I have now covered “What Promotional Products Are?” and “How to use Promotional Products?” I would now like to explain why you should advertise in this manner. Everyone should advertise in some way,

Promotional Products happen to be an effective and economical way to advertise when compared to traditional forms such as print, radio/TV billboards etc. Magazines and newspapers have a very short life span and end up in the recycling bin.

Promotional Products stay with your target audience. A calendar or diary is with your client 365 days a year, a key chain is used every time a person starts his car and a coffee mug is used 2-3 times a day. In terms of exposure a Promotional Product is the most cost effective method of advertising on a cost per exposure basis.

With Promotional Products you are able to customize your promotion to your advantage. For example if you are trying to increase clients at a bank you might want to give out a logoed calculator with every account opened.

A great reason to include Promotional Products in your advertising budget is GOODWILL! Everyone likes to receive a gift! People who receive goodwill gifts tend to be more loyal and place repeat orders. They are also more likely to refer friends and their clients to you.

Promotional Products have DIVERSITY built in. There are more than 800,000 Promotional Items available to help your business. I have included a list from the PPPC (Promotional Products Professionals of Canada) identifying some of the applications of Promotional Products;

Promoting Store Openings
Introduction of New Products
Motivating sales staff/employees
Opening a new Account
Motivating Customers
Increasing Trade Show traffic
Activating Inactive Accounts
Improving Customer relations
Introducing new Sales Staff
Building a Positive Image

Every business encounters one or more of these examples from time to time. Promotional Products are a cost effective, long lasting way to use your advertising dollars.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss Promotional Products and Branding YOUR Business.

If you would like to discuss these and any other Promotional idea to “Brand” your business please feel free to contact us at 250-317-4333.

In my second installment about Promotional Products I wanted to discuss how they are used.

Promotional Products are used both internally and externally in any business, to achieve many goals.

When you are trying to build CUSTOMER LOYALTY , customers who receive a Promotional Product generally reorder sooner and place more repeatorders. It has also been shown that businesses who receive Promotional Products remember advertisers longer.

When used in DIRECT MAIL ADVERTISING , including a Promotional Product increases response rates. For example you could say; “Receive a free note pad with a new order”.

EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE can be improved when Promotional Products are used as incentives, bonuses or gifts. These types of rewards tell your staff that you appreciate them and want to keep them happy. (If you provide staff with a nice team jacket or vest you receive the added advertising bonus of them walking around wearing your logo for all to see).

TRADE SHOWS are an excellent medium for Promotional Products. It has been proven to increase traffic and awareness at booths giving out Promotional Products.

What I am saying is that promotional Products help CREATE AWARENESS for your business. They put your name in front of your excisting clients as well as prospective clients every day. Promotional Products a great way to advertise and Brand your business! 

 If you would like to discuss these and any other Promotional idea to “Brand” your business please feel free to contact us at 250-317-4333.

Christmas is approaching so fast and I was wondering what to report for my December newsletter. I decided to do a 3 part “Promotional Products 2011!

 The first being “What is a Promotional Product?”

 The words “Promotional Products” is actually a blanket term for a wide range of items. I’ve tried to narrow this down to 5 groups.

 AD SPECIALTIES – An ad specialty usually comes with a logo or promotional message on it, and has a practical use. A few examples would be, mugs, pens calendars, key tags etc. The list can be endless but the important thing to remember is that Ad Specialties are generally given with no obligation.

PREMIUMS – Premiums on the other hand, come with strings attached. These Premiums are offered as an incentive for your clients to respond in a certain manner; for example “Purchase this bike and receive a free water bottle”.

AWARDS – These are usually in the form of lapel or service pens, jewelry, watches, clocks crystals etc. The recognition is often more important than the award, but it is a symbol of the honour received. These awards usually have an inscription showing the individuals’ name, the reason for receiving the award and the date.

BUSINESS GIFTS – These are usually given to customers, employees or suppliers, to thank, recognize performance, or develop new business. About half of all corporations give these business gifts and find them very effective. A few examples of these gifts would be Clothing, Golf Accessories, or Pen and Pencil sets.

MISCELLANEOUS PROMOTIONS – This is a catchall for any items that do not fit a specific category. These might include products for membership in a club or sponsorship; for example the company name or logo imprinted on a jacket, hat or shirt etc. Souvenirs for tourists, such as coffee mugs, key chains, hats or towels. Promotional events very often use logoed balloons and banners to promote their events.

If you would like to discuss these and any other Promotional idea to “Brand” your business please feel free to contact us at 250-317-4333.

Advertising is not something you dabble in when things are good it should be a constant that you do throughout all of the ups and downs in the marketplace. Your advertising dollar is not what is left over after you’ve paid your “important” bills; it “is” one of your important bills.

You have to constantly tell your clients and the people you want to be your clients that you are still here and ready to do business with them. You need to be shouting from the roof tops that you are here.

I read recently that businesses should be spending between 3% and 5% of their gross sales on advertising. If you are not perhaps you should reexamine your advertising strategy. You can’t afford to stop advertising now.

Remember, this is part of “Branding” your business and “Promotional Products, help you Brand ‘YOUR’ business”.

Please feel free to call me to discuss different promotional ideas for your business.

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

Please feel free to call me to discuss different promotional ideas for your business.

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

What is the mission of your nonprofit organization? Most non-profits exist to spreadthe word about an important issue or to raise money to meet a need. Promotional products can serve as an important part of your strategy in many different ways.

The purposes of promotional products usually fall into one of the following categories:
- increase name recognition
- advertise a product or services the word, promotional items can

- thank customers or contributors
- raise funds
- increase support for a cause

Non-profit agencies often find themselvesworking on public awareness advertising and marketing campaigns. While radio PSAs and flyers are good ways of spreading the word, promotional items can really launch a message in a way that it can’t be ignored. Whether your message is a greener Earth or cleaner lungs promotional items can
help create a“buzz” for your cause.

Bruce Falkins has been very involved locally on the local boards and eventually President of the “Central Okanagan Home Based Business Association (COHBBA). Bruce was also a director of the Promotional Products Professionals
of Canada (PPPC) for five years. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise and has held many positions on the board including President. In 2010-2011

Bruce accepted the position of Assistant District Governor for Area 4 of the CentralOkanagan responsible
for helping the nine local Rotary Clubs as well as two Interact clubs and one Rotaract Club. One of the
main reasons Bruce joined Rotary was its incredible scope. We can work with local organizations as well as around
the world, and my contribution “does”make a difference.One of my most fulfilling local projects is our
clubs “Dictionary” program where each year we deliver a dictionary to every grade three students at Pearson Road Elementary School. This dictionary is theirs to keep and used at home and school year after year.

“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”

As posted in Beyond 50 Fall Edition

Please feel free to call me to discuss different promotional ideas for your business.

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

Please feel free to call me to discuss different promotional ideas for your business.

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

Ramesh Ferris, a man who hand cycled across Canada, will speak in Kelowna about surviving polio. Ramesh’s visit is being sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of the Central Okanagan.

A Canadian polio survivor and long distance cyclist Ramesh Ferris will speak at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna  on October 30, 2010.

Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Ramesh was infected by polio when he was six months old. At the age of two he was adopted by Canadian parents in Whitehorse Yukon Territories and, after many surgeries and physical rehabilitation, learned to walk with the aid of crutches.

Ramesh Ferris first made the news in 2008, when he hand-cycled across Canada to help Rotary raise awareness and funds to fight this disease that still threatens children in parts of Africa and Asia. Ramesh hand cycled more than 7,110 km by hand cycle over 173 days, and raised $318,000.00 Cdn. and increased the awareness of polio dramatically.

Ramesh is a Paul Harris Fellow, Vice President of the Whitehorse Rotary Club, and Chair of the Rotary PolioPlus Committee for his club. In April 2010 Ramesh released his first book entitled “Better than a Cure, One Man’s Journey to Free the World of Polio”. His book will be available, for purchase (at $20.00 per book) and for him to sign at the event on October 30, 2010. Proceeds benefit Rotary PolioPlus.

Most recently Ramesh shared Rotary’s message of Polio Eradication to delegates at the 2010 Rotary International Convention in Montréal, including  The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper,His Royal Highness Prince Phillip and Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II.

This November Ramesh has been invited to speak at the United Nations as part of Rotary International Day. Ramesh is looking forward to speaking in Kelowna and sharing his personal journey of surviving Polio and invites everyone to join with Rotary in their efforts of making our global community polio free!

Falkins Advertising Specialties
“Promotional Products to Brand YOUR Business”
Tel: 250-317-4333
FAX: 250-448-5730
bruce@falkinsadvertising.com
www.falkinsadvertising.com

After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.

Your contribution will help Rotary raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families.

As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high.

“If we all have the fortitude to see this effort through to the end, then we will eradicate polio.”

- Bill Gates