rodney@millstoneco com

Rodney Beebe www.millstoneco.com rodney@millstoneco.com (443) 783-2282

CONTACT YOUR PROMO PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTOR ON THE COV

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Fitness Promos Promotional Products Programs Produce Great Results

Now’s the Time to Launch Them

Use Catchy Slogans with Your Brand to Attract Attention and Get More Impressions

Getting into shape today is more fun than it ever was before the introduction of all the fancy machines they have at health clubs. It’s no longer just bodybuilding or running...people from all walks of life and ages take physical fitness as a significant part of their lives...almost like a do or die scenario.

That’s why you should promote your brand with fitness-related products. There is so much attention to it, and the numbers support this: According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, the fitness industry generates about $30 billion a year.

What’s fueling this growth? Programs like Crossfit; Pound (uses drumsticks or Ripstix--yes you can logo them!); Animal Flow (from Equinox); Team-Based Workouts; Pole Workouts; Groove (for those that just can’t dance enough); Ropes Gone Wild; Barre+Cardio Fusion; and so many more.

Our advice: Focus on tech wearables to get the most ad impressions! Tech wearables enable your clients to keep track of their progress and the result is longer wear times (and many more impressions). There are also other places where you can spend your budget.

Yoga mats with your logo on them gets seen by everyone at the gym everytime there’s a class.

And don’t forget towels...they make for a huge billboard. There are also foam-rollers used in warm-ups along with pedometers, watches that have many fitness functions...there are about 500 different really good product categories in fitness for promotions.

The outcome of fitness-related promos extends into your company as well. Internally promoted fitness programs reduce absentee-

ism, increased productivity, lower health care costs and better work performance. You can get your employees wearing your brand all the time when you incent them for long periods by developing an exercise calendar.

You can keep the excitement alive for your fitness programs by connecting your promotion to special days, weeks and months. For example, National Yoga Day will keep your fitness programs in the fore-front of both customers and your employees.

Don’t forget drinkware! Everybody carries a waterbottle. Resistance bands, lip balms, hand sanitizers, and a highly important promotional product is the gym bag. Last product recommendation for this article are cooling towels.

Its all good to sweat but having a cooling towel is a fast way to cool down...and keep your logo in front of your clients.

Hi-tech fabrics, like cooling towels, have similar hi-tech qualities. Self-wicking shirts allow persperation to evaporate...which keeps you cooler during workouts.

Now, let’s discuss why its important to plan your promo’s NOW so that they execute in late April or in May. People--especially those in the colder areas of the country--want to get out and shed those extra pounds because Summer is right around the corner. Catching them now will keep them in your promo gear for the entire Summer where you’ll reap more impressions than you do in the Winter months.

See the next page for additional product suggestions.

Our Picks Fitness Products

PromoCrunch

Calico Promotions

Dimpled Golf Ball Drinkware

tents Con April 2019

Wearables

08 FITNESS PROGRAMS: WEARABLES COMBINE W/TECH 14 COOL MARKETING IDEAS 22 MILLENIAL POPULATION BEATS BABY BOOMERS 28 NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK 38 PROMO PRODUCTS GROW EMAIL CAMPAIGNS 46 CASE STUDY--LENDERS, BANKS, CREDIT UNTIONS 48 CASE STUDY--MAGA 58 CASE STUDY--LAW FIRMS 62 TRUMP’S TARIFFS CONTINUED

.PROMO

.PROMO

Tech

Marketing Let’s get on board with this thought: April and May are kick-off months for the Summer and its really critical for you to ready your upcoming Summer promotions NOW. Waiting to the last moment to order your products has its downside. Remember...you want your logo to look PERFECT on whatever product you’re going to chose for your Summer promotions. Getting the exact proof will make a differerence. Don’t worry, we will always get your job done, but it just makes sense to avoid rush charges and stress.

National Humor Month April--Sponsor a Contest for the Best Joke or Humourous Moment.

Autism Awareness Day, April 12--You ALWAYS win when your community is involved in helping others.

Administrative Professionals Day April 26--A great way to reward those who make a difference in your company.

Earth Day April 22--Score big and make the earth a better and cleaner world.

Report This Ad--Great idea because almost everyone will engage and, report your ad.

Tax Day April 15--Turn a sad day (for some) into a happy one with a refund-related theme for this promotion.

Think Spring!--Many people are burnt out with Winter and want to come out of hibernation. Your promotion could be that push so needed.

Lupus Awareness Month May--Being part of mediciallybeneficial promotions always instills people to carry your logo.

Blood Pressure Month May--High blood pressue is still a significant problem in our society.

Nurse’s Week--The first full week in May, its a great event to support your local nurses thanking them for their service. Emergency Medical Service Personnel (EMS), is the last week in the month.

Mother’s Day--No matter what your Mother’s Day promotions will be a big hit.

Armed Forces Day--Win big with ad impressions and support those that give their lives to make our’s free.

National School Nurses Day--May 7 recognizes nurses for their quality health care.

Ideas

A

for M

LUNGSAL PENS

April & May

HOT SPORTS GRILLS

Kids Project for the Earth May 2019

May 2019

.PROMO

Honor Their Moment with

MAKE THE MOMENT M

the Finest Diploma Covers

MORE MEMORABLE

The Ultimate Beach Tech Device

Bluetooth

Speaker

iPhone Holder

Water Bottle

TM

High Quality Construction

Your Logo Here

Magnetic Personality

The

Hottest PhoneGrip on the

Market

Snug Hug Tech

Your Imprint Here

4 Way Locking Stand

Nuckees Video Exclusively through:

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orders@ultrapens.com I cs@ultrapens.com I 866.924.9400

7

Millennials

Courtesy PPAI

According to the US Census Millennials are exceeding the Baby Boomer population making them the Nation’s largest generation. Their vast numbers mean we all have to make part of our job to be experts in knowing all about them...their identities, buying habits, really what makes them tick.

We’d like to explode one myth about Millennials and that is they are the generation of instant gratification and want everything for free. Forget it...that’s past. These kids work really hard and are forming the backbone of America. They really are forging our future.

Millennial Momentum...35% of the American work force is composed of Millennials. That places them ahead of the GenX AND Baby Boomers. Its really suicide not to focus in on them no matter how old YOU are.

With regard to promotional products we’ve found that Millennials quickly associate the quality of the item that they receive with the company providing that promotional product. Opps...if you gave Millennials an inexpensive product that fails quickly but looks cute,

Eve If You Old You Can Stil Suc Ma To The

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u’re d u n ll ccessfully arket

Millennials don’t have to get expensive promotions, rather, they prefer products that work well, are thoughtful, have value and that’s what makes them want to share it with their friends. So if it’s a cool and functional product, you’ve won them over and they will be your Brand Ambassadors!

Picnic Blanket with Speakers

Millenial Preferred Items

Millennials make incredible Stakeholders in your company...they are loyalists!

The key is knowing what products fit Millennials and we--your Promotional Products Distributor--have the database to find perfectly targeted products.

em

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en

its going to do more damage to your company than good. Millennials won’t carry it and they’ll probably dog it to their friends...just the opposite effect promo products are supposed to have.

Courtesy PPAI

Phone Charger Power Banks

Good Quality Ear Buds

We Create Extraordinary Looking Mugs that Produce Extraordinary Branding Results For Your Company

Tiki Mugs

3D Raised Lettering

Speckled Finish

Custom Handles Bling

Gen-X Travel Mug

National That doesn’t make much sense does it?

“National Small Business Week...is a time to gain big business” but if you think about it for a moment its true.

National Small Business Week--even if you are a small business--provides an excellent platform for you to reach out to small businesses you DON’T do business with and make a sale. The National Small Business Week starts on May 5th and lasts until the 11th.

Small

BusinessWeek

Here are some ideas on how to make the most out of that week.

Make a highly visible effort, give back to your community by shopping at stores talking to the owners and employees. Then post supportive and true reviews while co-authoring with other small business on social media to promote your best side.

You can add to the branding by employing a meaningful promotion related to your company. And we mean totally related.

We want your message to be communicated not only by the wearer of your logo but also by your choice of product.

WEEK

hometown markets

Let’s face it, the business card you exchange at these meetings will never have the same impact as a cool promo item with your logo on it.

Small Business

support

local associations

Use this time to build community and expand your visibility by teaming up with other non-competiting businesses to create an event where hundreds of your customers will attend.

local

merchants

buy

town local

community

main street neighborhood

stores

census data

Companies Like American Express Spend MILLIONS Promoting Their Small Business Connection

k is a time to gain big business.

Low Cost Promo Items ALL Small Businesses Should Have in Their Marketing Arsenal

Start promoting your business by networking with other business owners.

Attend local events and always have a really cool promotional product to hand out. Let’s face it, the business card you exchange at these meetings will never have the same impact as a cool promo item with your logo on it.

Prepare coupons that are given out “with purchase” this week that have a time expiration date. When you are giving these coupons out, make sure your staff knows to tell your customers there’s an expiration date and when they return to make another purchase they will get “a promotional products item as well”.

Last, since you’ve only got one week to run this promotion, why not do one each day? You can simultaneously run an in-house edition for employees. By involving your employees you are making them be a valued part of the promotion. Their pride levels and enthusiasm in working National Small Business Week could enable you to gain big business.

Small Business Promo Items

Bentcil Magnets

Tervis Reuseable Water Bottles Mugs--Coffee & Stainless

Ad-A-Day Calendars

Stationery

AlphaBroder Apparel Lungsal Pens

Promo Here’s our mission: Getting your customers to respond to your email campaigns...converting them into customers...and getting them to recognize your brand on-line...then converting that client into a loyal repeat customer. As your Promotion Products Distributors we

have many answers for doing just that.

Here’s why its so important: According to Forbes a FIVE percent increase in customer retention can increase profitability by up to 75% by using post-purchase email campaigns.

P E E M C

Products Enhance Email Marketing Campaigns So our task then becomes getting the customer in the first place. Let’s assume that...

You’ve been using email campaigns and they make money for you but you have to work a lot harder to get good leads that turn into customers. Email marketing ten years ago would reap huge leads and responses but in recent years its gone down. Down doesn’t mean out.

Email marketing is still the most cost-effective ad venue out there. So why not give your email marketing programs a boost? Use promo products to increase customer base.

Your Email List: First, make sure your email list is targeted, fully manicured and contains only YOUR customers or customer prospects.

DON’T incorporate any speculative email lists or email lists that you are buying from an

email list broker. DO really comb through your email list, more than once...in other words, clean it. Quality--not quantity--in your email marketing campaign is critical.

If your email list is targeted your email campaign will reach your true buyer and not random people that won’t use what you’re selling. You’re doing your best to avoid any people that just want the promo product and won’t transition to becoming a customer. Don’t worry, even the ones that won’t convert will wear your logo getting you impressions.

However, the that people buy from you will really wear it, personally endorse it, and get you many more impressions.

Best part is the real buyer becomes a Customer-Stakeholder in your company.

Once they have become Stakeholders you are on the road to having those return and repeat customers you worked hard to get.

Stakeholders support the company because they feel connected and a part of it.

Remember that FIVE percent we mentioned earlier? Its attainable when you employ promotional products as part of your email campaigns. People will respond more frequently when there is a promotional product in exchange for participating in a two-way conversation via email.

What you want to do is get your potential customer to fill out their contact information on an automatic return email and then get their reward--your promotional product. But don’t make it too hard or too easy. Capture the prospects information...that’s the goal and will increase your sales.

CaseStudy PROJECT:

Showcase various financing options during a week-long celebration of $1 billion in loans.

TARGET AUDIENCE:

SOLUTION:

OBJECTIVE:

During this week-long celebration the they handed out promotional products that embodied all of their various loan types. For motocycle insurance custom motorcycle stress relievers were used. For car loans the provided visor holders. Home equity loans were presented with multi-tool keychains & signature loans with Post-It pens.

Lenders, Credit Unions, Banks

Lender, Credit Union, Banks Customers

Provide a unique solution that gives Lenders, Credit Unions & Bank customers visual insight into all financing options they have to offer.

Case Study Let’s Have Some Fun with This...

(If you’re too serious, don’t read on.)

Politics--it seems--is been blown out of proportion at almost every level. We’d like to share one that’s related to the promotional products industry. It’s pretty explosive so we hope that you think this is funny...even when it seems that’s impossible because of the political climate and how polarized things are.

What are we about to report? There’s a new line of Michael Cohen promotional products.

WOW. Chuckling a little, why should we be surprised? Promo products do a great job advertising whether you’re the President’s ex-fixer or not.

So moving forward from this point we’re sure you’ve guessed there’s a ton of Michael Cohen merchandise ranging from mugs to t-shirts that is hitting the streets. The one we laughed about the most was “MAGA--My Attorney Got Arrested”.

Now we know there are die hards on each side of the political landscape, but we’d like to suggest just for this moment to laugh like we did.

HOT SPORTS GRILLS

MILLIONS GRADUATE EACH YEAR

CaseStudy OBJECTIVE:

Showcase company by creating a technological promo item that will be used on a daily basis.

CHALLENGE:

A law firm was looking for a specific promotional product that their employees could take to the District Attorney’s or US Attorney’s office in order to obtain discovery documents and pictures to use in their cases.

SOLUTION:

A key tag with a USB drive on it would enable documents to be downloaded into a super convenient traveling container.

Law Firms

RESULTS:

The results were past what was initially thought...after a short time people started Jones & e i l s asking for the keyring e L w s at La y e n r o USB drives and over a Att -2400 period of time thousands 954-210 were given out with the law firm’s name, web and phone number.

Hundreds of people in the courthouse were using them...ample advertising reward for the small amount of money the law firm spent. The USB drive created 1,000’s of impressions...and did just what it was supposed to do.

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Novel Air

Continued... Trump Tari the

March 18, 2018 Trump issu starting the ball rolling for against a long list of produ China. This includes much Chinese theft of American and any company importin gests that this will hurt the along with other compani steel.

Right after Trump was elected he and President Jinping of China were getting along famously. However, as time went by their relationship soured on trade. When Trump couldn’t get Jinping to agree on eliminating theft of industrial secrets

by China from American companies, the talks fell off... and when Jinping wouldn’t budge on other trade issues that’s when the first $200 million in tariffs was enacted.

The tariff’s have caused a slight uptick in base pricing for the promotional products industry on some imported goods.

The Tariffs Affect Pricing on 1,000

iffs

(Our Monthly Update)

ues a Memorandom r $200 million in tariffs ucts imported from h needed censuring of n tech. The auto industry ng steel from China sugeir sales, and it does ies dependent on cheap

The latest update is there’s still no deal and quite a few layers of additional tariffs have been piled on top of the original $200 million. Trump and Jinping have relegated this to their staff to work out a compromised and the good news is new tariffs are on hold until both sides come up with a deal. Its not over yet. There will be quite a few handshakes before a new deal is reached and the tariffs re·scinded. Don’t expect any big changes anytime soon.

0’s of Goods Imported from China