Earth Day Promotions

Just in time for an Earth Day promotion, a journal made out of poo, a shower timer, bamboo dinnerware and more from Top-10 Eco-friendly Promo Products!

1. Elephant Poo Journal. The ultimate recycled item that is made from elephant poo. Great for colleges, trade shows or any businesses using notebooks.

2. Bamboo Dinnerware. Stop using paper plates and plastic utensils. Great for office picnics, concert venues and fairs. Bamboo, a renewable resource, can grow as much as four feet in one day.

3. Seed Paper Postcard. Plant the paper – all biodegradable – and flowers sprout in its place. Ideal for environment-themed mailings to prospects and clients, and also comes in other shapes.

4. Shower Timer. Tells you when your five minutes are up. Utilities, local municipalities and environmental groups can promote water conservation by offering this practical item.

5. Recycled Tires Jar Opener. Made from rubber tires. Auto dealerships, mechanics and tire manufacturers can give these to customers for Earth Day or anytime year-round.

6. Pine Tree Seedling. Live pine tree in a container. Employees can participate in a tree-planting day at the office campus, or community organizations can hand out to participants at an Arbor Day event.

7. Organic T-shirt. The cotton is certified that it has been grown without the aid of pesticides or fertilizers. Give one to each Earth Day event organizer and volunteer.

8. Compostable Pens. This pen completely breaks down in a landfill in 90 days (except the spring and refill). Hotels, banks and shops can use these and give them away to customers.

9. Nonwoven Bag. Local grocery stores can eliminate plastic and paper, and exhibitors at trade shows can provide these to attendees to collect literature and samples.

10. Hemp-Blend Polo. This cotton and hemp organic shirt is naturally anti-bacterial and companies can use this shirt for summer uniforms.

For more information regarding eco-friendly apparel or eco-friendly promotional products call Lorraine at 858-565-2963 or lorraine@rainpromos.com

The mystery of Hyman's Seafood's Motto

While cleaning out my Dad’s office, I ran across this “Motto” in many places, posted all over his office, in his desk drawer and in some old folders from approximately 1968. It reads………

Hyman’s Seafood’s Motto

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our ATTITUDES.

Author of “Attitude"
Chuck Swindoll

I enjoyed reading the motto and I understood why my dad liked it so much that he had posted it in so many places.

I was curious who this Hyman’s Seafood was and after a quick Google search I found it to be a popular restaurant in Charleston South Carolina… This makes sense because in the late 60’s my family lived in South Carolina. Hyman’s Seafood is on Facebook now and has many fans… Hyman's Seafood Facebook Page
Also curious about the author, my search revealed…. Chuck Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. Wiki- Charles Swindoll
And if you like this quote, rather than post it all over your office, you can now see it on youtube….. Attitude
Enjoy!

Thank You

I recently experienced the sadness of losing my father. After a brief but difficult struggle with pulmonary fibrosis he lost the battle on January 31st. I realize that he is no longer struggling and is in a much better place but I do miss him very much. I miss his laughter, his hugs, his patience, his strength and quiet determination. He was a wonderful family man and had always put his family first.

I have again become aware of the importance of having supportive family, friends and clients. I am blessed to have my two sisters and my brother who have helped to support my mom in her grief. I am also grateful for my friends and clients who have reached out to me with prayers, cards, flowers, food, notes, texts and phone calls to let me know that they care. Many of you have been so gracious to give a hug, attend the funeral, offer help in any way possible.

My most sincere thanks to my wonderful friends and clients for your friendship and support during this difficult time. I will always be grateful.

This is for you Dad……
Virtute et valare luceo non uro - By virtue and valour I shine, but do not burn. “MacKenzie Family Motto”

Facebook and Twitter, are you on board?

In the last few months I’ve read many LinkedIn discussions, blog posts and articles regarding social media marketing and how to use it for business. I currently use both Facebook and twitter to micro blog about things that are going on in my business, trends in apparel decoration and new and interesting products in the promotional products industry. While I haven’t had any formal training in this new social media realm, I have found that the sites are pretty easy to use and since they are free to use the investment is only a few minutes of my day. I also find it easier to micro blog than post a few paragraphs on this blog every few days (as you can probably tell since I haven’t posted in months).

There are plenty of naysayers and cynics who are concerned about whether this exposure in Facebook or twitter will bring them any real business or not. Some have the "social" part confused with dating, hooking up and match.com (and I can't for the life of me understand why the confusion there).

For me it is not whether I get new business but rather enhancing the relationships that I have made through conventional face-to-face networking, which I really enjoy. Social media marketing does not replace face-to-face networking and I would probably never do business with someone who I met on Facebook or twitter without meeting them in person first. I prefer to conduct business locally; however I have clients in all parts of the country. Most of my out of state clients were referred to me by current local clients.

There are some marketing professionals who have concentrated in this area of social media marketing and educating business owners how to use this media. When I have questions regarding Facebook or twitter my “go to” expert is Kimberly Yow. I met her at my BNI Poway networking group and she is successfully helping clients with their marketing challenges and furthering their education. Her website is http://marketingthatseasy.com/ and her Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/SocialNetworking4Biz

Kimberly has taken on the challenge of keeping up with the latest marketing trends and continues to expand her knowledge. If you have any questions regarding using Facebook, twitter or LinkedIn for business I highly recommend you contact her through her website. And please don’t forget to tell her that Lorraine sent you!

For more information regarding promotional products or corporate apparel call Lorraine at 858-565-2963 or lorraine@rainpromos.com

Eco-Apparel Terminology

With new “crops” of eco-friendly apparel and decorating processes entering the wearables marketplace, it’s a good idea to brush up on some “green” definitions.

First, know that there are standards and governing authorities beginning to clarify organic claims. For example, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) ensures “the organic status of textiles, from harvesting the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.” Furthermore, the U.S.-based Organic Trade Association (OTA) adheres to the GOTS standard, and adds that “all fiber sold as organic in the U.S. must meet the USDA National Organic Program rule for crop production, and if necessary, livestock production.”

When you’re looking for eco-friendly apparel to give to your clients, also keep these definitions in mind:

* Organic fabrics use no pesticides, herbicides or insecticides during the growing cycle.

* Soy silk uses liquefied proteins (a by-product of making tofu) forced into fibers which are then spun.

* Ingeo corn fiber is created by extracting starch and then sugars from corn, and processing them into a form that can be spun into a yarn or woven into fabric.

* Fortrel EcoSpun polyester is made out of recycled plastic bottles. It is frequently used for fleece.

* Biodegradable fabric has the ability to naturally break down and return to raw material or to be absorbed by the earth. Federal Trade Commission guidelines say only products that contain materials that “break down and decompose into elements found in nature within a reasonably short amount of time when they are exposed to air, moisture and bacteria or other organisms” should be labeled biodegradable.

* Post-consumer materials have been discarded and used again in other products. Essentially, this is a fancy term for recycled materials.

* Sustainable products are made to last indefinitely and have the least negative effects on environmental health. Sustainable materials in clothing are easily recycled and/or last a long time.

* Natural bleaching means that hydrogen peroxide was used to whiten fibers, rather than a chemical such as chlorine.

* REHANCE, a process developed by TS Designs, is an environmentally friendly, water-based printing technology that alters a fabric’s chemistry so it won’t absorb garment dye. Traditionally, water-based inks could be successfully used only on white or light colors because of their transparency.


For more information regarding eco-friendly apparel or eco-friendly promotional products call Lorraine at 858-565-2963 or lorraine@rainpromos.com

Tagline Contest

Monday 9/7 thru Friday 9/11 please participate in a RAINpromos tagline or "hook" contest..... Please post your entries on the RAINpromos wall... Check in often to view new entries.... the winner will receive a $100 gift certificate for free product!

Become a fan now .... use the link on this page.

Thanks in advance for participating!

Lorraine@rainpromos.com
858-565-2963

Promotional Trends

Promotional BPA free water bottles seems to be the item of preference among customers. The reason for this is two-fold: Customers want to provide health-conscientious products to their own customers and they want to give away products that are eco-friendly. This is because in today's society just about everyone is health conscientious and they will only use products that will benefit their health. BPA free water bottles is the answer to that desire. Everyone is drinking more water, they are exercising and need to stay hydrated, and they don't want BPA leaching into their water like it does with plastic bottles. For the environmentally-conscientious, BPA free stainless steel and aluminum water bottles are the answer. These eco-friendly water bottles are replacing plastic bottles because of the concern over the billions of plastic bottles that are filling up landfills.

U.S. FDA to reconsider BPA safety issue
http://plasticsnews.com/headlines2.html?id=16480

To learn more about BPA free products, please e-mail me at Lorraine@RAINpromos.com or call me at 858-565-2963.