Thanks for your business!
Yes! It’s that time of the year that you reach to your customers by sending gifts or a holiday card to remind them that you care for them and count on them to support your business. Your appreciation gesture is tied with your budget and your goals for the next following months or the next year. You don’t need to buy expensive gifts to every customer but you need to decide what would be the best way to get to the most relevant and make an impression. "Thanks for your business" in most cases isn’t enough to keep that customer engage with your business. Expensive or cheap doesn’t matter, what really matter is to make an impression on your customer mind so the next time they need your product or services they call you. Sometime the cheapest item the click you need or make a big bold statement on those you know you need the extra point to make them have your number handy just when they need them. Here it’s my suggestion and a special tip for those who don’t know what to do. When I was the purchasing manager a while ago, we plan our promo items purchases having 3 basic W’s in mind.
Who? Why? When?
First, who is my customer? Why I have to remind them that I’m here? When it’s the best time to do it? Once we set the 3 W’s the next step its make a timeline and set quantities needed per activity or event. Every business has seasons, or key dates to develop the next business opportunity. With that information at hand you can plan for the next year opportunities and buy your promotional products all together to save money.
The budget
Some business owners that I know call this and expense, others a cost of business, I call it “The candy effect”. Why? Because you want to lure your customers to your door, put your business name and phone number in their hands or just be there when they need you in the form of a pen, stress ball, notebooks, bags or just a holiday card to make them remember you’re there for them.
Let’s make an example, every convention or business meeting you like to give your customers a pen, marker, small notebook or any promo item. The problem is you’re purchasing this item in small quantities during the year without a plan or budget in mind. You set $300.00 per activity and repeat this 4 times a year. Instead, you can setup a $1,200 Budget for Promotional items that you can use all year long.
The same pen that you purchase at $1.50 with a minimum quantity of 200 minimum order plus a rush fee, will be more expensive than 500 items for the same pen when you purchase with time.
With the transformation of marketing and social media as a game changer, Consumers today base their decision on personal recommendations, online forums or Facebook post more than traditional advertising. Influence marketing is today’s biggest player. Whenever your name and slogan its mention on social media have more opportunity to be a trend and become a topic of conversation. Promo items use the same concept. The more you see your brand out there the more opportunities you create to reach the customers you need.
We are two months away from the holidays, quarter end, year-end, new year eve and new sales projections and profit plan for the future. Why don’t you take this info to think about your next move on marketing?
Call us today, and ask us for a free quote on promo items, holiday cards or just a free advice on what you should do to reach your customers. If you have quote with another vendor already we can send you a second quote just to make sure you have a fair price.
Tailored solutions for your business call for a free consultation today 813.399.3892.
