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Holiday Gifting Primer
Lurking just behind the Halloween clearance aisle in your local department store is the winter holiday display. The airwaves are saturated with commercials for small electronics and toys. It is November - the gift-giving season has arrived.
In an economy that is still coming back from the brink, this season is liable to foster more nightmares than the spookiest haunted house. The bogey man can easily be banished, however, by reviewing some simple tips.
Company to Company gifting
The holidays are the perfect time to say ‘thank you’ to your top clients. Being a standout, especially in this economy, is important. Even on a budget, these strategies can help you make a difference!
Be original.
Especially if you have a stable of regular clients, don’t send the same gift every year. This year, set your company apart from the crowd with something new!
Make it personal, send a card.
Don’t make the mistake of getting lost among all the other gifts your clients are receiving this season. Instead of just the usual “Happy Holidays” imprint, add a note of appreciation and sign the card yourself. Cards are cost effective, have a fast turn around time, and with a personal note, can accomplish your gift giving agenda without breaking your bank. One company I work with sends a Thanksgiving card each year; the unusual timing gives them an extra boost in messaging.
Give a gift to the entire office.
Gifting to a client’s office can increase goodwill, especially when the office is small. Be cautious when gifting to larger corporations, however. Be sure that the recipients know and work with each other and that your gift is delivered to a neutral location.
Presentation is half the grade, don’t skimp on wrapping!
A nice bag or box, a bit of tissue and a ribbon are touches that show you care. Or, choose a gift that comes packaged in a basket, gift box or velour bag.
Select a gift that reflects your business and your company image.
Be conscious of the look and feel of the gift: is it well-made, the color appropriate, and the logo visible but understated and tasteful? Select a supplier that knows, or is willing to get to know, your company. An established relationship with your supplier means that they understand your company and can suggest gifts that are appropriate for your needs, taking the guess-work out of the equation. They may even be able to help expedite processing or delivery.
Company to Employee gifting
Rewarding your staff for a year of hard work is important, fostering employee loyalty and increased productivity. In an economy only beginning to beat back the dark, a little ‘thank you’ can go a long way. However, it’s easy to misstep – here are some strategies to keep in mind as you put together your year-end employee gifting program.
Avoid cash, gift certificates or gift cards.
The IRS considers a cash gift of any kind, including gift cards or certificates which it sees as a cash-equivalent, compensation. All employee compensation is taxable.
Make it personal.
Regardless of the gift to which it is attached, a note of appreciation and thanks makes a lasting impression.
Make it practical.
Give something your employees can use on the job: a padfolio or briefcase for a polished look at meetings or sales calls, a pen set, business card holder, or a desk or wall clock to jazz up their personal office space. One of my clients recently gave employees company jackets. Another company I work with took the practical theme to the next level, giving their staff collapsible chairs perfect for use during parade or tailgate season.
Ken Maltby
Sky High Marketing, Marketing Consultant
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sack it to me
How we ‘do lunch’ has been a hot topic recently. In 2008, as the recession went from bad to worse, articles and blogs began to pop up touting the ‘brown bag lunch’ as an effective way to reduce costs. As 2009 deepens and the kids flock back to schools, we’re all wondering just how long it will take to get around the bend and into an economic recovery. The mid-day meal is back in the spotlight as we look for money-saving measures to help slim down our budgets and ride it out just a little bit longer.
Savings that add up
Taking your lunch to work could save you as much as $100 a month, depending on where you live and what you typically purchase. In areas where prepared food is more expensive, like New York City, you could save as much as $2,475 a year. That’s a lot of change! It’s becoming fashionable to be frugal – the results of a Harris Interactive, Inc. poll released in June 2009 find that “just under half (47%) of Americans are brown-bagging lunch instead of purchasing it.”
Waist not, want not
Eating healthy in a restaurant setting is getting easier these days, but it still can’t compare to building your own lunch. Portion control, carb control, fat and calorie control – all in your hands. Keeping your girlish figure, well, girlish, certainly makes dollars and sense.
Saving your green is ‘green.’
A lot of green choices can cost a lot of money (rotating composters and rain barrels, for example) but taking your lunch to work isn’t one of them. Get yourself a reusable lunch sack and start packing up leftovers! Or, visit your local farmers’ market for fresh veggies and greens to brighten your day. Carrying your lunch IN can support green farming in your area and reduce your own waste.
Check out October’s product of the month and start taking back the lunch hour!
If you need a little extra convincing, or help jazzing up your lunch packing, visit one of these sites for some inspiration.
Colleen M. Feldner, Marketing Team Member
Savings that add up
Taking your lunch to work could save you as much as $100 a month, depending on where you live and what you typically purchase. In areas where prepared food is more expensive, like New York City, you could save as much as $2,475 a year. That’s a lot of change! It’s becoming fashionable to be frugal – the results of a Harris Interactive, Inc. poll released in June 2009 find that “just under half (47%) of Americans are brown-bagging lunch instead of purchasing it.”
Waist not, want not
Eating healthy in a restaurant setting is getting easier these days, but it still can’t compare to building your own lunch. Portion control, carb control, fat and calorie control – all in your hands. Keeping your girlish figure, well, girlish, certainly makes dollars and sense.
Saving your green is ‘green.’
A lot of green choices can cost a lot of money (rotating composters and rain barrels, for example) but taking your lunch to work isn’t one of them. Get yourself a reusable lunch sack and start packing up leftovers! Or, visit your local farmers’ market for fresh veggies and greens to brighten your day. Carrying your lunch IN can support green farming in your area and reduce your own waste.
Check out October’s product of the month and start taking back the lunch hour!
If you need a little extra convincing, or help jazzing up your lunch packing, visit one of these sites for some inspiration.
Colleen M. Feldner, Marketing Team Member
Monday, April 6, 2009
Doing More with Less
In the current economic climate all of us are being asked to do more with less. This can be difficult especially when it comes to meeting our marketing objectives. It takes a healthy budget to be able to do a sound job of branding with our different marketing initiatives.
We are definitely seeing this as it pertains to our clients promotional investing as well. Clients are looking to do the same job of branding with a more limited budget. We have responded to this by including closeouts and special offers from our suppliers in our newsletters. Feedback to these areas of our newsletters has been great and we will continue this section moving forward. If you would like a current list of our specials you can email our customer service department at customerservice@skyhighmarketing.com.
In closing, I would like to share a thought. Recently, we had a client come to us with half of their normal promotional budget for a tradeshow. The client assumed that they would still buy the same quantity of products, but this year look for items that were half the price of what they spent in previous years. After meeting with them we came up with a plan to spend the same amount of money on the item, but only do half of the quantity that was purchased in year’s past. This year they would be more selective of the individuals who would receive the giveaway. After the tradeshow, the client informed us that the tradeshow generated just as many good leads as in previous years. A little extra thought on the front-end made all of the difference!
Sky High Marketing CFO
Rachel Kozinski
We are definitely seeing this as it pertains to our clients promotional investing as well. Clients are looking to do the same job of branding with a more limited budget. We have responded to this by including closeouts and special offers from our suppliers in our newsletters. Feedback to these areas of our newsletters has been great and we will continue this section moving forward. If you would like a current list of our specials you can email our customer service department at customerservice@skyhighmarketing.com.
In closing, I would like to share a thought. Recently, we had a client come to us with half of their normal promotional budget for a tradeshow. The client assumed that they would still buy the same quantity of products, but this year look for items that were half the price of what they spent in previous years. After meeting with them we came up with a plan to spend the same amount of money on the item, but only do half of the quantity that was purchased in year’s past. This year they would be more selective of the individuals who would receive the giveaway. After the tradeshow, the client informed us that the tradeshow generated just as many good leads as in previous years. A little extra thought on the front-end made all of the difference!
Sky High Marketing CFO
Rachel Kozinski
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Top 5 Reasons Why Companies Create A Company Store
I recently came across this article within our industry and thought that the content might help those of you who are considering a company store:
The following are the top five reasons why companies create an online company store to help manage their promotional products and corporate apparel:
1. To control their branding: brand abuse is out of control, they have no system of protection for their brand
2. To simplify their corporate apparel program: apparel selection and ordering is messy and requires too much administration
3. To centralize their location: they have no organized system to easily see and purchase the branded products
4. To control their purchasing: product purchasing is fragmented, no purchasing leverage and little organizational control
5. To minimize administration: too much energy duplicated across multiple locations to create similar branded products and delivery channels
You can reduce this list down to three simple words: speed, power and control. Speed is important in getting branded materials into the hands of the people that need them the most, quickly. Power is critical because a large organization needs a scalable, robust eCommerce solution that can handle virtually any branded product. Control is imperative. Maintaining brand consistency and providing easier ways to track departmental purchases are critical components to a healthy store.
The bottom line is, within most large organizations, the internal staff is spending too much time procuring and organizing material for their brand; the creative capital of these employees is best spent on mission-critical objectives, (i.e., selling, communications, market development, etc.). A company store provides the perfect vehicle to save time and simplify what is normally a complicated process. Understanding these issues will help you sell and help your clients manage profitable online company stores.
If you have any questions about our company store capabilities, email me anytime at josh@skyhighmarketing.com.
Josh Kozinski
The following are the top five reasons why companies create an online company store to help manage their promotional products and corporate apparel:
1. To control their branding: brand abuse is out of control, they have no system of protection for their brand
2. To simplify their corporate apparel program: apparel selection and ordering is messy and requires too much administration
3. To centralize their location: they have no organized system to easily see and purchase the branded products
4. To control their purchasing: product purchasing is fragmented, no purchasing leverage and little organizational control
5. To minimize administration: too much energy duplicated across multiple locations to create similar branded products and delivery channels
You can reduce this list down to three simple words: speed, power and control. Speed is important in getting branded materials into the hands of the people that need them the most, quickly. Power is critical because a large organization needs a scalable, robust eCommerce solution that can handle virtually any branded product. Control is imperative. Maintaining brand consistency and providing easier ways to track departmental purchases are critical components to a healthy store.
The bottom line is, within most large organizations, the internal staff is spending too much time procuring and organizing material for their brand; the creative capital of these employees is best spent on mission-critical objectives, (i.e., selling, communications, market development, etc.). A company store provides the perfect vehicle to save time and simplify what is normally a complicated process. Understanding these issues will help you sell and help your clients manage profitable online company stores.
If you have any questions about our company store capabilities, email me anytime at josh@skyhighmarketing.com.
Josh Kozinski
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Re-Launch of Sky High Marketing Website:
We are excited to announce that our website re-launch is now completed. We have added several new components to our site. Some of these include a press release library and a new product searching program. The product search tab will make doing research and placing orders easier than ever. You can now shop and place orders on our site 24/7. We also will be posting case histories to the site in the coming months.
We are also entering the Web 2.0 world. Individuals will be able to read blog postings, subscribe to our RSS feed, and follow us on Twitter right from our home page. We look forward to keeping you up to speed with marketing information that will be helpful for your business.
Sky High Marketing President
Josh Kozinski
We are excited to announce that our website re-launch is now completed. We have added several new components to our site. Some of these include a press release library and a new product searching program. The product search tab will make doing research and placing orders easier than ever. You can now shop and place orders on our site 24/7. We also will be posting case histories to the site in the coming months.
We are also entering the Web 2.0 world. Individuals will be able to read blog postings, subscribe to our RSS feed, and follow us on Twitter right from our home page. We look forward to keeping you up to speed with marketing information that will be helpful for your business.
Sky High Marketing President
Josh Kozinski
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
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