Surge Promotions is a leader in screen-printing, embroidery, and promotional marketing. You’ve heard the pitch: “# 1 in customer service,” but how can one prove to be the best? We here at Surge do just that, each and every day! We believe in the old adage, “don’t tell me, show me,” and we put it into action…
Brand identity cannot be overstated. It is the personality of an organization. It is the emotional response from customers. It’s the bridge that connects a brand to its customer base. A well-managed brand possesses longevity, and creates brand loyalty/commitment. Brand identity is the defining voice of a brand that says, “we are not them; we are different; we are better.”
Promotional products are not always used to benefit one’s customers, but also one’s employees! A food processing company was having a rough time minimizing their work-related injuries. This resulted in remarkably high financial costs, low productivity, and even lower morale…Read More
Sales in a drug stores photo processing center were dwindling. The problem: their customers began using online photo processing, rather than coming into the store. The reason: their customers lacked the confidence and knowledge to come in and use the self-serve photo processors, and others were simply unaware that such a center existed…Read More
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Welcome to Surge Promotions!
Surge Promotions is a leader in screen-printing, embroidery, and promotional marketing. You’ve heard the pitch: “# 1 in customer service,” but how can one prove to be the best? We here at Surge do just that, each and every day! We believe in the old adage, “don’t tell me, show me,” and we put it into action! To create the greatest customer experience imaginable is second on the list of our Core Values, and we take it seriously! Everything we do—every decision, every change, every hire—is done solely for the benefit of the customer, as we understand that our customers are our lifeblood. Without you, there is no “us.” We want to create fans, not just clientele!
We are a company comprised of progressive thinkers, artists, writers, managers, producers, and businessmen/women who have come together with the like-minded goal of offering the most competitive prices and providing the highest quality customer service, period. Our home is planted in Richmond, Kentucky, where we’ve achieved a committed and fully satisfied customer base. We’ve grown from a small two-man operation in a cramped basement to a 2,800 sq. ft. establishment in just over a year! Our team grows increasingly more vibrant as we progress, with each new employee bringing a new set of invaluable skills (as well as crazy-fun personality quirks) to the table! We are passionate about what we do, and our customers place orders with confidence, knowing they will be completed on time with pinpoint accuracy according to the high standards for which Surge Promotions has quickly become known. We work hard, we have fun, and we enjoy what God has given us!
We love what we do, and we want to thank you for the privilege of working alongside you! Let us earn your business!
Foursquare for Business Marketing
Created by a small group of developers, foursquare is a new smart phone-based application that takes elements from Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites and adds GPS functionality. Where these other social sites connect people digitally, foursquare seeks to connect people geographically. Users of the program “check-in” when they arrive at a particular location. This location could literally be anywhere. Seriously, anywhere. Restaurants, gas stations, bowling alleys, pubs, homes, a pothole in the middle of Main Street, all are fair game in the world of foursquare.
Locations are generated by users. When a foursquare user publishes a new location, it pops up on the foursquare system for all to see! Points and “badges” (which are often hysterical) are awarded to users as they accomplish certain tasks: creating a new location, visiting a certain location multiple times in one day, becoming “mayor” by visiting that location more than any other user, etc. As people visit locations and “check-in” in real-time, they are allowed the opportunity to post tips and hints to other users in the area! For example, if the chili-cheeseburger at So and So’s hamburger joint is a must have, a user could post that information as a tip. Other users in the area would then see that the chili-cheeseburger is the bomb-dot-com and could then head on over to So and So’s to try it out! foursquare is a unique, tech-savvy way to share your experiences with your friends about the places you’ve been!
Are you beginning to see where the local marketing value is lurking? Foursquare for Businesses is a natural extension of the product that was released late year. The guys behind the app have built in a seamless addition to the game that will now call attention to venues offering special discounts to Foursquare users. You can see most of those discounts on the foursquare website.
From the description of the business applications on the foursquare website:
“We’d be thrilled to have your bar / cafe / coffee shop / restaurant / store as part of our foursquare specials program. This can happen in a variety of ways, but essentially comes down to rewarding customer loyalty based on the data behind foursquare usage. For example, foursquare can tell you how many times a customer has been to your venue or the frequency of their visits. Many venues are now using this data to reward their most loyal customers with freebies or discounts. And you’d be surprised how effective a little friendly competition- over mayorship, over free fries! – can be at driving people back to your venue)”
It’s absolutely genius and here’s why. Say you’re out and about with friends. You check-in to get your points at the bowling alley and Foursquare shows you one of several possible deals: a special mayor offer for the location you’re at, a special mayor offer for a location nearby, or nearby check-in discounts. As is the case with Destination, a first time check-in will net you a free drink. This is huge for businesses and hotspots located in close proximity. If your establishment is within a quarter of a mile (or that’s what it seems like to us) then you pop up every time someone goes to check in. If your friends have added Tips for any places close by they’ll display as “Since you’re close to Sonic, Devon Price says “Try the Buy One Get One Free Foot Long Chili Cheese Coney”.
On top of these benefits are built-in tracking features. Visiting your venue page on foursquare.com you will be able to track all of the visitors who have visited your establishment, how many times they’ve checked in, who the current mayor is, tips, and other cool features.
There is already a strong following of foursquare (@foursquare on twitter), so much so that they’ve been having a difficult time of late keeping up with the volume of check ins. Why not do your own little research on the application and see how it can improve your engagement with your customers. I’d love to hear back via comments!
Lip Balm Makes a Ruckus at Trade Show
Oftentimes, simplicity is the best strategy. SnugZ USA, an industry supplier located in Salt Lake City, Utah, had difficulty making a splash at trade shows. They felt as if they were a minuscule fish in a gargantuan pond! Year after year they left trade show events wanting more business for their efforts. They needed a new strategy, a new way to market themselves so that their name was the talk of the show. They invented the “Pucker-Up” promotion, where they invited trade show attendees to enter their booth to sample their new line of lip balm. Seemingly insignificant, they bolstered their promotion with the chance to win $500 if the participants could correctly identify the flavor of the lip balm. By word of mouth, news spread throughout the show about SnugZ’s giveaway, and attendees flocked to their booth. This gave SnugZ employees the chance to display their promotion-portfolio to hundreds of potential clients, as well as interact with them on a personal level. Many attendees returned to the booth multiple times for more chances to guess the flavor, with some attendants claiming they even lost sleep trying to figure out the flavor! The return? Their lip balm sales skyrocketed from just 12 orders a month to over 80! The lip balm also served as a “gateway product,” as consumers purchased other items in the SnugZ personal care line (the Z Collection), as well! A fiscal year after the trade show, SnugZ charted $1 million in sales from the Z Collection!
Promotional Points-
1) Kept it simple – Great promotions don’t have to cost an arm and a leg! Creativity and ingenuity are priceless commodities to a great promotion (and they’re free)!
2) Kept ‘em interested – The promotion invited interaction between trade show participants and SnugZ employees, allowing relationships between clients and the business to take form. Creating personal relationships – relating to your customer – are vitally important to business success. People respect and trust those they know.
3) Kept trying – Prior to this particular trade show, SnugZ had a troublesome time selling their personal-product line, but believed in the product. Just because something doesn’t work out of the gate doesn’t mean that it’s devoid of potential. Bring the idea back into focus, rethink it, reform it, flip it, change it, and put it back out to witness the result. Seek the thoughts of others, for as the old adage goes, “two heads are better than one.”
*Not all case studies described are owned by Surge Promotions. We seek to inform, enlighten, and inspire our clients to reach their creative limits through sharing information and working with them to achieve the most unique and most profitable promotion possible.
Custom and Personalized Post-it Notes
Custom and Personalized Post It Notes are a staple for any office or home environment. In 1977 3M launched the Post It notes in a few locations and in just a few years the phenomenon of Post It Notes had captured the world over. Today Post It notes play a major role in the promotional product industry as one of the staples in the home and office categories. With so many custom shapes, sheet number options, color options and imprint methods Post It Notes have also become known for their impactful advertising.
How to Use Custom Post it Notes – Post It Notes can be used numerous ways in a promotional marketing campaign. Fortunately this specific product has 5 very strong attributes that allow for it to be used a bit more freely.
- Inexpensive Product – the price per piece can be as low as $0.33 per
- Inexpensive to ship – when concerned about shipping to alternate locations such as events and tradeshows, cost isn’t a major factor
- Imprint capabilities – Several options consist of full color imprints and pantone color matching
- Quick Turnaround – Some suppliers offer a 24 turnaround on some of their select styles
- Usefulness – The most desired attribute of a promotional product is that it’s useful. Companies prefer to use items that will be kept and used on a daily basis
With all of these great attributes of Personalized Post It Notes lend themselves to be used in a variety of methods such as tradeshow handouts, door to door leave behinds, goodie bag material, as well as numerous others.
What Results to expect – With the majority of the distribution methods you can certainly expect one thing : that these items will be used to their full potential. Post It Notes are used in almost every home and office across the world. Although many of today’s companies are desiring to go paperless, the quick note taking abilities of Post Its will lend their selves to remain a staple in both environments for years to come. Your logo or message will be displayed on each individual note for the length of time each Note is kept.
For more information on the styles, functionality and flexibility of Personalized Post It Notes and Custom Post It Notes contact a promotional consultant at Surge Promotions
Check out our low prices for your next Post it notes order
Purchase Custom or Personalized Post It Notes
Custom Imprinted Products – Breaking It Down So You Don’t Waste Your Time Or Money
Custom Imprinted Products is essentially another word for promotional business products or advertising specialties. Examples include custom shot glasses, imprinted stadium cups and promotional pens. The common mindset in using this form of advertising is to slap your logo on an item and then sit back as your branding efforts are enhanced exponentially. However, this misconception leads to the discovery of the difficulty in achieving real results for your valuable advertising budget. There is an enormous polluted sea of bad information surrounding this industry and advertising method in general. There are “big box” style companies who try to sell products to business and organizations, and all of their materials are focused around price. 50% off our #1 pen! Closeout sales! Then there are companies who care about the issues and problems that their customers face on a daily basis. Need to recruit more highly qualified employees? Need a customer rewards program? What is the best use of advertising dollars surrounding a golfing event? That’s where Surge Promotions answers the call.
Select a Specific Purpose
Focus is the most common mistake that companies make when planning a promotional marketing campaign. Although we love to accept any kind of order, helping our customers create an effective campaign that creates profits and yield a positive return on investment is our number one goal. Many businesses come to us with an order of a custom printed product and many times have no clear goal of what they want to achieve with it. It is important to clearly define the goal of your campaign. Instead of picking a product and then trying to figure out a way to distribute it (which is more common than you think), you need to start in complete reverse order. What “pains” you as an organization? What problems or issues are you facing that we can help you alleviate?
An example of this could be a payday advance loan company. In our small (but growing) city of Richmond, Kentucky we have about a dozen of these places. The average custom imprinted products purchased by these businesses are promotional pens. The imprint includes a business name, phone number and a simple call to action like “Call today, borrow $200, pay back $203”. Then they proceed to distribute these pens in packs to local convenience stores and retail store locations. The idea is to be at the point of the transactions being made. They want to be there when you complete transactions, and to remind you that you can have more money if you need it. These campaigns must work well. Either that or these places continue to spend thousands for these pens as they’ve remained littered all over town.
Distribution
You also need to think about how you are going to distribute your newly purchased order of custom imprinted products for your business. Are you going to give these away around town like the cash advance reps? Are you dispersing to tradeshow booth visitors? Are the given away with each transaction or membership sign up? You have to think of this in conjunction with your purpose. Sometimes it’s also an option to sell certain types of products. Gift shops have made a career out of selling custom imprinted products. Also, if your retail establishment has created a buzz then your patrons might find themselves compelled to purchase a souvenir or memento. Otherwise, your products are best suited to be distributed free of charge.
Budget
As with most things relating to business, budget is very important when deciding to purchase custom imprinted products. Products can vary tremendously in price, as you can see from our retail website – www.surge-promotions.com. The goal is to select a product based on the goal, distribution and price. If your goal is to yield a positive ROI as opposed to branding, and you are going to give these away for free, your budget should be based on the response rate you estimate to achieve. You can only be certain of that number by testing it. Most often, we suggest a 5:1 or 10:1 return on investment. Maybe try different products of the same category that are cheaper or more expensive and measure the success rate. For branding purposes you should always strive for products that will stick in your prospects minds, and create a favorable impression of your brand. That usually isn’t a cheap plastic pen. Remember, these products represent your business and should resemble the same quality of the service or product you provide. So your budget needs to be adjusted accordingly, even if you have a relatively low budget, it would be better to buy a small amount of a high quality product than a large amount of inexpensive products. You want to leave a lasting impression on a few people rather than a so-so impression on a lot of people.
If you are interested in creating a custom imprinted products campaign like this for your own business, contact us today for a free consultation with one of our experts. Simply shoot us an email or call us.
Email: info@surgepromotions.com
Phone: 859-624-0045
Connect With Us
- The Surge Slim Down Kicks Off Today! August 2, 2010
- Surge’s New Past Time – Ping Pong July 12, 2010
- Surge Derby Results! May 3, 2010