Customer Appreciation Gifts

Since I’ve gotten you thinking about parties, let’s take a look at another great end-of-year event. This year, if you don’t feel a holiday party for your office is right, why not throw an end of year “Customer Appreciation” bash, gala, open house, social or good old-fashioned party?

This is a great way to get all of your most loved customers in one room and thank them for their time and their business this year, or in years past. It’s a great way to start off the new year, letting your favorite customers (or all of your customers) know how much you appreciate them while you take the opportunity to share your plans, your outlook or your goals for the coming year. It is also a way to give your most valuable clients a "warm fuzzy" feeling about you and your business that will last through the competitive times ahead. There are situations when that little bit of edge is necessary to ward off your competitors.

Check out our previous blog for decorating help (we’ve got the napkins, plates, cups, tablecloths and everything else you need to decorate)

I have a great gift idea for you. Do you want to give them something with sticking power, something your clients will look at not just daily, but multiple times every single day? Something that will make that "warm, fuzzy" last over many years and will make it available and visible in your customers' offices whenever your competitor shows up? If we measured “favorite” by the number of times we look at something, then one of my favorite things is the clock on my desk.I’m always checking the time (not so much for when I can leave work, but how long I have until I need to leave for that meeting, appointment, or to make that phone call to California or Brazil). If you think about it, nothing other than the monitor you are looking at right now rivals the advertising ‘hits’ you get with a clock or a watch.

Clocks, like all products, come in many shapes and sizes, so think about the message you want to send.

Is your business all about innovation and creativity? Desk clocks come in many shapes, and this one is quite a unique design. Give a gift that will help your clients 'soar' in the New Year. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) There are other shapes offered from simple geometric shapes, to golf bags, pianos, guitars, and classic cars-even pens with clocks built in. Check out some of our other designs. If you don't see a shape you want, contact us. I am sure we can find it.

Are you interested in a more classic look and feel? Check out this beautiful masterpiece. Its got a great look with roman numerals and a lovely mahogany finish. We have many similar timepieces, perfect for your favorite clients' desks.

Why not both new AND traditional? This time piece has a streamline look with a analog clock face. Put this on any desk and your sure to dress it up without being too busy.

Clocks are a great way to keep you on your customer's mind..every time they check the time. Best of all, they’ll thank you for the help.

Steve
www.raggo.com

Moving Ever On

Summer is ending, Autumn is here, and before you know it, you’ll be wrapping Christmas gifts for friends, family and co-workers. Now is the best time to get your promotional products ready for this Holiday season. And perhaps that includes a holiday open house, family gathering, or small work party.

We’ve got everything you need to make planning even easier for you!

Some questions to consider when planning: Is this for a specific holiday, like Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa? Or is this a general holiday party? What colors will I use as a scheme? (Traditional green and red? Silver and blue? Gold? Any other combinations?) How many people will I invite? Is this formal or informal?

Once considering these questions and writing out a guest list, you’re probably getting together with the caterer and planning a menu, looking for a venue, and drawing up some decoration ideas. I bet you’re also planning to hit the store for the same old cocktail napkins, boring plastic cups, and the usual paper plates. Grabbing a few blasé gift bags and impersonal items to fill it.

Why though? This is your year to shine as host or hostess, so why not make the most(est). I’m sorry, I could not resist with that one.

If you’re throwing a party for business associates and employees or potential clients, take a look at our cocktail napkins. Imprinted with your logo and a special message, these are great items to include with your delicious buffet or delightful finger foods. Your party colors or business colors can be imprinted on white or colored napkins, adding a personal touch to even the smallest detail.

Will you be serving punch or cocktails? Plastic cups, in clear, frosted or various colors, can also be imprinted to match or compliment your napkins. Perfect for your family recipe of egg nog or that special party punch.

Even the plates can be personalized to meet your party needs.

After guests have mingled and enjoyed each others (and your own) company, how do you thank them for their time? A great gift for the holidays, especially if your guests have a Christmas tree, is a Christmas ornament. There are many to choose from, flat shapes to ordinate glass balls. My favorite lies right in the middle. Consider a traditional Christmas ball emblazoned with a “Happy Holidays!”, “Merry Christmas!”, “ ‘Tis the Season”, or whatever strikes your fancy. Include your business name and the year. Consider keeping to your party theme colors or your own business logo—your guests can enjoy these gifts every holiday season.

And yes, we do have gift bags. You can personalize the gift bags to include your business name along with “A special gift for you” or any other holiday message. Putting the chorus of your favorite Christmas carol or another meaningful holiday song to you is another way to personalize the bag itself and make this particular holiday gift special.

These are just a few ideas of some great holiday gifts and party items to consider. Please check out the website for any other holiday needs.

Environmentally Friendly Key Tags

Wow. This hitting for the cycle is really hard! It may take a little longer to find the home run in key tags, but here are 3 tags that fit the bill for single, double and triple.

Remember, we established that environmentally friendly advertising products will be products that are

1) recyclable, reusable or biodegradable
2) renewable, sustainable, organic or somehow do no (or less) harm to the environment when manufactured or disposed of, or
3) made from recycled materials.

Using a baseball analogy, we will call products that meet one of the categories above a single. If a product meets 2 of the categories, it is a double and if it meets all 3 of the earth friendly categories it is a triple. If we find a triple that is also on sale, then we will rule that one a home run.

We have quite a few key tags that reach first base. I chose the TTR from Americanna line, show at the left, because it is made from 100% post consumer recycled tires. Getting them out of the landfills without burning them is a good thing. They also carry 2 other shapes in recycled tire key tags - round and barrel shaped. Let us know if you want a different shape as many of our key tag manufacturers (not from this line, but from others) offer some level of recycled content in their materials.


Swinging for a double are 3 tags from AmPro's Nature Ad line. These tags are made from corn plastic and so are both manufactured from a renewable resource and are biodegradable. Shown at the right is the rectangular version. They also offer an oval version and one shaped like an ear of corn.


The triple comes from CorporateKey. It is an environmentally friendly flashlight key tag which uses solar cells to power 3 LEDs, the case is made from recycled materials and it is manufactured completely lead free ('LED free' in the text on the web page should have been 'lead free'. It is, after all, an LED flashlight). Shown at the left, this key tag is recycled, uses renewable energy and uses no lead in the manufacturing. Definitely a triple.


No home runs this time, but I will keep looking for them. Maybe I will try to hit the cycle with bags next time. That should be interesting.

Until then.

Steve
www.raggo.com

Environmentally Responsible Advertising Sluggers!

Alright. Finally. The 'Big Guns' are at the plate. Excitement is in the air and everyone is paying extra to see if they can clear the bases....here goes.


First up is a pair of pens from ID Line. Both of these pens, the Goodkind Woody (at the top)and the Goodkind Timbercrank fill all of the categories we established for environmentally responsible pens (see our earlier post here for that discussion). All of the Goodkind Brand pens do. First, they are reusable ... in the pen world, that means that they are refillable. Brass refills, which themselves are made of recycled brass, are just $0.60 ea plus shipping. Second, they are manufactured from sustained yield birch, use a non-toxic varnish and are embellished with laser engraving rather than ink imprinting. Third, the steel clips and crank are made from recycled steel. So, these pens are reusable, sustainable, non-toxic and made from recycled materials. Definitely a pen that touches all the environmentally friendly bases!




Now up to bat is one of our heroes, the RCP from Graphco Line. This long ball hitter features a barrel made from recycled cardboard, which is also biodegradable, and the clip is bamboo...one of the most sustainable crops around. All this environmental friendliness AND it is currently on sale through the end of September! Sale price is $0.44 each plus shipping. Set up is FREE. BOOM...out of the park it goes.

I will try hitting the cycle with environmentally friendly key tags next time.

Steve
www.raggo.com

Hit for the Cycle with Environmentally Friendly Ad Products

Reviewing our categories of environmentally responsible promotional products, we hold that they will be

1) recyclable, reusable or biodegradable
2) renewable, sustainable, organic or somehow do no (or less) harm to the environment when manufactured, or
3) made from recycled materials.

Let's see if we can hit for the cycle with eco friendly ink pens.

Hitting first is an entry from one of my favorite pen companies, Bic. It is the Bic Ecolutions Round Stic pen. With a body made from 74% pre-consumer recycled material, originally used in the production of automotive part trays, it fills the roll of the lead off hitter by getting on with a single...it satisfies category 3 above. It is also currently on sale for $0.29 ea plus shipping through the end of August, but since all 3 of our categories above are not filled by this pen, it is only 'a hard hit single.'









Next up is the Legend from Target Line. This pen's body is made from corn (a renewable resource) based plastics and is biodegradable, so it fulfills both categories 1 and 2 above. Its low price and low minimum order are also very attractive, so we will call this hit a stand up double!


Our sluggers will be up next time to provide us with a couple of 'environmental long balls'. I can't wait to show them to you. Until then...

Steve
www.raggo.com

Another Environmental Homer

Let’s review the ‘categories’ of environmentally friendly advertising products we discussed last entry. They will either be

1) recyclable, reusable or biodegradable

2) renewable, sustainable, organic or somehow do no (or less) harm to the environment when manufactured, or

3) made from recycled materials.

I love using the baseball metaphor for ranking the environmental friendliness of a product. If a product falls into one of the categories, it is a single. If it meets two, it is a double. Products that fall into all three of the categories we will call triples, AND if it is on special, then it is a home run. As in baseball, we have a lot of singles in our database, fewer doubles and even fewer triples. Home runs are few and far between. Here is another

This is the Eco’brella from Four Seasons. Both the canopy and the frame are made from recycled materials, the fabric is certified to not contain any harmful substances, the handle is bamboo which is both renewable and biodegradable, and it is on sale through 09/01/10. The sale price for 50 or more of these environmentally responsible umbrellas is $19.98 each and we will even throw in free setup, saving our customers another $50. Another one out of the park!

We can’t always hit homers, though. We will talk about some triples next time.

Steve

www.raggo.com

Hitting Environmental Home Runs

Well...so much for resolutions, eh? I resolved at the beginning of this year not to let this blog thing go unattended for long stretches of time. For those of you who are counting, it has indeed been about 4 months without an entry. Time flies, doesn't it? I suppose that all new habits need refocusing and readjusting occasionally. Thank you to Jim, the web guy extraordinaire in my Wednesday Leadshare Group, for holding me accountable and reminding me that blogging is an everyday (or at least an every week) thing.

Perhaps I would have an easier time blogging if I focused on products instead of me. We will try that.

Nowadays, many consumers are thinking about the ways that their buying choices effect the environment. Businesses are no different, but in the business world it becomes more of an economic issue rather than a political one. In this time of tightening budgets, for instance, most businesses are taking steps to reduce expenses. These can be as simple as replacing old light bulbs with new, energy efficient ones. (Available with your imprint). More proactive measures might include encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags, or asking if they even need a bag, instituting a telework program or giving incentives to carpoolers. These are simple measures, but added together they can help to reduce costs on both the corporate wallet, and on the environment.

You might have taken steps in your own life to become environmentally-responsible even though you weren’t trying. After all, reducing waste and consuming fewer resources ought to have an economic benefit of some sort. Perhaps, in an attempt to lower your printing costs, you have begun to recycle ink jet or toner cartridges in your business. Maybe you chose energy efficient appliances, bought some of those colorful tote bags from the grocery store or you even replaced a few bulbs in your own house with those long-lasting ones.

Whether or not you are personally concerned with such things, many of your customers likely are. To address both your promotional need and their environmental sensibilities, advertising products are popping up everyday claiming the mantle of ‘environmental responsibility’. There are more than 36000 products from over 500 manufacturers in our database that claim to be environmentally friendly. Before we go any further, though, let’s take a look at the term “environmentally-responsible.” Loosely defined, environmentally-responsible people examine their habits and work toward living a life that creates less waste, consumes fewer natural resources and attempts to reduce any negative impact that their actions have on the environment. It would follow then that environmentally-responsible products either create less waste, consume fewer resources or are less environmentally destructive than their non-environmentally-responsible counterparts. Simply stated they are either

1) recyclable, reusable, biodegradable or somehow do not end up in a land fill or degrade quickly when they do,

2) sustainable, renewable, organic, or at least does no harm to the environment when produced, or they are

3) produced from recycled materials.

Some of the products we offer fit only one category. Some however fit into all three of the categories above. One that does fit all three is the wire-bound Ecomaxx monthly planner from Payne Publishers. It is made from 100% recycled paper, the cover is 100% recycled coverstock, 30% post consumer (PCW) fiber, the wire binding is 90% recycled wire, and it is 100% chlorine free (PCF). So, it is biodegradable (#1 above), does not use harsh chemicals (Chlorine) when produced (#2 above) and is made from recycled everything (#3 above). Additionally, there are ecological "green tips" each page and if you order before July 30, you get a 10% discount. All this AND your ad gets daily exposure. Sounds like a home run do me. A weekly version is also available if you prefer that format.

More 'home run' eco-friendly products next time.

Steve