Welcome to the J. Michael Murphy & Associates e-newsletter and the official kickoff of our 20th Anniversary Celebration! We’re thrilled about reaching this milestone – and grateful to the companies who gave us the opportunity to handle their promotional marketing year after year.

In each e-newsletter we’ll share promotional ideas and strategies for making the most of your marketing dollars. Read on for more…

Let’s face it – recession or not, the economy is tough. Every promotional dollar you spend needs to be for a campaign that is highly targeted and effective. Did you know that there’s no better investment than an imprinted product when it comes to return on investment?

Consider this study reported by the Promotional Products Association International:

• Research showed that 71% of businesspeople surveyed had received a promotional product in the last 12 months and 34% of them actually had the imprinted item on their person at the time of being surveyed
• Three-quarters of the recipients could recall the advertiser’s name that gave them the imprinted product. In comparison, only 53% of the same group could recall the name of a single advertiser they’d seen in a magazine or newspaper.

Next, here are a few examples of products that provide a “recall punch” without heavy price tags.

Imprinted sticky notepads are handy little brand-messengers that make cost-per-impression (CPI) negligible. First, you’ve got the multiple times daily that the recipient views the notepad on his/her desk. We’ll conservatively estimate three “exposures.” If that person writes three notes and distributes them to three colleagues, you’ve doubled the number of exposures. Begin dividing the cost of a $1.50 notepad of 100 sheets with the number of impressions achieved and you’ll see that the CPI is a fraction of a cent.

Another favorite is calendars. They are the perfect “renewable” promotional product because everyone needs a new calendar every year. And with so many types – wall, desk, date books, magnetic, erasable, you name it – there is a cost-effective way to reach every target audience.

You can also use an electronic product such as a USB keytag with great results. These handy little computer accessories allow you to upload a marketing presentation and even drive participants directly to your website. Once there, you can have them register for a premium or loyalty program so that you can track response and participation.

We live for this sort of trivia because it tells us the best way to make your promotional dollars go further! Give us a call or send us an e-mail and we’ll start searching for the most economical and effective products for your budget and goals.

Finally, be sure and send us your feedback about the newsletter. We’d appreciate your input!