Calendars Used For Promotional Advertising Have Long Been Collected

One of the first gifts I remember giving my mother as a youth was a promotional wall calendar that had a dowel rod at the top and a fabric banner that hung underneath.   The calendar was screened on the fabric and had some decorative look to it.   I was six or seven years old…with no job…no bank account, but I was able to talk the local hardware store owner out of the calendar so I could give my mother for Christmas.

Of course, my mother overlooked the fact the calendar had some store advertising on it and I did not actually pay for the calendar.   Far be it for her to have ruined my holiday surprise.   But the truth is, this calendar became a staple fixture in our home that hung there for nearly two decades being replaced annually with a new one.

My mother, bless her heart, saved each and every calendar I gave her.   Now, I’m not sure if she saved it for the sentimental value so much as the fact once the year was done she would wash the calendar and use it for a dish towel.   Point is, my mother was a calendar collector long before I even knew such a thing existed.

Today, check out any selling site on the Internet and you will see old calendars have great value to collectors.   In fact, sites such as eBay, TheFind, and similar sites often have large categories of collectible old advertising calendars for sale.

Indeed, over the years calendars have been included on just about everything.   China plates, coffee mugs, T-shirts, you name it.   If you could advertise on it and in the process place a calendar…it then became a unique collectible item of value to someone somewhere.

It’s really not surprising how calendars are woven into the fabric of our daily lives that they would appear just about anywhere printed on anything.

Old vintage advertising calendars are in such demand for period decor that collectors actually consider some of the old relics to be fine art and the lithography is treated as such.   Hard to believe a calendar that many businesses gave away during the 1950’s & 1960’s can today have a value ranging from $50-300 or more.

So, what makes a calendar collectible?   Many reasons.   It could be the year a person was born.   It could be promoting a store with a long history.   It could be promoting a widely popular brand.   The reason an advertising calendar remains popular can be varied and hard to pinpoint.

To learn more about calendar collecting, check out this link.

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Do You Cringe When You See Friday-The-13th On Your Calendar?

I’ve got a friend who admitted to me just a few days ago the first thing he looks for when flipping to a new month on his calendar is if the 13th falls on a Friday for that particular month?   “Really?!!   Are you that superstitious I asked?”

Truth is this individual has many idiosyncrasies in his life and dealing with certain superstitions is only part of it.   But he’s certainly not alone.   Fact is many folks you may rub elbows with on a daily basis have a case of paraskevidekatriaphobia or sometimes called friggatriskaidekaphobia.   Either way the condition puts a name to an irrational fear of Fridays falling on the 13th day of the month.

Yet, for some brides-to-be the fear of the number 13 doesn’t just end with a connection to Friday.   Nope.   This source has reported that sales have slumped at Mens Warehouse stores this calendar year because many weddings have been delayed so they could occur during a year that does not have the number “13” connected to it.

Hop into any elevator and you will hardly ever see a button for the 13th floor.   I’m told in certain car racing leagues they refuse to give out the number 13 to any competitor just to be on the safe side.   Same holds true for many sports teams who are reluctant to associate any player with the well known digits 1-3.

So, do you think all of this goes a bit too far?   Does having a Friday the 13th on the calendar cause you concern?   Would you postpone a wedding for an entire year just to avoid some silly number just by chance it brings bad luck?

If so, you’ll be happy to know that during 2014 only the month of June contains a Friday the 13th.   That’s half as many as you had to endure during 2013.   No doubt about it, next year shows much more promise for all of us to avoid that sort of bad luck!

Here’s hoping each of you make it thru the day today.   Happy Friday The 13!!!

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Coupon Calendars Make Good Sense For Your Business

We all pretty much understand the process of how couponing works.   If you’re a store owner…let’s say a grocery store, pizza restaurant or really any kind of a retail trade store, coupons as an inducement to shop has long been effective.

Now, think of the calendar as being the perfect vehicle to deliver those coupons to your customers and prospects.   Here’s a tool that folks will keep for a year…turn the page in time with the changing of the months…and voilà!   A year’s worth of coupons can be easily at hand.

But enough about the mechanics of how a coupon calendar can work.   Our customer service folks are skilled to develop your custom coupon calendar to appear in any shape or form you need it.

Today, however, we’re going to look at tracking how you should use a coupon calendar.   After all, how do you know if this type of advertising works if you don’t set up a system to measure results?

Now, there’s several ways you can do this.   The most obvious way is to simply collect the coupons and count how many offers were actually taken advantage of by the coupon transaction.   But, I contend there is a much better way to track real results.

We suggest that folks who use our coupon calendars ask their cashiers to do one little step when collecting a coupon transaction.   On the backside of the coupon where it’s blank, we encourage store owners to train their employees to write the dollar amount of the total sale on the coupon–not just the dollar amount for the coupon product purchased–but the total dollars the customer spent in the store.

In essence, a much better way to track coupon calendar effectiveness is to measure how much money was spent by the customer using the coupon.   We all know the coupon was being used as a tool to entice the customer into the store or restaurant that day.   Why not find out just how much money they actually spent once they got there?

Chances are the total dollars generated by that transaction is quite significant.   These are dollars business owners have to attribute to coupon sales.    It’s the most accurate way to measure if your coupon calendar program is working to increase your cash flow in a significant manner.

I think you’ll be surprised to learn how not only do coupon calendars, when used effectively, makes good business sense reminding your customers where to do their shopping, but they also can add important dollars to the store’s bottom line.

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Remembering 9-11-01 In Our Hearts And Never Forgetting

On this day of national mourning, recalling the many souls who courageously lost their lives back in 2001, I offer this tribute in their fond remembrance.   God Bless all the families and friends they left behind.

Yes, that is me playing the bugle in this video.

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Why The Promotional Wall Calendar Will Never Go Out Of Style

It’s a refrain I hear more and more often these days…the Smartphone has replaced the printed calendar.   And while I would be a fool to deny that is indeed happening to some extent, the truth is technology, no matter what form it presents itself in, will never completely replace a printed wall calendar.   Here’s why:

• Everyone has wall space.   Let’s face it, if you have a wall calendar hanging now in your office or at home and you take it down…what are you most likely to replace it with?   Hmmm….   Perhaps another calendar?   That’s what usually happens.
  

  Convenient, but not always as practical as a printed calendar.

• Calendars make a statement.   A nice calendar displaying a specific theme (such as wildlife, food, etc.) helps portray the calendar user’s personal tastes.   In many cases the theme of the calendar may reinforce a specific image the user has about their life passion.
• Calendar are easily so retro.   Let’s face it, we all know fads come and go.   What may be in style today will be out of vogue soon thereafter.   Yet, calendars have this everlasting quality as a potential advertising mechanism that has stood the test of time for hundreds of years.   Why would things change now?
• Calendars offer ease of use.   Talk about any date in the future–let’s say September 23rd, for instance.   In less than two seconds I could swing around in my chair and tell you that is on a Monday and my schedule is fairly wide open at this point.   On a smart phone, I would first have to determine where I laid it.   Next, I would have to activate it to life.   Then go into the calendar program.   A process which usually takes me 8-10 seconds (or longer) to complete.
• Calendars don’t take batteries or ever need recharging.
• Calendars share information effectively with others.   Nothing beats a master family calendar hanging on the kitchen wall to organize a busy family life.   Or the office calendar displaying why you are absent the cubicle because you’re attending a conference.  Fact is Smartphones can be synced up with other phones to accomplish the same tasks…but that may not always be possible or desirable.
• Calendars never need a backup to prevent accidental data loss.

While it may seem logical to conclude the printed wall calendar is on its way to a similar fate as the dinosaur, the truth is such thinking is greatly flawed.

The printed promotional advertising calendar will always have a place in our society.   Sure, sales numbers may fluctuate slightly to reflect the normal ebb and flow of calendar users…but I’m willing to bet next month’s paycheck we will never observe a time in our lifetimes when printed calendars lose any great significance to the average person’s lifestyle.

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What Information Goes On The Perfect Promotional Calendar Ad?

So, you’ve decided to purchase promotional advertising calendars to market your business.   Now comes the next big decision.   What information should that advertising panel include?

There are actually many schools of thought when it comes to ad design layout.   Here’s how they break down:

• Keep it simple.   Remember, less information gives more billboard advertising effect.   When your calendar is viewed from 10 feet away do you think a prospect will be able to see six lines of copy and a busy layout?   Or, will a company name and catchy web address make a better quick impression?
• Give them all the contact information they need.   This thinking is a company wants the phone numbers, web address, everything about how to contact the company within eyesight of the prospect or customer so when they are ready to order the process is convenient.
• Reinforce the brand image.   For some customers the single most important element of the ad layout is their logo.   Their logo speaks volumes and they want it prominent and correctly colored for customer awareness.
• Make a statement with creative design.   Other customers use fascinating type fonts and eye-pleasing graphics to captivate the viewer and leave a bold impression.
• Tell the calendar user about all the products/services they need to know.   This customer feels it’s important to describe all the services and/or product lines they offer for sale.   In this calendar ad layout it serves to educate and to remind the customer they are dealing with a multifaceted business chock full of capabilities.
• Dazzle them with color.   While most of our standard calendars come with a black imprinted message, in most cases multiple or even full color can be an option.   The thinking here is color captures attention and for an ad to work it needs to be seen

These are just a few examples of the thinking that goes into how to create the best ad for your next imprinted promotional calendar purchase.   Like many facets of advertising, to use calendars as a functional marketing tool it begins with knowing what message needs to be said and to whom.

Click HERE for a page of examples and additional suggestions we offer when you print out a calendar order form (found in menu bar at top of page).   Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to be limited by just the standard ad panel on many of our standard wall calendar styles.   In fact, we can customize the entire inside and outside back cover to inform your customers and prospects about all the information they need to know.

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Choosing The Best Promotional Advertising Calendar For Effectiveness

Choosing the most effective calendar for a promotional advertising campaign shouldn’t be that difficult, or should it?   Well, apparently some of our past customers have had their issues…let me explain.

I talked one day to a scratch golfer whose single passion in life happened to be golf.   Unfortunately, his career was in banking so he often melded the two activities whenever he could.   So, when it came time to order calendars to give away to the banking customers the choice was rather obvious.   That’s right…he ordered up several boxes of golf-themed calendars.

He was so excited.   Inside the calendar featured an image of one of Augusta National’s famous holes known as “Amen Corner.”   The customers will be so excited.   Trouble is…the calendars didn’t strike a chord with the largely blue collar clients who entered the bank’s lobby.   Of course, it was the calendar’s fault so they were never ordered again.

Same holds true for the auto body shop owner who ordered all hotrod calendars.   There were gorgeous images inside featuring Pontiac GTO’s, lowboy Deuce coupés, various roadsters…the sort of cars that make many grease monkeys drool.   Contrary to the banker’s experience, these calendars flew off the shelf and were in high demand.

That is, until the year he decided to change things up and order wildlife calendars.   His customers revolted.   They had grown accustomed to receiving and using car-themed calendars.   Pictures of deer and quail just didn’t cut it, at least for most customers.

The point is the best promotional calendar for a particular customer is NOT what the buyer of the calendar likes, it is what the likes are of the customers and prospects who are intended to use the calendars.

Careful calendar purchasing begins with understanding the calendar user.   You might be a dentist with a passion for airplanes, but handing those calendars out to your patients would be a total waste of time and money.

Keep in mind that calendar users have to connect with the calendar in some manner or they won’t be likely to use it.   Remember, for most wall calendars a customer must view a picture for 30 or more days.   If the subject isn’t something they like to look at…well, it likely will not get used.

Smart calendar advertisers purchase with an eye toward their customers.   The goal is to get the calendar hung on the wall so it creates that year-long “billboard” advertising affect.   Sometimes it means purchasing calendars that a buyer doesn’t personally find appealing, yet customers will use.

As a tip, we offer this advice.   Our number one selling calendar is CN-1706 Beautiful America for a good reason.   It has broad appeal to the widest range of calendar users.   After all, who doesn’t like to look at pretty scenic pictures all year?   So, when in doubt stick with a proven winner like a scenic calendar.   However, if you are certain your customer or prospect base is better entertained by a theme specific calendar…go with that.

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15 Ways Your Business Should Use Promotional Calendars

Occasionally first-time buyers of calendars get disillusioned with the performance of calendars as a marketing tool.   The box arrives by UPS and on top of the sales counter it goes with the flaps cut off.   Usually the words “take one” or “FREE” are additionally sketched onto the box with a marker.   That’s the extent of their calendar marketing effort for the year.

What a shame!   Printed calendars should be viewed as a tool that requires some planning and effort.   Sure, calendars will disappear off the shelf in this manner, but they can be used so much more effectively.   Here’s how:

#1. Have the calendars out-of-sight.   A calendar personally handed from your store staff to the customer as a “thank you” gift is much more personal and will garner lasting meaning to the recipient.

#2. Focus on distribution to three types of potential calendar recipients:  customers, prospects and business associates.

#3. Offer gift cards as an incentive.  Tell all calendar recipients that if it is their calendar on display in the home or office that ultimately refers new business they will be rewarded with a $25 gift card.

#4. Consider printing a special web address.   Tell customers if they use the calendar they will be rewarded with special offers.   Consider printing a special web address on the calendar with deals only calendar users can receive.   Then offer a new promotion monthly on the company website for those with this access.

#5. Write a special number on the backside of calendar.   Then tell your customers to save all their receipts for the year and to write this number on the backside of each receipt.   Have the customer turn in those receipts at year’s end for a special prize drawing.   This provides the business a tremendous way to track calendar distribution with sales activity.

#6. Add coupons to the calendars.   Did you know with many of our calendar styles we can develop a special insert sheet(s) with coupons?   This not only adds value to the calendar but gives you yet another way to track sales success.  Ask our sales professional about your coupon calendar possibilities.

#7. Use a custom calendar as your product catalog.   Imagine a new product each month being featured on a one-of-a-kind promotional calendar you’ve created.   Such strategy gives you year-round product promotion on a schedule you dictate by when products are showcased.

#8. Add stickers or sticky-notes before distributing calendar.  Insert inside the calendar stickers for special days of the month where you are offering discounts or other VIP sales activity for the calendar recipient.

#9. Promote a calendar exchange program.   Remind customers to bring in and prove how they used last year’s calendar (showing marked up days, etc.) to get a new calendar plus some incentive (i.e. free gift, store coupon, gift card, etc.).

#10. Suggest extra calendars are available for friends.   Often times calendar recipients don’t want to appear greedy, but they will gladly take additional calendars to help distribute to family and friends when they are offered that way.

#11. Get personal with calendars.   Did you know that with many of our calendars we can take a list of names and created a calendar printed especially with the recipient’s name on it?   Believe me, people are proud and happy to hang a calendar displaying your act of personalized thoughtfulness.

#12. Hang calendars where they get seen.   Of course, you will want to get permission first…but many high-traffic areas could benefit by displaying one of your calendars (coffee shop, churches, hospital waiting rooms, any place people gather with wall space).

#13. Inside all out-going correspondence from office.  Billfold/purse calendars and our peel-n-stic calendars offer convenient, postal-friendly ways to distribute calendars to current customers and business associates.

#14. Perfect trade show giveaway.   Yeah, but you say your trade show occurs in June each year?   No problem, many of our calendars offer split season or multi-year date pads which means your calendar can begin any month you want it to start.

#15. Left-over calendars?  NO WAY!!!  We encourage all of our customer who slightly over purchase on calendars to consider donating them to a local senior home or nursing facility.   These folks rarely get a calendar and consider it a highly cherished gift.   Besides, when family and friends come to visit they will be reminded of your caring spirit thinking of their loved one.

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