Are Personalized Calendars Marketing Hidden Gems?

For a moment, forget what the prevailing wisdom is. Because facts are facts,  by the end of this blog, we think you will think differently, from when you started.

Looking for a way to promote your business that will engage, remain, and market your products and services is a complicated matter. Will your idea target a professional audience? If, you mail or email a number of informational flyers, will they just view it as another sales item and toss it to the side?  That is the real conundrum. Is there a product that will not be thrown away, target your audience, and promote your products and services. The answer may surprise you.

Calendars are viewed as gifts, not as sales gimmicks, so they are not likely to be thrown away. The fact is, few people actually buy calendars, so receiving one as a gift is often a welcome addition.

Furthermore, it will remain in one’s office or room for 1 year. They can also be personalized, so that, the recipient will genuinely be happy and grateful. It is not surprising that they are overlooked, as most individuals receive their calendar from an organization or business. What other product will remain in plain sight for a full year and offer 12 separate promotions or sales pitches all in a non threatening manner.

OK, that’s great you say, but “MegaCorp” does not even know my company’s name. Well, offering a personalized calendar as a gift will ensure that everyone who receives one, will at the very least, glance at your logo everyday. This is priceless. The individual is not only coming to know your brand, address, and phone phone number, he/she is endorsing you by having that calendar in their office. Also, every person who sits or visits that office will see it as well. Anyone will assume that you have an established relationship with that company.

This is why it is important to design a custom printed calendar. Knowing your target audience will help you design a calendar, which, will help to grow your brand and market effectively. Perhaps, you know an employee is avid golfer, or enjoys hiking. You can cater to their preference and ensure that it ts something they will choose to look at for 12 months.

 

In 1981 the CAC (Calendar Advertising Council) conducted a telephone survey and found that 70% of calendars were received as gifts, and 85% percent of recipients planned to conduct business with sender of the calendars. That is ROI.

Well, that’s 1981 you say, that does not apply to today’s fast paced, tech savvy world. In the last six years, Calendars have ranged in revenue from 1.07bil to 1.43bil in promotional product sales. That equates to 7.14 share of the $15.64 billion pie of promotional product sales. In the last 6 years, calendars have remained in the top five of promotional products. In addition, look at these statistics reported from ordinary people given promotional or an advertising calendar:

• 74 percent could remember the name of the company advertised
• 72 percent could remember the product or service/message advertised
• 71 percent had done business with the company that gave them the calendar prior to receipt of the complimentary calendar
• 70 percent plan to do business with the company again
• 48 percent had a more favorable impression of the advertiser
• 41 percent have referred a friend to the company that gave them the calendar

Another study showed:

• 77.6% Plans to do business with the advertiser
• 48.8% Has referred a friend to the advertiser

That study shows some really interesting information regarding people receiving multiple calendars. Calendars are still relevant and come in many different forms now, from pocket calendars to desk calendars.

 

All of that would not matter if calendars were not cost effective. It is fairly obvious that TV, radio, or internet ads are much more exciting and engaging. They can be interactive and catchy. But, what happens if the TV is on mute or the viewer is in another room. Internet ads are also there and then gone, not hard to miss. All of these methods are extremely expensive. When you consider the cost of a bundle of calendars, it’s hard to think why it is not worth trying.

So, assuming we’re all in agreement (you have to admit that this argument is pretty convincing), that calendars can an effective marketing tool and extremely cost effective, let’s start to design something that will give you the best chance to reap all of the rewards, which, we discussed above.

• First, it is important that the calendar is aesthetically pleasing. If, it is not pleasing to the eye, it will not be looked at all that much
• Design it so that your logo and information are in plain view
• Specify certain times of years or dates that inspire action (For example, if you client is an accountant, perhaps include a reminder to send out flyers right before tax season)
• Include special offers or reminders of your next catalog of brochure
• Think of your customer, what do you think your client will be dwelling on on any given month. Be helpful, give tips based on their industry. This will gain trust and force them to look at it more often
• Include URLs or or phone numbers that will lead them to products and services that will help them

There are many different factors like size, binding, and color to consider when designing a custom calendar. That’s where we come in. Contact us at mmprint.com today.