Does your marketing come to a screeching halt during your annual vacation pilgrimage? Do you cease to promote your company and your products or services? Does your company dwindle into a period of non-existence while you are away?
Success Promotions’ Wizard of marketing has an alternative! Introducing Vacation Marketing!
Preparing for your vacation marketing begins with loading up your pockets, wallet, briefcase, swim bag, and suit case with business cards, flyers, samples, portfolio materials, magnets, pens, pencils, and anything else upon which you might have imprinted your business information. If your advertising budget allows for it, you can even have something special imprinted just for the occasion.
Some ideas for special items you might prepare would include toy sail boats, kites, beach balls or pool towels for a beach trip. Incidentally, if anyone sells a kite that looks like a wizard with perhaps stars on the tail, please email me! Walking sticks, canteens, t-shirts, water bottles would be appropriate for a mountain trip. Sunglasses, pencils, and notepads would be good for a trip to a metropolitan area.
For the remainder of this article, I will cite examples specifically from my condo visit to the islands off the coast of South Carolina.
Leaving behind refrigerator magnets, pens, and pencils with Success Promotions logo as well as client logos are a fantastic way to have an advertising imprint impact upon visitors week after week. If someone likes a magnet or is interested enough in the company that they take it home with them that is okay with me. Worse things could happen! Vacation facilities with kitchens are also great places to leave mugs, water bottles, etc. Not only is it great to have them remain at the condominium where continuous visitors might see them, it also doesn’t hurt to have them taken home as souvenirs by visitors from all over these United States and beyond.
Today most condos and many hotels equip their rooms with not only a television but also a VCR. You can leave behind a video showing the process of weaving your baskets, firing your pottery, forming your soaps, or any other process that adds to the intrinsic value of the products you make available to consumers. The only problem with the video tapes is that they are less likely to be seen by everyone.
Vacation destinations are saturated with small and unique gift shops. If your product is something that would be a good item for them to resale, you might want to turn your vacation into a business venturing trip by visiting with a few shop keepers and finding people who might sell, re-sell, or consign your products.
Vacation destinations are also chock full of people who strive to attain the better things in life. The person next to you at the tiki bar, the pool, or the rowing machine might just be the next best recruit for your network marketing business. You’ll never know if you don’t ask. And for those of us who have never been quite that outgoing in our recruiting efforts at least don’t miss the opportunity when asked what you do for a living.
Many timeshares and weekly or monthly rental options at vacation destinations have welcoming parties at their onset. You might be able to donate a prize or two of your imprinted items to their raffles or drawings. Also, these same companies also offer scheduled activity events. Often these events even include things like make over parties and wine tastings. You might even be able to plan ahead and offer such activities through the management company. Incidentally if you live in a vacation destination or apartment community, similar marketing opportunities might exist.
Don’t forget the same things that you can do any time at home. Host samplings, seminars, etc. The opportunities exist most places, you just may have to research a little harder to find them in your vacation destination.
Lots of shops, restaurants, and hotels offer you the chance to sign a guest book or put your business card in a fish bowl to get you on their mailing list. Doing so allows you to maintain constant contact with them as well. And some of these places will have extensive mailing lists you might wish to consider advertising to or renting.
The last thing you want to remember about your trips out of town is this: Whenever you are driving somewhere you might go on vacation you pass or are passed by thousands of other vehicles. http://www.webdecals.com provides an excellent way to advertise while you drive. Needless to say, when you add a webdecal to your car or van, its a good idea to wash the vehicle on a regular basis. I know my mini van stays much cleaner now that I’ve added www.SuccessPromotions.com to the back window!
Shannan Hearne is the owner of SuccessPromotions.com and the co-founder of ShoppingInTheSouth.com
shannan@successpromotions.com
