Discount Promotional Items - How to Save MoneyWritten by Cindy Carrera
It takes money to make money is an adage we hear everyday in business world. So, when it comes to getting promotional items, you've got to budget for it. Or do you?There are several ways you can save money on your promotional item order. If you are planning to kick off a campaign, create an item to woo existing customers or create an exciting event giveaway there may just be a way to pinch a penny or two. PUT OUT FOR BID You may have a company that you've always dealt with and if that is case, you may want to stick with them. However, if you aren't privy to a certain promotional company, then perhaps you will want to put out your order for a bid, and take lowest price or best deal. If companies know they are being pitted against one another, they may give you a discount or throw in extras for free. This method can help you save money as otherwise, you'd juts be paying standard catalog rates. BUY IN BULK You may or may not have budget to do this, but more items you buy, usually lesser cost per item. If you are type of person to buy a little at a time, in long run you will be essentially be spending more money. So, look at rates for higher volume and see how you can save. SPONSORSHIP This does not work for all types of companies or items, but in non-profit, education and media sectors, this idea can work great. For event marketing, often times t-shirts are big giveaways. But, t-shirts are also a little bit more costly than an ink pen. So, if you can sell sponsorship on back of a t-shirt, you can have those shirts paid for while still advertising your event. In addition to selling sponsorship to outside companies, many times promotional company themselves will kick in part of money if their logo or name can be on shirts or other item. Radio stations are known to do this. Aside from items for specific events, you sometimes see this practice done on uniforms, such as little league teams or community sport teams. So, if you have an event coming up or just are planning to create some promotional items, it won't hurt to ask clients or neighboring businesses to help underwrite costs- after all, promo item also will promote them.
| | What Has Networking Got To Do With Joint Ventures?Written by Habiba Abubakar
What has networking got to do with joint ventures? “PLENTY” is short answer to this question.Networking is a very important element of joint venture marketing because more you network, more you meet potential partners and build relationships that lead to profitable joint ventures. Your network of business associates, vendors, family and friends, plays a big part when it comes to implementing your joint venture marketing strategy. This is because most successful partnerships are with people you know, like and trust, and vice versa. Of course, many profitable joint ventures have taken place between partners that have not known each other for long, but any “cold” contact you meet would need time to evaluate your character and your business, before committing to a partnership with you. Sometimes this could take a few weeks, and other times it may take up to a year. Before joining organizations or associations in your markets, do your homework to identify which ones are most likely to produce results aligned with your business goals. Make sure you keep in close contact with those in your network. Send thank you cards, meet for lunch, make brief phone calls, remember birthdays, and ask them to subscribe to your newsletter.
|