Promotional Items For Your Soap Biz
I read a great post on another blog about the importance of promotional items and it inspired to write down some of the ideas I had running around in my head for them. Promotional items can be very expensive and while I would never condone using ill-inspired or poorly made products to represent your business, we are all professional crafters. We can make it work.
I am making handmade paper with flower seeds to replace the paper I currently use for cigar bands. What in the world does this have to do with promotional items you ask? Well – I hope my customers will plant the cigar band and watch it grow. Perhaps they will think of my soap when they do.
Other handmade or inexpensive promotional ideas:
1. Refrigerator Magnets - You can order business card magnets inexpensively enough, but why not be more creative than that? You can make magnets out of just about anything. Even little bars of soap…hmmm…
2. Pinhole Cameras – I know a number of children AND adults that would love these:
http://www.corbis.readymech.com/en Just print and assemble! Don’t forget to give your customers a copy of the instructions on how to use the cameras too.
3. Tote Bags – You can purchase plain, solid colored bags here and put your logo or design on them by using iron on transfers or taking them to the print shop. Using a sewing machine with an embroidery feature to embroider your design would be very nice indeed. One can never have enough tote bags.
4. Seed Packet Promo – Main Street Seed & Supply are one of many seed suppliers that will print custom seed packets. For .40 cents or less, you can purchase seeds that make up the ingredients in your soap.
There you have it – five ideas right off the top of my head. I hope it inspires you to come up with your own promotional ideas or create some of those I have listed here.
Happy Soaping!
Sade Says:
I feel like I’m commenting a lot here lately blush.
With sending seeds, you have to be careful with customs, some countries won’t allow the entrance of foreign species, at all! So be cautious where to you send those seeds.
I like the tote bag idea, I use them to carry around stuff, and sometimes to stuff in my purse if I have to run a couple of errands and don’t want to get bags at the shops. You can also hand stamp them: get a good rubber stamp, and fabric paint. Apply a thin layer of paint on your stamp, stamp on the tote, let dry, iron to set. Voila! And no two totes will be the same. I have to try this with my stamps one day.
I would have never thought of the pinhole camera. I might have to try that at home.
I think I would send pagemarkers for books. I never have enough, because they get worn and icky with so much use! But that is me
Posted on April 29th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Marr Williams Says:
I love your input – so NEVER blush about it! Thanks for more great ideas Sade! and for the warning about shipping seeds overseas.
Posted on April 29th, 2008 at 11:27 am
Rachel Says:
Great post and it IS so important to get your name out there in any way you can. Promo items are a great inexpensive way to do that. You want to be sure to match your promo to your best sale of venue. Say, if you only do online sales, something that they could leave or use at the computer. Or if you only do markets, maybe the magnet or re-usabel or durable bags with your info on it.
There are TONS of ideas. If you ever need promos let me know, my sister has done them for years and is EXTREMELY good at what she does.
There is NO end to what you can get!
Posted on April 29th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Marr Williams Says:
Thanks Racoo! I subscribed to your RSS feed. Love the reviews!!!!!
Posted on April 30th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Sarah Says:
What GREAT ideas! I really need help with my marketing and I just love these. It is so funny b/c I make a “gardener’s gift pot” with my handmade gardener soap and shea butter stick and I include a packet of seeds and a pair of gloves and everything is packed into a flower pot. Anyway, the custom seeds would be PERFECT for these gift pots! And I really love the totes! Who knew you could find some totes so affordable?! Anyway, Rachel if you have more ideas I would love to hear!
Sarah
Posted on May 15th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Marr Williams Says:
Thanks for posting Sarah! Let us know if you implement these ideas and how they work for you.
Posted on May 16th, 2008 at 4:37 am
Smelly Chick’s Online Soapmaking Resource » Seed Packet Business Card Tutorial Says:
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