Monthly Archives: April 2015

5 Mobile Marketing Trends You Can’t Ignore

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Promotional items such as drinkware and tote bags still play an important role in an overall marketing strategy. However, mobile marketing is arguably the most interesting (and increasingly lucrative) area of any marketing strategy. This guide will discuss the growth of social media worldwide, and the tools that allow that user base to be targeted more accurately. It will also discuss the increase in mobile video content and the general growth in Internet marketing as a whole.

Global social media penetration is at 40 percent worldwide (and growing)

Social media has caught the world by storm, and is being used by an increasing percentage of populations around the world. Currently, social media penetration is around 40 percent worldwide, but that number is significantly higher in countries like the United States (81 percent), Canada (82 percent), the U.K. (76 percent), South Korea (74 percent) and Australia (73 percent). This rapidly growing market spends the majority of its social media usage on mobile devices, and the advertising and marketing opportunities are only now beginning to be utilized. The mobile social media advertising market is poised to be one of the most lucrative advertising venues, and companies should begin to ramp up their efforts in this area as soon as possible.

Geography-based marketing is increasingly popular

For years, Internet advertising on platforms such as Facebook and Google allowed advertisers to target their audience through geography-based advertisements. Back then, geography was defined by the “hometown” or “current city” of the user, which provided some insight into their geographic location, but did not provide up-to-date information about where the user was located. For individuals who moved without updating their profiles, or for individuals who travel frequently for work or otherwise, the geographic information was far less accurate.

Today, however, mobile devices are increasingly using GPS coordinates to determine a user’s location in real time (with the user’s permission). This provides a unique opportunity for companies who wish to target users who are currently in a particular geographic location to do so.

Micro-targeting is increasingly accurate and effective

Geography-based marketing is one (significant) element of a larger trend known as micro-targeting. Micro-targeting is the utilization of specific demographic and geographic user information for the purpose of more accurately targeting the right audience. Micro-targeting is a benefit for everyone involved. Users receive advertisements that are more relevant to their interests, while companies are able to communicate directly with users cost-effectively, by removing a significant portion of advertisements that would otherwise be seen by unqualified users. Micro-targeting will increasingly allow companies to be more cost-effective in their overall marketing efforts, and is quickly becoming a necessity in the mobile marketing world.

Video content is increasing viewed on mobile devices

Video content is one of the best places to reach users, and it is increasingly being viewed on mobile devices. In fact, more than 40 percent of video content on YouTube is now viewed directly on a mobile device. Creating video content that is formatted for mobile devices is still a relatively small market, but trends like this are set to make video content formatted for mobile devices a crucial part of any marketing strategy involving video.

Internet advertising growing significantly each year

Of course, it is important to remember that all of this growth in the mobile advertising market is taking place within the broader context of a growing Internet advertising market. Internet advertising has seen robust and rapid growth over the past few years, and that trend is only set to accelerate. This year, Internet advertising grew by 16 percent, and mobile advertising grew by an astonishing 47 percent. Most interestingly, however, is the fact that mobile advertising still only makes up 11 percent of the overall Internet advertising market. With all of the factors described above, that number is likely to increase significantly over the next couple of years.

The Screen Printing Process

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Screen Printing or Silk Screening, is a decoration process that has been in common usage for over 100 years and still proves to be one of these best methods of decoration for many items. The basic process is to create an outline of the art that you would like to imprint onto your item, on an impermeable material. That outline is then placed back to back with a screen that has very small openings in the mesh. This creates the Screen or Set Up for screen printing. Originally, the mesh was a silk material and that is the root of the moniker “Silk Screening”; Polyester is used more commonly now for the mesh.

How it’s done

These screens are then placed against a flat or curved surface of an item and ink is SM7374pushed through the mesh part of the screen to transfer the image in the screen onto the item being imprinted. A block or squeegee is used to force the ink though the screen and remove any excess ink, to create a clean rendering of the image on the item being printed. Each color being silk screened requires its own screen and own application of the color, or Set Up and Run. The screens can only be used for one color as the ink is spread across the whole screen to imprint the design of each screen. For additional colors, the screens need to be placed very precisely to create a cohesive image with the spot colors.

When it’s used

33382ETSScreen printing is an excellent form of decoration, but works best for artwork that has spot colors, or solid colors without gradients. Also, it is not ideal for very small details and it does not provide the same resolution as printing on paper. The ink used in screen printing can vary greatly and the density of the screen adjusts along with the desired result and the material being screened onto goods. This process is used for everything from promotional tote bags to snowboards and balloons, and can provide hugely different results depending on the variables and methods.

Contact Bag Warehouse today for help finding the perfect item for your company to customize using silk screening or any of our other great

Promotional Items: What Every B2B Marketer Needs To Know

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The world of B2B marketing is complex and diverse. From using SEO for lead generation to direct mail to help with branding, a company has a lot of options when deciding how to spend their marketing dollars. However, one marketing tactic that should never be overlooked is the use of promotional items.

Why Should B2B Marketing Include Imprinted Items?

In short, promotional items are some of the most affordable types of B2B marketing available, and they often yields the best results. It puts the name of the company in front of the desired end user time and time again. This repetitive visualization is what is often required for a company to finally decide to do business with another company.

 

Additionally, promotional items are much more effective than standard direct mail advertising because they usually do not just get thrown in the trash. Not only that, but the ROI is hard to compete with. The cost of most imprinted items is minimal compared to other lead generation techniques, and the amount of customers it can garner is quite dramatic.

Which Promotional Items to Choose?

While imprinted items can be ideal for B2B marketing, not all of them are created equal. A successful marketing campaign using promotional items focuses on quality over quantity. A company with a limited budget should invest in nicer items for fewer people instead of cheaper items for the masses. Generic, run-of-the-mill, cheap items will just end up in the trash, while nicer items will be used for many months to come. In fact, it is believed that some of them (like T-shirts and tote bags) are used for years after they are received.

 

A recent study by Promotional Products Association International backs up the belief that it is really all about quality. They surveyed over 700 recipients of promotional items to get an idea of their views of the items they received. When it comes to perceived value, those costing $25 or more definitely made the biggest impression on the recipient. When they were given an item that they believed cost more than $25, 71 percent of them said their opinion of the company improved — or made them more receptive to what the company had to offer. As the price of the item went down, so did the percentage of people who said it altered their opinion of that company. At a price range of $5 or less, only 33 percent of recipients said that the item improved their view of the company.

How Should Imprinted Items Be Used?

OK, so it is clear that promotional items are a necessary part of any B2B marketing campaign — but how exactly should these items be used? According to Marketing Made Simple, there are three main ways to effectively use imprinted items:

 

Advertising: When handed out at trade shows, sent in the mail or given away at the place of business, promotional items serve as an excellent branding tool.

 

Gifts: Promotional items can also be a great way to thank a new client for a recent purchase, congratulate them on a big accomplishment or even spread some holiday cheer.

 

Incentives: Offering useful, high-quality imprinted items with a certain dollar amount spent can also be a very successful way to encourage clients to place bigger orders.

 

When promotional items are incorporated into a B2B marketing campaign thoughtfully, a company will see large returns. As long as the company chooses unique items that are practical and well made, the ROI will be one of the most impressive in their marketing portfolio.

Covering the Basics: Promotional Marketing Kits

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With the wide array of promotional marketing items currently available for branding, selecting the perfect product for your organization’s image can seem a bit overwhelming. Many of the items currently available are fun, useful and eye catching, all key components of a successful campaign, but may not fit what your company needs. The basic promotional items are usually a great place to start when launching a branding campaign for your organization. Typically these start with a bag, drinkware, pens, and if it is an event with registered attendees, badge holders and lanyards.

It all starts with a bagbag

A bag is one of the most important promotional items you can invest in. They are easy to obtain, relatively inexpensive, and reusable. The benefit to them being reusable is they tend to travel outside of their original location of use, gathering extra impressions and bringing more awareness to your brand that normally would not be obtained with a 1 time use item.

 

More than just a drink on the go5827_blue

Another key component to a good starter promotional marketing campaign is drinkware. Everyone uses cups throughout the day. Whether it is a hot cup of coffee to start your day or a water bottle to sip on, reusable drinkware tends to travel with their end users as they are convenient for staying hydrated. The benefit of this of course, is that everywhere the user goes, the cup and its branding go, widening the impact of the marketing campaign.

 

The writings on the wall

penOne of the most utilized promotional items in this marketing world is pens. They are low cost, widely used and small enough to go just about anywhere. Everyone uses pens, at school, in the office, at home and on the go. What easier way to get your information out there than to hand out pens?!

 

Wear your logo well               

Finally, one of the key components to a basic promotional marketing kit, esplanyardecially for events, conferences, meetings or large organizations such as hospitals and schools, is lanyards and badge holders! When identification needs to be readily available and everyone is going to be wearing a badge, why not put your logo on the holder and the lanyard to ensure that each and every attendee will see your brand and remember your logo!

For ideas on these and a wide variety of other promotional marketing ideas, contact your Bag Warehouse representative today!