Branded Calendars as marketing tools

Is it worth getting branded calendars produced for your business?

It might be a bit early in the year (or too late for what should have been done last year) to consider these, but it’s also a good time to plan ahead for 2022. Most businesses have at some stage thought about having individualised calendars produced as gifts for their clients and prospects  – especially when they themselves start receiving them from suppliers.

Is it worth the cost?

Apart from the positive impact of being a year-end gift, a calendar is a fabulous and cost-effective year-round promotional tool. It’s a branded item which places your company name and its products and services in front of your customers and prospects, day in and day out, for 12 months.

Here are some reasons why you should be considering calendars for your company – especially from September on.

• Calendars are meaningful      marketing tools
  If      done properly calendars are essentially a marketing campaign which your      customers and prospects can enjoy on a personal basis.

• Calendars are cost-effective
  Don’t      be put off by the initial investment. Instead, convert it to a cost per      view. Consider how many people will look at your calendar and how many      times per year that might take place. For example, 1000 customers might      look at your calendar 200 times a year, which gives you 200,000      impressions. Divide your print cost by that and you’ll see a very      different picture.

• They’re worth more than      checking the date
  Just      about everyone uses calendars to remind them of events, and mark them      accordingly. Which in turn means your calendars will be displayed in a      prominent position, increasing your brand exposure on a regular basis.

Easy to distribute
For maximum effect you should first distribute your calendars to a targeted audience. Go to the trouble of getting them hand-delivered, which apart from making a good impression also provides an opportunity for direct interaction and possible additional sales opportunities. Slip them into your packaging if you’re selling physical products. After that you can place them in locations where potential customers will be exposed to them. If your budget permits, have 2 different sets of calendars produced: a full-sized wall version for your existing customers and a smaller one or a desktop version for prospects.

• Handing out a calendar      provides a channel to distribute other marketing material
  Catalogues,      business cards, brochures, and company profiles can all be given out with      calendars.

Some tips for producing and distributing your calendars

Make it attractive
Don’t limit the design to display only your products and services. See how you can feature images and information which are relevant to your business yet visually attractive. You want your calendar to be noticed in an office.

Get in early
Let the others run late and get their calendars out only in November or December. Start planning them in July already and issue them in September or October to ensure yours are the first calendars to adorn your clients’ walls.

Make them last
Because they have to last a year, don’t skimp on materials. For full-size calendars opt to have them finished with proper rims. Desktop and smaller calendars (A5 size) should be printed on sturdy board. This is especially important if you are distributing calendars which will be displayed on fridges with magnetic strips. The last thing you want is for the edges to curl and fray. And, by the way, make sure they come with the magnetic strips already affixed to them.

Highlight your own events
If you have any special events planned for the following year – product launches, expansion, business anniversary, new services or products, special offers – have them highlighted on your calendar.

In summary
Calendars provide an excellent return on investment. If produced and distributed correctly they can, apart from the overall branding impact, lead to sales that you would otherwise not have made. Even if direct sales is not your prime objective with your calendars, the overall impact they make is well worth the investment.

Planning on starting a new business, or Planning on starting a new business, or feel your company name and logo is not working? Starting my Business: My Name, Logo & Slogan provides all the information you need to consider when it comes to these three elements of your new enterprise. Find out more at Books 2 Read (Opens in a new window)
Or, if you prefer the PDF version (Opens in a new window)