Top Pet Gifts of 2010

What’s the cat’s meow for pet gifts this holiday season? How about a balm for puppy paws or a tag that converts barks to Tweets? Furry and feathered friends alike will enjoy the Advertising Specialty Institute’s Top 10 list of unique pet gifts.

The recession-proof pet-gift industry grew from $28.5 billion in 2001 to an estimated $47.7 billion this year, according to the American Pet Products Association. And a recent American Express poll reveals 31% of consumers plan to buy their animal a gift.

The top 10 coolest pet gifts of 2010 are:

1. Canine Twitterer: Dogs can tweet, too. This tag from Hammacher Schlemmer lets a canine share its thoughts with followers on Twitter via a motion sensor and microphone in the tag that interprets activity and sends one of 500 pre-loaded Tweets.
2. Pet Bandana: “Doo” rags. Pet bandanas with Velcro fastener from Marathon Mfg./Prestige Line come in 17 color choices to match any fur coat.
3. Leash: On a tight leash. Keep that dog safe and secure with this durable 5-foot leash from Rhode Island Textile Co.
4. Bird Feeder: A little bird told me. Keep feathered backyard visitors happy with this tall, clear bird feeder with multiple perches from S & K Manufacturing.
5. Pad Balm: Give me your paw. Moisturize and protect puppy’s paws with this thick, natural pad balm from Solar Advertising.
6. Pet Umbrella: It’s raining cats and dogs. There is also an inverted bumbershoot umbrella that forms a waterproof cocoon around a small dog.
7. Gravy Mix: Ride the gravy train. Humans shouldn’t be the only ones eating fabulous food this holiday season. Furry friends will appreciate this beef or white gravy mix from Ingredients Corp. of America.
8. Scoop N’ Clip: What’s the scoop? This paw-shaped food scooper from the WOV-IN Group has a 1-cup capacity and doubles as a food-bag sealer.
9. Waste Bags: Look out behind you! This dog-shaped container from Handy Products Line feeds 20 poly waste bags out its backside.
10. Canine Shower Stall: Rubber ducky. The groomer comes to the home with this canine shower stall that features 16 water-jet nozzles and a showerhead to wash and rinse a pet in an enclosed space.

“A still-booming pet industry delivers creative gifts that delight pet and owner alike,” said Timothy M. Andrews, president and chief executive officer of ASI. “Whether your dog Tweets or your backyard birds fly the coop, there’s something for everyone on this year’s top 10 list.”

Promotional products, or advertising specialties, are often imprinted with slogans or logos to market a company, organization, product, service, achievement or event. Companies often purchase them as gifts to employees or clients at holidays and for occasions year-round. The items are used in marketing campaigns to dramatically increase response rates.

Marketing Your Business With Promotional Products

Several solutions are made by business owners in promoting products and services in order for them to generate some leads. Most of the advertising mediums are expensive thus making small business owners inhibit to spend for their advertising budget. Commonly, they ended up nothing to advertise with, except for the word of mouths if satisfied customers attest their customer experience on the products or services they have used. Radio and TV ads are expensive and these are dominated by mostly giant businesses.

One of the oldest tools in advertising business which existed hundred years ago is through the use of promotional products. These are cost effective and mostly used by marketing people to promote products and services to meet its goal. One great thing about promotional items, it can last long because it can be passed from person to person lasting to generations. I have a pen, not an expensive one given to me by a retail shop. Until now, I still have their company information and it adds up to my collection. I have been keeping this pen for more than years now.

What I am trying to point out is that, promotional items have a purpose just in case when a person is looking for some products and services in particular.

In the trade show events, promotional items capture qualified leads for trade exhibitors. In that way, these leads may turn into customers along with the giveaways that were given to these clients. They may not buy right away, but it keeps the information at first hand and they have something to look unto once they are looking for some particular items.

Marketing people usually suggest promotional items when jotting down ideas during meetings as part of company promotions. That means they see the importance of promotional products in the company that they work with.

I have been in the ad specialty industry and works as promotional consultant and it gave me an idea how important promotional products are, and no wonder why giant companies use corporate giveaways. Its not only to boost their company sales, but rather it builds a brand to the company, and what they are trying to project when it comes to the image of the company. With the logo or imprints that they have on these items, one can say that it would definitely build a good image to the company. Of course the use of promotional products may not only limit to big companies, but to the small player in the market as well. These giveaways are also used for any occasions like parties, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and any other events. In a party, one may need a napkin that has an imprint on it as message on the said event. I would say that promotional items are very useful and of course its not expensive. You can choose from more than 600,000 products to be customized with logo or imprints.

Articles Source: http://business.ezinemark.com/marketing-your-business-with-promotional-products-31cbb1ba778.html

Author: Julius Arevalo

Facebook Ads: The Keys to a Successful Campaign

When it comes to developing Facebook ads, your marketing strategy needs to be more focused and savvy than ever before to catch the attention of users who are definitely not surfing the web to look for the best deals on the sidebar. Read on to learn more.

Overcoming Three Big Sales Myths

I love sales training. I also love listening to sales trainers speak. They radiate enthusiasm and motivation that ignites passion for excellence. The methods they teach are often of the highest quality, however, they are usually no longer in the business of sales. Their marketing methods tend to be old, and old marketing styles are as useful as an airplane with no wings.

That doesn't mean the airplane wouldn't work if it had wings. We can give wings to old methods by integrating new twists and spins on classic marketing. Successful businesses, however, learn to recognize several common myths that some sales training continues to teach.

Some sales training teaches that you just have to "get more people in front of your offer" or "make twice as many calls and you'll double the results" or even "just pump up the numbers."

All of these sayings are catch-phrases for "work harder", and nobody likes to do that. These three phrases are circulated everywhere and it really makes me sad to see so many people working so hard and then even harder but still getting weak results. This is how people burn out and give up on sales and marketing.

There is a better way. Instead of increasing the number of people who see your offer, how about pre-qualifying the people who see your offer? I choose only to work with highly-qualified prospects. Time is too valuable to spend with somebody who has little or no interest in your widget or service. Make people qualify themselves to be worthy of your attention.

You need to become an expert, and ultimately a mentor. If you aren't able to bring real value and additional benefits to your prospects honestly, then you may be better off running a casino where people expect to be cheated. To be successful in sales, you are the most important asset. You need to become the gold mine of benefits to your prospects so they will buy more often and at higher prices.

Prospects aren't going to give you a big wad of cash for a little list of benefits. Price needs to be just and fair, but your prospect needs to understand the full benefits before price is even mentioned. You should compare your benefits to others who charge more for less. At that point your prospect cannot complain about price because your offer is clearly superior to the competition and they will not only buy from you but refer their associates who also want that same stack of benefits.

Sales and marketing is simply a battle of perceptions in the mind of your prospects. Become the best in your field, and the best prospects will come to you without your cold calls, direct mail, newspaper ads, or pay-per-click ads. They will seek you out, and all you have to do is be available and be honest. Your karma will shoot through the roof (on the positive side) and you will have everything you wanted because you helped others get what they wanted.

Source: http://www.articlecircle.com/ - Free Articles Directory

About the Author

Tyler Ellison teaches how to make money online marketing legally using automated systems and guerilla techniques to promote businesses at http://www.youcanworkthenet.com