Matt’s Creative Advertising Blog

There are so many advertising products on the market that it may be difficult to decide which one is best suited for the need of your business’s specific promotion. With nearly every item under the sun available for promotion, the question looms, which advertising product is right for me? This is a valid question. To make it easier, here is a breakdown of advertising products that were used for promotion in the year of 2006{1}:

Wearables-Wearable items topped the chart for branded advertising products with nearly 31% of the share of total products in 2006. Wearable items generally refer to clothing, such as shorts, pants, shirts (tee shirts, casual collared shirts, button down), and hats (baseball, golf, fishing). But it can also refer to items such as belts, socks, and jackets. The benefit of using an advertising product that is wearable is the exposure. A cap or a shirt will likely be seen by more people than any other item available.

Writing Instruments-Writing instruments captured merely 1/10 of the entire share (9.95%) and placed second on the list. Writing instruments include pens, pencils, and markers. Being an item that is eternally practical and inexpensive to purchase in bulk, the writing instrument offers a viable tool for advertising.

Calendars-Capturing 6.47% of the market share of personalized advertising products, calendars placed third. A calendar can offer a business name high visibility if placed in a proper area. Calendars are practical and inexpensive, which make them valuable to a business to use as an advertising product.

Desk/Office/Business Accessories-With 6.28% of the share, desk/office/ business accessories placed fourth. There are many items that this category encompasses: Folders, pads (memo, legal, etc.), staplers, scissors, etc. These advertising products are usually kept in areas of high visibil Read the rest of this entry »

A vanity number is a specialized type of 800, or toll free number, and is alphanumeric equivalent of a regular numeric telephone number. Most of these numbers are also mnemonic devices, that is they spell out words, usually the name of a business or some phrase associated with it like 1800FLOWERS, or 1800YELLOW Pages.

These numbers are a good way to brand a company in the minds of the consumer, so choosing just the right number is vital. Since these 800 numbers are free for customers, they are more motivated to call them, and these calls often result in sales, and increased customer service and satisfaction.

The first 800 numbers were created in 1967 by AT&T as a way to reduce the need for extra human operators, who were becoming overwhelmed by the number of collect calls that they were required to process daily. This service was called INWATS, or Inward Wide Area Telephone Service, and the first business to officially adopt the new system was the Sheraton Hotel Chain in 1970.

Roy P. Weber is credited with inventing the modern toll free number system, which he called the Data Base Communication Processing Method. This was slow to catch on, and AT&T did not anticipate that in a few short decades, the toll free number would become an integral part of the marketing strategy for countless new and established businesses.

These numbers are a good way to brand a company in the minds of the consumer, so choosing just the right number is vital. Since these 800 numbers are free for customers, they are more motivated to call them, and these calls often result in sales, and increased customer service and satisfaction.

Some carriers offer the option of purchasing a vanity number with call tracking which allows salespersons and other involved parties to target sales areas geographically and also determine where the highest volume of c Read the rest of this entry »

People are tired of the marketing pieces that they see everywhere. And for sure, you are as well. If you are still thinking of ways to have your ads where it will not be too obvious that it is actually an ad, then this is where window signs can help you with.

As a business owner and an advertiser, you must always be equipped with creative juices to be able to do things differently each time you market out your products. Advertising is not only about how frequent you put up your ads. This is also how you make it appear and appeal differently each time your ad comes out.

Window Signs can actually serve two purposes.

1. It can serve as a display to enhance the look of your business location. Such tools are usually made up of static cling materials. You can stick that on any clear glass and remove it anytime you wish to. This can be done without damaging the product. You can save this for future use, just store it in a place where it won’t be spoiled.

2. It can carry out your ads in the not so usual way. Because the material can pass up as a display or enhancement to where it’s placed, people will not easily think that it actually contains advertisements. If the design is good, then people will be fond of looking at it without thinking first that they are seeing another marketing material.

If you are a business owner who is always thinking of ways to promote your biz, this is an ideal one that is worthy to be tried. There are ways for you to create such signs to be able to advertise without being so obvious.

1. Find a good designer that you can share your vision to. That person should be able to create different versions that will be suitable to your place, your products and what your business is all about.

2. Create certain spots on your business locations where materials like this can be suitable. So if you are Read the rest of this entry »