PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS - CORPORATE GIFT IDEAS

‘Tis the season – I have been in various sales & marketing roles during my career, approximately 12 years. Each year, top customers are sent gifts to celebrate the relationships that were formed and the business they have provided. So, what are you sending – cookies, food baskets, etc.? While each of these things are nice and mostly effective, the goal is to show your appreciation and create a deeper relationship – ultimately making it harder for them to leave. What are you doing to connect your audience to the gifts you are sending?

One year, while working for a print marketing firm that focuses on the real estate industry, our National Association of Realtors (NAR) conference (over 10,000 attendees) was held in New Orleans. That year, rather than sending the usual gifts I stopped by Café Du Monde - a popular local coffee shop, and ordered a couple cases of their most popular coffee. I sent over 100 containers, each with a personalized letter to my top 100 customers/prospects. The response was amazing! I received 9 hand written thank-you letters and several emails sharing personal experiences from Café Du Monde. Not only did that $5.00 gift show each of these customers that I was thinking about them, it helped tie back in an experience and joyful emotion the French Quarter and New Orleans has to offer. Not to mention I retained 100% of those clients and gained 5 new accounts because of it.

The letter went something like this…

Dear Customer,

I hope you had a fun and successful trip to New Orleans for the NAR conference. I am not sure if you had a chance to stop by Café Du Monde while you were there, but the coffee and beignets were truly amazing. Their one-of-a-kind flavor made me think of you and how you might enjoy a cup this holiday season. Bring it home or share it within your office, either way I am sure it will be a hit.

Thank you so much for your business this year, I truly appreciate it.

Cheers!

As you see, the majority of the letter is geared towards drawing out certain emotions - connecting them back to the conference, Café Du Monde, the French Quarter and New Orleans in general. Although you want to be sure and thank them for their business, you do not want to dwell on it and say “thank you for spending $XXXXX with us.” They do not care about your year and your sales; they care about how you were able to help them and that you will work hard for them.

What gifts have you been successful (or unsuccessful) with?

6 MARKETING TIPS FROM THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR

The Minnesota State Fair is just around the corner and we have got 6 marketing tips YOU can use today. This 12 day event features fried you-name-it on-a-stick, butter sculptures, farm animals, concerts and some of the best people watching of all time. The fair draws almost two million people from across the state and around the country. Part of their success is built on 152 years of tradition. The other part is marketing expertise.

You may not have 152 years of tradition to rely on, but you can borrow some of that deep fried marketing expertise to get customers and prospects to engage.

1. Something for Everyone. Some people go for the food. Others go to see the animals or exhibit halls. The concert lineup is a diverse mix of artists from several genres. Some events are specifically geared towards kids and others are clearly toward adults. The fair knows it has a diverse audience a finds ways to appeal to each segment.

Smart marketers have a well-defined target audience that they appeal to. But, are there secondary target audiences that need to be considered? Find ways to enhance the experience for that secondary audience too.

2. Consistency. The first time I went to the fair, I took an entire day and saw everything. I went again the next year and was a little disappointed to find that everything was exactly the same. But, I have observed that when people talk about the fair, they talk about all of the favorite places that they visit year after year. I get it now!

A consistent experience builds a brand. Customers want to know what to expect each time they engage your business. The more comfortable and familiar your brand is to them the more loyal they become.

3. Be a Little Strange. Leading up to the state fair, everyone talks about the new, strange fair food item for the year. This year’s most talked about food item is the fried butter on-a-stick – unfortunately it doesn’t sound like it’s going to make its way up Minnesota this year (we’ll see). These food items defy logic and good health, but generate a ton of buzz before, during and after the fair.

Do something different to grab attention and create a buzz about your brand. Outside of the box ideas can’t be copied by a competitor. What brand quirk or differentiator can get people talking about you?

4. Make it an Event. The fair is one of the largest events of the summer in Minnesota. People begin talking about it months before it starts. Vacations are planned around it. There is a five year waiting list for campsites around the fairgrounds. You get the point.

Can you create an event to get customers or the community excited? It could be a new product launch, supporting a cause, customer appreciation or just for fun. Do it every year and it becomes something to look forward to.

5. Have a Contest. Competitions for State Fair ribbons are taken very seriously. Competitions with cash rewards can be cutthroat. People spend an entire year gearing up for the competition of their choice. This is their Super Bowl. It’s an important part of their fair experience.

Build brand loyalty by rewarding achievements of your customers. This can be as big as a customer loyalty program or as simple a coloring contest for the kids.

6. Easy Access. Parking at the fair is at a premium and if you choose the free Park & Ride option you better be patient and plan on an extra 30 minutes (each way) for the commute. The MTC has also partnered with the Great Minnesota Get Together and offers discounted parking with express bus service from 17 Twin Cities locations. A much better option if you’re looking to save a little cash and get in and out with ease.

Find ways to make it easier for customers to access your product or service. You may need to bundle with other businesses to ease a pain point. The less annoyed customers are when they engage your brand, the better chance of building a loyal following.

If you happen to be in the Twin Cities over the next week and half and are looking for something to do, I’d recommend the Minnesota State Fair. It’s a good time for all and a case study in good marketing.