Employee Appreciation Day falls on the first Friday in March (it’s on 3/2 this year), so we thought it would be fun to share some ideas for employee morale boosters. Remember, it’s the simple things that can make all the difference.

1. Don’t underestimate the power of flowers. Flowers add a lovely touch to a cube or desk, and who doesn’t like receiving a gorgeous vase full of brightly colored buds and petals? Worried that the guys in your office might not be into flowers? Think potted plants. And there’s always something like Edible Arrangements (which works great for women as well).

2. Make it fun. It’s fun to acknowledge your employees, so consider adding a fun little gift as an extra bonus to one of the ideas above. Some of our favorites:

• Pin-bonanza! Think employee of the month pins, achievement pins, and great job pins. Attach the pin to a larger gift, like gift cards to a restaurant or the bow around a vase of flowers.

• Personalized coffee mugs. Fill personalized coffee mugs with candy, scratch tickets, and a gift card to a place the employee likes, such as Barnes and Noble.

• Balloons, balloons, balloons! Tying bunches of personalized balloons around the person’s cube is a fun idea as well.

3. A “lunch on us” program is also fun (and economical). Reward your employees with lunch. If it’s one employee you want to treat, either take the person out to lunch or provide a gift certificate to a restaurant. If it’s a team of employees you want to celebrate, invite a local restaurant to come in and cater lunch.

4. Talk ‘em up. Thanks to social media, now you can highlight the great work your employees do and share this news with customers and prospects. For example, a limo company might do a shout out on Facebook about one of its awesome chauffeurs and then link back to a feature on the website. This not only makes the employee feel good, but also shows your customers that you value your workers.

What ways do you celebrate your employees? We want to hear them. Share in the comments.

The difference between marketing, advertising, branding, and PR.

• Marketing. Marketing tells a story – the story of you, your business, your products, your services. In this story is the message. Here’s an example of a marketing story: “For over 30 years, we’ve been perfecting the way we work with brides and grooms and how we drive them in our luxury limos on their big day.” Here’s the marketing message: “our wedding limo services are tried and true – we have the longevity and happy couples to prove it.”

• Advertising. With advertising, you’re selling the story. You pay money for your story and message to appear in, say, newspaper ads, online ads, radio spots, etc. It’s all about repetition and getting your story in front of as many eyeballs/ears as possible.

• Branding. This is the one that people mix up a lot. Branding is so much more than just your logo or the look and feel of your website. Branding is your company’s essence AND it’s how people imagine, picture, and respond to that essence. When people see your company’s logo, what do they feel: comfort? Peace of mind? Anger? Happiness? Hunger? It’s how they respond to the essence of who you are and who your customer thinks you are (often based on your marketing story, advertising, and PR). Marketing guru Seth Godin has an interesting definition of brand (and one we tend to agree with).

• PR. This stands for public relations, and it promotes and supports the more formal message that’s disseminated to the public. PR includes the spreading of positive messages (e.g. an award your company won) and crisis management (e.g. handling a scandal your company faces).

Here’s a link to an excellent (and humorous) image that beautifully illustrates the difference between marketing, advertising, branding, and PR.

So where do promotional products fit in?

Promotional products can help you market, advertise, and brand your business. It depends on what product you choose and how you use it. Here are two examples:

• Custom calendars with your logo and company information. Custom calendars are a great form of advertising and marketing since you’re repeating a marketing message every day, week, or month. The pictures on the calendars will also reflect your branding. For example, if your brand is about speed, images of racing cars will help to reinforce the message.

• Key chains. This is an example we love to use to illustrate branding. Radio stations often give away key chains at events. They’re great promotional products, but there’s also incredible brand value. People who love their radio station respond positively to almost anything branded with the station’s call letters/logo. Key chains are no exception. Even though regular key chains aren’t particularly useful (compared to, say, bottle openers), the radio station’s logo can elicit such a positive response that true fans will often proudly add the key chain to their key ring right away (which helps advertise the station further) because of the emotions they feel. This is branding at work.

What do you think of these definitions of marketing, advertising, branding, and PR? Would you define the terms in another way? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Here are five tips for doing just that:

1. Nix the limp-fish handshakes. A firm handshake expresses confidence and genuine interest in the other party. People will judge you by your handshake, so don’t dismiss this as unimportant. If you suffer from tentative or limp handshakes (or you’re not sure), then practice – find a friend or colleague you can trust, shake his or her hand, and then ask the person to rate the shake on a scale of 1 (limp fish) to 5 (shaking perfection). Adjust accordingly and practice some more.

2. Understand business cards and the power of two. Sure, you know that you should bring business cards to networking meetings, but when you swap business cards, always offer two. Why? Because that way, the person can keep one for herself AND have an extra to use when she wants to give your info to someone else. (And be sure to ask for two in return.)

3. Remember that you’re a walking billboard for your business. At large networking events, such as business expos, you might not get a chance to talk to everyone, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be seen. Your apparel can be a great way to (silently) promote your business (and this is a great idea for people in the trades, like electricians, landscapers, IT techs, etc.) Custom T-shirts and/or custom hats with your logo and business name can work well. If you’re worried that T-shirts are too casual, there’s plenty of cool promotional apparel, including items you can customize, like polo golf shirts.

4. Non-verbal gestures matter. It’s been said that at least 60 percent of human communication derives from body language (90 percent if you include the tone of your voice). Make eye contact. Smile. When you’re talking to someone, do NOT let your eyes wander to see who else is in the room. When you’re sitting at a round table, sit up straight and/or lean into the table as people are talking (especially those folks who are sitting across from you). Avoid sitting back and crossing your arms. Look alive and happy to be there.

5. Know your spiel. Go to your business networking meetings armed with the following: a 10-second description of your business, a 30-second description, and a full one-minute description. Unless you’re remarkably gifted with ad libbing, we recommend scripting all three well in advance of your meetings, trying them out on employees, colleagues, or friends, and practicing them until you’re comfortable and they flow off your tongue. At many meetings, such as Chamber of Commerce breakfast meetings and Business Networking International (BNI) meetings, you’re asked to stand up and introduce yourself. People will judge you, so come prepared and get comfortable with these mini commercials about your business.

How do you shine at business network meetings? Share your tips in the comments.

One thing is certain: you shouldn’t jump into Twitter just because it seems like the right thing to do because so many other businesses are doing it. Sure, Twitter might have over 100 million active users (and 50 percent who log on every day), but it needs to be the right thing for you, your business, and your clientele.

Twitter for Small Businesses…when it might make sense:

• Your business is in a “techie” industry, thus creating a certain expectation that your company would have a Twitter presence. For example, if you run an IT firm, it might make sense to provide some customer support via Twitter, since customers might expect it (thanks to larger companies, like Comcast, that field questions via Twitter).

• You have time to dedicate to it. Social media requires you to be social, which requires a certain level of commitment.

• You’re not concerned with traditional ROI and you understand that engaging customers and prospective customers via Twitter might not directly lead to sales today. But you also get that the overall exposure could be beneficial to your brand, even if it’s hard to quantify.

• You enjoy social networking and engaging customers and prospects this way.

Twitter for Small Businesses…when it might not make sense:

• You don’t have the time. No, really — you’ve thought about it, and you’re not simply dismissing it because you don’t feel like dealing. You really don’t have the bandwidth (it’s okay to admit this).

• You’ve tried it, and you don’t like it (or you have no interest in learning). Sure, as a business owner, sometimes you have to do certain business tasks, even if you don’t like ‘em. But Twitter isn’t one of them. If you hate it or “don’t get it” (and have no interest in learning), then it’s not going to work for you. Prefer Facebook? Great. Hang out there.

• You prefer engaging customers in more traditional ways, or you have other social media, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, that you prefer using.

• Your customer base isn’t on Twitter. For example, maybe you’re in a business that focuses on baby boomers and empty nesters. The bulk of Twitter users are in the 18-34 and 35-49 categories, so Twitter might not make sense, in this case.

If you are going to use Twitter for your business, here are 10 things to consider and keep in mind:

1. Customize your Twitter presence. Make sure your logo and bio reflect who you are and your business. Be sure to include a link to your website. Click on “settings” and “profile” to update.

2. Take the time to understand the lingo. Retweets, direct messages, and link shorteners are all things you need to know about. Here’s an official Twitter glossary.

3. Understand Twitter etiquette. Like anything else that involves social interactions, there are certain acceptable ways to behave…and ways you shouldn’t behave. Do you need to automatically follow someone who follows you? Do you need to thank people who retweet you? Here’s a good article that discusses these and some other big Twitter etiquette questions.

4. Use tools to help you maximize your experience. If you follow a lot of people, it can be hard keeping up with conversations if you try to do it through Twitter itself. But free tools, such as HootSuite and TweetDeck, help you manage Twitter so you get the most out of it…without wasting a lot of valuable time.

5. Understand the power of hashtags. In a nutshell, hashtags (which are made by using a hash mark in front of a word, name, or phrase) are a way of categorizing/organizing tweets. If you searched on #marketingtips in Twitter, you’d see all the conversations where people are talking about things related to marketing (because they’ve used this tag). Here’s a great article on hashtags, including more about what they are, how to make one, and why they’re so powerful.

6. Engage. The whole point of social media is to be, well, social. Talk to people! Take part in conversations. Answer questions. Respond to big news. Talk about what’s going on in your business. Note: there’s a fine line between being too self-promotional, however. A good rule of thumb is the 80-20 rule: Eighty percent of the time, you should be talking with people about whatever interests them. The other 20 percent of the time, you can promote your products and services. Mileage may vary, depending on your industry or customer base, but this is a good starting point.

7. Share. Retweet. Do shout outs to other Twitter followers. Take part in hash-tagged conversations, such as #FollowFriday.

8. Provide value. If you’re engaging and sharing properly, you’re providing value. But this point is so important, it’s worth repeating.

9. If you don’t know the answer to something Twitter related, ask, search, and learn. Hey, this is 2012. You’re just a Google search away from finding the answer to a Twitter question. (By the way, here’s one we found after doing a Google search: “Twitter 101.”)

10. Don’t abandon ship. If you’re going to commit, then commit. Creating a presence in social media takes time. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen if you stick with it and follow the advice above. Give it a good six months to a year.

BONUS: Promote the fact your company is on Twitter. It seems like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at how many businesses forget this step. If you build it, they won’t come, unless you tell them. Be sure to include your Twitter handle on everything that touches customers’ hands or reaches their eyeballs, such as:

• Business cards

• Email signatures

• Invoices

• Voice mail/on hold greetings

• Packaging

• Promotional products, such as pens, mugs, even custom T-shirts

By the way, Amsterdam Printing is on Twitter, and we’d love to connect with you if you’re on there.

Have you tried Twitter for your business? Share what your experience has been like. Or if you decided to forgo Twitter, share why in the comments.

Oh, Look! Shiny Stuff!
Let’s face it: trade shows can be chaotic, especially for attendees. There’s so much to look at and so many places for people to go and get sidetracked. Your booth needs to have visual “pop” so you can get people’s attention. How do you accomplish this?

Here are three ideas:

1. Think movement. Nothing gets people’s attention more than something that moves and makes sounds. One of our favorite recommendations is a tabletop prize wheel. The movement will draw people in, and the fun factor will keep them engaged long enough for them to hear what you have to say. Send them home with a prize that they find valuable (like movie tickets) along with some collateral materials about your products or services.

2. Think displays. Display items for trade shows also get noticed and give attendees something to look at as they walk by your booth. The one we often recommend to our customers is the Show ‘n Write Tabletop Display. What’s great about this is that it’s two-sided. You can customize it on the fly and change it up as the day goes on, thanks to the Velcro panels on one side and the write-on, write-off panels on the other.

This tabletop display provides the most flexibility. Think about it – how you explain something to one person might be different from the way you explain it to another. With this display, you can customize your storytelling so that it fits the needs of the people who are watching and listening in.

3. Think informational takeaways. Some prospective customers prefer taking information home and reviewing it on their own. These attendees are likely to gather materials from various booths as a sort of research quest. Making sure you have information for this prospective customer is critical, and a sharp-looking literature display rack can be the perfect repository for all of your marketing materials, such as product brochures, data sheets, etc. (It will also keep things organized.)

Do you have tons of printed materials and does the thought of lugging them all the way to the trade show make you weary? Here’s another cool option: bring a bunch of USB flash drives branded with your company logo and filled with all of your company’s info — it’s an informational takeaway, digital style.

These are just three ideas, but there are plenty more display items and trade show marketing ideas here.

How do you drive people to your trade show booths? Share in the comments.

Definitely the latter. But the question is, are you leveraging these testimonials the way you should?

You’d be surprised by the many ways you can use customer testimonials. Here are 10 ideas:

1. Company website. Okay, this might seem like a no-brainer, but we’re always surprised at how many small business owners forget to add testimonials to their website. And we’re not talking simply one web page of happy customer comments, although it IS a good idea to have a repository for all of them. We recommend sprinkling testimonials throughout the site. Match them to specific products or services. For example, if you’re a limo company and one of the services you offer is wedding limos, make sure you post a glowing review from a bride on that page. Another fun idea we’ve seen: have scrolling testimonials on the home page.

2. Email newsletters (and print newsletters, too!). Testimonials make great filler in the side bar areas for both electronic and print newsletters.

3. Invoices. Invoices are things that customers pay attention to – consider adding a testimonial somewhere on the bottom (it can be a great reminder about other products and services you offer).

4. Promotional products. Bet you didn’t see this suggestion coming from us, huh? :) But it’s true – you often have lots of real estate on certain promotional products, such as custom T-shirts, personalized ceramic mugs (like the ones pictured to the right), and custom bags and totes. Add a powerful line – it needn’t and shouldn’t be long – that adds an extra promotional punch.

5. Email signatures. Again, a powerful line is a great way to reinforce your brand, and your email signature is a perfect place to do this. Best of all, you can change it whenever you like – we recommend “freshening” the testimonial every month or so. Make sure all of your employees do the same thing with their signatures. Here’s how to change your email signature in Outlook.

6. Marketing collateral. Testimonials are perfect for brochures, direct mailers, company backgrounders, data sheets – you get the idea.

7. Business cards. The back of your business card has primo real estate as well — often real estate that goes unused. It’s a great place to add a strong line from a customer. Focus on standout lines that exemplify your unique selling proposition (USP).

8. Social media. You need to be careful how often you do this, but when you get a particularly glowing testimonial or review, share it with your Facebook fans or tweet about it. Make sure you sound grateful, not boastful! For example, on Facebook, preface the testimonial with something like this: “Wow! We love it when we make clients happy, and we love it even more when they tell us. We just received this awesome testimonial from Mary Smith. She said…”

9. Press materials/speaker materials. If you’re a business owner who likes to “get out there” and speak at conferences and such, it’s always a good idea to include one sheet with testimonials about you as a speaker and about you as a businessperson.

10. Auto-responders. Whether you use an email marketing program like Constant Contact that sends out an automatic “welcome” email after someone signs up for your company newsletter, or you’re using some sort of lead nurturing software, adding a testimonial to the bottom of these messages is another way to get a big bang for your testimonial buck.

Have you used customer testimonials in other ways? We want to hear them! Share in the comments.

Enjoy the excitement part without any interference from us. Hey, dreaming big is the fuel that keeps small businesses going, right? As for those other concerns, read on because we can help.

What to Say – Keep it Open

Let’s face it: attending a trade show can be physically and mentally exhausting. You’re on your feet for a good chunk of the day. And you’re “on” for that whole time as well, meaning you need to represent your company, engage booth visitors, and sound as fresh, articulate, and excited with visitor #1 as you are with visitor #1001.

Here’s the #1 tip we can offer when it comes to engaging people:

Ask open-ended questions. You want to get people talking (and talking about something relevant to your business). Don’t ask them things like “Are you enjoying the trade show?” or “Do you think it’s hot in here?” Sure, you’ll get a response, but it will likely be a one-word answer. Instead, ask open-ended questions.

For example, if you’re a home builder specializing in universal design and you’re attending a trade show or expo that attracts homeowners, you might ask a booth visitor something like, “What’s the most challenging area to access in your house?” The person’s answer will foster a conversation where you can ease into a discussion around universal design.

Bonus Tips to Better Conversations at Trade Shows:

• Rejuvenate your body. It’s okay to take a break! You need to stay hydrated, you need food, and you need to walk around and refresh your noggin. Don’t worry about “missed opportunities” if you have to leave your booth for fifteen minutes. You won’t be much use to any people who stop by your booth if your stomach is growling or you’re crossing your legs because you have to use the rest room. Just make sure to post a sign with the time you’ll be back and include your contact info.

• Relax your mind. Seriously. No one knows your business better than you do. People aren’t there to try to stump you with questions. And guess what? If they do ask a tough question that requires you to get back to them, well voila – now you have the perfect excuse for engaging the prospects AFTER the trade show.

What to Wear – YOU are a Walking Billboard for Your Brand

We’ll be talking about your booth below, but what about your body? Make sure you wear apparel that has your logo prominently displayed. (And ditto for anyone minding your booth.)

We recommend these polo shirts – they look great, travel well, and you can continue wearing them outside of the show. They’re easy for us to customize as well.

Custom T-shirts also work, too, especially if you want a more casual look.

What to Bring – Think Booth Bling

As you’re engaging people, you want to make sure you have branded promotional products available that they can take and walk away with. People love free stuff. Your job is to provide promotional products that people will actually use. Whenever they use your promo product, they’ll see your logo and their brain will be reminded – even if it’s on a subconscious level – of the conversation they had with you.

Here are some of our favorite promotional products to use at trade shows:

1. Anti-microbial Gel Stress Balls. Who doesn’t love kneading these puppies when they’re on the phone, watching TV, or sitting in on a trade show session? The anti-microbial feature protects the balls from odors and stains. (This means your logo will always look its best.)

2. Promotional Pens. Sometimes the simplest promo item works best. Don’t underestimate the power of the pen! They’re easily tucked into briefcases, bags, and purses…and they have the ability to “walk” when people “borrow” them.

3. Double-wall Acrylic Tumblers. These are a smart, eco-friendly choice because they’re reusable, which is a hot topic for many people. People love using them as well.

4. Brightwell Key Chain. This is a tried-and-true fave among all of us at Amsterdam Printing. Key chains are popular booth items since they’re eye-catching, functional (thanks to the cool LED flashlight), and they travel well – people often pop them onto their key rings right then and there.

5. Gund Bears. This is a great choice if you’re heading to a show or expo that’s family oriented and where there might be kids (think home shows, boat shows, food expos…you get the idea).

What tips do you have for fellow business owners who’ll be attending trade shows? Share in the comments.

Coming next week: Trade Show Marketing Ideas – Part 2: Driving People to Your Booth

If getting to know your customers better was on your list of New Year’s resolutions, surveys are a great way to go!

Whether it’s a card to fill out at checkout or an online questionnaire, a survey gives you a yardstick to measure how you’re doing overall, what’s working well, and what could use some improvement. Your survey tells your customers that you care about serving them better, plus it can be a great source of ideas. And even negative comments can be a boost if they alert you to a problem that could have led to lost business down the road.

Fortunately, it’s easy to conduct an effective customer survey without spending a lot of time and money. Just keep these simple tips in mind:

• Keep your survey short and to-the-point.  Do a few test runs with employees or family members; if it takes more than a few minutes to complete, you might want to do some editing.
• Make the questions simple.  Use simple wording that all of your customers will understand.  Using complex terminology can result in customer frustration.
• Allow customers to remain anonymous so that they can feel comfortable being completely honest with you.
• Set out multiple data collection points. For instance, you might have a pen-and-paper survey at checkout and an online version on your website.
• Have at least one open-ended question.  This allows customers to express their thoughts and offer suggestions freely.
• Provide an incentive.  Offer a free gift or enter customers in a drawing in exchange for filling out the survey.  This will help to get more participants.
• Have a standard metric you’ll be able to compare year-over-year. For example, Net Promoter Score (NPS) is calculated by asking one simple question which measures how many of your customers are promoters vs. detractors. The resulting score can be compared with the industry average.
• Clearly state the objective.  Make customers aware of what you plan to do with the results. Tell customers that you will review all of the responses & apply any suggestions that will help to improve the business.

For online surveys, many businesses use free sites like SurveyMonkey, which lets you invite customers to complete your survey online, in emails, or on your Facebook page. Pen-and-paper surveys are easy to create using Microsoft Word or other desktop programs; you can either print them yourself or have them printed professionally at a moderate cost.

What are you doing today to know your customers better? Tell us about it in the comments!

1. Digital Ceramic Mugs - 4.8/5 stars
   What’s not to love about these mugs?! Tons of clients used our online design studio to upload their pictures, logos, and backgrounds on these mugs. Before the Thanksgiving holiday, we even held a small contest on Facebook and gave away mugs filled with candy.
   
2. Latera™ Pens - 4.8/5 stars
   This original design definitely gets attention!  That’s the point of promotional products: you want to stand out and have your name remembered.
   
3. Digital Monthly Calendars - 4.8/5 stars
   Our compact pocket calendars feature the option to fully customize your cover — our customers upload their pictures, logos and artwork, or select one of our designs to make the promotion their own.
   
4. Ultima™ Pens - 4.8/5 stars
   Introduced in 2010, these custom metal pens became an instant customer-favorite. Featuring unique Diamond-Cut™ grip and Sand-Washed™ barrel.
   
5. Stainless Fitness Bottles (24 Oz.) - 4.7/5 stars
   Water bottles have become a hot trend among consumers — allowing businesses to get their logos in front of their customers and patrons multiple times a day!
   
6. Merge™ Pens - 4.7/5 stars
   Full-weight, ballpoint pens in your choice of 5 colors, with a modern design, shiny barrel, and a comfortable grip! This is the perfect promotional pen for your company’s logo.
   
7. Delane® Pens - 4.7/5 stars
   The Delane Pen, once again, makes the list of top-rated products. Available in 8 colors, these metal engraved pens can be seen all over the country: in banks, restaurants, offices and stores! One of our employees recently ran across one at a Customs stop in the Caribbean!
   
8. Custom Academic Calendars - 4.4/5 stars
   School principals and administrators buy these academic calendars for their students to keep them organized and stay on top of assignments! Calendar covers (front, back, and inside) can be personalized with the school’s pictures, mascots, schedules and important dates.
   
9. Montabella™ Pens - 4.4/5 stars
   Introduced in 2004, these pens are making a come-back to the list! No wonder — demand has been astonishing this year with the introduction of 3 new colors: aquamarine, sky and graphite. Which one is your favorite? (Patent # D544,915)
   
10. Brightwell™ Keychains - 4.4/5 stars
    A new product on the list — these Brightwell keychains with LED-lights serve as mini flashlights. Similar to the other items on the list, they not only carry your company’s message, but also are very useful — ensuring that your customers will hold onto them.
    

Tell us about your 2011 pick for the best promotional product. Did it make our top 10 list?

Let us know on our Facebook page or Twitter:

Tweet to @AmsterdamPrint

Photo by oliverjd of dunkley.me

Let’s start with the basics.

• If you are traveling and bringing your computer, you will need some sort of bag that will not only carry the computer and all of its accessories, but also keep the electronics safe and protected.  Roomy custom laptop bags or protective sleeves are the perfect solution.  There are a variety of different designs and styles that you can pick from to fit your personal needs.
• A toiletry bag is the perfect way to keep your toiletry items organized.  Check out toiletry travel bag that is easily packed and accessible for the frequent traveler. When packing your toiletry bag, here are a few things to remember to pack: lint brush, travel toothbrush and travel antibacterial gel.
• For those travelers who sometimes find themselves in a jam, there are small kits to help you out.  Did you give yourself a paper-cut while at a meeting? This mini first aid kit  can come to the rescue with basic first aid supplies.  Did you tear a button off your jacket right before you’re supposed to be going to an event?  A travel sewing kit can help save time and your jacket!
• Finally, never underestimate the value of luggage tags!  Suitcases and luggage can sometimes be lost or mixed up during transport.  It is times like these that your baggage should have some sort of label with your name and contact information on it.  These tags make it easier for your personal property to be returned to you.

These are only a few items that can make your travel easier out of a wide variety of promotional products. What are some items that you never travel without?