The prospect of being handed a smaller marketing budget but having to achieve more with that spend must be incredibly daunting this year and this is a message we are hearing up and down the country as we speak to current and potential clients. It is proving difficult for everyone involved and we are all being put to the test in various ways on a daily basis, be that on price, on ideas that are different or making sure service levels are maintained to the highest standards.

However, on the promotional products side of marketing there is always an option and it must be remembered that these are some of the best marketing tools to use to promote your company or brand and that something can be purchased to suit pretty much any budget no matter how small.

Businesses often have a standard set of promotional merchandise that they rely on and the weigh up facing most marketing buyers this year is having to look at obtaining products that achieve the same results but reducing the spend.  This can be done in a number of ways.

1. Use the same product, but reduce the quantity. This is a solution many companies are using, allowing them to maintain existing merchandise and maybe target a smaller client base.

2. Using the same product, but reducing the quantity and purchasing a cheaper alternative as a back up. This follows the theme of point 1, but for the same spend, a cheaper alternative product could be used in conjunction with existing giveaways, allowing new client list to be targeted. For example a Prodir pen may be relied upon, but a Super Hit Icy ballpen could be used as an alternative.

3. Move away to an alternative product. This is something we are seeing a great deal of. Marketing departments message is that they are satisfied that promotional gifts do work, but are not loyal to one particular product. Therefore with cost down requests from superiors, time is being taken to find a good alternative that provides the right savings. A company that traditionally buys the Marrow earthenware mug, is more like to consider swapping the order for a Bell earthenware mug in tough times for example.

Steel City Marketing have been established as a promotional gifts distributor for over 28 years and have an experienced sales team who are ready to take on any challenge in terms of reducing your unit costs, coming up with new ideas or discussing ways to promote your brand effectively.  Call now on 0114 275 4150.

Lighter mornings and evenings, slightly warmer weather and hopefully the winter months are behind us now. It is a great time to start looking ahead with anticipation to the summer months. For promotional items, this can take the form of the company golf day, where giveaways and merchandise are required, or prizes that are usually chosen or finally the company’s sales reps require a stock of golf balls for their client visits. There are usually some fantastic offers to try and kick start the season and Wilson have done just that with an early bird deal.

Promotional golf items are collectively in very competitive area, with famous brand names across the board all competing for the corporate logo side where a printed design will sit alongside their own and add prestige. To look at the early season discounts is a really good idea, securing good prices on your chosen brand for balls, accessories, bags and clothing.

Wilson Golf have put together a very striking product range and are targeting the promotional gifts market with all items. With the commercial sponsorship deal they have with one of the best golfers in the world, Padraig Harrington, the company now has significant weight and presence with which to take most markets by storm. One of the flagship products for this year is the Wilson DX2 Soft golf ball, which aims to take on Titleist with a product that performs equally as well but at a lower price point.

Moving onto bags and accessories, the Wilson golf glove is a popular item that can be produced a low as 50 units min with branding to the back of the Velcro flap. The bag range available are great looking products with a shoe bag, holdall and suit carrier, all possessing good branding areas sitting well next to the Wilson logo. Finally there is a top quality velour golf towel, which again embroiders for a great corporate look.

The current offer on accessories is for free origination on your branding and the pricing on the DX2 soft golf ball is incredibly low on top of free originations on these.

Should you be planning a golf event or any client giveaways, please contact a member of the Steel City Marketing sales team on 0114 2754150 who will be more than happy to quote you the best prices available.

There is an almost equal split of preferences when a promotional gifts buyer looks to make contact with either an existing or new distributor. There are those that will not need the satisfaction of dealing with a local company and will be happy to consider price, initial rapport and word of mouth above all else. Then there are the purchasers who prefer to be in contact with a company that is more local, providing the knowledge that the account handler is on hand to discuss new briefs face to face if required, or be available to sort any issues that might arise, after all no one can ever say they have a problem free business year.

It is therefore every promotional gifts company’ aim to wear both hats and to provide both types of solutions to merchandise buyers. So therefore if you are a company based in looking for promotional gifts Sheffield or anywhere in the UK, you should be able to find what you need in one company. At Steel City Marketing, a business that has been uniquely in this industry for over 28 years and with a dedicated and experienced sales team, you can be sure that your requirements and orders are in safe hands.

There has to be a real focus on the customers needs. Should a local company not require the face to face contact, and be interested in making quick but informed decisions, obtaining competitive pricing at speed and trusting the company to see the order through to delivery swiftly, then this is not a problem at all.  Being local to a client does then add the bonus of being available should anything out of the ordinary require discussing.

For a company that isn’t local to their chosen distributor it is again vital to adapt to their needs. It is not necessary to have that face-to-face contact and a good promotional gift distributor will make every stage as easy as possible for the client. To have a product directory that can be mailed, that is different from the rest and easy to use is the first point. Knowledgeable sales staff working in front of a great team is the second. Online access to a great range of business gift ideas is also a must. All this must be seamless and provide the client with that local feel on a national level.

Whether you are based in Sheffield or anywhere else in the UK, Steel City Marketing are confident we can meet your needs when you next look to purchase your promotional merchandise. Put us to the test on 0114 2754150.