Bullpen Marketing Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Promotional Ideas’

5 Things to Avoid in Promotional Marketing

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Promotional products can be the most cost-effective tool in your marketing toolbox. But they can also be a complete waste of time, resources and money—unless you do your homework. With more staying power than a 30-second television or radio commercial, and less expensive than a full-page colored ad in a publication, promotional products go outside the box of traditional advertising. So how can you possibly go wrong? There are many temptations in the world of promotional marketing that can lead even the best of marketing professionals astray. Stay away from these 5 “do-nots” of promotional marketing to help increase your bottom line.

#1. Do not wait until the stroke of midnight

Although awesome promotional product companies (i.e. Bullpen Marketing) can turn orders on a dime, some unknown factors can be hard to control such as inventory, shipping errors and acts of God. Also, waiting to the very last minute on orders can incur hefty expedited shipping costs, not to mention unhealthy stress and agitation levels. If possible, allow time for unforeseen events and place orders well in advance to avoid these last-minute headaches.

#2. Do not give a pork chop to a vegetarian

Not knowing your targeted audience for your promotional product campaign is a disastrous mistake leading to wasted time and money. There’s a simple reason for this: People will not keep something that doesn’t resonate with them. You wouldn’t give a vegetarian a pork chop, would you? No matter the case, the promotional items you’re handing out should have the goal of getting more sales and better customer response. Take some time to think about your intended audience and ask yourself “Would they like this item?” Better yet, use your promotional product company (such as Bullpen) as a resource for product selection advice. This isn’t our first rodeo…or trade show…or client appreciation dinner…or employee safety program…or…well—you get the picture.

#3. Do not have unrealistic expectations

If it feels looks like a $0.25 pen, and writes like a $0.25 pen—it’s probably a $0.25 pen… (more…)

Tags: Advertising, marketing, Promotional Ideas
Posted in Advertising, Promo Products | 1 Comment »

Make It Personal

Tuesday, November 1st, 2011

Posted by: Robert Melvin

The upcoming holiday season is the perfect time to let your clients know how much you think of them. A stylish pen set with your logo and your client’s name or initials is a personal way to make a long lasting impression. Below are five classy pen sets that cost $40 or less. Best of all, the laser engraved personalization is free until the end of the year.

Cutter & Buck Facet Pen Set

This handsome set includes the Cutter & Buck Facet Roller Ball and Cutter & Buck Facet Twist. It comes with a standard European black roller ball and black ballpoint ink cartridges. The set comes with a genuine-top-grain leather gift box with Cutter & Buck signature snap. $40.00 (click thumbnail for larger image)

Cutter & Buck Parallel Pen Set

The Cutter & Buck Parallel Pen Set adds elegant styling with handcrafted Italian resin. The set includes the Cutter & Buck Parallel Roller Ball with removable cap and standard European black roller ball ink cartridge along with the Cutter & Buck Parallel Twist with twist action mechanism and standard European black ballpoint ink cartridge. The set comes with a signature Cutter & Buck leather gift box. $40.00 (click thumbnail for larger image)

Cutter & Buck Collectors Edition Pen Set

The Cutter & Buck Collectors Edition Pen Set includes the Cutter & Buck Collector’s Edition Twist and Roller Ball pens. Both of these pens use standard European black ink cartridges. The pen set is packaged handsomely in a Cutter & Buck leather gift box. $36.00 (click thumbnail for larger image)

Cutter & Buck Legacy Pen Set

The Cutter & Buck Legacy Pen Set includes the Cutter & Buck Legacy Twist and Roller Ball pens. This exclusive Cutter & Buck design features a tungsten carbide tip and a black standard European black ink cartridge. The roller ball has a screw on, threaded brass cap and it showcases the Cutter & Buck crest intricately etched into the pen tip. The twist pen has a retractable twist action mechanism. The pen set is packaged handsomely in a Cutter & Buck leather gift box. $30.00 (click thumbnail for larger image)

Balmain Narbonne Pen Set

The Balmain Narbonne Pen Set is another favorite of Bullpen Marketing. The two-piece set includes an elegant twist and roller ball pen. The pens include a standard European black ink cartridge. This pen set is packaged in a smart presentation gift box. $35.00 (click thumbnail for larger image)

Please note there is a minimum order requirement of 12 pen sets and a set-up charge of $30 for all of the pen sets above.

Call Bullpen today and let us help you get up close and personal, 713.652.2030.

Tags: Cool Gifts, Holiday Gifts, Pen, Personalization, Promotional Ideas
Posted in Promo Products | 3 Comments »

Operation Color Splash

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Posted by: Suzanna Morin

Want to add a little colorful splash to your workplace? Because as we all know, it can be a little bland at times. Now, I’m in no way suggesting a complete remodeling of the place with an obnoxious color palette splattered around, but I am going to provide you with small, but significant, solution. Reward your clients, co-workers, or just yourself for any occasion with the Stemz Flexi Flower Vase to brighten the environment with those exquisite flowers you’ve been wanting to purchase.

This is no glass vase that you have to cart from home, bring to the office, and maybe even accidentally break. This is a vase made of soft and flexible PVC material to replace that annoyingly heavy (and possibly pricey) glass vase. It arrives in flat form and as you add water for those beautiful flowers, the vase will begin to stand on its own. The form of this special vase makes it easy to store, as well as simplify shipping to that client(s) or co-worker(s) you wish to spoil with this clever accessory.

The Stemz Flexi Flower Vase is as low as $1.79 and comes in red, purple, neon pink, black, and green with a clear upper body; it also comes in solid blue. The size of the vase is 10 9/16” h x 5 11/16” w and the imprint area is 4”h x 3”w. The vase comes in a white envelope so that it’s ready to be mailed.

Tags: Accessory, Advertising, Brand, Bullpen Marketing, Color, Cool Gifts, Flower, Promotional Ideas, Vase
Posted in Promo Products | 7 Comments »

Just Because You Can Print It, Doesn’t Mean I Can Stitch It

Monday, December 13th, 2010

Posted by: Jane Swanzy

Bullpen Marketing does everything from print and web design to imprints and embroidery on promotional and apparel items. However, just because a logo looks good on paper or on a website, doesn’t mean that it’ll translate to a sewn medium. Here are some rules to keep in mind to keep expectations in check and ensure a quality embroidered product.

Rule 1: Thread has density, ink doesn’t – When you print a design, the ink is flat, and doesn’t take up space. Thread has dimensions, it needs to wrap around the material, and it takes up space. A very dense design won’t reproduce well in thread, since there won’t be enough space for all the details.

Rule 2: Small lettering won’t be legible – As a general rule, lettering should be no smaller than ¼ inch. The optimum size of the letter may also depend on the font you choose to use. You may need to experiment with different fonts to find the minimum size for any lettering done in that font.

Rule 3: Gradients and shading don’t reproduce well – Variegated thread may be a way to get around some shading issues but, as a general rule, designs with shading or fading or gradients won’t reproduce well as embroidery. Solid color designs work best.

Rule 4: Bad artwork results in bad embroidery – The better the work that you start with, the better the finished product.

Rule 5: Ink color and thread color aren’t the same – The colors in a printed design may not be exactly duplicated by the thread used to embroider the design. Even with a PMS number you may not get an exact match since there will be variations in color between ink and thread dyes.

Rule 6: The material being embroidered also matters – Embroidering on fleece is different than embroidery on a polo shirt is different than embroidery on an oxford and so on. When determining if a design will work for embroidery, you should also consider on what fabric it will be embroidered.

Tags: Embroidery, Jane Swanzy, Print, Promotional Ideas
Posted in Promo Products | No Comments »

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