Going Green with Promotional Products

Across the globe, the call for sustainable business practices and environmentally friendly products is no longer satisfied by chanting trendy buzzwords while ignoring our own eco-footprint. Eco-friendly values are becoming a way of life and they’re not going away anytime soon.

It doesn’t matter if your promotional item lands in the hands of a late-term Gen X’er or a grizzled veteran of the millennial clan, chances are – if they love it – they’ll do the promoting for you.

A common misconception about nonprofit organizations is that they aren’t in the business of making profits. However, an effective nonprofit needs to be sustainable, which requires both making and investing money. Like all other enterprises, nonprofits, or not-for-profit businesses use their profits to advance their programs.

If you’re like me, you’ve got that one cupboard in your kitchen that you’re scared to open. You only go there when absolutely necessary and even then, you think twice about whether you really need the item that lies behind those doors. I’d even gotten to the point where I’d rather buy an entire new box of green scrubbies than crack that cabinet door and face what lay within. The fact is, I’d saved up enough plastic grocery-bags to stock an entire grocery store for a year. After every shopping trip, I’d stuff these crackling nuisances into one another, then squeeze the crackling wad onto an undersized shelf along with all their cousins. Once I closed the door, they were out of sight but never out of mind. I was convinced that as they co-mingle in the dark, they were also plotting against me because when they saw the light of day, they come madly rushing at me like a little kid’s soccer team, flailing wildly across the kitchen floor as they chased after my feet like it was the ball. 

Several months ago, after seeing my wife stealthily slide a legal size folder into her file cabinet and lock the door, I did what any anxiety ridden person would do, I called my best friend, Troy.

There are a lot of items out there to put your logo on – so that means a lot of opportunities to get it wrong. We want to go over a few outdated or over played ideas, so you can know what to avoid.

Create repeat customers and truckloads of referrals.

Promotional products are useful or memorable items with a business name imprinted on them. There is a good chance that you picked up a branded pen from a bank or you’ve been given a desk calendar by an insurance company. Some of the most popular promotional products are even clothes (Similar to brand name clothes – it’s about flashing the company logo).