotional T-shirts are still an effective way to draw attention to your brand


by Kim Vermaak 09 February 2014 Today there is so much competition to get noticed. Plus so much information out there. In the promotional clothing and promotional gift industry, I have seen a lot of gifts and t-shirts, but three weeks ago, I noticed a t-shirt’s slogan made me ask a total stranger to turn around and show me the front of his t-shirt. His t-shirt said “Getting bosses and their secretaries out of trouble since 1997”. Now when he turned around the actual company that the shirt was advertising was both a particularly exciting type of products, but definitely necessary and it certainly got my attention with the catchy slogan on the back of the t-shirt. In today’s fast paced and highly competitive business world, standing out is the key. The good news is that there are more ways to reach people than ever before in history, and if you’re willing to think outside of the box and pay attention to your clientele, you can strike the right chord. Choose Great Graphic design Once of the best ways for attracting customers to small businesses these days, particularly when the clientele are under 35, is through graphic design. Graphic design might seem a bit unusual, but today’s generation is all about being unusual and standing out. This allows building a brand that is both highly recognizable, a path for future success. Custom t-shirts The reason why you don’t need to spend money and why spending money won’t give you the results you’re looking for is because people in today’s younger generations aren’t driven by the old school ad campaigns that used to work. There are so many younger generations making purchasing decisions. So make sure that your custom t-shirts have a great appeal for a younger market. Since start-ups generally don’t have deep pockets, you really need to plan ahead. That means you should start by trying to be creative from the very beginning. One of the tactics you can try is to use t-shirts that are inexpensive and custom made. You can’t do much better than a good run of t-shirts if you’re trying to get the public wise to your business, what you do, and why people should come to you. T-shirts Work Lots of businesses, with small businesses in particular, tend to look toward t-shirts as a marketing tool of choice because it gives them the results they are looking for at a budget they can afford. A t-shirt is like a billboard that walks everywhere and interacts with future customers on your behalf. In some ways, it’s even better than a billboard because of that element of personal interaction. If you want success, you should figure out a way to get people to do your marketing for you through t-shirts. In a recent study, Brand exposure on Corporate Gifts clearly leaves a compelling impression on recipients when compared to other forms of advertising. 56% of recipients of corporate gifts said their opinion of the brand or company was more favourable. Tips to keep in mind Use graphics, use colour, use size a large size print on your t-shirts, Take advantage of any avenues of distribution you can think of. If you have employees, for example, all of them should be wearing your t-shirts everywhere they go. Ask friend who want you to succeed to wear your t-shirts. Think simple. Your design should be easy to figure out visually, but at the same time, you should make it stand out so it sticks in the mind. And finally, you want your t-shirts to be packaged with your products so people are likely to pick them up when they pick up your products. There are a number of reasons to look toward promotional t-shirts when it comes to small business marketing. T-shirts are cheap and effective billboards that reach people personally. Just keep things creative and you’ll start racking up customers before you know it. If you need to find out more about promotional t-shirts contact Belle Regalo info@belleregalo.co.za or call us on (011) 593 2450 or 082 948 7461.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Rainy Day Gifts


You have heard the term rainmaker. It is a person who generates income for a business or organization by brokering deals or attracting clients or funds. Rain brings new life to your garden, cleans out the air from pollution and heals the earth. But it can also make people a little gloomy, when they have to get up to go to work in the rain, the traffic becomes congested, someone drives through a puddle and you get drenched and your children get cabin fever as they cannot go out. That is when it is the perfect time to capitalise on handing out rainy day gifts. What kind of promotional gifts can you hand out on a rainy day? Umbrellas are always a winner. They come is a vast range of sizes and shapes a colours. Personally I prefer a windproof umbrella or golf umbrellas. That is because I come from Port Elizabeth; also known as the friendly or the windy City. Now while I like the friendly part, I am not crazy about the wind especially if the wind turns your umbrella inside out. It is always an act of kindness to have a few branded umbrellas in your reception area for visitors who arrive unprotected from the rain. So if you are afraid of the combination of wind and rain, then a rain resistant jacket like a wind breaker, dri mac or oxford sporty jacket is the way to go. Of course on days like these I have a craving for hot chocolate and if you are like me, and then the best kind of hot chocolate is definitely Nomu. Rich and creamy chocolatey indulgence, this premium hot chocolate powder is meant to be enjoyed with hot or cold milk or maybe even just sprinkled on top of vanilla ice cream! As Nomu comes in a beautiful tin, why not compliment it with an Isosteel mug (the prestige thermal mug) or with one of the highly accessible cost effective promotional stainless steel thermal mugs. Why not have a coffee machine in your reception area, one with coffee and an urn with hot water and couple of branded mug and a tin of delicious hot chocolate for them to warm up with after being drenched by the rain. Whatever your special rainy promotional gifts are, you can certainly add dividends to your client relationships by using these promotional gifting ideas. For more information about Umbrellas or other rainy day promotional gifts, contact us on info@belleregalo.co.za , visit us on www.belleregalo.co.za or call us on (011) 593 2450 Or 082 948 7461.