30 Jan

Promo Products Are Perfect Business Branding Tools

Posted in Promotional Products on 30.01.15 by John Meloche

P-523_BIG-160x160All throughout this week, the theme of our blogs has been about the power of promotional products. And while the Synergy Marketing Blog quite often provides a wealth of information based on business promotion in general, it should come as no surprise that our hearts are attached to the concept of handing out promo gifts to customers in order to secure their loyalty. Of course, that’s just one of the benefits to giving promotional products out to your customers.

As our blogs have revealed all week long, there are numerous benefits of using promotional products for your business. And today’s blog will be in keeping with that theme. Keep in mind that, no matter what type of marketing strategy you decide to employ, marketing your business is mandatory. Without getting the word out about your business, there’s no way to attract customers to it.

On NCBA.ca, Keira Rose agrees with our sentiments. “Branding is an important part of every business,” she writes, “High quality products and good services are not enough to get the competitive edge in the industry. You need to inform people of your presence in the market.” So what is the best way to market your business? Of course, every business is different. So the answer to that question will vary from one business to the next.

One thing is for sure though. Promo gifts are both cost-conscious and highly effective when it comes to attracting positive attention to your brand. “Adding value to your business is essential and business promotional products are the best way of doing it,” insists Rose, “Promotional gifts serve as a perfect medium to stay connected and turn the existing customers to loyal repeat customers. Offering give-away items to your customers is the best strategy to increase sales.”

Rose goes on to note that there is no shortage of places and times to hand out promotional products to new and potential customers. Naturally, you could hand your gifts out to everyone who enters your store. But they are uniquely designed to make great impressions at a variety of other venues. “Promotional gifts are cost effective items that are usually offered during seminars, exhibits, trade shows, road shows, special events and product launches,” Rose reminds us.

In yesterday’s blog, we posed the question “Are Pens The Kings Of Promotional Products?” It can be argued that pens can suit the promotional needs of just about any business type. They are both useful and very friendly to any marketing budget. Rose concurs. “Notepads and pens are the most practical promotional items that can be used for promoting your brand,” she writes, “They are inexpensive yet effective.”

At Synergy Marketing, we’re proud to offer a wide array of pens. One of the coolest selections we have is the amazingly inventive Ballpoint Pen and Highlighter. It contains a metal ballpoint pen on one end and a yellow highlighter on the other! It’s one of the many unique 2-in-1 promotional products that we have to offer. With a space to place your business name and logo on them, these pens are guaranteed to make quite the favourable impression on their recipients.

“Every time a company gives out a promotional product, it gives an existing or a new customer a good reason to continue choosing their business over their competitors,” says Rose, “This form of promotion gives a business a good opportunity to create more number of new customers through ‘word of mouth’ advertising from the current customers.” To order the promotional product of your choice, call Synergy Marketing at 1-877-748-9884 today!

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29 Jan

Are Pens The Kings Of Promotional Products?

Posted in Promotional Products on 29.01.15 by John Meloche

P-519-amorization-pen-160x160“Promotional business gifts really are a powerful way of not only getting your brand into the minds of your potential customers, but more importantly, keeping it there!” insists the British-based Pellacraft.com. In yesterday’s blog, we revealed that, in Great Britain, promotional products are just as powerful as they are here in Canada. And that really shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Promo gifts undoubtedly have the ability to grow businesses worldwide.

Quite often, the sales reps, here at Synergy Marketing, are asked by their clients about which promo gifts work “best”. And because we have so many different promotional products to choose from, the answer may vary from business owner to business owner. Of course, not all businesses are the same. And, as a result, some promo gifts are simply going to work better for some companies over others.

Take, our Translucent Ice Scrapers, for example. These awesome promo gifts are extremely handy during the winter time for obvious reasons. But as you may have guessed, they are especially designed to help drivers clear the ice from their windows. That means that members of the automotive industry are generally served best by these gifts. They guarantee that their clients – all drivers – will be able to make use of these great promo products.

But is there a gift that can suit all business types? Surely, there have got to be some go-to items that any business owner can use. According to Pellacraft.com, “pens are one of the best, if not the king of, promotional products!” As we’ve mentioned in many of our blogs before, pens continue to be extremely useful to this day. Will there ever be a day when we won’t need to write things down?

Sure, we’re living in the era of the internet. But the pen will always be mightier than the sword…so to speak. The website reveals that a British Promotional Merchandise Association survey found that “62% of people said that they have branded pens from companies.” So it appears as if pens are “go-to” promotional items in Great Britain as well. And why wouldn’t they be? Pellacraft.com agrees that there will always be a use for pens.

“Pens are a necessity for everyone therefore promotional pens are guaranteed to go down a storm if you give them out to your clients,” says the site, “Not only do they increase brand awareness but they also are a constant reminder of your company.” Think about it. Every time your client reaches for your pen to write something down, he or she will be reminded of your company. Now that is what you call cost-effective promotional power!

Is there a certain type of pen that works best? Well, once again, this may come down to the type of business giving the pens out. Lucky for you, Synergy Marketing offers a wide array of pens to suit the tastes of business owners from a wide variety of industries. For example, The Amortization Pen is an incredibly useful tool for realtors, mortgage brokers and other members of the real estate industry.

It comes with a unique pull out calendar that helps home buyers to quickly calculate their monthly mortgage payments based on borrowing $1000 over 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 35 years at rates from 2.00% to 12.00%. Pretty industry specific, isn’t it? And we’re sure to have a pen that will specifically suit the interests of your business and its customers as well. To learn more about them, be sure to give us a call at 1-877-748-9884 today!

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28 Jan

Our Friends In Great Britain Love Promo Gifts Too!

Posted in Promotional Products on 28.01.15 by John Meloche

united kingdom national flag thumb up gesture for excellence andThe power of promotional products should never be understated. And perhaps, this is why we state it – over and over again! For many years, Synergy Marketing has proven that when Canadian business owners choose to place the logos of their companies on useful and effective promo gifts, their companies enjoy greater success. An increase in customers, happier clients, numerous referrals and general better impressions of the brands are all beneficial results.

But, promo gifts don’t just make business owners successful in Canada. They have the ability to work wonders worldwide! Our friends over in the United Kingdom seem to recognize the power of promo gifts and love them about as much as we do. At least, this is what seems to be confirmed by the British Promotional Merchandise Association. On Pellacraft.com, it is revealed that a survey was completed finding a number of benefits of promo gifts.

“Promotional products invoke loyalty in over three times as many recipients as the effects of the other advertising mediums like print, web, direct mail or TV,” says the website, “Using promotional products as part of your marketing will mean that your company gets the recipient’s loyalty and of course their custom.” The site goes on to list some very telling statistics about the power of promo gifts in Great Britain.

81% of the people asked said they expected to get promotional items from exhibitions like trade fairs etc. This is a very important aspect of the promotional gift. Trade shows, conferences and other events that give business owners the opportunities to meet fellow professionals are the absolute perfect places to hand out your promo gifts. Evidently, people now expect to get their hands on them at these events.

“They are a great way to draw in more customers and by having promotional items to give out people are more inclined to remember your company after the exhibition is over,” says Pellacraft.com, “With the economic climate as it currently is, now is the best time to promote your company using promotional items.” If you’re attending a trade show any time soon, it’s imperative you bring some promotional products along with you.

58.9% of people are more likely to keep free branded gifts during this time. This is another major benefit to the promo gift over the business card. The key is to be memorable and to make quite the good impression on those you meet. In order to encourage others to contact you after they have met you, it’s important to give them a reason to keep you in mind. Because promo gifts are so useful, they have the ability to stay with their recipients for years!

Business cards, on the other hand, are too often thrown away, lost or placed into a “deck” of other business cards only to be forgotten. Promo gifts leave lasting impressions. This is why it’s so important to invest in these great items. They are among the most cost-effective ways to grow your business. And their staying power is undeniable. Not to mention, they’re easier than you think to get your hands on!

94% of us remember the advertiser who gave us a promotional item after we have had it for six months. Evidently, if you want to be remembered, a promo gift will do the trick. And speaking of getting your hands on them, Synergy Marketing provides the best promo products in the business! Ordering yours is as simple as giving us a call at 1-877-748-9884 today. We look forward to helping you join Great Britain and the rest of the world in reaping their benefits!

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27 Jan

2 More Big Benefits From Giving Out Promo Gifts

Posted in Promotional Products on 27.01.15 by John Meloche

SG-300_BIG-160x160At Synergy Marketing, we certainly do love our promotional products. Can you tell? For many years, we have been assisting Canadian business owners with the promotion of their companies by offering the best promo products in the business. Our catalogue boasts a wide array of useful gifts including everything from ice scrapers to water bottles, key chains to flashlights and toques to sunglasses. And, of course, that’s not all!

No matter the type of promotional product you choose to promote your company (there are many to suit the various industries that exist), business owners are guaranteed of one thing. They work! Bettering your company’s impression in the minds of your gift’s recipients is a sure bet. And, as we pointed out in yesterday’s blog, promo gifts have the type of staying power that your average business card does not.

On B2BMarketing.net, Gareth Parkin agrees. “Giving promotional gifts to your current and potential customers can aid in branding, improves their opinion of your company, helps them remember your products or services, will make them more likely to buy from you, and is less expensive and more effective than other forms of advertising and marketing,” he reports. He goes on to reveal some other big time benefits of giving out promo gifts to your clients. Here are two more.

1. Promo gifts are cost-effective. It’s hard to find business owners who aren’t interested in saving money while promoting their businesses. Why spend more than you have to? Everyone deals with a budget of some kind. Promo gifts offer business owners the opportunity to stay well within their marketing budgets, while reaping great rewards. Traditional modes of advertising are often very expensive and less effective.

Parkin concurs. “Investing in a promotional merchandise campaign can bring a greater return on investment than other types of advertising,” he reports, “Other types of marketing like radio and television ads can be easily forgotten. Promotional products can cost considerably less per impression, yet are kept for sometimes years and can also be passed onto or seen by other potential customers.”

2. Promo gifts have no limits. In other words, you can practically make any useful item a promotional tool. The key, of course, is to make sure that it is of high quality so that it can actually serve the recipient well and for a long time. As mentioned, Synergy Marketing has a ton of different promo gifts to choose from. This is because we know that every business owner is different. And every business deserves the ability to market itself with the perfect gift.

But which ones are the most popular? “Pens and mugs are probably the most common promotional gifts,” says Parkin, “but there are so many different kinds of products available now, you can choose products that represent your company and are relevant to your brand. Different themes or company cultures can be promoted through promotional products.” This is why we recommend a conversation with one of our experienced and friendly sales reps.

At Synergy Marketing, we proudly have some of the most enthusiastic and knowledgeable people in our industry working as part of our team. Our staff can certainly help you to choose the ideal gift to promote your brand in the best possible way. Impress your clients by handing them the perfect promo gift. For more information on how to select the best gift for your brand, give us a call at 1-877-748-9884!

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26 Jan

2 Major Benefits Promo Gifts Bring To Your Brand

Posted in Promotional Products on 26.01.15 by John Meloche

p-522-160x160So are promotional products as powerful as we keep saying they are? At Synergy Marketing, we have many years of experience within the industry that have proven to us that promo gifts are among the best ways business owners can grow their companies. The reasons are vast. But, as the provider of the best promo products in the business, we’re expected to feel that way! So we don’t necessarily believe you should simply take our word for it.

“Many businesses may not realize that promotional products can really help with the branding of your company and can be a great complement to your marketing strategy,” writes Gareth Parkin on B2BMarketing.net, “Promotional merchandise, branded with your company name and/or logo should be considered an investment and part of the marketing budget.” Evidently, we’re not alone in believing that promotional products are excellent business-builders. They work wonders at trade shows, conferences and other events that give you the opportunity to meet new clients.

But they work great during your day-to-day interactions with new and old customers as well. Promo gifts, you see, have many benefits. Parkin agrees that when given to customers, they can improve the opinions that people have of your company, making them more likely to buy from you. We could go on all day about how great promo products are – and sometimes we do! But here are just two of the main benefits they can bring to your brand.

1. Promo gifts have staying power. Are you still handing out business cards to new clients? How long do you think those cards of yours last in the hands of their recipients? What good are those cards other than providing contact information? Promo gifts, by contrast, are useful items that people are not quick to throw away. Instead, these great products that bear your company’s name and contact info serve their recipients for many years into the future!

“When customers receive promotional products, they keep them for a long period of time,” writes Parkin, “In fact, studies have shown that many people keep promotional products for an average of one year or longer. This increases the brand awareness of not only the person using the promotional item, but also those who are in contact with the recipient or see them using the product.” The more useful your gift, the more promotional power it has!

2. Promo gifts make your company look good. Consider the impression that is given off by a useful, high-quality promo product that bears your company’s name and logo. While they won’t cost you very much to invest in, promo products give your brand that “professional”, “high-scale” feel. Attracting new customers by making such impressions is a great way to garner interest in your brand.

“Everyone likes to receive something for free,” Parkin reminds us, “Promotional product recipients do not mind getting a gift with a brand name or logo on it and accept it as part of the exchange. Once they keep the promotional product and use it, they become more and more familiar with your company name and therefore, more likely to purchase from you again.” The way we see it, it’s hard to find a better way to keep your business on people’s minds!

Please be sure to check back for tomorrow’s blog as we continue to unveil more of the major benefits provided to your brand by promo gifts. For more information on the amazing promo gifts offered by Synergy Marketing, don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-9884!

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23 Jan

5 Telling Statistics About Promotional Products

Posted in Promotional Products on 23.01.15 by John Meloche

P-554-160x160Synergy Marketing is a firm believer in the power of cost-effective promotion. Over the past two weeks, our blog has been dedicated to highlighting four different online sources that allow business owners of all types to promote their brands for free. Facebook, Twitter, Craigslist and Kijiji are all free resources that can greatly help get the word out about your company and all of the great products and services that it has to offer.

However, Synergy Marketing is the biggest proponent for the use of promotional products to advertise your brand. While not exactly free, promo gifts are well-known for being among the most cost-effective ways to grow businesses. They work! And there are statistics to prove it. In fact, Nebs.ca reveals that Promotional Products Association International discovered some very telling statistics about the power of promo gifts.

1. Promo gifts increase your likelihood of call backs. According to PPAI, “mailing a pen or other promotional product along with a sales letter can increase the number of prospects that call you back by as much as 50 percent.” You see, promo gifts matter a whole lot more than a simple piece of paper. They are useful items that have staying power. Promo gifts make it a lot more likely that you will remain on the minds of your recipients than if you simply sent letters.

2. Promo gifts garner referrals. PPAI also found that “customers who receive promotional products as gifts are more likely to refer friends, colleagues, and others to your company than those who don’t.” This is one of the greatest benefits of handing out promotional products to your customers. Recipients are encouraged to recommend you to others. And, as is often said, there is no better type of promotion than word-of-mouth promotion.

3. Promo gifts inspire repeat business. “Promotional products can help increase repeat orders from your customers by as much as 16 percent,” says Promotional Products Association International. It’s one thing to get a new customer. But it’s an entirely different thing to get a new loyal customer. Naturally, you want your customers to keep coming back. Promo gifts give your customers more reasons to endear themselves to your brand.

4. Promo gifts make people like you. After all, handing a gift to someone is a kind gesture, no matter what your objective is. At the end of the day, you want people to view your company in a favourable light, right? Promo gifts certainly help with that. PPAI finds that “sending a useful promotional product like a baseball cap or t-shirt instead of a general thank you note can enhance your customer’s positive feelings about you by as much as 25 percent.”

5. Promo gifts make you stand out. Our clients love bringing their promo gifts to trade shows and conferences. By handing them out at these events, they successfully separate themselves from the rest of the company owners who attend and only pass out business cards. Promo gifts always leave lasting impressions. “At trade shows, promotional products can increase awareness of and preference for an exhibitor’s products by as much as 70 percent,” says PPAI.

“Keeping your name in front of customers and prospects is critical to growing your business – especially if you rely heavily on word-of-mouth and referrals,” insists Nebs.ca, “you’ve got to find ways to make it easy for people to remember you and find you.” Handing out promo gifts, the site goes on to say, is a method “which is memorable and cost-effective”. Order from Synergy Marketing’s vast array of promotional products by calling us at 1-877-748-9884 today!

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22 Jan

6 More Tips For Attracting New Customers On Kijiji

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 22.01.15 by John Meloche

E-commerce conceptFacebook, Twitter and Craigslist are all great ways to advertise your company for free. But, as we pointed out in yesterday’s blog, Kijiji is just as viable a free resource. Business owners from all over Canada are joined by everyday citizens in using Kijiji to promote and sell their items. Why shouldn’t you? If you’re yet to give Kijiji a try, you may want to consider it, since it has been successful in helping other businesses grow their reach.

It just so happens that Synergy Marketing is one of those businesses! We post a Kijiji ad once every business day in a new Canadian city. Considering that we service business owners from all over the country, this medium has provided us with great opportunities to attract new clients. In yesterday’s blog, we began to reveal some details about how to use Kijiji the right way. With the help of Vangie Beal of Ecommerce-Guide.com, we’d like to round out our list of tips.

1. Don’t delete pending sale ads. If your item hasn’t sold yet, there’s no reason to delete your ad. Beal writes that some sellers on Kijiji make the mistake of pulling their ads simply because they’ve received emails from interested buyers. You should only remove the ad once you’ve actually made the sale. In our case, there’s never any reason to pull ads because we have so many different promotional products that are always available for sale!

2. Provide accurate delivery or pick-up details. With Synergy Marketing, we deliver all of our products through the mail. Make clear to your customers exactly how and when they will be able to receive their items. This is information we generally leave for our sales reps to provide. So, like us, you may want to highlight your contact information so that your customers know how to get the information they need.

3. Be honest. This is key. Please don’t make the mistake of advertising something that you can’t provide. “Always be accurate and honest in your ad,” insists Beal, “The more details you provide, the less time you’ll save in responding to e-mails. Be sure to upload at least one or two clear photos of the item you are selling. Kijiji allows you to include four images (up to 4MB) with each ad.” We always post the maximum ten photos of our promo gifts with each Kijiji ad.

4. Offer a guarantee. If you stand behind your products the way we do, you won’t have any problems offering your customers an assurance. Beal insists that this will encourage more interest in your ads. “Like most online marketplaces, Kijiji buyers also like to feel confident about a seller before making a purchase,” she writes, “By adding a simple guarantee you will encourage more inquiries and more sales.”

5. Use a dedicated email address for your Kijiji business. It’s important to keep things consistent. You’ll be able to tell a lot about the strength of your Kijiji posts if you have one specific email address that is used to handle all of your inquiries. “Set up a dedicated e-mail address just for Kijiji to help you to better monitor incoming emails so you can get replies out to interested buyers before they move on to another listing,” advises Beal.

6. Monitor Kijiji sales. As with every other source of advertising that you employ, it’s important to monitor how successful your efforts are. Notice the patterns of which ads work and which ones don’t. Paying attention to such patterns will help you to increase your success on Kijiji. “Over time you will see a pattern emerge that will help you determine what days are best for having your item on page one in any given category,” says Beal.

And to end this blog the way we end our Kijiji ads, call Synergy Marketing to order your promotional products by dialing 1-877-748-9884 today!

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21 Jan

6 Tips For Using Kijiji Correctly

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 21.01.15 by John Meloche

Notebook and hand with phoneAt Synergy Marketing, we specialize in helping Canadian business owners produce quality leads, grow their client bases and increase customer satisfaction. For many years, our promotional products have helped our clients build their relationships with their customers in ways that traditional modes of advertising have not. Our expertise in business marketing has also helped us to develop a strong handle on some other ways that businesses can be promoted.

Over the past week, we have focused in on the ways that Facebook, Twitter and Craigslist can be utilized to plug your brand. All of these entities provide free avenues to connecting with potential new buyers all over the country. And Synergy Marketing practice what it preaches! We use each medium to spread the word about our company. But Kijiji certainly shouldn’t be left out of the mix. Like Craigslist, it can be used to post free ads regularly. Here are six tips on how to use it correctly.

1. Register an account. On Ecommerce-Guide.com, Vangie Beal explains that the first step to using Kijiji is registering an account. It’s pretty easy – really no different than opening an email account. Once done, Kijiji provides you with a dashboard that will allow you to see all of the ads you’ve posted. “If you plan to frequently list on Kijiji, make registering on the site your first step,” says Beal.

2. Provide necessary contact information. Keep in mind that, like Craigslist, many users are not business owners. Many people sell items from their homes. For such individuals, it may not be wise to include private information in their posts. As a business owner, however, you’ll want to include the pertinent details that allow your potential customers to contact your company. In each Synergy Marketing post, we include our website, email address and phone number.

3. Do your research. Who else in your industry is posting on Kijiji? You may want to locate posts that are related to your industry to get an idea of how others are advertising similar products to what you have to offer. As Beal points out, this will give you a better handle on how to position your ads, including the keywords that you use in your title. One example of a title we’ve used is “Get Inexpensive Promo Products To Boost Your Business”.

4. Use a template. Beal writes that you should “manage multiple Kijiji ads by creating a basic template, in Word or even Notepad, that you can copy-and-paste into each ad you post.” Although we agree that you should list your contact information in a consisten way with each post, it’s important to change up your ads. You don’t want to post the exact same thing on a daily basis. Consider several variations of your posts to keep things fresh.

5. Send ads to top category page. Kijiji is great at providing updates. The site will commonly email you to notify you if your ad has fallen off of the first page of its category. As Beal points out, the site offers you the opportunity to “bump” your ad back up the list. This will, however, cost you a small fee. Depending on how successful your ad is, you may want to consider this option. It can be a small, but worthwhile investment in advertising your business.

6. Delete and repost Kijiji Ads. There is, however, a way that you can bring your ad back to the top of the list without paying a penny. “You can bump the ad yourself by deleting it and reposting it as a new ad,” reveals Beal. “If you have saved the ads in a template, you can put your item back on the main category page in seconds. If you ad didn’t solicit any responses, try changing your title and summary when you repost to encourage buyers.”

Be sure to check back for tomorrow’s blog as we continue to examine ways that you can use Kijiji to advertise your business. And don’t forget to call us to order your promotional products to “bump” your company up in popularity. Dial 1-877-748-9884 today!

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20 Jan

5 Ways To Best Use Craigslist To Your Advantage

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 20.01.15 by John Meloche

online shopping conceptMarketing your business online has pretty much become a necessity in 2015. Without doing so, it makes your business appear non-existent. After all, it seems as if nearly everyone uses a smart phone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer to either buy merchandise or seek information about brands that they’re interested in. So how are you utilizing the internet to market your business? Over the past week, our blogs have been focusing on this concept.

Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are all the rage. Who isn’t aware of that? And last week, we dedicated our blogs to finding ways to use each of these platforms to your advantage. However, in yesterday’s blog, we began exploring another online entity that has helped many a business owner to advertise his or her business. Craigslist, while not a social networking platform, is incredibly popular in the world of buying and selling online.

One of the key benefits to using Craigslist is that it is free to use. But, as Shanon Lewis of Entrepreneur.com points out, it’s not just for business owners alone. “Keep in mind that as a business owner, you’re just as likely to compete with everyday people selling the contents of their attic as you are a national brand retailer with sights on breaking into your market,” she writes. So how can you best use Craigslist to your advantage? Here are five more tips.

1. Use a catchy title. Try to grab your reader’s attention by creating a title that worth looking further into. Remember that you are competing with thousands of other postings. You don’t want to come off as run-of-the-mill. According to MannixMarketing.com, “the title of your post is undoubtedly the most important component of your ad. Be clear and descriptive when including price and key details of your product or service, and avoid using too many characters.”

2. Keep it simple. Keep in mind that many online users don’t have very long attention spans. Keeping your ads concise and to-the-point will make them most effective. Use everyday language and don’t try to get too fancy with the extras. “Craigslist sees heavy HTML code as a sign of spam or fraudulent post,” Mannix Marketing warns us, “Keep your ad mostly text based, with simple code only and working in creative bolding.”

3. Include a link. In each and every one of the ads that we post on Craigslist, we make sure to include a link to our website. Our website, of course, includes more photos of our promo gifts as well as product descriptions to better inform our clients of what we have to offer. MannixMarketing.com recommends that you include a link, not just to your website, but to a specific item that you may be posting about.

4. Post often. Remember that people are posting on Craigslist every day. If you go several days without posting, your last post will end up getting lost in the shuffle. MannixMarketing.com recommends that you post regularly. In our case, we post an ad for each business day of the week. And each day, we post in a different city. “Be warned,” says Mannix Marketing, “Craigslist’s policy states that the same ad may not be re-posted within a 48-hour window.”

5. Use varied ads. This is an important tip that bears repeating. In yesterday’s blog, we commented upon the fact that Craigslist does not like to see the same ad being continually posted. “To avoid being marked as spam and flagged for removal it is helpful to use varied ads,” MannixMarketing.com tells us, “Do not use duplicate content, switch up the title, etc. It’s helpful to have multiple variations of your ad ready in advance, which will make posting throughout the week a very simple and efficient process.”

And, as we mentioned yesterday, each of our ads include our contact information. And so do the majority of our blogs. Give us a call at 1-877-748-9884 to learn more about our awesome promotional products!

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19 Jan

4 Tips For Making Effective Craigslist Ads

Posted in Synergy Suggestions on 19.01.15 by John Meloche

female hand with computer mouseIn a world where everyone seems to be flocking to the internet in order to get their news, entertainment and do their shopping, it certainly pays to advertise your business online. Last week, the Synergy Marketing Blog was dedicated to this concept as we looked extensively into some creative ways to use the social media giants Facebook and Twitter to adequately spread the word about your brand.

This week, we take a look at the whole online marketing phenomenon in a bit of a different way. Not considered a social media platform, Craigslist has become one of today’s most popular ways to buy and sell items over the internet. And naturally, it has become an excellent, free source of advertising for business owners all over the world. Synergy Marketing, by the way, is no exception. We post a new Craigslist ad about our promo gifts on a daily basis.

Servicing business owners all over Canada means that it’s important for us to be communicating with entrepreneurs throughout our great country. Craigslist offers us the opportunity to post ads in cities where we are not located physically, but can still provide our products to. Do you post ads on Craigslist? On Entrepreneur.com, Shanon Lewis informs us that “founded in 1996 by Craig Newmark, Craigslist.org gets an estimated 10 million unique visitors per day.”

So does it pay to advertise using this medium? Lewis sure thinks so. “With an online classified ads format organized by either region or city, Craigslist connects buyers and sellers in more than 300 communities; for the most part, posting on the site is free,” she writes. She goes on to list a number of techniques that people can use to adequately market their businesses on Craigslist. Here are four of her best tips.

1. Identify your market. Who are you selling to? Who is most likely to make use of what you have to offer? Answering questions such as these is the first step to using Craigslist the right way. “To start, you need to determine which city or cities you’re going to post an ad,” Lewis advises, “If you’re a service provider, you can identify available cities on Craigslist that encompass your service region.”

2. Create unique ads. Lewis goes on to inform that there are particular rules to follow when posting on Craigslist. We learned this early since we advertise our business all across Canada. Craigslist does not support posting the exact same ad over and over again. So it’s important to continually create new and original postings in order to be able to reach customers in various regions throughout the country. “Never post the exact same ad within 48 hours,” she warns.

3. Add photos to your ads. Craigslist allows users the opportunity to include photos of whatever it is they are advertising. In Synergy Marketing’s ads, we include a number of pictures of our promotional products to enhance each posting. This helps for the ads to get better noticed. “Ads with images only increase ad effectiveness,” Lewis informs us, “And adding images to your ad isn’t difficult. If you’re not web savvy, use the ‘upload image’ function available during the posting process.”

4. Track your results. You’ll only know how effective your Craigslist marketing campaign is if you pay attention to their results. “If you plan to post in multiple cities and offer specific promotions, tracking which ads produce the best results is important,” writes Lewis, “You can track a Craigslist ad by e-mail, phone number or website referral…How you choose to track should depend on your industry and the typical methods customer use to communicate with you.”

Each of our ads include our contact information, of course. And our blogs generally do the same. So give us a call at 1-877-748-9884 to learn more about the fantastic promo gifts we have available for you!

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