You may know that I sell imprinted promotional calendars to businesses all around the USA. I understand calendar advertising more than the average bear. Lately I've had a few clients stop using calendar advertising in their marketing efforts. I wrote the following not necessarily for them, but for people who still want to be "wise when they advertise" TM.
Tough Economy Calls for Tougher Creativity With Marketing
Imprinted Calendars Still the Answer says Scott
Few companies have chosen not to advertise with imprinted calendars this year. I know that with the economy, many marketing managers are cutting back on advertising, but at the same time, many are increasing their calendar orders! Actually, this year in the promotional industry as a whole, calendar sales are up. My personal calendar sales are up. Why? Perhaps some business people know the saying still holds true: “A business with no sign is a sign of no business”, and they know the value of having their sign in a customer’s office or home!
While less people are now reading newspapers, and watching TV (because of the Internet, and a few other reasons), and many of us have palm pilots, iphones, and blackberries, etc. people still like to write notes and record special events on the pages of a monthly calendar, enjoy the beautiful pictures, or jog a quick note in a pocket calendar.
It seems calendars are here to stay- probably because imprinted calendars are the only advertising media that is appreciated and actually asked for by the recipient every year. No one ever says: “Thanks for your TV ad, I’ll be sure to place it in my office where I’ll see your advertising message every day so I’ll have your phone number and website address handy when I’m considering your product or service”.
When clients tell me they have calendars left over that are not distributed at the end of the season, there are two things that come to mind. First, this is probably the fault of the promotional products counselor (me, in the case of my personal clients). I’ve not given any distribution ideas. Simply placing calendars on the counter and having customers take them cheapens the value of the calendar as a “gift”. Ask your promotional consultant why you have calendars left over, and get some good distribution ideas, or get another promotional counselor. Secondly, marketing managers buy airtime on radio and TV, resulting in unwanted overage;people that see and/or hear them that aren’t in the market for your product or service, that’s paid for is very common. So, why should we think there would not be a few calendars left over as well?
Calendars have come down greatly in cost these days. Because of advances in technology a calendar that today costs about a dollar, cost about five dollars just 10 years ago. What a deal! Can any other media boast that? Truly, calendars could cost twice the amount that a business pays and they would still be a much better buy over most other media. Where else can a business invest a measly $500 and reach 500 people directly? 500 people who the business knows have received the company message. So that’s 1 dollar per person, for 365 days. Dividing a dollar by 365 days states that your advertising cost is only: .002 per day. This is definitely, a “no-brainer” in marketing. Today’s creative marketing manager is not aborting their calendar advertising; they are being more creative. They are increasing quantities, changing up styles, trying different ways of distribution, and finding different areas in which to display their calendar: in the home, office, car, computer, etc.
In the time of the great depression, business calendars were sometimes the only form of advertising that kept the stores in the minds of customers until the economy got better. And when the economy got better, whom do you think the customer did business with? The obvious answer is the company that remembered their customer with an inexpensive calendar that had high-perceived value. In today’s tough economic times, “When the going gets tough, the tough still advertise with imprinted calendars”
There’s only one final thought to consider, how tough is your competition? My advice is: don’t walk, run to your nearest promotional products counselor and order you calendars.
Article By Ter Scott. Ter Scott is a marketing consultant in Wisconsin with clients around the USA. One of his marketing services includes promotional products. He offers tips for using imprinted calendars and other promotional products and can be contacted at: www.terscott.com and www.myimprintrep.com
EVERYTHING IS MARKETING...
If you read and follow the two tenets (any opinion, principle, doctrine, dogma, etc., esp. one held as true by members of a profession, group, or movement as per: www.dictionary.com ) in this paragraph, you will be totally successful in marketing any business. It may take you a lifetime of lifetimes to do this but of course as they say “success is a journey”. The two biggest “rules” to marketing I can give you is: first, “Everything is marketing” and secondly: “Always consider your audience”.
Everything indeed is marketing, just as everything is sales, and everything is business. One can not get out of bed in the morning and not be at least on the receiving end of marketing. We hear ads on the radio or see a logo on the cereal box and then the toothpaste tube. But you too are marketing yourself as a good person to your family (or goldfish, dog or cat if you live alone), then as a member of society, and when you finally arrive at work, a good employee. Bad marketing would be to get up, kick the dog, and cut somebody off while driving to work to a place you only work hard enough not to get fired.
My experiences have not only been in marketing, but also include sales, customer service, and public speaking. It should be obvious in the area of public speaking that speakers need to consider their audience, but my second tenet to being successful in life (marketing) holds just as true for sales, and business, which again I say is marketing.
Since everything is marketing, wouldn’t you agree that in all of the situations above, it would be best if we considered the audience? If we knew how the dog felt (would respond) when we kicked it, (hopefully you wouldn’t do that), knew how the person felt when we cut them off in traffic, or how our employer had to cope with less production, we would “market” ourselves differently. When we know how others will respond, we can have them respond positively and purchase our ideas, products, and services. That’s our marketing strategy.
From this point on, design your life as being customer oriented. Live as if everything you do is marketing and always consider the audience. Doing so can only make you successful in any and every endeavor. This week notice what you are doing to market yourself. Any business or endeavor is simply an extension of one’s passions and desires. And you must love your audience. People like to do business with those they like and those that like them!
Everything indeed is marketing, just as everything is sales, and everything is business. One can not get out of bed in the morning and not be at least on the receiving end of marketing. We hear ads on the radio or see a logo on the cereal box and then the toothpaste tube. But you too are marketing yourself as a good person to your family (or goldfish, dog or cat if you live alone), then as a member of society, and when you finally arrive at work, a good employee. Bad marketing would be to get up, kick the dog, and cut somebody off while driving to work to a place you only work hard enough not to get fired.
My experiences have not only been in marketing, but also include sales, customer service, and public speaking. It should be obvious in the area of public speaking that speakers need to consider their audience, but my second tenet to being successful in life (marketing) holds just as true for sales, and business, which again I say is marketing.
Since everything is marketing, wouldn’t you agree that in all of the situations above, it would be best if we considered the audience? If we knew how the dog felt (would respond) when we kicked it, (hopefully you wouldn’t do that), knew how the person felt when we cut them off in traffic, or how our employer had to cope with less production, we would “market” ourselves differently. When we know how others will respond, we can have them respond positively and purchase our ideas, products, and services. That’s our marketing strategy.
From this point on, design your life as being customer oriented. Live as if everything you do is marketing and always consider the audience. Doing so can only make you successful in any and every endeavor. This week notice what you are doing to market yourself. Any business or endeavor is simply an extension of one’s passions and desires. And you must love your audience. People like to do business with those they like and those that like them!
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