This blog post was contributed by ASI. For more information on the ASI Buying Program or any of the Buying Programs at Printing Industries of America, visit www.printing.org/buyingpower. Promotional Products: An Affair to Remember Promotional products are globally recognized as a powerful part of brand reinforcement, and advertisers can’t get enough. A Love Story: The Advertiser & the Promotional Product Did you know that 86% of those who own promotional products remember the advertiser? On average, people in the U.S. own 10 promo products. Whether it’s a calendar, a reusable bag, or coffee mug, logos and brand messages are memorable because they are visible. The Perfect Match: The Advertiser and the Distributor How well do promotional products work? In 2013, the industry earned $20.5 billion. So, where do promotional products come from, and who’s profiting from them? When advertisers need products for a special promotion, they seek out distributors to generate ideas and place orders with suppliers. The First Date: Getting Started as a Distributor Becoming a distributor can be as easy and profitable. Let’s do the math: The average order from a single end-buyer is $1,061. Five orders per year will bring in $5,305. The average small distributor services 94 clients per year, bringing that total up to $498,670 a year. You don’t have to quit your day job. Many business owners sell promotional products in addition to their primary business. You can earn more money from existing customers. For instance, printers can upsell high-end products like embroidered jackets and engraved awards, to their customers, along with their regular orders. Intrigued? Happily Ever After ASI® can help launch your business with robust sourcing tools, free education, catalogs, websites, trade shows, and more! You don’t need a lot of capital or additional staff. You simply sign up, learn, and sell. Big things come in small packages. If you’re not convinced, check your desk, closet, or vehicle and discover how many of these products you actually own. Visit www.printing.org/asi to learn...

The following blog post was contributed by Thaddeus B. Kubis, author of Guide to Integrated Marketing and Media Convergence: The Print Provider’s Guide to Use, Sell, and Profit from Integrated marketing and Emerging Technologies, the Printing Industries Press February/March Book of the Month. What is “integrated marketing communications,” and how can I profit from this process? Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is the multi-vitamin of marketing, a tool that allows marketers to provide messages per planned dosages of when, where, how, and why to a targeted demographic or vertical. An advantage of IMC is that a PSP/CSP [print services provider/communications service provider] can interact and offer many of the media tools used to deliver the prescribed dosage. Tools such as flyers, brochures, and other promotional material are obvious ones, but what about the very quickly changing media landscape detailed below? Which tools can you simply add to your service mix to expand your business and increase your profits? Changing Media Landscape Advertising: Broadcast Online Mobile Print Out of Home Direct Marketing: Direct Mail Email Events POP/POS Education Digital Marketing: SEO/SEM Remarketing (retargeting) Social Media Websites/Microsites/Landing Pages Public Relations Media Relations: Analyst Relations Investor Relations Adding IMC tools to your service mix not only will help you develop a dialogue with a prospect or existing customer, but will also allow you to keep the conversation moving forward and allow you to grab the golden ring of sales potential— engagement! Engagement means you have an open door to a potential (or existing) client, a door that may have been closed to you before, but is now ajar because you are no longer directly selling. Consultative type selling is not new to this or other businesses. What is new is the simple fact that your existing and potential customers are looking for a consultant to provide new ideas and new ways to reduce cost, increase sales, and expand their profits. IMC allows you to promote the concept of profit advocacy, which is both good for you and your customer. Profit advocacy turns the table. Customers no longer start or end with “What is the cost to print this flyer?” Instead, they might ask, “How can you assist me in developing increased response, reducing my cost per order, and increasing my sales?” That is why IMC is a multi-vitamin; it not only provides measured dosages but also provides both a short-term solution and a long-term strategy to marketing wellness. Integrated marketing linked to media convergence is a pathfinder to increased business, new and expanded existing business, and increased involvement with your customer and prospect needs. They are tools that enable you to develop a dialogue and establish ongoing engagement that continues the conversation your...

The following blog post was contributed by Thaddeus B. Kubis, author of Guide to Integrated Marketing and Media Convergence: The Print Provider’s Guide to Use, Sell, and Profit from Integrated marketing and Emerging Technologies, the Printing Industries Press February/March Book of the Month. What is “integrated marketing communications,” and how can I profit from this process? Integrated marketing communications (IMC) is the multi-vitamin of marketing, a tool that allows marketers to provide messages per planned dosages of when, where, how, and why to a targeted demographic or vertical. An advantage of IMC is that a PSP/CSP [print services provider/communications service provider] can interact and offer many of the media tools used to deliver the prescribed dosage. Tools such as flyers, brochures, and other promotional material are obvious ones, but what about the very quickly changing media landscape detailed below? Which tools can you simply add to your service mix to expand your business and increase your profits? Changing Media Landscape Advertising: Broadcast Online Mobile Print Out of Home Direct Marketing: Direct Mail Email Events POP/POS Education Digital Marketing: SEO/SEM Remarketing (retargeting) Social Media Websites/Microsites/Landing Pages Public Relations Media Relations: Analyst Relations Investor Relations Adding IMC tools to your service mix not only will help you develop a dialogue with a prospect or existing customer, but will also allow you to keep the conversation moving forward and allow you to grab the golden ring of sales potential— engagement! Engagement means you have an open door to a potential (or existing) client, a door that may have been closed to you before, but is now ajar because you are no longer directly selling. Consultative type selling is not new to this or other businesses. What is new is the simple fact that your existing and potential customers are looking for a consultant to provide new ideas and new ways to reduce cost, increase sales, and expand their profits. IMC allows you to promote the concept of profit advocacy, which is both good for you and your customer. Profit advocacy turns the table. Customers no longer start or end with “What is the cost to print this flyer?” Instead, they might ask, “How can you assist me in developing increased response, reducing my cost per order, and increasing my sales?” That is why IMC is a multi-vitamin; it not only provides measured dosages but also provides both a short-term solution and a long-term strategy to marketing wellness. Integrated marketing linked to media convergence is a pathfinder to increased business, new and expanded existing business, and increased involvement with your customer and prospect needs. They are tools that enable you to develop a dialogue and establish ongoing engagement that continues the conversation your...

This blog is contributed by Jeff Crilley, Author, Free Publicity, and featured presenter at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit. With more than two decades of news experience and hard-earned PR expertise, Crilley shows you how to use fundamental promotion strategies to put your business in the spotlight. Do you have a great idea to market your business but no clue how to get noticed by customers? If you’re tired of spending your resources but just not seeing the ROI, I can relate. After 25 years of beating the street as a TV reporter and now as President & CEO of Real News Public Relations, I have learned what it really takes to get your great ideas in front of your audience. And I have a scoop for you: to get noticed, you need to sell your brand story like reporters sell the front page story. Whether it comes from the newsroom or the pressroom, fundamentally getting attention is all about having the right message at the right time in the right place. So, here are five fundamental elements that can increase the success of marketing your business from some of the top PR pros in the industry: 1) Be Unusual Have you ever seen a promotion that was so different and creative that it made you stop in your tracks? Doing something “outside the box” can be intimidating, but just as the news doesn’t cover what’s normal, the usual promotion won’t get you the head-turning results that can drive more sales. You can say that the old adage about “man bites dog” still holds true—uniqueness sells. For example, PR whiz Carolyn Alvey knew this when she was trying to raise money for a charity several years ago. Instead of holding a garage sale, she sent out a press release announcing a “Celebrity Garage Sale.” Everything from Bob Hope’s old golf clubs to Roger Staubach’s long-neglected neckties was for sale. By making an ordinary garage sale unique, the media was instantly sold on the story. How can you apply this idea to your business? Try creating a direct mail piece your customer can’t help but open like this one from Sappi Fine Paper. 2) Be Visual Reporters tell stories with pictures. Brands tell stories as well—through content marketing, social media, print media, and any other communication vehicles. It’s having a visible personality for your company by engaging and connecting with customers on an emotional level. In the printing and graphic arts industry, a great way to connect is to host tours or open houses for clients and graphic arts students. Then post tour photos on a company Facebook page. Create a company blog and share case studies of satisfied customers....

This blog is contributed by Jeff Crilley, Author, Free Publicity, and featured presenter at the 2014 Print Leadership Summit. With more than two decades of news experience and hard-earned PR expertise, Crilley shows you how to use fundamental promotion strategies to put your business in the spotlight. Do you have a great idea to market your business but no clue how to get noticed by customers? If you’re tired of spending your resources but just not seeing the ROI, I can relate. After 25 years of beating the street as a TV reporter and now as President & CEO of Real News Public Relations, I have learned what it really takes to get your great ideas in front of your audience. And I have a scoop for you: to get noticed, you need to sell your brand story like reporters sell the front page story. Whether it comes from the newsroom or the pressroom, fundamentally getting attention is all about having the right message at the right time in the right place. So, here are five fundamental elements that can increase the success of marketing your business from some of the top PR pros in the industry: 1) Be Unusual Have you ever seen a promotion that was so different and creative that it made you stop in your tracks? Doing something “outside the box” can be intimidating, but just as the news doesn’t cover what’s normal, the usual promotion won’t get you the head-turning results that can drive more sales. You can say that the old adage about “man bites dog” still holds true—uniqueness sells. For example, PR whiz Carolyn Alvey knew this when she was trying to raise money for a charity several years ago. Instead of holding a garage sale, she sent out a press release announcing a “Celebrity Garage Sale.” Everything from Bob Hope’s old golf clubs to Roger Staubach’s long-neglected neckties was for sale. By making an ordinary garage sale unique, the media was instantly sold on the story. How can you apply this idea to your business? Try creating a direct mail piece your customer can’t help but open like this one from Sappi Fine Paper. 2) Be Visual Reporters tell stories with pictures. Brands tell stories as well—through content marketing, social media, print media, and any other communication vehicles. It’s having a visible personality for your company by engaging and connecting with customers on an emotional level. In the printing and graphic arts industry, a great way to connect is to host tours or open houses for clients and graphic arts students. Then post tour photos on a company Facebook page. Create a company blog and share case studies of satisfied customers....