Promotional products

4imprint Promotional Products Blog

Promotional ProductsBlog

Find the latest news and announcements from 4imprint here!

Cheryl's Blog
Charities and Not for Profit News
Eco-friendly News
Education Learning and Children News

Public Sector News
Small Business News
Blue Papers
Press Releases

Lauren, with
4imprint
13 years.

Nonprofit News: Using photographs to strengthen your social media efforts

 

Nonprofit News from 4imprint

In an age of instant access to news and information there’s a risk that your clients and customers are being overwhelmed by ‘words’. So that old saying about a picture being worth a thousand words has never been truer, particularly with regards to your social media messages. Your fans and followers want to know what’s going on with your organisation, but they don’t necessarily want to spend ages finding it out. A well-chosen images and photos can maximise the impact of your message by forming an instant impression and telling a story in just a brief glance.

Fortunately, technology offers some very exciting ways for even non-techies to take, keep, organise and share the pictures that show the world who you are and what you do.

Flickr has been around a while and is familiar to many internet users. Accounts are free and easy to set up and you can start uploading photos straightaway. Photos can be sorted and categorised to suit your needs and you maintain control over which ones can be viewed publicly. Once uploaded, the photos stored on Flickr can easily be accessed or linked to illustrate other social media efforts, like blogs and Facebook updates. And perhaps the greatest advantage to storing your organisation’s photos on Flickr is that they’re accessible to your whole team irrespective of their location. If you need more storage than the free account allows there’s a low-cost upgrade available too. In order to keep your library current and boost the number of images available encourage staff and volunteers to take pictures at event and gatherings; you could provide them with a printed camera case or phone pouch that shows your organisations logo as both a reminder and a thank you.

Thanks to the mobile app Instagram, the journey from real life to online image has never been quicker. Just snap a photo with your iPad or iPhone, apply one of Instagram’s filters to make it perfect, and instantly upload it to your Flickr, Facebook or Twitter account. Make sure you let your organisation’s followers know there’s a new image to view with regular photo updates.

Pinterest offers free accounts and the ability to ‘pin’ your photos (linked from a storage site like Flickr) to a ‘board’, which displays them with a selection of other pictures with the same theme. Pinterest photos can be viewed by anyone visiting the site, and those so inspired can ‘re-pin’ your photos to showcase them further. Sending your supporters a photo of your work in a branded magentic photo frame is a great way to let them know about your presence on Pinterest.

High-quality prints of your photos are just a click away on Photobox which acts as both a photo storage site and a place where you (and others with access) can order prints. In addition greeting cards, mugs and calendars can be created and ordered using your images which are great to sell on to raise both funds and awareness.

With almost everyone having a camcorder in their pockets these days (on their phones) your organisation is ready to set up a YouTube™ channel and display your work in video. Considered a must-have by social marketing gurus, your YouTube videos can also easily be shared on Facebook, Tumblr, and other social sites popular with your fans and followers.

On the blog that accompanies her book, Social Media for Social Good: A How-To Guide for Nonprofits, American author Heather Mansfield emphasises the importance of YouTube and Flickr for building a strong social media presence. Your photos and videos share the important work you do with your closest friends, followers, supporters, potential donors and like-minded people across the globe.

And what’s more as well as posting photos and videos online encourage your staff and supporters to ‘like’ (Facebook), re-tweet (Twitter), send links and write blogs about the fundraising events and activities they participate in. “Users of social media like to connect with their peers and be part of an online community. Maximise this by having those that support you tell their peers about how and why they do. Their endorsement of your work will be far more powerful and valuable than anything that comes from the larger organisation.”*

So go on, make sure that every one of your pictures tells a great story.

* Guardian Online 28 February 2013 “How charities can make better use of social media”– quote from David Lawrance at The Clare Foundation.

Brilliant Book-Bag for Kids

My daughter was given this fab printed bag from Bookstart. Whilst we don’t have this bag in our range – it looks like a mixture of a couple we stock!

If you’re looking for a bag with a long shoulder strap – the Rainham Sling Messenger is a popular choice; however if you’d prefer more of a tote style bag with a coloured trim – our Two-Tone Shopper is a fabulous option.

 

‘Use analytics’ to aid direct mail campaigns

Direct mail remains one of the most important marketing methods open to companies as lots of information can be conveyed easily and by adding tracking codes it can be accurately evaluated at a later date.

Executive vice-president and general manager of Blue Chip Healthcare Marketing Neil Weisman recommended that healthcare companies update their lists using lifestyle-based analytics as when it comes to healthcare, many people do not opt-in to receive information about their diseases; and those who do are often inundated with mail, creating a low response rate.

Writing in Media Post, Mr Weisman said from analysing trends in consumer spending data of this audience they can make more accurate predictions of what direct mail or promotional items people would be interested in receiving, for example, if someone buys a pair of trainers every six months, and also uses their credit card to sign up for a marathon, you can assume that they are a runner and live an active healthy lifestyle.

He also added of direct mail’s overall effectiveness: “It can be highly informative, easy to track and often an optimal way to reach older populations that don’t use computers, smartphones and tablets as much as younger generations.”

A Novel Approach To Direct Mail: Lifestyle-based Analytics, Media Post

 

Posted by Robin McCrink

Digital ‘can boost demand for physical media’

A new study has shown there is a strong link between tablet ownership and physical magazine readership.

The Professional Publishers Association’s (PPA) Tap Report has confirmed that far from eroding interest in print magazines and other direct mail pieces, digital versions actually boost demand.

Consumers want to be able to have both formats, proving that sending direct mail and magazines with promotional merchandise attached can be just as successful as email marketing.

Digital editions of magazines in particular are providing a more engaging and enhanced experience of the physical version.

Head of research at the PPA Marius Cloete commented: “The two platforms appear to be working in combination to expand a consumer’s reading repertoire.”

Digital magazines allow readers to quickly engage with a brand and the latest figures show that recall for ads in digital editions (56 per cent) proved to only be slightly higher than in print (53 per cent).

The Tap Report, PPA

Posted by Robin McCrink

New 4imprint Infographic Demonstrates Three Cost Effective Marketing Channels That Get Results

May 23, 2013

For more information, contact:
Cheryl Jackson-Leafield, Marketing Manager UK & Ireland
+44 (0)161 850 3480

New 4imprint Infographic Demonstrates Three Cost Effective Marketing Channels That Get Results

(Manchester, UK) – Promotional products retailer 4imprint has created a new infographic to highlight three cost-effective marketing channels that organisations of any size can adopt to raise brand awareness and attract new customers.

The infographic demonstrates how using social media, generating positive word of mouth and distributing promotional products can be highly effective strategies that require neither a large team nor budget to implement.

With over 33 million people in the UK having a Facebook account, social media is a now a valid way to network and build relationships with both existing and new contacts and a place to showcase your services and products.

Sixty-nine per cent of senior marketers cite promotional merchandise as a way to target customers effectively, with brand awareness and creating loyalty mentioned as additional reasons for their use.

The Infographic also reveals that nine in ten (91 per cent) B2B buyers believe word of mouth is the most important influencing factor in the buying process and that over half (54 per cent) highlight positive word of mouth as the primary factor when making all of their purchasing decisions.

“With this Infographic we wanted to focus on tactics businesses of all sizes could explore and employ – regardless of how big their marketing department is or how deep their pockets are,” said Cheryl Jackson-Leafield, Marketing Manager of 4imprint UK & Ireland.

“With tips and ideas on how to get started the Infographic is a handy go-to document that can be discussed and shared within any organisation,” Jackson-Leafield concluded.

To view the infographic, visit www4imprint.co.uk/Infographic/Cost-Effective-Marketing

ENDS

23.5.13

 

About Infographics

Infographics are a way of presenting facts, ideas and other information in a compelling visual format.

How to embed our Infographic

You may share & embed this infographic onto a website using the following code:

<img src=”http://www.4imprint.co.uk/email/infog/images/marketing_channels.jpg”>

<p> Cost Effective Marketing Channels that get Results - An infographic by 4imprint</p>

 
About 4imprint

4imprint Direct Limited is part of 4imprint Group plc that serves more than 100,000 businesses with its innovative promotional items and corporate gifts throughout the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada. Its promotional merchandise offerings include personalised pens, notebooks, printed mugs, keyrings, cotton bags, mousemats, printed drawstring bags, sports bottles and travel mugs, promotional USBs, diaries and calendars, corporate clothing and printed T-Shirts and much more. 4imprint’s ‘no quibble’ guarantees include the promise that if the personalised goods are not despatched on time they’ll be free! For additional information, visit www.4imprint.co.uk

Three Cost Effective Marketing Channels That Get Results [Infographic]

Download PDF

Companies should reward ‘consistent email openers’

Email has become an integral part of the marketing mix in the last few years, with virtually every company using the method as a result of its relative cheapness.

It is also very wide-ranging with billions of active email addresses all over the world, meaning organisations have access to almost all of its demographics.

With so many companies using email, it has become quite a competitive digital space for marketers and as a result it may be a good idea to offer incentives for consumers to open your emails and engage with you.

Indeed, principal of marketing research at ExactTarget Chad White believes email subscribers that regularly open their messages should be rewarded.

These could come in many different forms, from discounts to offers of promotional merchandise being sent to consumers.

The expert wrote in Media Post: “This kind of campaign would also be a novel way to get subscribers to enable images more often or even permanently.”

Once Again, I Double-Dog Dare You!, Media Post

 

Posted by Robin McCrink

Mini Notebook makes a Big Impression

Available in choice of 4 trim colours these mini notebooks & pen sets make a great choice. Recently reviewed by Jacqui, from Wigston in Leicestershire who scored the item 4*. Jacqui commented “Met the needs of the Group who ordered them and have been used by others as a handy notepad to carry at such things as conferences as it fits in a pocket.”

Make an investment in printed products!

We’ve just read Sir Alex Ferguson’s last piece of Chewing Gum has sold at auction for nearly £390,000!

So if you’re looking for an excellent ROI – perhaps Chewing Gum is the future!

            

 

Promotional items ‘help companies to stand out’

In this digital age, savvy businesses are turning back to direct mail as the physical form of marketing can be a hugely successful one as the products can help them to stand out from the crowd.

Editor-in-chief at Direct Marketing News Ginger Conlon said direct mail, which also allows companies to enclose promotional items such as a printed pens, is sure to get people’s attention when sent to subscribers as they will feel like they are being spoken to. She commented “when I get a package at work, I open it immediately”

She noted those companies that have decided to put direct mail on the backburner because of its expense would be wise to add it back into the marketing mix as it can offer a much more personal touch.

“Direct mail pieces often get the short shrift. But in this age of digital obsession they stand out. And when done well, they drive meaningful responses,” Ms Conlon continued.

Out-of-the-Box Thinking, Direct Marketing News

Posted by Robin McCrink