Innovative Solutions Texas

Give Great Swag to Promote Your Brand

August 14, 2017 By Jennifer Evanko

Everyone loves swag, or those promotional items you receive at an event or from a business. Usually the item is printed with the company’s name and logo, or the name of the event and date. The purpose of swag for a business is to get your attention and be a positive reminder of that company. Next time you need the type of product or service offered by that company, the hope is that you will remember them and contact them first.

So what is good swag?

Good swag is something that the recipient keeps and uses. Not so good swag is something that the recipient throws away or leaves behind. That might get your brand in their hands, but why bother if it’s not going to stay there? Your promotional items say a lot about you. Buy cheap plastic crap (official promotional product industry term) and you won’t impress your customer. Don’t get me wrong, they won’t think badly about you because everyone loves free stuff. But they won’t be wowed by your gift either. And swag with the wow factor doesn’t have to be expensive.

What’s in a pen?

Let’s take pens for example. Everybody uses pens. Many people steal pens. If you’re promoting your business using pens, choose a really cool pen that your customer will want to steal, and then let them. Encourage them to. Choose a pen that writes well, is comfortable to hold and has an eye-catching design in a color that matches your branding, or a color that catches their attention. And put your logo and contact info or website on it.

Way back when I became a consultant for my first direct sales company, I was taught to buy red pens for customers to use when filling out their order forms at home parties. The reasoning was that they would be less likely to steal the pens if they wrote in red ink, and that made sense back then. Replacing the pens is an expense. However, now I know that’s crazy talk! Choose good pens with your info on them. Allow and encourage your customers to take them. Keep those pens in their hands and they’ll be reminded of you every time they use them. And when they are ready to buy again, they’ll think of you first.

So many products, so little time.

The promotional products industry is huge. HUGE. There are a lot of products. And when I say a lot, I do mean a lot. If you want a number, we’ll say it’s over 800,000 specific promotional products. But I think that’s low. Really, anything can be a promotional product if you put your logo on it and give it to someone. It can be overwhelming to find just the right product to fit your requirement just right. But that perfect product is out there. Do you need a hot pink travel mug with glitter? It not only exists, but there are choices. The trick is to find the right one and keep it within your budget, but that can be done with the help of a promotional products professional.

Contact me for some great swag ideas for your business. I can help you wow your customer within your budget.

Check out my latest pins here.

Work from Home Tips to Help You Get Stuff Done

August 13, 2017 By Jennifer Evanko

When you own your own business, or otherwise work from home, it is sometimes difficult to stay on task. There’s always something in the house to do, someone to feed or a television to watch. I am certainly good at procrastination and distraction. You can just look at my blog title (Flighty and Creative) and know that. But I have some tricks that help me concentrate and focus on my list of tasks.

Work from home tips to improve focus

We have owned a business for almost ten years, but were working at other jobs until about six years ago. Now we run our businesses (there are now three) from home as well as attend graduate school full time, and take care of our menagerie of crazy animals.

Get ready for work.

Get up in the morning and get ready like you’re going to work. This is actually one I don’t always follow, but I get a lot more done when I do. You don’t have to dress up, but at least look presentable. It helps put you in the right mindset for work. Plus, if you do have to go somewhere unexpectedly, you’re ready and don’t have to get ready to go.

Set small goals for each day.

Make a list of things you need to accomplish the next day, and then check them off as you complete them. When there are a million things to do, it’s easier to remember the most important or urgent ones you must do first. It also breaks up the overwhelmingly large list into small bite-sized pieces.

Minimize distractions.

I’ve found that if I leave the television off in the morning, it doesn’t distract me at all. But if I turn it on in the morning, forget the day. Something will distract me and I’ll sit down for just a few minutes (which never only lasts a few minutes). But the television is not the only distraction.

I don’t have kids, so I can’t tell you how to minimize that particular distraction. However, I do have a husband who likes to pop in and say, “Hey do you want to go to (insert fun work-avoiding place here) with me right quick?” Again, right quick is never right quick. It’s a day wasted. I also have three dogs and two cats who seem to want to go out and come back in or be fed right when I am on a roll or knee deep in a project. I try to let them out or feed them and get them settled before I start a task.

Music helps me concentrate.

This may not work for everyone, but if I put my headphones in and listen to music, I tend to zone out from the rest of the world and am completely focused on what I’m working on. For some reason it doesn’t work to turn on the stereo. It only works with headphones. I guess I’m weird like that.

Schedule time for work and for fun.

Set a time that you will go to work, and one that work will end. Schedule time to do things with your family. When you work from home it’s tempting to just keep working past normal working hours, especially when you own your own business. There’s always so much to do, and you may be the only one who will do it. But you can’t do it all without taking some time for yourself and scheduling some time for your family. You won’t be good to you, to the family or to the business.

Contact me with your favorite work from home tips or just leave them in the comments.

Check out my Pinterest boards for lots of great pins!

Promotional Product “Company Stores” for Direct Sellers

August 11, 2017 By Jennifer Evanko

What is a Company Store?

A company store is a site you set up with a promotional product company and choose logo items for your team or your customers to order and have shipped directly to them. You choose the products and imprint, and the vendor manages the site. You do not need to buy a collection of merchandise, store it and then ship it to your team or your customers. There is little to no investment involved in setting up a company store.

A Promotional Product Company Store Example

Let’s say you’re a consultant for a direct sales company, and you have built a team of consultants under you. You want to encourage team unity and excitement to keep them motivated. T-shirts are a great place to start to build your team brand, but you can also add jackets, caps, bags, writing instruments, lapel pins, lanyards, and an almost infinite number of other promotional products. Set up a company store, and select the t-shirts or other items you want to make available to your team. You can choose one style and color, or you can have several choices for them.

Everyone has different tastes and preferences, and needs different sizes or styles for their own best fit. You certainly don’t want to have to predict what each team member will choose and order a few of each size/style/color combination, then wait for them to send you payment before sending them the shirt. That would be a huge investment.

The promotional product company does not print the items until your team member or customer orders it, therefore there is no initial investment in quantities of products you aren’t sure you will need. You send the team member or customer the link, and they place their order. The company prints the item and sends it directly to them. You can change promotional products to keep the selection fresh, and add a variety of products that present a unified theme.

Team Incentives

You can use your company store to send incentives or gifts directly to your team members. Did someone promote or have exceptionally high sales one month? Your store can include specially selected promotional products designated for a specified occasion. You can order the product for your team member, or give them a code to order the item themselves. This will save you time and money, especially if you have a large team. No more going to the store or shopping online to find the right gift at an affordable price. And best of all, these items will be personalized with your team branding.

Customer Perks

Company stores are a great tool for sending your customers appreciation items or loyalty perks. For example, you may have a customer who orders from you on a regular basis, and you want to send them a small gift just to say thank you. Some great examples of thank you items include pens or reusable shopping bags. You may have specified products that you order and send directly to them, with a note to say, “Thank you for your business. We appreciate you!” Doesn’t everyone love a surprise gift they weren’t expecting? And with your contact information printed right on the item as a constant reminder of you and your business, your customers will think of you first.

Contact me to discuss the possibilities. We can design a company store program that will save you time and money.

Check out my Pinterest boards here.