Top Tips for Choosing Promotional Items!

When Should I Use Promotional Items & Marketing Gifts?

Promotional items are a great low cost way of marketing your business. They can be used especially effectively:

• as part of a direct mail campaign to generate interest and desire and make your prospects more receptive to your calls
• at exhibitions and events as a way of generating foot fall at your stand, and additionally as a memory aid for people to take home
• as a way of thanking your loyal customers & staff – engraved crystal and leather products are often popular here

What Is The Best Promotional Item or Marketing Gift?

This very much depends on when you are using them! If you are looking for a promotional item to use as part of a direct mail campaign, then I probably wouldn’t recommend a plastic pen, as this may not stand out to the recipient. How about trying tie products in to a theme – e.g. send a mug printed with a promotional message and shortly after a promotional T Bag, or a coaster… you can drip feed your prospects with products information so they are excited about what will come next –they are therefore really receptive when you make contact with them!

If you have a stand at an exhibition you may want to look at something that will draw people’s attention to your stand – especially as you can start the marketing of this before the event using Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms! If there’s room on your stand you could have a Wii Console set up with a car racing game (ideal for the motor industry), you could invite visitors to set a lap time – each participant receives a key ring branded with your business details, and the overall winner receives a Crystal Award engraved with your logo & the details of the event.

Does Cheap Always Mean Best Value?

It depends on what you are trying to achieve… Generally I would suggest not with promotional items! You are probably using promotional items to raise awareness of your brand, and in my opinion it is often better to spend your budget on a smaller number of more expensive items that represent your brand better than to get as many “cheap” ones as possible… e.g. You have a fairly limited budget and decide to get as many “cheap” plastic pens as possible which you then give out to customers and prospects. As you chose a budget pen, the quality is not fantastic and they therefore run out really quickly or worse still break quickly – do you think your clients and prospects will view your business in a particularly positive light, or might they perceive that your service will also be poor quality? I would always encourage people to spend a bit more per unit to get good value rather than the cheapest possible.

At Chilli Promotional Products we will always find you the best deals around so you don’t have to spend a fortune to get good quality and most importantly best value for money.

Gimmick V Practical?

Again it depends on what you are hoping to achieve – a gimmick will stand out, but may be forgotten quickly whereas something practical that people will use everyday will have a very low “cost per impression”. Ultimately a quirky slight slant on the most practical items can be best!

Chilli Promotional Products has been supplying marketing items, business gifts and corporate clothing to a range of clients across the UK since 2008. If you have any ideas you want to chat through, contact Jody!

T: 01295 269800

E: Jody@chillipromotions.co.uk

W: http://www.chillipromotions.co.uk

Twitter: @chillijody

Facebook: ChilliPromotionalProducts

A Day in My Life!!

Yesterday was most certainly not quite a typical day, but I thought I would share it!!

The day started with an early alarm as it was to be a big day for me! 4Networking (www.4networking.biz) in Banbury was launching and I am the Group Leader!!! After a nervous start, visitors and 4N Members (known as Passporters) started arriving and my nerves started reducing – 4N is a great community and it was lovely to receive so much support! Stef Thomas of No Red Braces (www.noredbraces.co.uk) gave a great talk on how he made business networking work for him and the visitors seemed to enjoy the morning with quite a few deciding to join on the day, which is great as I am sure they will find 4N a brilliant business tool for their business – especially if they start making the most of their membership and getting of to other meetings around the UK as well as Banbury!

I then had a busy few hours in the office before meeting a good friend for a very quick coffee…

It was then a mad rush with my husband and a borrowed car trailer to collect my late Grandmothers car from her house which has been sold and is about to complete (the car hasn’t been used for over 4 years so was not roadworthy) – we took that to my parents farm where the focus moved on again!! We were now no longer a Porsche Engine and Gearbox Specialist and a Promotional Products Distributor but now farm hands / vets assistants as there was a cow in the middle of a difficult birth so it was all hands on deck until the wee small hours! Pleased to report that both cow and calf are doing well this morning and there was another calf born in the (later) early hours and another couple of cows in labour when we left very early this morning to get back to “the day jobs” …

Hoping today will be a little less eventful – I have a massive to do list, and could certainly do with a good night’s sleep tonight!!

Building A Better Business Event

I attended a great event yesterday at Milton Park near Abingdon.  Organised by The Late Breakfast (www.latebreakfast.co.uk) the Building A Better Business Event included a number of seminars by local experts on various aspects of business including Marketing, Sales, Twitter, SEO/PPC and Website Copy and Content.  They also had a number of exhibitors and some great networking!

It never ceases to amaze me just how helpful people are!  I was very impressed with Chantal Cornelius of Appletree Marketing’s (www.appletreeuk.com) presentation on writing a Marketing plan.  Chantal broke the process down into 9 easy steps and everyone seemed to take lots away from her session.

A “real life” meeting with a Twitter contact (twitter.com/publicityoxford) Catherine Warrilow of Publicity Oxford (http://publicityoxford.wordpress.com/) really proved how relationships can be built through the social networking medium and it was great to hear Catherine’s concise and clear guide to using Twitter.  It must have been a hard seminar to run for Catherine as there was a complete mixture of Twitter experience in the room, from people who had never used it, to those who use it regularly and Catherine managed to have a tip or two for everyone!

It was also great to see the power of Twitter as although this was primarily a local event (I felt like “A Northener”) there was someone who had attended from Leicestershire as he’d hearad about the event via Twitter.

Best go and do some work now – busy day after my day out yesterday!

Wishing you all a fantastic Easter Weekend

Jody

For more information about Chilli Promotional Products visit our website http://www.chillipromotions.co.uk,  follow us on Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/chillipromotion or join us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/chillipromotionalproducts – we offer all types of branded marketing merchandise such as branded mugs and pens, printed T Shirts, personalised Footballs ideal for the World Cup and so much more!

Radio Interview!!

Well, that’s definitely a first! I’ve just been interviewed by the lovely Anna Harding (www.twitter.com/anna3987) of 107.6FM Banbury Sound regarding Chilli Promotional Products (www.chillipromotions.co.uk) supplying branded merchandise to the Dinosaurs Unleashed exhibition in London!

What an exciting, if rather daunting experience!! I am aware that I always sound rather young on voicemail messages etc, and unlike Anna I do not have a practiced “radio voice” so am a little nervous to see what I sound like when the interview is broadcast on Wednesday!

It was an amazing opportunity to see inside the studio’s at the station, and I was even able to spend a few minutes in the studio with Lucy Jones (www.twitter.com/juicylucyjones) who presents the daytime show – it’s amazing how professional these ladies are and to see Lucy swapping from chatting to me to doing a live link was great!

Banbury Sound is a fantastic local radio station, broadcasting in “Banburyshire”. It focuses on local people and local news, and combines this with a fantastic mix of music. Find out more at http://www.banburysound.co.uk.

Press Release – Dinosaurs Unleashed Branded Merchandise

Banbury Business Supplying Merchandise for Leading London Attraction – Dinosaur’s Unleashed

Banbury based Chilli Promotional Products is delighted having being appointed as supplier of branded merchandise for a leading London attraction. The merchandise, which includes Pencils, T Shirts, Hats, Bags, Torches and Mugs will be available for sale in the gift shop for visitors to the exciting new Dinosaurs Unleashed exhibition in London’s Parklife Oxford Street.

Jody Fletcher, who runs Chilli Promotional Products in Banbury says that it is fantastic for local independent businesses to have the opportunity to be involved in such exciting projects. “Opportunities to be a part of such high profile events do not happen every day, and I am thrilled that Chilli Promotional Products has been appointed as supplier of branded merchandise” explains Jody “it was an amazing co-incidence that I previously worked with one of the engineers who is building the animatronic dinosaurs and he put me in touch with the organisers after I bumped into him in the supermarket!”.

Chilli Promotional Products provides a full range of promotional items, corporate gifts, marketing merchandise and branded clothing mainly to businesses within a 50 mile radius of Banbury so working with Dinosaurs Unleashed came as a welcome change, especially as some of the dinosaurs are also made here in Banbury.

UNIQUE ‘DINOSAURS UNLEASHED’ ATTRACTION TO OPEN IN LONDON’S WEST END WITH AWE INSPIRING ELEMENTS NEVER SEEN BEFORE
The largest animatronic dinosaur ever to be seen in the UK will be just one of the many exciting features at Dinosaurs Unleashed at Parklife Oxford Street. Dinosaurs Unleashed opens its doors to the public on January 28, 2010 and promises a unique chance to step inside the world of dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs Unleashed features the biggest collection of animatronic dinosaurs in the UK. With 24 life-size animatronic dinosaurs, the scale and size of this encounter is designed to be educational, informative and lots of fun for all the family. Meet Tyrannosaurus rex, taller than the tallest giraffe; Triceratops, a favourite snack of the T.rex; Diplodocus, longer than three double-decker buses and Stegosaurus, the same weight as 300 7year-old boys! From grazers to predators, they’re all here.

The exhibition offers a unique chance to see dinosaurs in their ‘natural’ habitat. This will be a first for many visitors, who whilst walking around the Jurassic Forest can see a whole host of plants that were around in prehistoric times.

Dinosaurs Unleashed is also home to the world’s first prehistoric aquarium; created using computer technology (CGI) it will bring the underwater world of the marine reptiles to life.
Step further inside for more interactive action and see the UK’s only real time, 3D ‘design a dinosaur’ – a world leading interactive game. Paint-a-Dinosaur allows you to select a camouflage type and colour then draw on a touch screen and watch in amazement as a 4-metre long dinosaur is covered in your design.

On the Dinosaur Trackway, based on dance game technology, you’re challenged to keep up with the dinosaurs’ footprints, a world-first for this type of visitor attraction.

These specially created elements are just some of the many fun-packed experiences to be uncovered at Dinosaurs Unleashed, Parklife Oxford Street. This brand new dinosaur encounter will be open daily until April 30, 2010.

Dinosaurs Unleashed will donate 5p from every ticket sold to 95.8 Capital FM’s ‘Help a London Child’. We hope to raise at least £20,000. For details go to www.dinosaursunleashed.co.uk

What a busy start to 2010!

I can’t believe how much has already happened in 2010 – it’s only the 22nd of January, but already signs are looking really positive for an excellent year!

This leaves me wondering as to what has changed? Is it that the economy is genuinely improving? It certainly seems that way with improved unemployment figures released this week, although the cynic in me can’t help but wonder if there is more than a little political “spin” going on in the run up to the election….. I will wait until after the general election until I truly let myself believe that the recession is over. Luckily though, and perhaps due to the time that I set up Chilli Promotions, I can honestly say that I haven’t noticed the effect of the global economic down turn – if anything, I’d say it has helped me! Strange thing to say I realise, but if I’d been as busy as I am now this time last year, I don’t think I could have coped! In the early part of last year I really kept myself busy, ensuring I was proactively promoting Chilli Promotions (www.chillipromotions.co.uk) at every opportunity – I was developing my brand through networking and now I am delighted that a year or so on, I am really seeing the benefit.

I’ve noticed a marked increase in referrals over the last couple of months and this has helped me tremendously, and I am very thankful to a number of networking contacts I’ve made for the help and support they have given me. Particular thanks would go to Stefan Thomas of No Red Braces (www.noredbraces.co.uk) for his invaluable tips on how to make the most out of networking – both on and offline. I would also like to thank Gail Sampson of Knockbuckle Associates (www.knockbuckle.com) who noticed a lead for me on the 4Networking website (www.4networking.biz) which I was able to turn into an order the same day.

I find that networking, both on and offline really does work for me, and I would urge people who don’t think it’s for them to give it another go… it isn’t an overnight fix, but if you be yourself, be helpful and really get to know people, the effect on your business will be phenomenal in time. 

My advice therefore, (to anyone who is interested!!) is to get networking – it’s fun and IT WILL develop your business!  A few mediums I would recommend include Twitter (follow me www.twitter.com/chillipromotion), 4 Networking (www.4networking.biz),  and local business networking groups such as Business Matters and Banbury Business Breakfast Club, both in Banbury, 729 Club in Chipping Norton.  Get out there and get known!  It will help develop your brand far more quickly than you imagine!

Social Networking for Business

So, it has certainly been a while since I last wrote in the blog – naughty me – but I am pleased to say I have been using the time productively on the social networking front! 

In the last couple of months I feel that I have really got to grips with Twitter and my Twitter Profile  www.twitter.com/chillipromotion (@chillipromotion) is really growing with a follower count of 520.  I have become a real Twitter fan and have been actively encouraging many of my associates to get on Twitter and am pleased to welcome @theballoonlady, @swannfinancial and @banburylawyer.

I’ve also been actively increasing my presence on www.4networking.biz forum http://www.4networking.biz/members/view.htm?UserID=31274 – a great source of information and help from a really top group of people.  I stumbled upon 4N following a referral on Twitter from @dot_design.

Looking forward now to having the changes made on my website so I can really link everything together!

Busy as a bee at the moment, so best get on with quoting!  Quotes for personalised promotional items including branded  tissues and loo rolls, calendars, diaries and mugs to do now.  www.chillipromotions.co.uk.

What a night! Brayan Adams Live in Oxford

Wow, I think I must be the luckiest person alive at the moment!

Quite a while ago, I heard Bryan Adams (www.bryanadams.com) was coming to perform an unplugged gig in Oxford – I was SO excited as having been introduced to his music with the song “Everything I do I do it for you” way back in 1991 and in my influential early teenage years I became a huge fan and I have Bryan Adams songs as a soundtrack to so many memories.  However my excitement was squashed when I realised that having only recently set up Chilli Promotional Products (www.chillipromotions.co.uk) I really couldn’t afford the tickets, and sadly my husband was less keen on me so out came the CD’s – I’d just have to settle for this.

BUT, yesterday I logged into my Twitter account (www.twitter.com/chillipromotion) just after 4pm to see a post from @106jackfm (www.twitter.com/106jackfm) offering a pair of tickets to the first person to message them through their Twitter account – of course I sent them a message immediately, not expecting anything, but still the butterflies in my stomach were working twenty to the dozen as I kept pressing F5 to refresh the screen and then …. to my enormous shock …. I really couldn’t believe it but a message popped up saying “Congratulations, they’re yours”!!

My mind went into overdrive as the show started at 7pm at the New Theatre in Oxford (www.newtheatreoxford.org.uk)  and I need to get to the Jack FM studios in Oxford to collect the tickets on the way!  A couple of quick calls confirmed hubby was unable to make it but my sister was definitely up for it so a mad rush to get ready and off we went. 

Standing in the queue outside we started to wonder what it was going to be like, but then we went in and found our seats… they were fantastic – 5^th row, less than 10m from the stage and almost dead central – WOW!  I cant believe how close we were.

The performance was incredible!  With a guitar (or 2) and Gary Bright, Bryan’s music both old and new was brought to life in the intimate setting of the New Theatre Oxford.  The crowd were very vocal last night and Bryan interacted with so many people helping us all to feel a real part of the show.  I sat quietly with my sister, watching the old and the young dancing along with various senses of rhythm (!!) while Bryan Adams sang those songs that we know so well – Run to You, Heaven, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me, Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman and soooo many more.  I couldn’t quite believe that just a few hours ago I had a quiet evening and an early night planned!

Shortly after Summer of ’69, Bryan Adams went off stage, to a huge standing ovation, so he came back for an encore, and sang a few more songs. When he’d finished Gary left and we thought it really was the end but a lady in the front row threw some flowers on stage – so Bryan said he thought that deserved another song – what did she want him to sing and off he went again, and then one more after yet another standing ovation!

It really was a fantastic night, Bryan Adams is a true singer songwriter genius and I can’t believe how much better he sounded live J.

Thank you once again to Jack FM for this incredible opportunity.

Hen & Stag Nights

I was recently asked by one of my Banbury based clients whether I would be able to do T Shirts for a Stag night as her brother was best man and needed some help.  I was delighted to say of course I could, while at the same time I was kicking myself for missing an opportunity in the past! 

So many people, when organising a Hen Night or Stag Night, are keen to “brand” the Hen’s and Stag’s with T Shirts showing people’s name’s and perhaps pictures of the Bride or Groom to be, and  what a fun thing for me to be involved in! 

It was great to be able to help out this contact, who was thrilled with his T Shirts – they chose to have a photo and wording printed on the front of all the T Shirts and then on the reverse they were plain except for the groom, but there were cost effective ways of having different wording on the back of each shirt. 

With low minimum order quantities, competitive prices and lots of ideas, there’s lots of reasons to go to Chilli Promotional Products (www.chillipromotions.co.uk) for personalised Stag and Hen weekend T Shirts.

For more info you can call me on 01295 750837 or e-mail me jody@chillipromotions.co.uk or become a fan of our Facebook Page for details of special offers http://tr.im/qv2D.

Inspirational Motivation from Adventurer Sue Stockdale

Well, it’s been a while and a very very busy month which is always good news, but last night I attended a great netwoking event at the Bloxham Mill Business Centre (www.bloxhammill.com).  It is a fantastic venue for such an event and with the doors wide open and a lovely summer breeze drifting through it was hard to imagine the other end of the extreme that was experienced by Sue Stockdale (www.suestockdale.co.uk) when she and 3 others skied across the Greenland Ice Cap.

Sue’s expedition and the way she linked all the challenges to those we all find in our everyday business lives had the audience captivated and there were a great number of questions from people keen to learn more.

The event was sponsored by Lawsense TM – a new and innovative service being launched by Brethertons Solicitors in Banbury – an online service enabling users to produce online legal documents that are checked by trained legal staff. www.lawsense.co.uk.

This week I have also attended the Wealth Club in Oxford www.oxfordwealthclub.co.uk – and WOW was that a breath of fresh air for networking – a fantastically up beat group dedicated to helping each other succeed, and Business Matters in Banbury www.businessmattersbanbury.co.uk where we had an interactive game based on tennis – I love this group as every meeting is different, and I always learn new things about the other members.