Your website should stay consistent with your company colors, you logo, and your mission and vision of your business. When potential clients go to your website, they should never even doubt if they are on the right website. Your site should be neat, organized, full of information, and have visible contact information.

Many small business owners believe that a website is unimportant since they are not doing e-commerce. Consumers are hungry for information and they want it when they want it. If that happens to be at 11:00 at night, they don’t want to wait to get that information until business hours the next day. That’s why having a website is crucial. Let me ask this question, “Have you noticed the size comparison of your current local Yellow Pages printed directory from just 1 or 2 years ago?” I know my local directory is nearly half the size than last year’s edition. That’s because people aren’t using the Yellow Page books any more. They just go to Google and type in the product or service they are looking for and their city. This is why it is imperative for all businesses to have a great website.

Perfect Imprints understands the importance of a professional and functional website that is search engine friendly to help you rank high on search engines. Give us a call at 1-800-773-9472 and get your website started today. If you just want a redesign, we can do that as well, but don’t wait. If you do, you are missing many new clients who are searching online every day.

While visiting some of these microbrew establishments, I have noticed some have custom printed beer mugs, while others simply have plain beer mugs or pilsner glasses. Bars and microbreweries have a great opportunity for branding simply by using beer mugs printed with their logo. While those bars using non-branded mugs likely saved a little bit of money up front buying blank mugs, they are missing out on a golden opportunity to further the brand of their bar.

There are many options of beer mugs to choose from, including plastic beer mugs, acrylic beer mugs, and the I Ching of all beer mugs, glass. Glass mugs are a beer drinker’s choice because they can be frozen and help to chill the beer longer. Acrylic and plastic mugs can also be frozen; however, they don’t stay cold quite as long as glass mugs. In addition, there is nothing like holding a frosted beer mug that has a little weight to it. It actually makes the beer taste better to drink from a glass mug.

I have seen many bars and pubs offer the nicer variety of glass beer mugs as souvenirs that can be purchased by their patrons. This is a great opportunity to not only brand your establishment, but also make a little extra profit.

Glass beer mugs can be screen printed, pad printed, etched, or laser engraved. Screen printing and pad printing offers color prints, but aren’t quite as permanent as etching or laser engraving. Etching is a process that actually burns the imprint into the glass using an acid which leaves a frosted look. Laser engraving is the best option for premium mugs and this process is a permanent option that will not fade, wash off, or wear off. Laser engraving is typically a bit more expensive than the other options, but the personalization will outlast the mug itself.

Beer mugs are great promotional items to use in your everyday business if you run a bar, pub, or brewery. It is important to use every opportunity you can to build your brand, and branded mugs are an easy way to do this. So, bottoms up, and see you soon at a local bar serving up your favorite micro brews.

As part of the regular and casual attire you will see amongst Floridians year round is flip flops. Flip flops are the footwear of choice here. We wear them in the Winter. We wear them in the Summer. We wear them to the beach. We wear them to restaurants. We even wear them to work. Flip flop sales are a pivotal piece for the clothing and shoe stores around our area. Flip flops are so popular, that you even see many people wearing t-shirts displaying sayings about their love for flip flops.

Because of their popularity, promotional flip flops are excellent give aways for business in beach towns. You can choose custom flip flops with choices of many different styles, colors, sizes, and price points. They are great items to give away as wedding gifts for attendees or for the wedding party. They are also great for companies to give away for corporate picnics or get togethers.

Other uses of personalized flip flops would be to sell them at gift shops, hotels, beach accessory stores, salons, and boutiques. They are great fundraisers for churches, school booster clubs, and non-profit organizations.

Custom flip flops can be personalized with your logo or imprint on the straps and the sole. You can also get a cut-out of your logo on the sole so it leaves behind an impression in the sand. This option is sometimes called a “talking footprint.”

Flip flops are perfect give aways for any business. You don’t have to be a beach based business to give them out. So go ahead and get your custom order of flip flops today and help support our casual Florida lifestyle!

Read the following story and see if you can relate. This is a true story about myself. A lady walks into our office and relays to our office manager that she needs some business cards printed. So she is referred to one of our promotional products specialists. While I am in my office, I can hear parts of the conversation happening and the client’s voice sounds familiar. So I peek my head out and see a friend from church that I have known for about four years. When I see her, I greet her and she says, “I didn’t know you worked here.” I reply with, “Not only do I work here, but I own Perfect Imprints.”

So the moral is the story is that I very obviously did a lousy job promoting myself and my business. Now you must have some etiquette and not be annoying. You don’t want to turn social situations into business situations. You don’t want to conduct business while at church service. But, as you are wrapping up your conversation with friends, acquaintances, or new people you meet, just casually hand them your business card and say, “Here’s my business card with my contact info on it in case you ever need to get in contact with me.” I guarantee everyone will look at it and associate your business with you. Whether you own a business or work for a business, you should always promote that business and ensure your job security every opportunity you get.

So don’t be shy. Tell others about your business and begin developing deeper relationships with clients. In small business, more people than not, prefer to do business with someone they know and trust. Capitalize on that trust and your business will see growth.

Now you don’t want to smear dog poop on your clients, but you do want a message that will stick. Bumper stickers stick, but the majority of people won’t put them on their car. After all, they paid $30,000 or more that vehicle and they don’t want to trash it up. However, custom magnets are a completely different story since they are removable. They stick to cars and to refrigerators and do a great job marketing your business. There are so many applications and uses for magnets in business. Below are a few ideas for magnets.

1. 

   Perfect Imprints Vehicle Magnet

   Put over-sized car magnets on your vehicles and your employees’ cars to market your business.

2. Have smaller magnets to fit on the back of your customers’ cars and ask them to put them on their car. If they are happy with your service, most will do this. Give these out to all customers.
3. Have contests in which winners are spotted around town with your magnet on their car. Only those with the magnets on their car can win. Radio stations have done a variation of this for years using bumper stickers. You will have a better response with magnets since they are not permanent.
4. Create over-sized car magnets and recruit affiliates to keep the magnet on their vehicles. Put a specific phone number that can be tracked on the magnet and offer a commission on all sales from those calls. The more magnets you have riding around town, the better exposure for your business.
5. For restaurants and pizza shops that deliver, give out a refrigerator magnet with each order with your phone number highlighting the fact that you deliver. People are busy, tired, and sometimes just lazy and delivery is a huge appeal on those frantic nights. Seeing the reminder on the refrigerator is all it takes sometimes to generate a call.
6. For service based businesses such as plumbers, electricians, exterminators, and yard maintenance companies, pass out refrigerator magnets along with a flyer to various neighborhoods and track the response. Don’t put them in their mailboxes, because that is illegal, but leave them at their front door.
7. Include a refrigerator magnet in a direct mail piece. “Junk mail” is always better when there is prize inside.
8. Create schedule magnets of your local school sports teams and put your logo and contact info at the bottom and donate them to the school. They can then sell them to raise money or give them away. Always contact the specific booster club prior to printing these to make sure they don’t already have them printed.
9. Use refrigerator magnets as Save The Date reminders for weddings, parties, events, and other important dates.
10. Use magnets as appointment cards. These are great for dentist and doctor appointments. The magnets can be designed to write in the appointment date and time.
11. Heating/Air maintenance companies can leave behind magnets stuck to the AC unit after maintenance or tune ups. Whenever there is a problem with a heating or air unit, the first thing everyone does after messing with the thermostat is open the AC closet. Then the magnet will be staring them in the face prompting a call.

There are a few things to keep in mind though when buying magnets. If your magnets will be used outdoors, make sure you get outdoor magnets. They have a UV coating that helps them to last longer outside. The other thing to consider is the magnet thickness. They are most typically measured with thicknesses of 20 mil, 25 mil, 30 mil, and 35 mil. The 20 mil magnets are good enough to stick on the refrigerator, but not powerful enough to hold paper. So let’s be realistic, because most people will use a magnet on the refrigerator to hold up a piece of paper. If it’s not strong enough, it will eventually be replaced with a magnet that can handle the job. I recommend a 25 mil at the minimum, but 30 mil is my preference. It’s still priced right and it’s strong enough to hold paper. There are many more uses for magnets than those listed above, so get creative and see how your logo will stick around for your clients. Call Perfect Imprints at 1-800-773-9472 to talk about magnet options for your business.

For the remainder of 2012, we are offering 8 great and inexpensive pens that you can have printed with your logo. Now is the time to act! Not only are these pens inexpensive, but we are also offering FREE setup and FREE 24 Hour Rush. Try to beat that deal! Check out these 8 best selling pens let us know what you want printed on your pens.

Give Perfect Imprints a call at 1-800-773-9472 now to get your order started!

St. Croix Pen $0.49 each FREE Setup

St. Croix Pen $0.49 each FREE Setup

St. Croix Pen $0.49 each FREE Setup

Marco Pen $0.46 each FREE Setup

Clayton Pen $0.89 each FREE Setup

Cache Pen $0.38 each FREE Setup

Calliope Pen $0.32 each FREE Setup

Carnival Pen $0.43 each FREE Setup

Offer valid through 12/31/12.

Think about how nasty your keyboard gets. I’m not even talking about germs from your hands. I’m talking about dust. It is constantly collecting dust and it’s very hard to clean the dust out. Sure, you can use a can of compressed air and blow the dust off; however, that just irritates your allergies and pushes the dust down inside the keyboard. A USB powered mini vacuum would be a great little giveaway to top clients of a computer repair company. This item would be very useful and, therefore, be kept for years.

Those businesses who detail cars have clients who spend a lot of money every month or sometimes even every week having their cars detailed. A little DC powered car vacuum could be a great thank you gift for those clients to help with those accidents in between cleanings. These items have a very high perceived value and they will be used for years and years, which will continually promote your business. These useful gifts also help promote a positive memory about your company.

So sometimes a product that sucks can be a good thing. Perfect Imprints is your one supply for products that don’t suck and promotional vacuums, which by chance do suck!

Well, that’s okay as long as you’re not offering drugs. One other thing a drug dealer does is to let others sample their “product.” They are banking on their product being so good that the person will be back with money the next time. Transfer this practice over to legitimate business practice and you have coupons or free samples. Let’s take an ice cream shop, for instance. Most ice cream shops have little taster spoons which they will scoop a sample of a flavor for you to try before you buy. Once you taste it, you are hooked and you fork over the cash. Restaurants are prime businesses for this practice. Offer coupons for a free appetizer and watch how people come with their whole family or a group of friends. There’s a pretty high probability that these patrons will be buying other items such as drinks, entrees, desserts, or other appetizers. Therefore, your “free” coupon actually yielded a paying customer or most often customers. Another common occurrence would be free wine tasting by wine shops or wineries. You try; you like; you buy. What a simple concept. Spend a little on free giveaways and make a bundle on new purchases.

Give your business a long hard thought about what you can offer for free that will not only attract new clients, but will also spur further or future purchases. Something about your business has that ability to hook people. For Perfect Imprints, it is our graphic design. We have an unrivaled graphics department that can design anything from t-shirts to business cards to billboards. We offer 30 minutes of free graphic design with any purchase of promotional products for all online orders. This is often needed to convert logos over to a print ready format.

So go ahead and be like a dealer and watch your business grow. You won’t have to be continually looking over your shoulder for undercover po pos, but do look for increased sales. You can have almost an immediate response for this as long as you get the word out about your free samples.

Monthly Observances

• Amateur Radio Month
• National Humor Month
• Car Care Month
• Couple Appreciation Month
• Fresh Florida Tomatoes Month
• International Guitar Month
• Keep America Beautiful Month
• Holy Humor Month
• National Kite Month
• Straw Hat Month
• Lawn and Garden Month
• National Poetry Month
• National Pecan Month
• National Welding Month
• Records and Information Management Month
• Stress Awareness Month
• Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Southern Belles Month

Weekly Observances

• Week 1 Library Week
• Week 1 Read a Road Map Week.
• Week 1 Laugh At Work Week
• Week 1 Alcohol Free Weekend (3-5)
• Week 2 Garden Week
• Week 2 National Personal Training Month (12-18)
• Week 3 Egg Salad Week (13-19)
• Week 3 Organize Your Files Week
• Week 3 Medical Labs Week
• Week 4 Administrative Assistants Week
• Week 4 National Karaoke Week
• January 1 – New Year’s Day

• April 1 – April Fool’s Day
• April 1 – International Fun at Work Day
• April 1 – International Tatting Day
• April 1 – National Sourdough Bread Day
• April 2 – Children’s Book Day
• April 2 – National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
• April 2 – Reconciliation Day
• April 3 – National Chocolate Mousse Day
• April 4 – Hug a Newsman Day
• April 4 – School Librarian Day
• April 4 – National Cordon Bleu Day
• April 6 – National Walk to Work Day
• April 7 – Caramel Popcorn Day
• April 7 – No Housework Day
• April 7 – World Health Day
• April 8 – Easter
• April 9 – Winston Churchill Day
• April 10 – Golfer’s Day
• April 10 – National Sibling Day
• April 11 – Eight Track Tape Day
• April 11 – Barbershop Quartet Day
• April 11 – National Submarine Day
• April 13 – Scrabble Day
• April 14 – Ex-Spouse Day
• April 14 – International Moment of Laughter Day
• April 14 – National Pecan Day
• April 15 – Titanic Remembrance Day
• April 16 – National Eggs Benedict Day
• April 16 – National Librarian Day
• April 16 – National Stress Awareness Day
• April 16 – Patriot’s Day
• April 17 – National Cheeseball Day
• April 17 – Pet Owners Independence Day
• April 18 – International Juggler’s Day
• April 18 – Newspaper Columnist Day
• April 19 – National Garlic Day
• April 19 – National High Five Day
• April 20 – Look Alike Day
• April 20 – Volunteer Recognition Day
• April 21 – Kindergarten Day
• April 22 – Girl Scout Leader Day
• April 22 – National Jelly Bean Day
• April 23 – Lover’s Day
• April 23 – National Zucchini Bread Day
• April 23 – Take A Chance Day
• April 23 – World Laboratory Day
• April 24 – Pig in a Blanket Day
• April 25 – East Meets West Day
• April 25 – Secretary’s Day
• April 25 – World Penguin Day
• April 26 – Hug an Australian Day
• April 26 – National Pretzel Day
• April 26 – Take Your Daughter to Work
• April 27 – Babe Ruth Day
• April 27 – National Prime Rib Day
• April 27 – Tell A Story Day
• April 28 – Great Poetry Reading Day
• April 28 – Kiss Your Mate Day
• April 29 – Greenery Day
• April 29 – National Shrimp Scampi Day
• April 30 – Hairstyle Appreciation Day
• April 30 – National Honesty Day