PRIZE-A-TRON

I found a fun little blog a couple of days ago. at http://www.prizeatron.com. It is a blog which specializes in guiding the reader to giveaways and contests for free stuff all over the web. From what I can gather, this blog has a particular focus on the cottage industries and cottage web etailers selling items for mothers and their young babies and children. I showed it to my wife and she got very excited and had me bookmark it.

We have been giving away prizes at American Promotions and hosting trivia contests which we promote on Twitter. Naturally, this little blog piqued my interest. Our success so far has been marginal, but there is always a learning curve with these kinds of things.

Doing God's Work? Image Can Still Matter.

In a brand and image conscious world, there is something to be said for quiet, unrecognized service. Unadvertised, unheralded service of one's fellow man is, in my view, one of the most valuable human endeavors. There are so many good, salt-of-the-earth people I know who spend large portions of their time volunteering, reaching out and privately giving without ever expecting or even wanting the acclaim and notoriety of others.

Yet, there are other times, when promoting service (whether Christian or of another faith) is the only way to help the larger world understand and receive the religious message.

Promotional products can support and spread the message in a more permanent and memorable way than other forms of media. Take for example the Mormon Helping Hand's efforts. This is organized (usually community service and clean-up) organized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The organizers have the option to order yellow t-shirts or vests from the church with the Mormon Helping Hands logo and imprint. (They are actually encourage to download the necessary artwork and to print the t-shirts locally.)

The Mormon Helping Hands brand has increased the visibility of the Church. It brings almost uniformly good press, and it shows the wider community that the Mormons are people who are willing to give back.

Ameripromo is on Twitter

Ameripromo.com is on Twitter sharing tidbits of my life, keeping followers up to date on the latest promotional products, my thoughts about small business and politics and giving away awesome stuff from our product line to the smart people. Come follow: http://twitter.com/ameripromo

Great Customer Experience

I had a great customer experience today with an email marketing firm named RatePoint, and I don't hesitate to give a plug when the service and help the company gives is this good.

RatePoint is an email marketing / survey administration technology provider with what appears to be a very strong and complete suite of services for the small to medium business. I signed up for RatePoint on a 30-day trial basis through ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute) of which I am a member. Within about 24 hours of signing up, I received a call from Steve at our home office asking to set up a time to go over the software and features with a walk through. After a bit of phone tag and exchanging emails, Steve and I talked today, and he did a great job in walking me through the value their company provides. Steve used glance.net, (a very cool service itself for sharing what you are doing on your desktop remotely with your client or prospect to give them a personalized presentation) and he walked me through at least three aspects of the RatePoint service. He helpful, respectful, not overly salesy, and he agreed to make himself available for future questions to cut down on my learning curve.

I was very impressed, and the pricing is affordable for any company which takes online marketing seriously.

I haven't given the company the full trial run, but I wanted to get my initial impressions out there. My hat is off for great customer service.

Helping Hands

I had a great weekend. I participated in a service project with other members of my church. I live in gorgeous Southern Oregon, and we have a long hiking, jogging, cycling, horse riding path named the Bear Creek Greenway.

Saturday morning, I took three of my boys and my wife and we joined more than 800 others in removing blackberry brambles, weed eating long grass and weeds anc clearing a roughly 1.5 mile stretch of overgrown area back from the sides of the Bear Creek Greenway. It was a hot, hard and very enjoyable work. Here is an article "Helping Hands" from the Medford Mail Tribune.

Digital Jump Roping-For Those With a Will but not a Wii

Maybe I'd exercise more if I had a digital jump rope. A digital jump rope doesn't require a T.V. (unlike exercising with a Wii--although jump roping does feel like you're holding two remotes). This digital jump rope has a non-tangling cord, which I think would be pretty important, since I haven't jump roped in a very long time.

What's appealing about exercising with a jump rope is that it's small and portable for indoor exercise (unlike a treadmill or bike). To motivate the exerciser, it has a timer, an audio pacer, and calorie counter. It also digitally tracks best records. Well, depending on how well I jump, that feature might be encouraging.

American Promotions sells digital jump ropes here.

Pen-Highlighter-Flag in ONE

We use flags in my office. You know, the post-it notes that say "Sign here" or are a post-it arrow to draw your attention to something on a page. I have those flags in my desk drawer--and I have to move aside some paper clips and pens to get to them. Every time. That's why I like this 3-in-one pen-highlighter-flag. The pen barrel comes with 50 flags pre-loaded. And the pen writes with a smooth motion. Convenience in one pen.

Instant Group Seating-Wow

This insta-bench unfolds out of a bag, just like a camping chair, but it can seat up to 6 people (at 250lbs per seat).

I like camping. I have Cub Scouts. I've done the Little League thing. This bench seats a crowd--and it only weighs 19 lbs..

American Promotions sells it here.

Portfolio to Keep Us Oganized

This classy portfolio has special pockets for all the tech gear that we end up carrying around.

I actually get ripped pocket seams in my slacks from carrying gear. This portfolio's pockets are perfect for my stuff. I also like how the interior pockets hold things, but don't hide them. I only wish it had a locator beeper--then I'd never lose anything again.

This BBQ Apron Has it ALL

I really like the innovation in these BBQ aprons--they have an insulated pocket for a drink! Why is this the first time I've seen a pocket cooler for a drink in an apron? It's genius and yet obvious.

The aprons also include a bottle opener, padded oven mitt and a towel, and multiple front pockets. It's like a whole BBQ kit, ready to hold everything a grill cook needs. We sell them here.

Music to A Dog's Ear

This is a new take on the classic giftcard: a metal Dog Tag.

I really like how the dog tags add uniqueness and wearablity to what is really a music giftcard.

Made without lead, each 4-color imprinted tag comes with 5 prepaid songs that is compatible with iPods, MP3 players, PCs and Macs.

American Promotions sells them here.

I wish I had one of these

Many years ago, I was driving an RV from Utah to Southern Oregon with my wife, her sister and a bunch of college friends who were returning to Oregon for the holiday. It was my wife's parents' RV. It was 1 in the morning, in the middle of barren Nevada desert, and we missed our turn. Since we hadn't seen another car for a long time, we decided to turn the RV around in the middle of the highway. Well, we underestimated how narrow the highway was, and we ended up forced into inching back and forth, trying to get the beast of an RV turned around. As we were broadside, a semi truck appeared, heading our way. We had no headlights or tail-lights pointed toward him to even let him know we were there. In desperation we drove off the road and promptly got stuck in the mud. Eventually we were rescued--but I could have used these emergency flashers.

I like the magnet in the base that holds the emergency flasher to the top of the vehicle. The design is clever, and I want one for my car. And my in-laws' RV!

American Promotions sells these flashers here.

Reusable Photo- Drinkware

Plastic drinkware just got more exciting. With a new printing technology, these white plastic cups are printed with photo quality images that entirely surround the cup. The image quality is over 300dpi. Plus the cup is reusable, dishwasher safe (in the top shelf), and totally recyclable.
American Promotions sells this cool cup here!

This frosted plastic cup version turns clear when filled with cold liquid: