At Hasseman Marketing, we are committed to helping fix the Appreciation Gap. We do that by assisting organizations to find really cool Branded Merch to gift to their team and their best customers. Our challenge is, there are so many categories of products that fit the bill! It’s a great problem to have! We work with amazing suppliers with great products…and that’s great! So we are going to feature different cool year-end gifts each time. This week we feature one of our favorite year-end gift categories…drinkware.
13 oz. Barista Ceramic Custom Mugs with Cork Bottom
We have been featuring this ceramic mug a lot this year. Made with stoneware and a faux cork bottom, this piece not only has a great look (and it does) but the cork helps to protect your hands from the heat of that much-needed coffee in the morning. This has a great look for an office mug or is the perfect mug to hand out to clients. Click here to find pricing.
12 oz. Itsy Vacuum Insulated Travel Mug
Can you say functional? This double wall vacuum sealed tumbler is perfect to keep your coffee hot or your cold drinks cold, but it is perfect for on the go…or staying at the office. And with this smaller size, you can also use this with your Keurig as well. Priced here with a one-color imprint, this is a great year-end gift that will not break the bank.
Hydro Flask® Standard Mouth 21 oz Bottle with Flex Cap
Your perfect travel companion. Keep life moving with the Hydro Flask® Standard Mouth With Flex Cap 21oz. It stashes easily into a small shoulder bag, your pack’s side pocket, or your car cup holder, and holds enough ice-cold goodness to keep you going for hours without weighing you down. No wonder it’s one of our bestselling water bottles. TempShield™ insulation eliminates condensation and keeps beverages cold up to 24 hours and hot up to 12 hours. Learn more here.
It’s hard to believe we are in Appreciation Season, but September is here. Please check out the shop. We have even more to select from there! But if you need additional ideas, we would love to help!
The upcoming (potential) UPS strike is a cause of concern for many businesses, including those in our industry…and our customers. The strike is expected to affect UPS operations across the country, which could lead to delays and disruptions in the supply chain. So we wanted to take just a moment to talk about how this UPS strike could affect YOUR branded merch order…and what we can do about it.
Plan Ahead
One of the main concerns for customers of Branded Merch is the timely delivery of their orders. With UPS being one of the top shipping carriers in this industry, any disruption in their operations could lead to delays and missed deadlines. This could have a ripple effect on businesses, as delayed deliveries could lead to missed deadlines, increased costs, and events without your merch.
The lesson here is simple, as we move into the fall, let’s work to plan earlier on events to mitigate this risk.
Seeking Additional Options
Another potential impact of the UPS strike is an increase in shipping costs. With UPS being one of the major shipping carriers, businesses may have to seek out alternative carriers to get their products to customers on time. This could lead to higher shipping costs, which could eat into profit margins and make it harder for businesses to compete in the marketplace. This is true for all businesses, but our goal is to work to seek options to help you keep the shipping costs down.
Businesses that utilize Branded Merch in their marketing strategy (and who doesn’t?) should be prepared for the potential impact of the UPS strike by exploring alternative shipping options. This may include working with other carriers or exploring local delivery services. Businesses should also communicate with their customers about any potential delays or disruptions in their supply chain, and work to find solutions that meet their needs.
Overall, the UPS strike is a cause for concern for all businesses. However, with proper preparation and communication, businesses can mitigate the impact of the strike and continue to meet the needs of their customers.
Our goal at Hasseman Marketing is to be a great marketing partner for your small to midsize organization. That is why we work to create information like this to help you!
Welcome to the Hasseman Marketing featured Product of the Week! Our goal each week is to show you a piece of branded merch that we love…and give you 3 reasons to love it too! This week we feature a wireless charger with an elegant look.
Let’s talk about the Walnut QI! Watch this short video below!
Here are the 3 reasons we love the Walnut QI
Great Looking Imprint: This is a piece that turns heads. It has a great look and a great imprint for your brand.
Sustainable: Showcase your brand with the beautifully crafted, Walnut Qi wireless charger. Sustainably made with quality walnut wood finish, heavy aluminum casing, and real wood grain details each as unique as your brand!
Works Great: It’s a perfect item to charge your phone while you are working at your desk or laying in bed.
Hasseman Marketing is your one-stop marketing shop. We work hard to “Deliver #MarketingJoy to you. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, now is a great time to become a VIP. Sign up to be “on the list” here.
It’s important for our lives to be based in truth. If we want to be effective, productive and happy, it’s important for us to operate as things are…not how we want them to be. That’s why I wrote this blog discussing “now that we are here.” With that in mind, I want to give you 3 Facts about Corporate Gift Giving in 2020.
It’s More Important Than Ever
We are unapologetic fans of showing appreciation. Of course we are. It’s the business we are in. But we also believe there is an appreciation gap in business today. We talk about that here. But this year, we are asking employees to work more with less. Some team members have been laid off. Others have taken on more responsibilities. It’s what we have had to do to survive. At the very least, we are all working in an incredibly uncertain and stressful time. We need to show them how much that means to us. And for customers that is doubly true. These are our truest supporters that have continued to do business with us…and we need to make sure they know how much we appreciate it.
It’s Harder Than Ever
But here’s the thing, while it’s more important than ever, the fact is it’s harder. Many people are still working from home. We can’t do the traditional holiday events or parties. Even if we can, these events will look small or different to say the least. If we want to give our team a gift, we have to create new ways to deliver them and make them fun. It’s a real challenge. There is no getting around it. (With this challenge in mind, we created this site to help).
It’s Important To Order Early
While we are always a fan of planning in advance, this year it’s a must. As an industry, we are starting to see challenges with delivery times for many orders. Because we HAVE to ship to more and different locations, it’s become a challenge for delivery. As a matter of fact, UPS and Fed Ex have already acknowledged it’s going to be an issue.
In addition, the stock of many items across our industry has been a huge challenge as well. Why? Because when the pandemic began, all business in many (if not most) industries stopped. The promotional products industry was no different. So suppliers shut off orders from overseas to manage space and cash flow. When the economy started to open back up, many suppliers took conservative bets on what to order in. It’s a smart move. But it has created stock challenges on some items. What does that mean to you? It means the item you are in love with for you team might be out of stock. You either need to order before it is…or get ready to change to a new item quickly so you can still show that appreciation that is more important than ever!
So those are 3 Facts about Corporate Giving in 2020. They are realities we all need to deal with. Please be patient as we help you try and navigate these strange waters with you. Again, if you are interested in seeing a solution to delivering the gifts, check out this site we have created. Everything on the site is “all in.” It includes the price of the items, imprinting, setup fees, and shipping to your team member or customers door…all in.
This has been true for years. There is an appreciation gap. It’s the gap between how much companies think they show appreciation…and how much employees and customers feel appreciated. It’s probably always been true. Studies show you that 69% of customers that leave you will do so because of perceived indifference. Nearly 70% of them leave because they don’t think you care!
And that was before a pandemic, quarantine, wildfires, racial injustice, murder hornets, and the Big Ten postponing football! So showing your customers and your employees that you really care about them is more important than ever before.
But let’s be honest, it can be harder now. With those challenges, many events have been cancelled. The places where we saw customers have been shut down. So while we need to say “thank you” more than ever, it’s harder than ever before to do it. That is why some companies are thinking outside of the box with appreciation.
Create A Party In A Box
Many companies are looking at the fact that traditional Holiday parties are going to be difficult this year. We want to show our team appreciation, not get them sick! On the other hand, the holidays is when many of us take the time to show appreciation to our employees and our customers. And since we just said, we need to show more appreciation this year, what can we do?
What about a virtual Party In A Box? The idea is simple. While we might not be able to physically get together, what if we did it virtually? We create a Zoom meeting (or pick your platform) and then ship each of your team a box with some amazing items so you can all celebrate together. Depending on your team (and your budget) you can create a branded package that might include an apparel item you want everyone to wear, a bottle of wine, a set of glasses, some sweet treats to eat, and even hand sanitizer! You could create a “party in a box” that really dazzles. And just think, you won’t have to rent a facility or cater a meal…so you can use that budget to build your team, your culture and your brand.
As a side, many of our suppliers are working hard on drop ship programs so you can do this more efficiently and cost effectively than ever before.
What do you think?
If you are interested in exploring an idea like this to show your team or customers that they are special, let us know. You can reach out to your Hasseman Marketing rep…or you can click here to reach out to us!
