Coming up with the right corporate gift to either giveaway at tradeshows, hand out as a pop-by to their A+ customers, or use as corporate gift merchandising are a main part of what we do here at Clever Promotional Products. Sometimes the same product can be used at all three events.

                Corporate Gift Ideas for a tradeshow aren’t all that tricky. As I’ve mentioned before, the main idea is to come up with something that will NOT be thrown away as soon as the potential client gets back to their office, home, hotel room, or worse yet, the trash can outside the tradeshow. The second part, and this is a little different, is that you need to spend just a bit more on the corporate gift. You need to set the right mood that you’re part of this corporate world. Something with a bit more of a sparkle, gleam, or shine should come to mind.

                Corporate Gift ideas as a pop-by for you’re A+ clients are very similar and can be the same, to the tradeshow giveaway. Always remember to make it real, make it difficult to throw out. Again, they are giveaways, not throwaways. Your investment in time and money is on the line, so think!

                And finally, because sometimes selling your logo on a polo shirt is a really cool thing to do, we have corporate gift ideas for merchandising. Wearing your logo or having your staff wear your logo is one of the very best ways to advertise your company – small or big. If you’re running a memorable fundraiser, in which customers and attendees will want to take something home to remember the event, think about a polo shirt, or a high quality t-shirt. You don’t need to break the bank and buy a ton of them in fear you might run out, sometimes it’s good to run out. The image you project will be that your item is too hot to keep around.

Oh, and don’t look to make a financial killing on the item either, because you shouldn’t be looking to take a trip to New Zealand on the profits. So price them right! Get your logo and company name out there. No matter how you go about the corporate gift remember to be upscale; you’re working to make the right impression!

In many cases, the social aspect of the game has become synonymous with the business aspect, and now many work days are spent on the golf course. So, working on the course can be, if done right, just as effective as any business transaction in the boardroom. From professional tournaments like the US Masters and the PGA to special fundraisers for stricken firemen and online dating sites specific to golfers, this market has far surpassed what it was in the 1980’s movie Caddyshack starring Bill Murray.

Clever Promotional Products gets that you enjoy doing business on the golf course and that you like to giveaway golf promotional products that represent your business in the best possible way.  It’s an effective way to network and fundraise. Golf promotions from awards and custom event tents to goodie bags and branded water, there are many great ways to ensure the name of your entity will continue to stay with your golfers and business associates throughout the year.

We have over twenty-seven hundred golf promo items and one of my favorites is the Golf Distance Scope. Okay, it’s for the hard core folks, to which I am clearly not, but this baby makes it easier for me to accurately read the distance to the green. It comes with a padded carrying case and the customer can put their logo right on the cover. With the price at $56.00 this is one of those golf giveaways you save for you’re A+ clients. You know the ones; the ones who give you a lot of good referrals.

So the game of golf has grown and business has surely intertwined itself with it, or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way though, the lack of fluorescent lighting and ties, makes the golf course a much better place to be overall.

                “Four!”

What I’ve found over time is the more I focus on big grandiose marketing tricks, the more they become just that, tricks. They are nothing concrete or reliable and that’s what I want. I want my brand image to be recognized, to stand out in the pack without being pretentious at the same time. Again, it’s pretty simple, I just forget sometimes. The best way to be subtle, remembered, and recognized is through promotional products.

Promotional products are able to bridge a gap between a business and its customers. They convey messages. Incorporating design, artwork, formats and fonts with your logo, company name, website URL, phone number, and maybe even some tag line or a slogan of some sort is an important part. Don’t rush this part of the process. If you have a really cool logo and tag line you could even have high quality polos, t-shirts, or tanks created, and give them out to your best customers. And who knows, you might even be able to turn them into merchandise for your business. That’s just an idea to make some extra cash-o-la in these times.

The most important thing here is to be sure to have promotional products as part of your overall marketing budget. Don’t break the bank or anything like that. You need to get your name out there to current customers so that they keep coming back to you, but you also need to pick up new customers as well.

Another great way to get your name out there is through trade shows. Promotional products can be freely distributed at these events. They are normally a high energy situation with people looking to find the right match for their business as well. My first word of advice on trade shows is to not print up promotional flyers. They end up in the trash bin.

Alright, I’ve got to run for now.

Next time, I’ll give you the in and out of some great promotional product ideas for trade shows.

Since I’ve started blogging about Pop-Bys and how Clever Advantage can help turn nearly any product into a memorable promotional product, I’ve received some pretty wonderful feedback with great ideas for pop-by gifts and some awesome tag lines too!

You know, staying fit is one of the main things I like to do in my life. Although, I must confess I have from time to time slacked off on my workouts, watched an extra hour of television when I could have gone for that brisk thirty-minute walk after dinner, and I’ve even had a second helping of French Fries when I was already full. As usual though, whenever I get back into going about things with a physically healthy way, I feel some discomfort from the aches and pains of not exercising.

The same can be said for the business end of things. Although I know what works, I sometimes get slack, but then I bounce back. It’s uncomfortable that first time around, but it gets better and easier the more I do it. And the more I do it, the more creative I am, and the more creative I am, the more I can do!

Segueing here! So, business for me has been steadily picking up, yes pop-bys are a great niche within the promotional market, and with the economic times being as they are, surely temporary in my opinion, it has never been more important to continue getting your name out there so that your customers know you’re still around.

Don’t give up the fight!

If you’re new to the whole target Pop-By promotional product phenomenon or a seasoned pro, there’s no time like the present to show those A+ clients of yours how much you respect and admire them. And nothing shows you care more than a thought provoking, scintillating item that generates warmth while simultaneously building your business community.

Just remember, the most important thing to do during a Pop-By is to do just that…Pop-By. Your gift should be sufficient for now, so don’t stay unless they ask you to do so.

I need to head off here.

Please remember, I am never to busy for any type of referral!

Company branding, as defined by the American Marketing Association, is a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them that’s intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group and to differentiate them from those other sellers. In order to do this a good brand needs to achieve; a clearly delivered message, emotional connection, buyer motivation, credibility confirmation, and will cement user loyalty.

The importance of branding is vital to any company’s success in today’s highly competitive market, and with the battle for customers deepening every day, the brand promises associated with its product becomes a precious commodity in and of itself.  “Branding isn’t only being the one people choose over someone else, but it is the message that you are the only one who can give them what they want,” says Sam Knox of Clever Advantage.

“Our clients in both the marketing and entrepreneurial arena,” continues Knox, “understand that branding is truly the cornerstone piece of the communications portion of their marketing strategy. In order to succeed they must understand the needs of prospects and customers.”

                I was planning to stay in the San Diego area for a while, so I knew I needed to meet people in the business community. My plan was simple; spend two hours at the networking event, hand out a minimum of twenty personal business cards, talk about my work experience when able, and then grab dinner. One of my side focuses at these events is to never, ever over stay my welcome.

                As the end of my two hours was quickly approaching, I saw these two women cracking jokes and clearly knowing how to have a good time. I moved to introduce myself and found out they were from this promo company in San Diego. They turn other companies’ promo items into clever marketing products that will help assign a branding advantage over their competitors; hence the company name: Clever Advantage. They had the coolest logo, using the same ‘V’ for both words. And, as it turns out, one of the two is from the Bay Area and the other one is from Montreal, which is rather close to where I grew up, so we had lots to talk and laugh about. They were certainly the highlight of my networking evening, and as my dad always told me, ‘always leave on a high note.’ So I did. I hit the street, heading off to dinner.

                Over the course of the next few weeks, maybe a month, we traded some work emails. It was evident their style of work was similar to my own – have fun and do a good job — it seemed like a good opportunity. I knew that my entrepreneurial marketing experience, although not as vast as theirs, was present, so I took a shot and bounced some ideas their way.

And now, suddenly, here I am offering ideas and creating promo products.

Well, I should wrap up here, so feel free to contact me with any stories like this or ideas for business because I never find myself too busy for any type of referral. bobby@cleverpromotionalproducts.com.