ORDERING CUSTOM CANVAS TOTES: HOW LUNCHTIME CAN MAXIMIZE YOUR PROMOTIONAL ITEMS BUDGET

Lunch….

….it’s that breather in the day. The divide of whatever happened in the morning and what is about to become in the afternoon. Lunch can be social. It can be crammed. It can be outside the office or at a desk. It can be long. More times than not, it’s short. But regardless of where lunch is or how long it is, it’s a given for your employees every day. And this one section of the day represents enormous opportunity for purchasing the right promotional gift for your employees.  

Most companies have a promotional items budget, but companies often struggle with how to spend that money in a meaningful way. One way to get a quality return on your budget is to spend on something that provides utility. And one example of utility is the lunch break.  So here’s a suggestion that combines utility with in-demand promotional items that your employees will actually value.

The Custom Canvas Tote Suggestion…

Custom Canvas Tote Bags are hot right now. Combine that little nugget with the fact that most of your employees will pack their own lunch several times a week.  Then add the fact that smaller-sized custom canvas totes are priced in your favor. Further, you can personalize these trendy totes with your logo and custom trim and now you have a cost-effective, branded promotional item that your employees will actually use and dare we say…like!

2014’s Most Popular Trims

This year we’ve seen a lot of demand for ordering customer canvas totes with trim done in navy blue, pink, or some striped color combination. A modest size company logo in the center of the tote is also a good way to show off your brand and company pride without making your gift a billboard advertisement.

Size Matters for Your Buying Power

When it comes to sizing, canvas totes are available in a range of sizes and this is where you can leverage your buying power.  Buy small-sized bags across the whole company. Larger volume purchases give you buying power. So combine volume of order with a more modest size and you’ll get the most out of every dollar budgeted for your employee gift purchase.

So when it comes to spending that promotional items budget: focus on utility, style and order across your company to get the best ROI.

TIPS ON HOW TO ENGAGE YOUR EMPLOYEES

People are every organization’s most valuable assets, and hiring, training and retaining good people are key components to success. Yes, we need to get the right staff on board, and yes we need to train them properly and yes, yes, we need to insure that we keep these good people around. We all know that hiring and training costs a lot of money. Therefore retaining and engaging staff members become integral to success.  How do you and/or your company communicate to your staff member’s their value to you/your company? It comes down to engagement and showing appreciation, and this does not need to be complicated or expensive. 

So here are…

Tips on How to Engage Your Employees

Teambuilding – Teambuilding can come in many forms. It could be hiring an expert to lead an event, a challenge course activity, a team sailing event, a potluck, having drinks after work, and much much more. As mentioned before it depends on your budget and doesn’t have to be over the top or expensive. Staff members appreciate the effort, and if you do have some of those member’s who feel like they are too busy to participate, politely push them to do it. Most typically, they buy in eventually.

Skills and/or Leadership Training – Team members appreciate learning new skills and building on old ones that can help them do their job better.  In addition, by training your staff, it helps your business create a better product and provide better service.  

Branded Corporate Gifts – Employees love branded gifts. The most popular gifts are tote bags, coolers, sweatshirts, jerseys, hats, mugs and fleeces.  We always suggest giving your people gifts that they will use. If you do go this route, make sure you go with a quality company that uses good quality brands like Under Armour clothing and Igloo coolers.

Build Your Own Skills as a Boss – The basis to really engaging your staff and retaining good talent comes from the development of your own leadership and management skills. The bottom line, people want to be treated like humans. Therefore, communicating clearly, showing empathy, providing support, giving feedback and being respectful will help.

In the end, leading, managing and motivating employees is a hard job, so as mentioned, get the right people on board, train them and figure out ways to engage and reward your talented staff members. There are no easy tricks or techniques to make it all better, but if you can do a little of what we have mentioned above, it will make your job as a leader and manager a little easier.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WITH QUALITY GIFTS

Increasing employee engagement is the age-old dilemma every HR department, office manager and small business owner is tasked with solving. According to Forbes, “Recognition has a physiological impact on performance.” An increase in engagement can yield decreased employee turnover, a massive boost in productivity and an increase in morale. Fortunately, achieving this end-goal can be less costly than you think. 

Investing in employee gifts is a budget-friendly solution for increasing engagement. Being presented with occasional corporate gifts offers the reassurance an employee craves. When employees feel content, valued and secure within their role in the company, wonderful things begin to happen to their performance. If you're hoping to achieve these results, below are a few tips for successfully selecting employee gifts. 

Personalized Gifts for Small Teams

The benefit of having a relatively small team is the ability to easily choose gifts based on personality types and personal interests. Gifts that are tailored to the individual employee will create a lasting impression. Consider a golf umbrella or arm band device holder for the sports aficionado. A folding chair or binoculars would be ideal for the outdoorsman. Or perhaps, a BBQ grill set, or portable cooler for the weekend warriors. The extent of employee gift personalization when working with a small team is truly limitless. Customized gifts are a great way to get the most bang for your buck on a small budget, all the while making an impact on the employee.

Versatile Gifts for Large Teams

The benefits of presenting employees with quality gifts that appeal to their specific lifestyles are clear. However, challenges arise when using this gifting strategy with a larger team. When the number of employees increases, not only is it time-intensive, but often far more costly to choose quality gifts that appeal to each of your employees. For this reason, the best approach is to choose more versatile gifts. 

Examples of versatile gifts are custom-made tote bags that employees may use in both their personal and work lives; insulated gifts such as traveling mugs and lunch bags are one of the most-used gifts, as it is likely that a fairly considerable percentage of your employees have a need for keeping their coffee warm and their lunch protected. Custom-made workwear is an additional budget-friendly gift option that is sure to be well-received as it lessens the out-of-pocket cost of the employees' work wardrobe . The key to truly appeal to all employees is choosing gifts that provide both style and function – good looks and even better usability.

Tips for Making an Impact on a Budget

Below are two food-for-thought guidelines to follow when choosing gifts for your employees. 

• Make it about them. Many businesses present their employees with gifts that are of little interest to the employee. If your goal is to boost employee engagement, provide them with a gift that speaks to their needs and desires, not just as an employee of your company, but as a person.
• Place an emphasis on quality. Nothing says “we appreciate you” like a tote bag with a zipper that breaks on the first use. Avoid negating the benefits of employee gifts by choosing gifts that are quality-made.

Often times, employees will relate the quality of the gift to their perceived value as an employee – this does not necessarily speak of the monetary value of the gift – but rather the quality. A well-made item that can withstand the test of time, as well as provides some utility to the employee, creates an overall more positive experience. 

FENWAY TARP TOTE BAGS

The Fenway Tarp Tote Bag goes on sale this Saturday at 9AM. The limited edition bag, made from the rain-delay tarp used at Fenway by the2013 World Champion Red Sox, is a custom twist on the L.L. Bean classic Boat and Tote Bag. The ultimate up-cycle for all Red Sox fans, this custom tote commemorates a winning season - and let's the fans have a little piece of Fenway to call their own. Not only is it a great-looking and utilitarian tote, the 2013 Tarp Bag is a brilliant marketing piece that connects people with both the Red Sox and L.L. Bean brands.

How do you make a custom tote that people will love?

• Be smart with logo placement.  When creating an item that will feature a logo of any sort, you want to make sure it is tasteful and not overly done. Unless your logo is on-par with the likes of Louis Vuitton (or the Red Sox), don't make it the focal point. If you want people to carry it, and not feel like they're being hit over the head with a marketing ploy, find a way to incorporate your logo in a way that doesn't overwhelm the overall look of the bag.
• It's all in the details! Take a cue from the Tarp Tote's Straps (decorated with the winning years) and dress up some of the otherwise unlooked details of your tote. Add some flair to your design with a custom liner or an all-over print.
• Make it exclusive. Create something with limited quantities and re-invent it each year. Make it something people look forward to seeing - and unveil it with a big announcement when you do! 

While we don't have access to Fenway's used rain delay tarps, we do have a number of ways tocustomize bags to make them unique and special. With a variety of styles and decoration techniques, our Custom Bag team can help create a custom bag that will be uniquely you, something that not only looks great, but is useful - and that people will want to carry.