Showing posts with label Marketing Ideas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marketing Ideas. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Our Top 3 Promotional Products for Independent Consultants



Our Top 3 Promotional Products for Independent Consultants


In a time when the job market is more cutting edge than ever, many have turned to direct sales as a means of income that allows for the opportunity and flexibility of “being your own boss.”  Did you know that in 2013, direct selling is estimated to have accounted for $32.67 billion worth of retail sales? Additionally, it is estimated that the number of people working within the direct sales industry increased by nearly 6% last year! 

As the direct selling industry grows, so have our Scratch Off offerings; and independent consultants across the country are taking advantage of our custom, branded promotional products.  Read on for more information on the Top 3 Direct Selling Scratch Off Promotional tools from My Scratch Offs.

Custom Scratch Off Game Cards
 
If you’re in search of a completely unique and custom promotional product (and you want to leave all of the work to us) then a Custom Scratch Off Game Card is the way to go! When purchasing a custom scratch off card product, you will work one-on-one with our designer who will start with a blank screen and create a completely unique design to suit your taste and needs. All of our Scratch Off Game Cards are professionally printed on 16pt, heavyweight cardstock with a glossy UV coating for a high-end finished product. Size options range from a 2” x 3.5” standard business card to a 6.5” x 8” mailer with a variety of size options in between! With all of our custom card products, you will have full control over exactly what your users scratch to reveal.

DIY Scratch Off Cards
 
One of our most popular (and versatile) marketing solutions for independent consultants is our DIY Scratch Off Game Cards. Our DIY cards are custom designed and professionally printed “shells” that allow for on-going customization of what you scratch to reveal. Whereas our custom cards will be delivered to you as a completed card with the promotional variation (i.e. “% off,” “$ off,” “Free Gift,” etc.) and the scratch off already in place, our DIY cards ship with a blank promotional feature as well as the necessary Scratch Off Labels to complete your project. This option allows you to customize what your promotional item or discount will be on a card-by-card basis, thus making your Scratch Off cards appropriate for all types of events and promotions. To complete your DIY project, you simply write (we suggest using a Sharpie or similar permanent marker) your promotional variation in the formatted Scratch Off area, then peel and stick the Scratch Off Label over top of that. It is really that simple! This option allows for one card to be appropriate for a vast range of uses and that versatility makes our DIY cards a wildly popular option for independent consultants.

Custom Logo Scratch Off Labels
 
For the ultimate in “custom,” we offer customized Scratch Off Labels in wholesale quantities of 100,000. Custom logo Scratch Off Labels allow you to fully tailor your promotional product design to reflect you.  With a logo branded Scratch Off Label, not only are you offering a fun and interactive product, but also the additional aspect of logo customization further promotes brand alliance. Please contact our office for custom label production pricing and details. 

With a wealth of options from full service production to DIY, My Scratch Offs has something to help promote every type of direct selling business. Whether you’re rewarding attendees at home parties or procuring new clientele via a direct mailing, we will produce a promotional product that is sure to provide fun and excitement while growing your sales. For further information about the endless possibilities of Scratch Off Products, please contact our office to discuss your project with a customer service representative.

Happy Selling!

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Top Business Promotion Ideas




Top Business Promotion Ideas – What Will You Reveal?

When a customer approaches me with an interest in creating a Scratch Off business promotion, I always ask a few starter questions to get the ball rolling:

  •     How will you be using your Scratch Off cards?  
  •   What are your card specifications (size, quantity, print formatting)?
  •   What promotional message do you want to reveal under the Scratch Off Label?
Typically, the first two questions are fairly easy to answer. Most individuals have a clear vision of how they would like to use their cards and how they want their cards to look before making their initial contact.  But, in my experience, the promotional message is where project creativity can start to slump.  I am often asked, “What do you suggest?...” What kind of business promotions do other [insert appropriate business here] do?”. 

Revealing Your “Promotional Variations”

Before I go any further, let me clue you in on our lingo. We use the term “promotional variation” to refer to the promotional message or specific information that is contained beneath the Scratch Off Label (if you’d like additional information on how our Scratch Off Labels work, I will refer you here). In some cases, the card issuers want to include very ambiguous promotional variations (“Winner” or “Try Again”) but more frequently, our customers want promotional variations that are specific to their products and/or services.

While there is no right or wrong answer, we do find that certain industries favor certain types of promotions/incentives. That being said, here at My Scratch Offs, we put our brains together and compiled a “Top Business Promotions” list by industry based upon our past custom projects

Top Scratch Off Business Promotions by Industry

Service Industries  


Food & Beverage
o   $ off Purchase
o   % off Purchase
o   Size/Quantity Upgrade
o   Free Food Item (i.e. Free Appetizer, Free Dessert, Free Beverage)
o   Buy One, Get One Offer
Hospitality
o   Complementary Room Upgrade
o   On-property Restaurant/Bar Comps
o   In-room Dining Comps
o   % off Stay
o   Free Nights Stay

Entertainment/ Amusement
o   Free Game Play/ Game Tokens
o   Free “Prize” Upgrade
o   Free Concession Item (i.e. snack, beverage)
o   Buy One, Get One Offer


Professional Services

Accounting/ Banking
o   % off Annual Tax Prep or Service
o   $ off Annual Tax Prep or Service
o   Free Gift with New Account
o   Account Contribution Match

Real Estate & Home Inspection
o   Free Gift Upon Closing
o   % or $ off Inspection Services
o   % or $ off Radon and Mold Testing

Medical/Dental/Vision
o   Free Consultation
o   Free Product with Service or Treatment
o   $ off Service or Treatment
o   % off Service or Treatment

Veterinary
o   Free Nail Trim
o   Free Grooming Services
o   $ off Service or Treatment
o   % off Service or Treatment

Health & Beauty
o   Free Product Item
o   Free Service Upgrade
o   % or $ off Product
o   % or $ off Service


Retail

General
o   $ off Purchase
o   % off Purchase
o   Free Gift (i.e. product or service)
o   Complementary Product Upgrade

Jewelry
o   Free Jewelry Inspection
o   Free Jewelry Cleaning
o   Free Gift (i.e. bracelet, jewelry charm, jewelry cleaner)
o   Complementary Stone Upgrade
o   Free Professional Sizing or Repair (if offered)
o   % More for your Gold or Sterling Silver (if offered)

Automotive
o   Free Auto Detailing
o   Free Gas for a Year
o   Free Service (i.e. oil change, tire rotation)
o   Free Window Tint
o   $ off Vehicle Purchase
o   $ or % off of Service

Employee Rewards

o   Cash Bonus
o   Extra “PTO” Time
o   “Boss For A Day”
o   Free Promotional Products

When it comes to planning your promotional variations, the possibilities are (literally) endless and as mentioned, there is no right or wrong way of doing things. This list of “Top Business Promotions” is simply a conglomeration of our past experience and is meant to springboard your own creativity! So now that you’ve perused our list of business promotion ideas, what type of promotional incentives do you think would work best for your industry? Please feel free to share your comments below or on Facebook!



Tuesday, October 7, 2014

5 Black Friday Tips For Your Business



5 Black Friday Tips For Your Business

Black Friday. It’s the annual Olympics of retail shopping. That once-a-year event where red-eyed shoppers coax themselves out of a tryptophan-induced lethargy in order to brave the 2 A.M. masses in hopes of snatching up the latest Playstation model…for a $1!  According to Bloomberg News[1], last year, over 140 million people shopped the day after Thanksgiving. For businesses that opt to embrace our nation’s biggest shopping “holiday,” Black Friday can be a traffic and sales gravy train!

While the year’s biggest shopping day may still be nearly two months away, now is the time to start planning and promoting Black Friday incentives to give your business a leg-up in the very competitive retail market. Here is a compilation of ideas to inspire your own successful Black Friday efforts.

The Early Bird Catches the Sales
Did you know that over a third of men and women (32 percent and 35 percent, respectively) venture out into the early morning crowds on Black Friday[2]?! Don’t miss out on your share of these prospective shoppers. Consider offering your customers extended, early morning business hours the day after Thanksgiving.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of a Good Old Fashioned Coupon 
Over half (53%) of shoppers say they would use a coupon when making a Black Friday purchase[3]. In addition to offering your customers a savings, an added perk of offering coupons is that you are organically increasing brand visibility. It’s a 1-2 punch!

Go Digital
We live in a digital age. Show you’re tech savvy by offering your customers web-based access to exclusive Black Friday savings and discounts. Create a special QR code for shoppers to scan in-store that will provide them instant mobile access to a coupon/savings flier that is specific to Black Friday use. Does your business primarily function online? Create a banner ad on your homepage or a specific landing page within your website to organize and indicate your Black Friday savings to customers. 

Spread The Word
Leave no potential customer untouched!  Compile a list of your most effective means of reaching your target audience and promote, promote, promote! Use every opportunity at your disposal to remind your customers of your fabulous Black Friday savings, whether it be by word of mouth in your brick-and-mortar or a carefully executed online marketing campaign.  Consider reaching your customers by:

  • Direct Email: Send an Email to your established customers announcing your Black Friday Deals and Savings. Not currently using a newsletter service? Be sure to familiarize yourself with how to keep your e-mailing CAN-SPAM Compliant[4].
  • Employ the Power of Social Media: Don’t forget to utilize social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc., to promote within your current customer network and target promoted ads to seek out a new customer base.
  • In-Store Distributions: Consider including a leaflet or small flier to advertise your Black Friday deals in every customer’s  bag/shipment throughout the months of October and November.

Bottom line…Start early and promote across as many platforms as possible and often. Remember, repetition sells!

Bring Them Back
Think about offering your customers an incentive to return to your store after Black Friday has come and gone. Take advantage of the unusually high traffic volumes that November 28th will provide by offering attractive savings to draw customers into your store on Black Friday and then reward them for their patronage by offering a discount card with each purchase to be used at a later date. A Scratch Off Game Card is a great way to encourage your customers to shop with you later in the holiday season, too!

I hope that this information will help inspire your own successful Black Friday plan of attack. There are endless possibilities to engage your customers and lead them through your doors this Black Friday, and who knows your customers better than you?! Plan promotions that will excite and motivate your target audience to ensure that you get a slice of that Black Friday pie!



[1]  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-02/black-friday-weekend-spending-drop-pressures-u-s-stores.html
[2]  http://www.valpak.com/media/press-releases/2012/holiday-spending-survey-2012.jsp
[3] http://www.valpak.com/media/press-releases/2012/holiday-spending-survey-2012.jsp
[4] http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2137957/getting-staying-can-spam-compliant