Sell This Product - Lanyards

Today’s clients want their every promotional purchase to get the extra goodwill mileage eco-friendly gives. Here’s a green twist on an industry staple – organic lanyards.

When it comes to the advertising products a company chooses to promote its business, buyers are looking to make more responsible choices. Promotional products that are recycled, organic or sustainable (used for multiple purposes, rather than being discarded after an event) express that the company cares about the environment and its customers. Lanyards from SnugZ/USA (asi/88060) are great examples.

Health care, entertainment, corporate, government agencies and schools are only some of the many industries that use lanyards. “Whether for employee credentials, a giveaway, or at a trade show or meeting, most businesses at one time or another will have use for a lanyard,” says Megan Ludlow, marketing/sales executive for SnugZ. “They are useful for keeping keys or other items close at hand, but the most popular use is for identification.”

Ludlow notes that lanyards can also be used in more creative ways:

• An eye-drop manufacturer gave out the dual-use Lanyard/Eyewear Retainer (TSC2) to promote a new pink-eye remedy. These were given to pharmacies and doctors’ offices for employees to wear as lanyards or around their glasses. This is a great item, as it can be used two ways instead of just one. 
• A tanning salon wanted a creative way to give out a coupon for a free tan at a local concert. They imprinted the lanyard with, “For a FREE TAN, bring this in to VIP Tanning in Oxford.” They attached a sample of tanning lotion to the lanyard with the salon’s information. They saw a 15% return within the first 10 days.

The lanyards are also easy to customize and come in different materials and with different attachments. The company offers cell phone holders, eyewear retainers, neck wallets and other accessories under the lanyard category. “But we like to sell service above all else,” says Ludlow. “We are known in the industry for our service and quality.”
 
She suggests salespeople order samples to show clients. “Get it in the customers’ hands and let them touch and feel the product,” she says. “Offer eco-friendly options. Almost every style now has an eco-friendly version at a reasonable price.”

The company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and manufactures its cotton in North Carolina and knits its products in Utah.

CASE STUDY

Zenith has a line of woven fruit- and veggie-colored jump ropes to combine the concepts of physical fitness and healthy eating. Colors like banana, berries and broccoli weave together, so that food service companies and restaurants have extra reason to consider the jump rope as a promotion. The American Dietetic Association hosts National Nutrition Month in March and the Centers for Disease Control hosts Fruit & Veggies, More Matter Month in September – both are perfect times for such a promotion.

LaFichi says that one smart vegetable vendor used back to school as the reason to send the produce-themed jump ropes to school food managers in the districts it services. The imprinted message on the jump rope reminded recipients of the importance of 5-a-Day for students. The jump ropes were given in bulk so that the schools could then pass them along to children for use on the playground.

TARGET MARKETS

1. Ice cream parlors
2. Restaurants
3. Hospitals
4. Schools
5. Fundraisers
6. Physician offices
7. Banks
8. Zoos
9. Amusement parks
10. Party planners

From the 2009 Advantages September Supplement.