Lanyards 101–What to Look for when Purchasing a Lanyard

Lanyards are a very popular promotional product.  They are prominently used in the business world for identification purposes.  They are often given at tradeshows with barcodes for obtaining your contact information so that you save a lot of time and ink.   And now, companies have improved the tried and true  into “new and hip” by adding carabiners with accessory items that make lanyards have a longer promotional impact.

For an economical solution, you can use a blank lanyard.  But, that is giving you no visibility and after event branding of your company.  But, it does bring up other ways make your presentation pop.  There are all sorts of accessories that can be added to a simple cord to make it unique and useful.  For example, you can add a carabiner that can hold a flash drive, lip balm, or sanitizer.  You can add a custom full  color slide to the cord to make it an item with color and flash.   A cord lanyard should run about .75 -1.25.   The advantage is that you should have easier minimum order standards, faster production, and no design time.

When you add your name and logo to a lanyard, you can get lots of visibility mileage, if the lanyard will be used again.  So really put some thought into it if you are giving it to people that will wear it every day to work.

The least expensive printing method will be screen printed.  You can get your logo woven into the strap material.  You can have different kinds of material such as nylon.  Color is no issue, the lanyards come in a multitude of colors.  We can always find something that will match your color scheme.

A great choice is sublimated lanyards if you have many colors in your logo.  Sublimated stock lanyards can have beautiful backgrounds that make them stand out.  Remember, your job is have people want to keep it and use it.  Take a look here. (Slow to load, will take you right to the page)

Lanyards have many different fittings on the bottom of the cord.  There are usually five different hooks that are standard and should not add to the cost:  D Ring, snap hook, swivel hook, bull dog clip, and split ring.

Other great accessory items include breakaway clips, cell phone holders, water bottle holders, and retractable badge reels.

So, the question is:   What features do you need in a lanyard; what attachments do you need on the end; what would your return on visibility investment be, if you upgraded the purchase you are about to make?  What will make your client hold on to this piece and use it frequently.

Statistics indicate over 50% of people keep a promotional item more than 2 years.  30% give it away if they don’t use it….so your promotional item needs to be perceived as useful, fun, unique, or desirable.

Contact Get Promoted to see samples, get exact figures based on your particular needs.  Prices start at about 1.00 and can go up to 10.00, depending on the accessories added to it.  We have several manufacturers that we like for their price, quality, and speed.  Check out:

www.snugzusa.com

www.marathonprestige.com

www.fieldsmfg.com

You can look at their product lines or online catalogs.  We have hard copies at our office that you are more than welcome to view.  See us for samples and recommendations.

Promotional Products Service at Get Promoted LLC

Owners Peg and Diane are aware that a small business owner needs to be able to keep its name in front of the public consistently.  We look for exciting, reasonably priced promotional items that will tie into a complete marketing plan.  You can trust that Peg and Diane will:

• Know about the latest promotional products trends and have access to quality manufacturing facilities
• Know where to find quality products
• Know what manufacturers deliver on time
• Know companies that have lower minimums, reduced art charges, and have new inexpensive items that would enhance a well-planned marketing strategy
• Know how to keep your “Name in the Game”
• Know how to best use promotional products as part of an advertising campaign

Get Promoted offers FREE marketing and product consultations.  Visit our studio in St. Charles or meet us for coffee somewhere.  We promise a great selection, good advice, and lots of laughter as we work with you to find items that will make a long lasting impression.  We keep hundreds of samples and catalogs for you to look through.  There are many web catalogs featured in the links below.   Call us with questions and to set a time for a  “Pick Three”, where we ask questions about your business and suggest three promotional items to add to your marketing mix.

You can search 400 Promotional Products and Apparel books here:  My Promotional Products Library or click on our favorites below

• Crown Great general catalog, lots of pens, reasonable prices, great customer service
• Magnets Largest Magnet manufacturer in U.S.     custom magnets available,
• Gemini Less expensive, many items under a dollar, good for giveaway items
• Hub Great pen company, specialize in pens, laser pens.
• Cedar Crest Great product at a great price
• Ariel Award-winning stress balls and many US made pedometers
• Fields Top provide for healthcare and education institutions
• Clegg Do you need  exciting?  This website makes noise…(
• Admints I love this company!  Tiny little boxes of mints with four color boxes
• Anchor Low price, lots of plastic, all recycled, key chains, fancy Mardi Gras Beads
• Chocolate Yum.  Need I says more.  Small order possible
• Chest Lots of kids items, storage items like gift boxes for a coffee cup and another gift.
• Ap Medicine bottles
• HBC Popular sprays:  air fresheners, sanitizers, sunscreen, moisturizer, etc
• Eyeblack School spirit items including custom under eye patches
• Bond Innovative drinkware design and golf items are a specialty
• illini Low cost, unusual ideals
• imagery Badge programs , name tags, custom lego-logos
• mat Tell your marketing message right when people come in the door
• Lion Circle Low cost , lots of giveaway items
• Maple Ridge 67%  of all corporate gifts at Christmas are food
• Mega Team spririt site
• Media “Credit cards” for ringtones,  all sorts of incentive cards
• quickpoint Green products, lost of kitchen helpers and plastic stuff
• points Crazy items, pens and planters with great designing for notice.
• Stouse Decals, adhesive sheets
• inventor Be on top of a trend, new inventions
• Ap General catalog, lots of journals and notebooks
• Warwick Calendars, notebooks, journals, large variety
• Fresh Yummy cookies and candies for corporate giving

Check out the Vernon Promotional Product Website!  Contact us for even more suggestions

Get Promoted “On the Cheap”…a Brown Bag Promotional Product Exposition.

Quite a title, huh?  This economy calls for extra measures to insure you keep your name in the game and be able to feed your family.  Get Promoted presents a line of promotional products that can be purchased in small quantities and need no imprinting.

Brown Bag Promotionals Offer you:

• a chance to purchase quality promotional items that can keep your name in the game
• Products that can be adapted to your ever-evolving logo and business card
• Products that can be changed to showcase your message to a particular niche group
• Promotional product favorites that have stood the test of time
• Really wild, weird items that can really keep your name in the conversation
• add in great resources for coaching, web building, credit card processing, marketing education, sales training, and networking…to make a whole package!

Look at a few of the items offered:  (more to come)

Magnet calendar

Tote Bags

 

“Come To Your Senses” Video about Promotional Products

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Brand New Promotional Products Hit the Market and Diane and Peg were there!

Peg and Diane attended the Promotional Product Industry Show in Chicago July 21-24th.  During their trip, they attended hours of intensive educational seminars and visited 800 vendors booths.  Here is a video from the floor showing some of the new items available this year. 

Promotional products can promote your marketing message in a completely unique way.  No other advertising medium can emcompass the five senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste as completely.  Later posts will go into our favorite finds at the show.

Get Promoted with Business Card Magnets

This company has no set up fee for art

Custom Magnets:  Make Your Company Memorable

In today’s tough economy, any company that truly wants to stay afloat and do well needs to take some very careful steps in order to hang on to their customers.  Of course, having stellar customer service and great products should be first on the list of priorities.  But, keeping your company memorable and prominent will also play a big role as you try to navigate the unfriendly economics you’re facing today.  Business card magnets might just be the perfect solution.

Let’s face it, we all get handed tons of business cards over the course of the average year.  Look in the bottom of your purse, or your glove box, or your briefcase, and you are likely to find many tossed-in business cards.  “Oh yeah, I remember that guy, he was a real estate agent.” Or, “I thought I would keep this card in case I ever needed to call that woman for a mortgage refinancing.”  The fact of the matter is, no matter how long you keep the typical business card, if it’s not someone you keep in regular contact with, then you are likely to start completely from scratch and look to the yellow pages when you need a particular service.

What if you could make more of a lasting impression on potential customers?  Using business card magnets can help with that, by giving your potential customers something useful that will be handy, literally right at their fingertips, if they ever need your information.  If your business card magnet is holding up their child’s artwork or report card on the refrigerator, they are far more likely to take notice and call you first when they need something you can help with.

Business card magnets are an extremely inexpensive way to advertise.  Not only are you providing people with a useful item, but magnet advertising is environmentally friendly because you are not simply sending out another piece of paper to be collected or thrown out.  These are items that get used and displayed.  You are exposed not only to your customers, but to all of their friends and family that may have an opportunity to see your card on the refrigerator.

There have been plenty of surveys and studies performed by business analysts that examine what factors make business cards more memorable.  Simply put, it doesn’t matter what the card looks like if nobody will see it.  Get something that people will use and take notice of if you actually want them to keep it around.

Some business owners choose to have business card magnets made that are coupons, special promotions, or announcements of big company changes.  You can have business card magnets designed to reflect your specific business—choose from tons of shapes, colors, sizes, and styles, and make your magnetic business card completely unique and customized to show off your company.

Be the standout by having something that other companies don’t—business card magnets can help you stay fresh in the minds of potential customers all year round!  Beat the high costs of advertising, and simply swamp the field of potential customers with your name and information.  Hand them out everywhere you go, to anyone you know, or anyone you do business with (even at their own places of business).  You will be surprised to find out how many people end up contacting you first for their business needs when they have your information handy!

Estimated cost:   There are two common weights:  .020 ml and .030.  The .020 will cost about .20 each in 500 quantity.  They will only hold a couple pieces of paper.  Better choice is .030 at $.30 each for 500 or $.26 each for 1000.  No set ups from my favorite vendor.  Shipping extra.

Order Business card Magnets at EZ Shop

Delivering Great Customer Service and Making Gift Giving FUN!

We want to provide great customer service for you.  We would not intentionally send you an inferior product or provide you with less than superb customer service.  Please let us know is we need to resolve any issue.  We want happy customers!  Peg always says, “If you aren’t satisfied, tell us and we will make it right.  If you are pleased with your products and service, tell everyone you know.” 

We want to make your shopping experience with us simple and fun.  Peg and Diane can:

• Do an order for a single product..yes, you can buy just one!
• Answer questions about products, costs, creative ideas
• Take an customer order by phone
• Do the mailing of the order for you
• Provide FREE consultation for your promotional product  questions
• Promote your logo, brand, organization, business, or cause
• Give a free quote on products and services
• Receive your photos by mail, email attachment, cd, or memory stick
• Scan a favorite photo to use on a personalized gift
• Give great customer service and provide quality merchandise
• Get it delivered on time and provide immediate service when neccessary
• Brainstorm and find a solution to your marketing challenge
• Suggest a unique product for your personal and business needs
• Put your great idea or business name on our t shirts and promotional products
• Help you choose from thousands of images and clip art available so you can design a t shirt
• Offer you a free design website of your own so you can sell your own apparel and customized products at a profit
• Show you a way to make your promotional products FREE
• Entertain you with great information in one our of three newsletters
• Make gift giving FUN!

Pick 3: Discover three Unique Promotional Products picked just for your Organization!

The sheer number of promotional products available on the internet and from local sales professionals is staggering.  When you choose an item,  how can you be sure that you are going to get your money’s worth?  How can you compare prices, quality, and products?  Do you know which companies deliver on time?  Do you know which one has a great sale going on?  Do you know where to find a great closeout and save a bundle of money?  Peg and Diane do know these things.  We are promotional product professionals.  Our job is to go to trade shows and seminars about promo items.  We get emails from the major companies daily informing us of new products and clever ideas to promote your business.  We have a set of vendors that we deal with every week that we know and trust.  We have ways to cut art setups and shipping costs that add so much to the purchase.  That is our job.  We don’t tack on an hourly wage to your order.  However many hours it takes to get your order to your door, your price doesn’t change. 

Let’s make a deal.  Be responsible for your part of this venture.  Please sit down and make an annual marketing plan.  Plan your promotional product purchases to enhance the message you want to acheive this year.  Unless you plan, a promotional product can become just a freebie, not the “traveling billboard” you want it to be.  When you start to work on your annual plan, give us a call.  We will be glad to give you product estimates so you can use your advertising dollars wisely. 
May we suggest , “Track Marketing” as a simple marketing book to read.  Here is a copy of the marketing worksheets that go with that book  that you can fill out.  Using this worksheet will save you more money than buying cheap on the internet and trying to understand complicated setup procedures for personalization.  That’s our job.

Get Promoted offers you a FREE Pick 3:

Tell us about your Business.  What makes you special, what is your unique selling proposition?  What do you want to promote? 

Peg and Diane will send you information on 3 products we think would enhance your marketing plan.