pinnacle promotions

Jul

2015

Educational Products: Back 2 School With Promo Products

It’s that time of the year again, when kids and young adults grudgingly put away their bathing suits at the end of summer vacation and gear up for going back to school.

As they head back to hit the books, not only should the students be prepared with adequate school supplies, but so should the schools. Students, teachers, parents, and school administration all really do take pride in their school.

Custom school swag is a positive way to spark a sense of school spirit, assist students with their daily study needs, and even lend a helping hand with school special events or fundraisers.

While with businesses, their goal in using promotional products is generally to generate sales and leads, educational institutions use promotional products primarily to shape their brand image.

It’s a great way for a school to cost effectively promote the school. There are some broad categories of promotional products that schools of all sizes can take advantage of in developing their brands.

Homework Helpers:

For a student to succeed, having the right supplies makes all the difference. When a student can be organized, studying can be a little more peaceful. These sorts of promotional products can be offered to students at a reasonable price, perhaps at the school store. For example, one of the most essential items for studying is having excellent lighting. This bendable book light that easily clips onto a book is perfect for late night studying or reading, as it has an extra bright white LED light, and conveniently has a battery included. With your school or institution’s logo proudly printed on the base, students can take pride in their school and its commitment to student success. Another great option to consider adding to your collection of custom school supplies is the New Wave Pocket Buddy Notebook, equipped with inner and outer pockets, 70 lined sheets, and a matching translucent ballpoint pen. Promotional swag like pens, notepads, and pencil cases will make organization, and brand building a breeze.

School Spirit

Showing school spirit is part of a complete school or college experience. There couldn’t be a more fitting way to help students and faculty do that than with promotional spirit swag. Great for sporting events, a product like a personalized rally towel could really get a crowd going, and puts the spotlight on the school branding. Students and faculty will be reminded of whom they represent time and time again, and will be excited to share that message with others. That also goes for the Spirit Fingers with Tcal Imprint, which are gloves with mini pom-poms sewn into every finger to give you ten times the cheering power.

School Fundraisers/Events

From campus clubs to choirs and athletic teams, there comes a time when a little fundraising may be in order. Instead of boring potential donors with standard sales merchandise like magazine subscriptions or bake sales, provide them with useful and unique branded swag. Offering something like a cool and handy Waterproof Smartphone Pouch or a Copper Vacuum Insulated Bottle will capture audience attention and show some brand personality, hence making the right impression.

In the educational realm, custom promotional swag is a simple way to establish a school’s brand and personality, and consequently raise awareness for the institution, or even for a specific department within it. These products are beneficial to students and staff alike, and they are simple, cost-effective means of marketing.

Happy back to school!

Jul

2015

Are You Pinnacle Perfect?

We’ve told you how valuable promotional products can be for marketing your business. With Pinnacle Promotions on your side, building your brand couldn’t be easier.

Once you’ve decided that you’re ready to take the plunge into the realm of promotional products, there are so many options that are available to you, from type to print style, to color. When you don’t have much time to get the high quality and affordable custom branded promotional products that your business needs ready for your event, we have you covered.

Enter Pinnacle Perfect—our most popular promotional items, with simplified swag options at factory direct prices. With Pinnacle Perfect products, you won’t have the hassle or hesitation, as these products have quick turnarounds backed by our Pinnacle Platinum Guarantee.

Your marketing may not be perfect, but to help you get there, there’s Pinnacle Perfect. These schwag products span across different categories from drinkware to bags to office accessories and more. It’s just a matter of finding what works for you.

Drinkware

For example, Pinnacle’s take on the classic white coffee mug has proven to be a simple, yet extremely effective takeaway piece for customers, as they have a way to remember your brand each and every day, while sipping their favorite beverages. As an added convenience, this ceramic mug is microwave safe with a comfortable handle. Then, with your branding cleanly printed on the front of the mug, you will be ready for your next event!

Giveaways & Favors

We’ve got some perfectly fun and still useful swag like these Key Tags. These custom branded LED key tags come in four bold colors and even include batteries. The LED feature coupled with custom branding certainly takes it up a notch not just in terms of appearance, but also in terms of marketing power.

Technology & Electronics

In this age of technology-obsessed consumers, it is a great time to take advantage of the marketing opportunity available. Powerbanks can be screen printed or laser engraved with your corporate logo, adding some energy not just to devices, but also to your marketing. With a sleek finish and a choice of four vibrant colors, you can appeal to consumers, as well as add some personality to your brand.

Believe it or not, your company has tremendous marketing potential. With Pinnacle Perfect products, you don’t have to jump through the hoops to achieve success.

In terms of utilizing schwag and custom products, don’t get bogged down by the vast number of choices available to you. Follow our simple breakdown of cost-effective, immensely popular, custom promotional products, and you’re sure to Make the Right Impression™.

Jul

2015

What in the World is a Tchotchke Anyway?

In regards to the marketing industry, and especially in regards to promo products and swag, you may have heard the term ‘tchotchke’ being thrown around here and there.

Besides being a funny-sounding word that literally nobody in the world can spell correctly on the first try (without Google), Tchotchke is actually an old Yiddish term meaning an inexpensive, showy trinket or miscellaneous item.

Just for fun, here are a few renditions of the word that we came across:

tsatske (not even sure what this is)
chochkey (kudos for most creative!)
chachki
chotchkes
chachtski
chochski

Okay, enough.

Whether you call promotional products “tchotchkes,” “swag,” or “giveaways,” they can be an important part of your marketing strategy. But unlike the latter two terms, marketers tend to avoid using the term “tchotchke,” as it has come to have a negative connotation in marketing.

For example, nowadays, if a professional utilizes a promotional product to market his or her business without regard to the target audience or whether that product even relates to the business, that promotional product becomes a tchotchke – more of a throwaway item.

The only way that you can make any impact in distributing promotional items to potential and current customers is to provide products that actually have a purpose and value to them. Don’t let your business dollars or brand (or spelling… LOL) get tossed in the trash.

Putting the focus on the customer experience will help your business choose the most appropriate and effective promotional products that will not be termed tchotchkes. If used correctly, custom promotional products can generate interest, and more importantly engagement with your brand and business.

It has additionally been proven that effective promotional products foster customer goodwill (positive attitudes and feelings) towards a company and its salespeople. So don’t let the lingo like “tchotchke” dissuade you from taking advantage of promotional products. Contrary to what you may already believe, promotional products do not, by any means, cheapen your brand, provided they are useful and unique.

For example, an athletic company may want to give clients a custom wristband to get them ready for a workout. While an educational company may want to give away bendable book lights. At Pinnacle, we’ll help you find the ideal promotional products for your brand and industry that will assist your business in generating leads and sales.

Always remember to make the needs and expectations of customers your priority, because ultimately, it’s their experience with your brand that matters the most.

By choosing a brand-appropriate promotional product over a forgettable, random item (a tchotchke), you can really enhance your marketing campaigns.

Jul

2015

Custom Outdoor Products: Thinking “Outside” the Box

You have a business and a fantastic product or service. But, now you have to engage in one of the most essential activities to build your business—attracting potential customers.

Even if you already have customers, to keep the business going and growing, attracting even more customers should be an ongoing effort. To do that, you need to have a unique point of view, and give customers a compelling reason to communicate with you. While every business is different, marketing remains necessary for every one. Ideally, you should be using multiple channels to find and attract customers.

So, as a supplement (for larger businesses) or an alternative (for smaller businesses) to traditional marketing efforts like print or television media, think about using promotional products. When it comes to advertising, over time, the attention span of customers has become shorter and shorter, making it even more difficult for businesses to build their brands. In turn, businesses have to think outside the box to garner customers.

What better way to literally do that than with custom promotional products? Since it’s summer, customers can take your brand outdoors with unique custom outdoor products.

Coolers

Instead of simply telling customers how wonderful you are, listen for what they really want, and then satisfy that want. At this time of the year, customers are spending more time outdoors with friends and family, hosting parties, having picnics or just relaxing. For these reasons, providing customers with promo items like custom coolers is a good incentive for them to conduct business with you. Your company logo or contact information can easily be printed onto these custom coolers, which makes it really simple to take an ordinary cooler, and turn it into an effective advertising tool. Our selection of promotional coolers come in various sizes and colors designed with the customer in mind, like the Collapsible Party Cooler, which can securely hold a whopping 28 beverage cans and even comes with a retractable bottle opener!

Chairs

Once customers have coolers packed with cold drinks close by, they will need somewhere comfortable to sit back and relax. Whether it’s at a concert, a sporting event, or just to soak up some sun, a custom promotional chair is the perfect seat. By providing customers an enjoyable day outside, your brand can enjoy greater visibility, and in turn, you will expand your audience. Custom printing a swag item like the Fanatic Event Folding Chair with your corporate logo will surely help your brand stand out in the crowd. This chair also conveniently has built-in cup holders and even a matching carrying case.

Sports

After chilling out with a refreshing beverage for a bit, customers have picked up the pep to play some sports and games. We’ve got custom sports products to equip the athletes and the cheering section too, from soccer balls to golf tees to face paint and more. These offer wonderful branding opportunities that really allow your brand to be seen on a larger scale, regardless of how small your business may be. You can really get more bang for your buck, especially since unique branded swag makes a statement and illustrates your brand personality without having to spend a lot of money.

Custom outdoor promotional products will freshen up your marketing strategy in a way that makes your products, services AND your brand message resonate with customers.

Because at the end of the day, if you want to get the attention of your customers, you have to give it to them first.

Jul

2015

Where Does the Word Swag Come From?

At Pinnacle Promotions, swag is not just our business – it’s our passion. You might be wondering what swag really is, and from where did that term actually originate?

There have been varied opinions over the years about how ‘swag’ came to be. Many people have convinced themselves that ‘swag’ must be an acronym or abbreviation for something.

Here are some things we came across in our research – just to name a few:

‘Stuff We All Get’
‘Stuff We Ain’t Got’
‘Stolen Without A Gun’
‘Scientific Wild Arsed Guess’

While these may be rather colorful explanations, they are certainly not true. ‘Swag’ actually comes from the Scandinavian word svagga, meaning ‘to rock unsteadily or lurch.’ It was first introduced into the English language in the 13^th or 14^th century.

As you might suspect, the meaning of words evolves over time, and it’s certainly not set in stone. In current usage, swag has come to have a few very different meanings—illegally obtained goods, a decorative garland, or lastly, our realm of expertise, free merchandise—namely promotional items and goodies.

For us swag lovers, it’s all about anything and everything that can be custom branded to promote your business.

The possibilities are endless, from custom branded hats to mobile phone cases to promotional magnets, and everything in between. We’ve seen from first-hand experience how custom promotional products have benefited businesses of all sizes.

If you’ve decided that your marketing strategy could use an update, you might just need a little bit of swag. We would love to share our passion for swag with you by helping you build much needed brand awareness and recognition with the promotional products that click with your company and audience.

Just as the meaning and context of words changes with the times, so should your marketing strategy. With the right swag, you can build your business by leaps and bounds, and ultimately Make the right impression™.

Jun

2015

Custom Products: Adding Fireworks to Your Brand Strategy this 4th of July

When major holidays roll around, you probably get caught up in all the excitement of planning parties, vacations, and spending time with friends and family. While that’s certainly fun, at the same time, you could miss out on a huge opportunity—marketing your business.

No matter what type of business you own, the summertime allows you to both reach out to your current audience AND bring in new leads. This doesn’t mean that you have to put your holiday plans on hold. You can still have that fun and help your business simultaneously, without worrying too much about time or expense.

Promotional products will make this a reality. By incorporating them into your marketing strategy, they can seriously help you utilize holidays to your advantage (and help you celebrate in style)!

Connecting

Holidays are all about making connections, whether it’s with friends, loved ones, or even your own customers. Reconnecting with customers whom you haven’t heard from in a while reinforces your interest in being known. Extending your warm wishes to customers by providing them with complimentary promotional gifts serves as a means of expressing gratitude for their support, and as a gentle reminder of your brand. But don’t just customize just any swag – in order to actually make a connection with customers, give them items that they’ll actually appreciate. That way, customers will automatically have a positive association with your brand.

We’re all naturally inclined to connect with brands that have personality, and promo products are perfect ways for you to show YOUR brand personality. For example, in honor of Independence Day, why not give the Window Box of 12 Corporate Oreo® Picture Cookies? Delicious, hand-dipped cookies with your logo on each one, proudly made in the USA will definitely add fireworks to your brand strategy!

Setting Yourself Apart

While you are busily trying to make yourself the star of the holiday, so is your competition, but you can set yourself apart with some creativity. In order to do so, however, you have to remember how essential it is to humanize your brand and make it more personal than just any annoying ad. Custom gifts show customers that there are real people behind your brand, not just a business entity, and that you have a unique and meaningful message to share.

Customers get tired of seeing the same sort of campaigns over and over, and it has become increasingly challenging to capture their attention. Thus, a promotional swag lets a customer easily interact with your brand on his or her own terms without feeling pressured into a purchase. This time of year, customers are preparing for cookouts, and firing up their grills. Your business can equip them with all the tools they need to be the Grill Master with this set that can be custom branded with your corporate logo.

Tie Up Your Campaign

During the holidays, a custom promotional gift can wrap your marketing up in a bow – literally. Cohesive messaging is absolutely necessary for your marketing efforts to be successful, and in order for customers to clearly understand who you are, every piece of marketing and advertising that you put out should have the same look and feel. Custom gifts can be the final means of communicating and reinforcing your brand message to customers. It acts as a call-to-action, encouraging customers to further communicate with your business. You could satisfy their sweet tooth and get the energy going at the next holiday party with this delicious Chocolate Dream Caddy gift basket, complete with a branded ribbon.

This Independence Day, and for every holiday moving forward, remember the marketing opportunities that abound, especially when you have promotional products and custom swag on your side.

That way, you can have fun and still help your business flourish creatively and most importantly, memorably. Happy Fourth of July!

Jun

2015

Custom Beach Towels: The Perfect Summertime Swag

There is no denying that the summer season means spending more time outdoors with the family, whether that’s a seaside picnic, an afternoon at the beach, a cool dip in the pool or anything else.

Knowing this, your business shouldn’t miss out on the marketing opportunity available to you during this time of the year. You may be running marketing campaigns on a shoestring budget, and are consequently hesitant to explore other marketing avenues.

This is where custom beach towels come into the picture. With this remarkable giveaway piece of branded swag, your business can provide customers with an incentive to connect with you.

Here are just a few reasons why custom beach towels are some of the most beneficial promotional items.

Functionality

More than likely a beach towel will NOT be thrown away. Regardless of age, everyone has a use for a custom towel. To dry off, to have a spot to stretch out on the beach or laze in the grass, it will constantly be used. Unlike some other promotional tchotchkes, when it comes to custom towels, one size fits all. You won’t have to worry about having a bunch of different sized items left over. With its staying power, customers will be using their branded towels in more places and in more facets of life, which undoubtedly means that your brand has the potential to reach a broader audience, and attract a fresh following.

Bigger Branding

The imprint area of many types of promotional products presents a slight constraint; size. You have a relatively small section in which to creatively display your corporate branding. This is not at all the case with custom beach towels. You actually have the largest imprint area of almost all promotional products. That much space gives your business a major branding advantage. Your corporate logo can be seen at company events, tradeshows, and beyond. Employees and customers alike will love receiving this token of appreciation time and again.

Cost-Effectiveness

For many businesses, traditional forms of advertising, such as television and magazine are not feasible within their marketing budgets. A custom promotional towel essentially enables your customers to spread your marketing message, as it is completely portable. Customers can conveniently carry your brand wherever they go. The best part is that you don’t have to spend much to produce an eye-catching and professionally finished product.

Perhaps you want something more premium, Pinnacle Promotions offers signature midweight custom beach towels to scratch just the itch! Start customizing today!

It’s pretty clear to see that custom beach towels offer advantages that you cannot get from other promotional products and forms of advertising. You don’t need to break the bank or concern yourself with marketing restraints just to achieve your business goal of brand recognition.

For more custom outdoor products and sunny essentials, visit Pinnacle Promotions, and we would be happy to help you begin your branding journey.

Jun

2015

Why You NEED Leed’s Promotional Products in your Marketing Arsenal

For a marketing message to resonate with an audience, a business should be able to show how their product or service will improve the lives of their customers in an impressionable and memorable way.

In order to be memorable, it’s important for a business to differentiate itself from its competitors. Many businesses mistakenly think that it takes a big marketing budget and/or team to achieve this goal.

Promotional products, however, allow a business to creatively find its way in a crowded market, no matter the business size or budget, and without sacrificing quality.

The award-winning line of promotional products created by Leed’s will help any business attract customers, and most importantly, to be memorable. So here are some ways in which Leed’s promotional products can make your brand become a Leed-er.

Hit Your Target

Every business has a specific target audience for their products or services. A business then creates its marketing strategies based on an understanding of that audience. Whether your customer is a lover of technology, a fitness fanatic, or a busy businessman, there’s a Leed’s promotional product to help your business connect with potential customers AND remind existing customers of your business message and value. For example, a techie can appreciate a custom branded mobile power bank and flashlight, while an avid outdoors-man would like a 24-can access cooler. Customers will be inclined to support your brand if you can show them that you really are committed to meeting their needs and exceeding expectations. Custom promotional products that are actually useful to customers will make all the difference.

Reinforce Your Brand

Marketing is all about communicating a cohesive brand message to customers through several different touch points or outlets. Once customers have heard your message, you need to make the effort to reinforce it. The last thing that you want to do when it comes to marketing is following the “set it and forget it” strategy. Superior quality promotional products by Leed’s can be a unique means to reinforce your brand in a way that resonates with customers. Offering customers promotional products like a chevron shopper tote or a fleece custom blanket, with your logo custom printed on them, keeps your brand fresh in their minds, and inspires them to maintain communication with you.

Build A Community

When your brand has a distinct voice and personality, you can gain the trust and respect of customers, and they will share your message with others. Your business, in turn, gets free advertising courtesy of the people who matter the most – your very own customers. In this way, you’re building the very foundation of brand loyalty. Leed’s promotional products successfully help your brand tell its story and bring a sense of cohesiveness to your marketing campaign. You would be surprised how a bottle opener or a 5-piece knife block set, when custom branded, can bolster your brand reputation while still connecting with customers.

Adding Leed’s promotional products to your marketing arsenal can only have a positive impact on the establishment and growth of your brand.

Custom swag and tchotchkes from Leed’s will help you creatively and memorably attract and keep customers at an affordable price, on a larger scale than you can possibly imagine.

Jun

2015

Trade Show Tuesday: How to Create a Killer Trade Show Display

Businesses of all sizes utilize trade shows as a platform to share their products and services, to interact directly with their target audiences, and most importantly, to find customers and help their business grow by driving sales.

In order to do this and to successfully attract the attention of potential customers, each business must create a memorable exhibit that differentiates itself from the others.

With a combination of creativity and smart planning, it’s easy to create a winning trade show display. Keep the following in mind when designing your booth’s display at your next trade show.

1. Consider Exhibit Size

You may think that having the biggest booth at the trade show is a sure fire, winning marketing strategy. However, this is definitely not the truth. Instead, you should consider what your goals are, as well as what’s required to achieve those goals. You may be more focused on generating sales or introducing a new product to the public or EVEN just to gain a stronger brand awareness. Consider how many attendees you can expect at the show, how many of your own representatives will be at your booth, and how much space is required for you to conduct business. Once you have an idea of what you need to stand out amongst the plethora of other exhibits, you can then decide what sorts of graphics and displays you need to achieve the most visual impact.

Item#: 333285 – Show ‘N’ Rise ™ 10′ Curve Floor Mural Display Item.

2. Make Your Brand the Star

At a trade show, you want to make your brand the focal point of your display. Instead of overwhelming attendees with excessive information and graphics, it’s absolutely essential to clearly outline your brand message, your mission, and its benefit to your target audience. If you can do this effectively, that attendee will be interested in learning more and possibly even conducting business with you. Keep in mind that trade show attendees have only a few moments of their time to see what you have to offer. Ultimately, you ideally want to create a professional looking booth that makes your brand’s point and clearly explains your business. Items like custom table skirts are perfect for brand recognition and awareness. Remember that you are trying to draw in potential prospects with your display – not just random people. Therefore, while your brand is still the focus of the display, you should know whom your target prospects are, and then develop your design accordingly.

Item#: 109002 – Four sided 6′ Standard Table throw

3. Make Your Display Memorable

In order to get some ROI from your trade show display, above all, you have to make it memorable. There’s no point in investing extensive time and energy into creating a display that doesn’t attract prospects or stay fresh in their minds long after leaving the trade show. You want your display to be the most positive representation of your business, so you must know your unique selling proposition (USP). What is it that differentiates you from your competitors? Knowing this, you can create appropriate and impactful graphics, and this will make it easier to showcase your products and services in a memorable way. Incorporating promotional products or promotional giveaways into your trade show strategy is also an incredibly cost effective and creative way to grab attention and invite customers to your booth. Providing attendees with complementary, unique and useful promotional takeaway items functions as an alternative business card and call to action that can actually be used everyday.

Item#: 227 – Silicone Card Sleeve

When planned and executed correctly, trade shows can be incredibly effective marketing tools. So before you head out to your next trade show, make sure that you have a professional display, a brand with personality, and a smile on your face.

Going in with a plan will make the experience all the more relaxing and will help you reap the maximum benefit and ensure that you Make the right impression™.

Mar

2015

Unique Promotional Products for Prom Giveaways

The theme. The dresses. The dance moves.

Prom can be one of the most exciting and unforgettable events for high school students, and giving away the right promotional products leaves them with more than just memories.

The key is to give away items that they can treasure long after their done with high school, and with everything from promotional cups to T-shirts and even chocolate, we’re sure some of these promotional products will leave them dancing even long after the music stops:

1. Promotional Drinkware and Tumblers

Branded cups and tumblers make easy and inexpensive party takeaways that are sure to leave a lasting impression. Popular among all ages, promotional tumblers are the perfect way to leave students with a promotional item they’ll use long after their high school career has ended.

24 oz. Revolution Tumbler Item #24REVNEO

2. Promotional Chocolate

Okay, we can’t exactly promise that this sweet promotional product won’t get eaten right away, but c’mon – what’s cooler than getting your logo on a sweet piece of promotional chocolate? Get your school mascot or logo on one these party treats to leave them with some sweet and tasty memories.

Logo Caramel Chocolate Apple Item #LCCA

3. Promotional T-shirts

Custom promotional T-shirts are among some of the most popular promotional products on the market, and a commemorative shirt makes for a great giveaway item. Not only are you providing everyone with a keepsake, but you’re also getting your mascot, brand or logo onto a wearable item that’s sure to gain exposure. Prom night wouldn’t be complete without the perfect promotional T-shirt.

Port & Company 5.5-oz All Cotton T-Shirt Item #PC54

4. Promotional Photo Frames

Take a second to think about how many pictures are taken before prom, at prom AND after prom. Between eager parents, selfies, photo booths and more, the opportunities to create photographic memories are endless. Therefore, providing your students with a promotional photo frame that’s screen-printed with the event name is a promotional item they’ll be using for years to come.

5″ x 7″ Aluminum Frame Item #1070-56

With the right promotional products for prom, partygoers can focus on the most important part of the night: making memories. Be sure to check out Pinnacle Promotion’s selection of promotional items for Prom Night to give away memories that won’t fade with time.

Pinnacle Promotions

Unique Promotional Products for Prom Giveaways – A new blog post from @PinnaclePromos

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pinnacle promotions

Educational Products: Back 2 School With Promo Products

Are You Pinnacle Perfect?

What in the World is a Tchotchke Anyway?

Custom Outdoor Products: Thinking “Outside” the Box

Where Does the Word Swag Come From?

Custom Products: Adding Fireworks to Your Brand Strategy this 4th of July

Custom Beach Towels: The Perfect Summertime Swag

Why You NEED Leed’s Promotional Products in your Marketing Arsenal

Trade Show Tuesday: How to Create a Killer Trade Show Display

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