A phrase that we have been hearing quite a bit is ‘transparency in government.’  As a public we expect to hear what is going on within our government agencies and offices, and much of the information we get is from the internet.  While the internet is a great resource to find information, there is so much out there that it can be difficult to find complete and current information.

Where can we go to find information regarding what is going on in our government?  With email available, as well as social media options, there are many opportunities to communicate clearly and accurately with the public.

E-newsletters are an ideal way to communicate with the public.  About 79% of adults in the U.S. are online, and 90 of these use email, so it is a quick and effective way to communicate to a large group of readers.  4imprint’s recent Government newsletter offers some valuable steps for setting up your agency’s e-newsletter.

Another option is a social media site.  Facebook, for example, has over 250 million active users worldwide.  This type of site offers a great way to share documentation and articles with the public, by allowing users to ‘join’ the group.

Are you currently using technology to communicate to the public?  If so, I’d love to hear what you’re using and you’re applying it.  If you’re not, there is no better time to get started.

Got a tweet from @hollyapeterson looking for ideas for a ‘tropical themed giveaway’ for a grand opening (150 people).  Decided to just throw that out to some of the team here with the instruction to  ’give me the first idea that comes to mind’ – even though we don’t (as yet) know the budget or what kind of grand opening this is.

So @hollyapeterson – here you go – lots of hyperlinks below to have fun with! And thanks for letting us have fun on a Friday afternoon! If you need more, just say the word…

Amber – “Luggage Tags”

Lindsey – “Little Drink Umbrellas”

Jennifer K – “Beach Towel” or “Full color lip balm with beach background art”

Missy M – “Tahitian Totes or tub cooler”

Erin – “Sand Toys, lip balm, deep sea aquarium…parrot towel, Cabana Cooler”

Susan – “Stress Item – palm tree, sun, tropical fish”

Jennifer S – “Lip Balm”

Richard – “Swanky Pen”

Kristi – “Beach towel, cooler, Koozie”

Kate – “Beverage Cooler”

Judy – “Cooler”

Missy E – “Sunscreen (I burn too easily)”

Melissa – “Beach Towel”

Kristen – “Hobo Tote”

Guenevere – “Palm tree shaped items: stress balls, key chains, chocolates”

Jen G – “Sunscreen Packets”

Melanie – “Plastic coconut cups”

Emily W – “Sunglasses, towels and sunscreen, oh my!”

Randi – “anything with a Caribbean full color image…”

Carolynn – “Cabana Cooler, Bean Bag Animals with Life Raft, beach chair, towel…”

Tricia – “Koozies, Life of the Party Tub Cooler, Sea Life Beanbag w/Inner Tube”

Joe – “Tahitian Tote”

Jessie – “Sea Life Beanbags”

Steve –“Palmtree and Sunblock”

Julie –“ Sunscreen”

Niki, April – “Flip flops”

Crystal – “Pineapple or Banana Pen or Photografix Tote”

Marge – “tropical cooler”

Lori- “Sunglasses”

Trish, Nancy, Carrie – “Palm Tree InkBend”

Melissa – “…Goofy Clipz Holder -snorkel guy, Paper Photo Frame Summer”

Shelley K – “Life of the Party Tub Cooler, Parrot Towel”

Kari – “Palm tree/cabana hut beach towels”

Shelley – “…beach safe caribineer, tropical shirt…”

Marsha – “Sun care kit”

Nila – “…Tropical Camp Shirt…”

Angie H – “Life of the Party Tub Cooler- Tropical”

If you’re looking for effective giveaways, the best advice is to offer something that’s going to get used – something that has real practical value.  If your target audience is involved in cooking at home (which in this economy is something that’s grown in popularity) these new palm peelers/graters are the perfect example of a promotional item that does exactly that.

One of the fastest growing trends in medicine is not a specific treatment, but an approach to care. The existence of medical spas is on the rise, and offer patients relaxation during procedures which can be nerve-racking. Dermatologic and cosmetic treatments are the most common types performed at medical spas, but there are many other specialties that are beginning to use the medical spa strategy. Patients dealing with dialysis, cancer, and even fertility issues can find comfort and care in a spa setting. There are even spas popping up in hospitals, in an effort to provide overall health and wellness to patients.

For some ideas on making your practice more spa-like, check out 4imprint’s latest Healthcare newsletter.

Parental involvement is a pretty strong influence in the quality of a child’s education. No matter what level of education a child is in, studies have shown that the more involved and aware the parents are, the more successful the child is.

There are many sources available online that provide ideas, such as Education World’s Parent Involvement in Schools article. Providing parents with an opportunity to share ideas for fundraising and school events, or a forum to meet other parents and discuss concerns can make them feel like they are actively participating in their child’s future and education.

4imprint has published a newsletter on this very topic, with some practical ideas on involving parents in school activities.

In a worldwide economy with rapidly changing conditions, when competition for business is not only fierce, it can be deadly for organizations that enter the battlefield unprepared, it’s more important than ever to make certain your employees are ready. Many companies have encouraged their employees to stretch themselves mentally and hone their skills with continuing education.

Download PDF

There was a great article published on hospitalreviewmagazine.com, describing ways that hospitals can increase profitability, especially in times of significant competition and poor economic conditions.

Some fairly straightforward ideas include reducing costs (vendor management, brainstorming cost savings ideas with physicians) and maximizing efficiency (space, rooms, OR’s). Other ideas include partnering with local physicians, recruiting new staff, and offering unique and profitable services.

The article offers up some practical ideas that make it worth reading.

Hospital Review Magazine – Best Practices for Increasing Hospital Profitability

I was in Indianapolis this weekend for the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation (AA&MDSIF) Patient & Family Conference. AA&MDSIF is a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting Bone Marrow Failure Diseases like Aplastic Anemia, MDS and PNH through patient support and research.

Given that this is a topic near and dear to my heart (full disclosure alert – I’m on the Board of Directors and our family has been personally touched by these diseases), I could go on and on about the event, the work the Foundation does, education on these little known diseases, etc.  However, given that I try to keep this blog broadly focused on marketing, promotional products and creative ideas I thought I’d share this photo:

The Foundation put together the first ever ‘Hope, Steps and a Cure’ walk as part of the event, to raise awareness and to show people how they can put a walk together in their hometown.  The team at the Foundation that put this whole event (and the walk specifically) together, did an oustanding job in every way and they paid attention to many, many details. One important detail was the use of color in the walk t-shirts and other promotional items/materials.

This photo doesn’t begin to do justice to how it really looked when a sea of 200 bright red t-shirts weaved their way around downtown Indy.  At times it literally looked like blood flowing through the veins of the city. It drew a ton of attention and the banner at the front of the walk (which I was helping to hold when I took this shot which explains why you can’t see it!) tied it all together.

When you’re tyring to get attention, don’t forget about color. Choosing a bright color and sticking to it consistently throughout an event makes a big impression.

Kayak for a Cure (KFAC) is  an event we’ve participated in (as a sponsor, and now John V. from our team is a ‘two-peat’ paddler!) from humble beginnings that raises money for the Canadian Cancer Society, and now also the American Cancer Society. We’re happy to be involved again this year as the event continues to grow and  raise awareness and money for a cause we’ve all been touched by in one way or another.

I’ll have more posts about KFAC as the event draws near but for now, I just wanted to invite you to check out the official (and just about complete) Kayak for a Cure website from a marketing perspective. Mark Starkey, the brains behind whole deal, always puts together great creative. He really gets how to connect you to the cause through the people and their stories-  you feel part of something – and he uses all the available tools (YouTube, Facebook, twitter, Flickr – you name it).

Good stuff.

If you’ve ever ordered embroidered products, you know it can be challenging and costly.

You need to approximate your stitch count and pay for the embroidery tape.  If you’re ordering 10 shirts, the $95 average charge for embroidery tape adds almost $10 to the price of each shirt.  Shirts in larger sizes often cost extra.  And, logo placement was often limited to one or two locations.

We’re changing all that.  Here’s how:

•    With our embroidery, the price you see is the price you pay!
•    There is no extra charge for extended sizes.
•    The tape charge is reduced to a flat $35 – or we’ll waive it if you order 24+ polos, dress shirts and jackets.
•    And, there is no stitch count.  If your logo fits in the described embroidery area, there are no additional fees.

Our goal is to make it easier to order embroidered items.

How simple is that?
–Suzanne