Promo Marketing Feature: Rationalizing Your Way Out Of Responsible Promo Sourcing

Have you ever rationalized your way out of making good choices? Of course! We all have, like eating that cupcake at the company function. (One cupcake can’t hurt, it’s my cheat day!)

The little lies we tell ourselves in order to take the easy road may only result in tighter pants after too many cupcakes…or there could be more serious consequences—such as when we try to rationalize our way out of providing safe and responsibly sourced promotional products.

To justify taking the easy way out and not having the harder, more educational conversations with customers, both suppliers and distributors tell themselves all kinds of lies: “My customers aren’t asking for it,” “My competitors aren’t doing it,” “It’s too expensive” and “No one has been caught.” What they may not realize is that these lies are costing them business.

As part of my role as QCA’s fractional marketing director, I was responsible for creating an earned media strategy that included publishing articles in several NAPCO titles. For the Promo Marketing Magazine article “Rationalizing Your Way Out Of Responsible Promo Sourcing,” I get real and debunk each one of these excuses. It may make you a bit uncomfortable, and that’s ok. A little tough love never hurt anyone.

And if you have been guilty of telling yourself lies about the need for accountability when it comes to product safety and responsible sourcing, now’s your chance to take responsibility and change your actions. Your business—and the promotional products industry as a whole—will be better for it.Wake up, smell the coffee (get a cupcake?) and read the article here.

Takeaway: Content matters. And having additional ways of sharing your thought leadership beyond your own blog matters, too. By establishing relationships with industry publications and working with them on earned media opportunities, you can reach new audiences while building your brand, sharing your expertise and boosting your online reputation.

What’s Next: Media relations complements all your other marketing initiatives—websites, blogging, social media, email blasts, catalogs, printed collateral, direct mail campaigns and events. Regardless of economic climate, a targeted media relations plan can make effective use of your marketing dollars at a fraction of the cost of advertising. Plus, the implied third-party endorsement of being featured in publications positively impacts your corporate credibility.

If you’re interested in becoming the go-to expert for your favorite publications, we can develop a strategy that aligns your knowledge with the publications’ needs to craft a targeted pitch of your expertise. Then we can ghostwrite the articles when they say “yes!” Contact us to learn how we can work together.

Feedback: What did you think of this article? Do you use earned media as a part of your marketing strategy? If so, how do you use these articles to support the sales process? We’d love to learn more about your experience working with the media as well as how this article resonated with you. Drop us a line here and let’s get the conversation going.

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