Is Social Media effective or is it just a waste of time?

Everybody, everywhere is currently fascinated by the new web trend - Social Media and Social Media marketing and how business’s are now using these websites to contact customer prospects; however there are so many different opinions as to how effective social media is for businesses and if it is worth businesses using them at all!

Social Media is a broad term and it covers a large range of websites, some of the more popular ones that you may have heard of are Facebook, Twitter and Youtube and the one common link between all of these sites is the ability to interact with the websites and all of their visitors.

Within ‘i name it’ we set up a Twitter account about 6 months ago, hoping to gain more interest in our company and products and ultimately gain new customers; having set up an account I found the task was not as easy as I expected. Initially, Twitter was associated with a number of celebrities who were generating thousands of followers; however for a small business like ‘i name it’ we did not gain as many followers automatically. In order to obtain any valuable followers it involved researching and communicating with relevant profiles that appeared to be in the promotional merchandise industry and anybody that seemed to show an interest in our products and services. At first, I found the process time consuming and I could not see any return on all my hard work but as my time on Twitter became more regular, I began to realise that Twitter was not just a place for finding new customers but it also helped me keep up to date with the latest industry news and take part in discussions about relevant topics that the business was involved in and in return connect with like-minded people that were interested in the same topics, as well as potential customers.

In my opinion, despite Twitter not having generated any revenue at this point, it acts almost like a second website and it is a place where customer prospects can find out about your website and the products and services you have to offer if they have not already navigated onto your website or any other blog-related sites that you offer on various websites.

Facebook on the other hand has many advantages as there are applications available which make your profile much more appealing to your customers or anyone that happens to end up on your website, such as blog and video applications. It also offers a function which allows you to pay for an advertisement which can increase your leads by getting your brand across to people that would otherwise never hear about you!

Personally, I have found Twitter more beneficial as I struggle to gain interest through our Facebook site, but as many critics of social media complain that social media is a waste of time for businesses, is it as others argue that it is simply lack of knowledge on how to use the sites effectively that prevents businesses from succeeding with social media?

So, what are your opinions on social media? Are you incorporating social media into your business marketing activities? If so, which websites do you find work better for you and why? Are you finding it useful to your business or are you critical about the whole craze and think it is a waste of time? Let me know your views!

Go Green - Save Money

The main headlines hitting the media today are about ‘going green’, ‘saving the planet’, and ‘becoming more eco-friendly’… but does going green really make business sense?

The truth of the matter is, the more the media emphasise human contribution towards global warming, the more people contemplate whether or not they use a company based on how environmentally friendly they are, and I think its safe to say that all of our business objectives are based on customer satisfaction and retention. So go green and keep your customers keen!

If keeping customers happy isn’t enough to see your profit margins expand, apparently introducing eco-friendly products can save you a significant amount of money in the long run. At first, many business owners see ‘going green’ as an expensive and time consuming process, however, small things like using high-efficiency light bulbs in the office, for example, will cost you 75% less to run than the standard light bulbs, and they will also last 10 times longer! There are numerous things you can do to generally increase how environmentally friendly your business is, the possibilities are endless!

Here at ‘i name it’ we decided to have a go at integrating the ‘eco’ into some of our products and we were thrilled to receive the accolade of ‘Highly commended free standing calendar’ at the National Business Calendar awards for our 100% environmentally friendly DHL calendar, with our customer stating that the calendars were ‘pretty much the talk of the market.’ The calendar is a great benefit to the planet, the leafs are 80% recycled and 20% FSC (from sustainable forests) and even the wire used to bind the calendar is coated in corn oil to ensure it is 100%
biodegradable!

So, we have made ‘going green’ work wonders for us, and it is always an extra selling point when introducing your products to customers as having the eco-friendly alternative is becoming increasingly popular. Customers, clients and stakeholders will all be interested in your efforts to incorporate environmentally friendly options into your organisation and most individuals will be delighted to learn that they are dealing with a responsible, environmentally aware corporation.

How to run a successful media marketing campaign

A term that is tossed around a lot these days is “Social Media”… but what does it all mean? And how is it going to benefit your organisation?

Social media is media that is based on user participation and user-generated content. Social networking sites include websites such as Twitter, Facebook, You tube and blog sites. However, different social networking sites can be used for a variety of purposes:

• Facebook is the internets equivalent to a pub. This is somewhere where you can begin to know your customer prospects on a more personal basis. For example, it is an informal environment which gives you room to discuss topics such as what you did over the weekend, as oppose to strictly business related topics.
• Linked In is like a trade show. It is very business orientated and it allows you to connect with people from all over the world on a professional level. It is a more formal alternative to Facebook and it provides official forums on business related topics which are great to get involved with.
• Twitter is like a huge instant messaging site. It allows you to send instant messages to large groups of people and it’s very upbeat, lively and effective if you use it in the right way. It is also very informative as you can access useful topic discussions relevant to your particular industry.
• You Tube is like Times Square on New Years Eve. It is very hard to break through but thousands of people will see you if you do, and it can be one of the most successful genre’s of communication through social media.
• My Space is ideal for the younger generation and it has a similar effect as a blog site as again, it is more impersonal and allows you to create almost like a fan base for your organisation.


Social media is particularly useful as it allows organisations to communicate efficiently with the right market and target customer prospects on a larger basis. For example, posting a new offer on Twitter will allow this to be seen by thousands of potential customers as oppose to just one or two, therefore naturally increasing lead generation.


Another interesting concept to perhaps consider if you deal more with the B2B market, is communicating with your customer prospects through a webinar. Webinars are becoming increasingly popular due to advantages such as convenience and saving travel costs, and they allow an organisation to instantly build trust with the participants as well as educating customers about their particular product/service


Measuring Social Media through social media/webinars:

• Webinars are particularly useful for turning website traffic into leads; therefore escalating leads and sales immediately.

• Social media sites increase your SEO’s (Search Engine optimisation) due to the searcher expectations changing and consumers having the ability to interact and share with specific search content (remember: if people think you are important, so will Google!)

• Converting website traffic to your social media websites is useful to draw more people to your brand and offer them a greater service. Many companies offer discounts for people that follow them on Twitter or become a fan of their business on Facebook.

• The most important aspect of any organisation is ultimately profit; is your company benefiting from the different types of social media? If so, which one is the most affective? How is customer retention affected by your increased usage of social media?


In order to set up and manage a successful social media campaign, you must consider the following:

1. Competitive Assessment – Always look at what your competitors are doing. What are they doing that is successful for them? Copy them and improve aspects of your organisation.

2. Internal Situation Analysis – Perform a SWOT analysis to identify how you can get the most out of social networking and put it into context with the rest of your business objectives.

3. Major Objectives – What do you wish to achieve through social media? Getting your brand better known? Increasing website traffic? Increasing profit?

4. Consumer thought process – Think from the point of view from your customer. What will entice them to your Facebook page? What can you do to make your social networking sites stand out?

5. Key Strategies – Figure out the best ways of driving people to your website/social networking sites.

6. Brand Essence – Design your social networking websites to enhance your brand and authority. If your organisation is professional and important, ensure your social networking sites portray this correctly.

7. Essential Message – What are you trying to portray through your networking sites?

8. Tactical Plan Overview – Once you have started providing information that solves your customers and subscribers needs, continue to develop and grow your content so that they want to keep coming back again and again.


In order for social networking to be successful for your company, you must remember the key objective, do not sell, but engage your client prospects.

Fiona's time so far with the i name it dream team!

Having spent several months during the Christmas season as a temp on the shop floor of the Prime Group, I was delighted when Tina offered me a position within the office environment of the company due to my interest in administration. I have always been interested in administration and customer services so I was excited to start learning new skills and developing my customer services knowledge.

As I had already spent some time working at the Prime Group, I had already got to know everybody and I felt very welcomed going up into the offices as part of the I name it team, where I had a new desk and computer waiting for me! During my first couple of months in the offices, an opportunity came up called the Print Futures Award and Tina was very keen to put me forward for it. The Print Futures Award is a scholarship scheme funded by the British Printing Industries Federation, Unite the Union and the Printer’s Charitable Corporation and its aim is to help fund training for people involved in the printing and graphic arts industry. Tina got the written application form for me to fill in and I sent if off thinking I would never hear anything back as we were both convinced the award was more of a printing skill based award rather than something concerning my role within customer services. However, a month later I received a letter stating that I had been shortlisted for the interview stage and I would have to go to London to meet for an interview with leaders from all the contributing parties.

I couldn’t wait for my interview but I wasn’t sure what to expect as the letter said it was more of an informal interview; however, I was still nervous about what questions I was going to get asked.On the day of the interview, I made my way down to London, revising the whole way on what I thought I might get asked, I was more excited than anything! When I finally arrived at the BPIF headquarters in Farringdon, I was called into a room with four men who represented the three corporations that had organized the award. They all seemed lovely but I had started to feel anxious that I might not perform well in my interview because I desperately needed the award as it would be so helpful to fund the training I wanted to do which was otherwise unattainable. I felt like I was in the board room on The Apprentice!

During my interview, the main point I tried to portray was the idea that the printing industry needs efficient administrative and customer service skills and this idea is very often over looked due to the concentration being on the manual skills. I was very enthusiastic and focused during the interview and I came out hoping I had given the right impression.

It was very nerve racking waiting to find out whether I had been successful. I got the phone call one day after work, several days after my interview .Terry Ulrick, the organiser of the whole event, had left me an answer phone message saying he was happy to tell me I had been successful in achieving the Print Futures Award and I would have to be attending an award ceremony in London along with other successful candidates. I was ecstatic! I immediately rang Tina and informed her of the good news. This meant I now had £2500 to spend on training for my current role within the I name it dream team.

I am now attending an evening class at the NCN Adams College studying a CIM introductory certificate in marketing. This course is perfect for me as it fulfils all aspects of what my job role entails as I learn about business, marketing and customer relationships. I am also planning on embarking on the CIM advanced certificate in marketing next year and then continuing on to do business and marketing at a diploma level.

I have really enjoyed my time at the Prime Group so far and it has given me so many exciting opportunities and opened lots of new doors for me. I hope to keep progressing here as I love working in such an interesting industry where everyday is different and satisfying.

Pro 9 Exhibition - Fiona's first exhibition with i name it.

When Tina first told me I would be going to the Pro 9 Exhibition with her in Amsterdam, I felt both excited, and nervous. It had been less than 6 months since I had started as an office junior within the I name it team and I hadn’t imagined I would be going to work abroad at an international trade show! I couldn’t wait!

As I had never been to an exhibition before, I was very eager to start talking to people about our products and I couldn’t wait to see what other stands people would be exhibiting there too.Not only did I see this as an opportunity to get our products known across the European Market but I also wanted to learn new attributes about the promotional merchandise industry and how to get the best out of exhibiting at such a big show.

Fortunately, there was a British Pavilion area where all the UK exhibitor stands were based; this initially made me feel more comfortable because everybody was really friendly and helpful and I met lots of new people. As it was the first day of the three day exhibition, we decided to arrive early at the RAI centre and get our stand set up so we were organised for when customers started arriving.
We were wearing orange t-shirts so we were very popular with the Dutch. As the hall began to get busy, I watched Tina stopping passers by and I listened to her telling them about how great our products were and how they are more than just a calendar, but an innovative and effective marketing tool.It didn’t take me long to get into the swing of things. I couldn’t wait to speak to my first customer and before I knew it I was also enticing customers and explaining to them the concept of taking personalisation to a much deeper level by including unique dates within their calendar and also our birthday scripting idea. Everybody was fascinated by, what they initially thought of as “just a calendar” when we explained to them about how our products are completely niche to the promotional products market and that our ability to use variable data printing can be used throughout all of our products to deliver something exclusive to their customers. There was one man that even commented on our calendars as “the best product he had seen all day."

As the exhibition progressed, I found myself becoming more confident about talking not just our products, but other solutions that I name it can offer. Tina and I didn’t let anybody walk past our stand until we had spoken to them about our products and we were both happy with the positive reaction we were getting from everybody.I could not have imagined the exhibition going any better and I have noticed a huge boost in my confidence towards selling our products so it was a great learning experience for me. At the end of the exhibition we had a huge jar full or business cards which we have since sent samples to and had an amazing response! Pro 9 was definitely a success for I name it and I hope next year will be even better!

Visit www.pro-ep.eu.com to find out more about the Pro exhibitions!

Best in the office

A survey of the best promotional desktop items, conducted by Source-E, revealed that calendars were the most likely product to remain on a client’s desk throughout the year. Add the fact that the ‘i name it’ calendar is personalised to the person receiving it you are guaranteed a successful promotional campaign.

The process for producing these calendars is simple; ‘i name it’ design your front cover and add your details throughout the calendar. All you need to provide are logos, a list of client names and your 12 favourite images chosen from the extensive image library. Your client names are then incorporated into each image and added to your corporate branded calendar.

It is the multiple layers of personalisation that can be incorporated within these calendars which makes them so popular. Most people are used to receiving interesting gadgets and gimmicks that have been personalised to the company who has sent them. The ‘i name it’ product range takes the personalisation a step further and personalises the gift to the client receiving it as well as the company sending it. It is this element that immediately provokes a reaction – grabbing the attention of the receiver starting at the front cover and then continuing throughout the calendar as they see their name cleverly integrated within each of the monthly images.
If you have a new service or product being launched in August then sending a calendar or diary to promote your activity would be the most effective way to get your client using your calendar or diary before they receive several more from other companies in December – this is especially true if you run it until the end of the following year. The individual personalisation is obviously another key reason that your calendar will be kept above all the others. Keep all of the information relevant, if you have dates that are important to your client include them, whether it be events and conferences you are hosting or the date a policy is due for renewal, this can be a very powerful marketing tool that will remain relevant for an entire year.

This calendar can be used to promote multiple products and/or services at the same time and targeted to the individual receiving it, e.g. if you have different branches or contact details specific to each client this can be incorporated onto their individual calendar.

Daring Diaries!!

The image personalised desk diary is the latest innovation from ‘i name it’. The first of it’s kind in the promotional merchandise market and is set to be the ‘must have’ desk accessory for 2009.

As with their great range of personalised calendars the ‘i name it’ diaries are personalised to the client as well as the recipient, ensuring they are immediately engaging and guaranteed to be kept. With the ability to start the diary on any month of the year, run for as any months as you wish and add key dates personal to the company and/or recipient these diaries are certainly unique. Other features include a year planner, notes section and contact information. As with the calendars they also offer a bespoke service with the option to personalise your own corporate imagery.

“We have been developing this product over the last 12 months testing various designs and formats and have found that this one works perfectly. It was important that we produced a diary that not only incorporated all of the elements that our calendars do, regarding the level of personalisation, but it also needed to be a usable format whilst remaining an affordable option for businesses; says Tina Brown, Manager of ‘i name it’. “The feedback we have received from trade customers regarding this product has been excellent it appears that there is a gap in the market for this type of product and we are more than happy to fill it!”

To find out more about ‘i name its’ products and services, including their sample service, please visit www.inameit.co.uk or call and speak to a member of the ‘ I name it’ team on 0800 542 9177.

Variable Data Printing Made Easy

No longer are companies satisfied with corporate gifts simply featuring their corporate branding, advances in digital printing have opened up the opportunities for engaging with clients on a more personal level. Personalisation is becoming more intricate than ever, ranging from complex brochures tailored to the individual’s preferences throughout, to the integration of their name and preferences into an image.

A key product for Prime Print Group, and their biggest success, is their personalised calendar range, produced for the B2B market. Catering to individual companies needs has included designing and setting up bespoke websites allowing recipients to order their own calendar, starting it on their chosen month and including highlighted dates personally selected by them. This calendar also included a special birthday cake with their name on it on the month of their birth.

The fact that these calendars can be easily produced using any language has generated interest worldwide from Qatar to Brazil to Japan. This coupled with the extent to which these calendars can be made personal to the recipient, as well as the sender, has established this product range as a ‘must have’ in the promotional merchandise arena, as recognised by the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) at a recent awards ceremony where it was short-listed for the Most Innovative Product award.

Beyond the corporate calendar range, Prime Litho Printing Services produce bespoke personalised mailers. An ongoing contract with a major blue chip company encompasses the production of a barcoded mailer linked to a database containing 35 variable data fields each variable containing up to 145 different possibilities for the targeted audience’s preferences. This allows the company to engage directly with over 15,000 people, tailoring promotions and products to each individual recipient in a single print run.

Digital printing has become the most popular and fastest growing medium over the past 12 months due to it’s speed, quality and return on investment. As experts in the management and execution of variable data printing and image personalisation Prime Litho Printing Services provide consultative advice to their clients, encompassing data manipulation and the best ways to get maximum impact from the application of these techniques. Their consultative approach helps to effectively manage client expectations and provide a thorough understanding of the strengths and limitations of the process making it much smoother for the client.

www.inameit.co.uk - Unique personalised gifts

inameit
The world´s first personalised calendar with real image personalisation.
Our calendars have 12 fantastic pictures, with each calendar personalised with your chosen name or message. Show someone you have really put some thought into their gift.
You simply type in the name you want to appear in the pictures and we produce a luxury personalised calendars especially for you - every one is unique.