Today’s tip of the day comes from the Marketing Tactics section:

If you’re considering adding hard-goods advertising specialties to you shop, there are three areas you should look at, according to Jimmy Lamb, manager of communications and education for Sawgrass Technologies:

1. What equipment is required for the products I want to decorate? “Hopefully, you can do multiple products with whatever equipment, say a pad printer for pens and markets, that you’re going to invest in,” Lamb says. “Also, sublimation is an easy, inexpensive way to do desktop digital printing for a wide range of products such as mouse pads, coffee mugs, plaques, signage, flip-flops, soft laptop sleeves and drink koozies.”
2. What promotional items can I make real money from? “Part of that is quantifying what promotional products have reasonable margins for you,” Lamb says. “Go to an ASI Show (www.asishow.com) to learn more about the promotional products world. Immerse yourself, find out what products suppliers are offering to ASI members, what they’re charging ASI members for the products and what they retail for.”
3. What will be my ROI? Lamb says decorators can expect to spend between $500 to $2,500 on equipment that allows them to imprint promotional products, so they need to estimate how long it’ll take the machine to pay for itself once they begin to sell and decorate promotional items. You can also survey your current customers to ascertain the demand for advertising specialties. – Shane Dale

Counselor magazine

But instead of soliciting an email or comment proclaiming why you think you belong on this year’s list, we took it a step further - we want you to send us a video response! Do something creative and fun, or something basic and simple … whatever you do, just do it on camera!

To enter, simply watch this YouTube video for more information, then click on the comments field (on the YouTube page) and add your own video response. It’s that easy.

So what are you waiting for, hot stuff? Get filming! (Check out previous Counselor Hot List winners.)

Keep track of the entire Top-15 promotional T-shirt countdown here, and as an added incentive, we’ve posted a T-shirt contest where you can win a $50 Visa Gift Card:

Come take part in our T-shirt countdown! Participating is easy. Just send us a picture (or post it on Facebook) of you with a classic decorated T-shirt. It can be one from our list or something else from back in the day. You’ll be entered into a random drawing for a $50 Visa Gift Card. Finally, that Wham! 1985 World Tour shirt won’t go to waste.

The entire schedule is as follows:

• No. 15: Monday, April 9, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 14: Tuesday, April 10, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 13: Wednesday, April 11, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 12: Thursday, April 12, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 11: Friday, April 13, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 10: Monday, April 16, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 9: Tuesday, April 17, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 8: Wednesday, April 18, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 7: Thursday, April 19, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 6: Friday, April 20, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 5: Monday, April 23, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 4: Tuesday, April 24, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 3: Wednesday, April 25, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 2: Thursday, April 26, 12:00 noon EST
• No. 1: Friday, April 27, 12:00 noon EST

In addition to tips, steps to success and a great case study, this edition also features a very informative Q&A with Douglas Karr, author of Corporate Blogging for Dummies, about blogging. Here it is:

Q: What is the most common mistake you see corporate bloggers make?

A: They underestimate the effort that it takes. They may hire someone to help them design it and blog for a week or two, but if they don’t get any leads, they quit. You have to approach it as something that grows over time, so at the end of the year, you have maybe 250 topics that are valuable to readers, capturing a hundred different keyword combinations. Then you start seeing really great return on investment. Content marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.

Q: Is it really worth it for a business owner to hire an SEO expert or outside consultant to help with blogging?

A: A few years ago it might have been worth it to hire an SEO consultant who would tell you what keywords to go after, but honestly, the algorithms that Google has developed recently work so well that really it is not necessary. If the content is compelling, it’s going to rise in the search.

Q: If SEO is not as much of a focus today, what should bloggers be concerned with?

A: Social integration with Google is huge right now – 30% of all searches are customized based on your network. You want to position yourself as a thought leader within your network so people you know are sharing your posts. Talk about your clients, so clients in your network will point to your article and say, “Hey, that’s us!” Then you’re all talking about each other, and a rising tide lifts all ships.

Read the entire Tech Tactics feature on blogging now. And as a supplement, here are three video tips for successful blogging. Enjoy!

Not sure how to get started with online video? Michael Miller, author of YouTube for Business, says business owners should have three pieces of equipment before creating an online video:

1. A high-definition camcorder – available from Sony for $600. Yes, a Flip camera or other handheld can be used, but for sustainable use of video on your website, an investment here is worth it.
2. An external microphone – available from Sony for $50-$100.
3. A supplemental lighting kit – available from Sunpak or Smith Victor for $100-$200.

In terms of content, Miller says there are three types of videos that get watched by casual Internet users. “It can be something purely entertaining; it can be something that is informative, like if you’ve got the latest industry news; or it can be educational, like if you’re showing customers about new products,” he says. “These videos really do get watched.”

Miller recommends placing any online video on YouTube. “YouTube makes it very easy,” he says. “You can upload it in mpeg or Windows Media format. If you have a high-definition camera, you can do it in a 720p resolution.”

To place a video on YouTube:

• Mouse over to the Upload button at the top right corner of www.youtube.com, and click Upload Video File.
• Enter information about the video, including the title, a brief description and tag words that will allow YouTube users to find the video by typing in keywords.
• Only stipulation: Videos must be one gigabyte or less.

“You can host videos on your own server and write in the HTML, but you might not have the bandwidth to handle the traffic,” Miller says. “You can have YouTube host the video that’s on your own website. YouTube supplies you with a little snippet of HTML code so you can embed it into your website. The video will look like it’s on your Web page, but it isn’t. The bandwidth isn’t coming to your site; it’s going to YouTube. So, you aren’t going to be overloaded.”

As a complementary online exclusive to an April article on how to be better partners with suppliers, Kim Newell (at right) of World Wide Lines is available to answer any supplier-related questions you may have. Just send an email to Staff Writer Jennifer Vishnevsky (jvishnevsky@asicentral.com) with your question and she’ll forward to Kim. Once Kim has had a chance to respond, all of her Q&A’s will appear here.

Good luck, and don’t miss out on this chance to ask a well-respected industry supplier a question!

This month’s Advantages magazine went in search of ways industry distributors can really set themselves apart from the competition and ensure their clients won’t be looking anywhere else. In the article titled “7 ways to be Indispensable,” Advantages lays down some important strategies for sales reps to follow. Want to keep your clients around a long time? Then follow these 7 strategies:

1. Give Them a New Idea
2. Share Interests
3. Be a Friend
4. Dig Deeper
5. Offer Additional Services
6. Offer Industry Insight
7. Be There in a Pinch

For the complete breakdown of all 7 strategies, click here.

What am I talking about? Texting and driving, of course.

For millions, it’s an addiction that can be as dangerous as any drug. And if you happen to have a smartphone and drive, well, then you’ve already got the the ingredients for this growing problem.

Which got me to thinking … how many people actually TWD? So I decided to set up an informal poll on ASI Central which would give our users the opportunity to vote anonymously. The results? Stunning. Surely our users would vote honestly — after all this isn’t Facebook and you wouldn’t be incriminating yourself by writing something like, “yeah, man, every day!” attached to your account — so I figured the results would be greatly in favor of this dangerous practice. But alas! With over 60% of the votes, our users voted “No” to texting and driving!

Here’s the complete breakdown, including chart, to the question Do you text while driving?: (TOTAL VOTES: 213)

• Yes (82 votes, 39%)
• No (131 votes, 61%)

What they all have in common, however, is that they just so happen to be one one of the most popular forms of promotional products, second only to the pen, according to the Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study.

T-shirts have mass appeal, and their popularity continues to grow. A recent article by Wearables magazine titled “The Ever-Growing World of T-Shirts” (by Marc Held, sales director at supplier Bodek and Rhodes) discusses just how flexible and adaptable the popular apparel has become, and provides some valuable advice on how to juice up your sales with them. Check this article out now, and in the meantime here are five ideas to sell them. Enjoy!

1. First, think ringspun cotton. Soft is in, and it will give the T-shirt a very soft feel. One of my favorites (which is usually ringspun) is the pigment-dyed tee. It’s made to look like it has been washed many times and has a faded look. I always ask people, “How many navy T-shirts do you have?” This is something different that will stand out, and it’s a great idea for events, parties, corporate wear and resorts.
2. It’s an election year. Why not suggest American-made T-shirts? In Presidential Election years, made in America sells four times more than in the average year. Think police and fire departments, education, political clients, unions and construction workers.
3. How about fashion? Yes, fashion is here, and lines such as Next Level, Bella and L.A. T offer great alternatives to the basic T-shirt styles. Put one of these styles on top of the order, and your customer will wear it or give it to someone who will. I suggest burnouts or tri-blends.
4. Don’t forget about organic. We will be talking about the environment forever. When the recession hit, organic did not go away; it just hibernated for a little bit.
5. Finally, the performance T-shirt. Polyester is a favorite among many of your customers. Polyester does not shrink or fade, and it often wicks moisture, so it keeps you dry. Plus, over the past few years, the basic poly tee has dropped in price, and most decorators can easily print on poly.

And with Earth Day rapidly approaching, it got me thinking about the industry and how some people, despite the perception that it can pricey, are really making an effort to sell “green” products. In fact, this month’s Wearables University (in Wearables magazine) has a great little fabric tutorial on the five benefits of selling eco-friendly apparel. Check this edition out now, and in the meantime here are the five benefits:

1. Absorbent and airy: Bamboo, hemp and organic cotton fabrics breathe, helping the body to cool naturally. These fabrics also absorb moisture and wick away perspiration from the body. Quite simply, they are nature’s performance fabrications.
2. Hypoallergenic: Because organic fabrics are made from crops without the use of chemicals, they’re better for babies, children or adults with sensitive skin. Some eco-friendly fabrics (such as bamboo and hemp) even deter bacterial growth.
3. Soft hand: Organic cottons and silky bamboo fabrications are extremely soft and pleasant to wear. Hemp gains a lovely hand after several washings, much like a well-loved linen.
4. Sun protection: Some eco-friendly fabrics, like those made of bamboo and hemp, are naturally UV-resistant.
5. Strength: Consider the durability and tensile strength of hemp, which has been used in rope and ship sails to withstand wear and the elements.