The "Hi" verses the "Timely" Mailing

You ordered your personalized calendars in October with all good intentions of mailing them out to your loyal customers by December. Then that funny little thing called "Life" happened.
December turned into March and those timely promotional products, that you agonized over when choosing them from the multitude, are still sitting there collecting dust.
What to do?
Take it as a lesson learned.

In fact, if you really want to send a calendar, order NOW for next year!
Suppliers will offer "Early Bird Specials," usually up till June.
NOW, is the time to clean up your database so you can start with a clean mailing list.
NOW, is the time to budget the postage you will need.
NOW, is the time to get a jump on your competition so that your calendar arrives by December 1st.

On to "Hi" mailings. While they aren't timely, they are important.
When I say "Hi," I mean the information is not time sensitive.
1. They are typically a less expensive campaign and will provide you - in a timely manner - if your mailing list is as clean as you think it is. Think of it as a test.
2. They are a good way to let your customer know you are still in business.
3. They can contain a "promo that fits in an envelope," such as a 6" ruler, bookmark or even a pen if the budget allows.

So, if you haven't done a mailing in awhile, do it in the right order by saying "Hi" now and then schedule the "Timely" mailing in a timely manner.

The Write Stuff

The best promotional products are ones that will be used every day.
Regardless of how far technology has progressed, we will always have a need, want and desire to write something down.

So, it is no suprise that pens continue to be one of the most popular promotional products received.
In fact, according to the Promotional Products Assn. Intl. www.ppa.org, writing instruments historically come in 2nd at 10% of all promotional products annually sold, led only by Wearables (typically at 30%)!

But how do you know what pen to choose?
It should be the one that you would be upset over if you lost it.

And while you can't "please all of the people all of the time," I wager it a safe bet that if you like it, the majority of your customers will, too.

So, what is it that sets your pen apart?
If it is a click or twist pen, is it the mechanism?
Is it the ink flow? Or is the medium gel?
Is it the feel and/or weight?
Is it refillable?
What does it do for your image?

The disposable pen pictured here is made from corn plastic.
When it is no longer usable and disposed of in a landfill, it will 85% biodegrade in about a year.
It was chosen as a trade show giveaway by the Green division of a building & contractors organization in MA.
So, the point is it comes down to more than getting your name out there.
It is the impression that you want to make.