Advertising Specialty Institute

In this fun and informative episode of the Social Angle, Search Engine Optimization Team Lead Nick Morales speaks with Melissa Newman about improving SEO using social media and demystifies it for our audience. Nick gives insight into the top SEO trends for 2021, how you can improve your keyword research and why you should always optimize your social media profiles.

At the end of 2019, Jamie Young made a long-term investment that immediately paid off. The founder of Battle Ground, WA-based Uptown Screen Printing (asi/184812) hired a speaking coach. Instead of rambling during panels and presentations, she wanted to speak confidently about her business and the power of promotional products. That confidence ended up being her biggest asset during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode of Promo Insiders, Senior Writer John Corrigan talks with Young about the unique approach she took to staying in front of clients and how it led to her best month of sales ever.

It's no surprise the effect COVID has had on the events and trade show markets. Concerts, conferences and large gatherings have either been put on hold indefinitely or moved into a virtual environment, putting a damper on one of the biggest markets in the promo industry. But there's still opportunity if you know where to look.

Despite the countless business challenges spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic, some highly adaptable distributors and suppliers had record years for sales and growth in 2020.

Personalization in marketing isn't new, but it’s definitely a top trend for 2021. Consumers face a flood of marketing messages daily and using personalization helps cut through the noise to grab their attention. In this episode of the Social Angle podcast, ASI's Melissa Newman chats with Jayde Powell the Head of Social & Community at Sunwink. Jayde shares how she leverages data and analytics to create engaging social media campaigns, why “spray & pray” marketing is out and what’s on the top of her holiday wish list.

Adrian Molina, a senior brand manager for Aviation Gin, discusses a trends that businesses who use social media should be mindful of in 2021.

When promo sales across the industry dropped precipitously in March, firms scrambled to freeze expenses and shore up operations in order to weather the storm. For Russell Bird, owner of The Promo Addict (asi/302225) in Sherwood Park, AB, that meant locking down the entire company and making the tough decision to lay off several team members. But a few months in, Bird had an idea: Tapping into his love of competitive barbecue, he decided to open a small retail store in The Promo Addict’s offices after friends called him asking for his professional grilling advice since they were cooking at home more often. “I phoned one of my barbecue distributors and asked for five to 10 barbecues to have in my warehouse that I could sell to friends,” says Bird. “Within a week, they were gone. So, I got 10 more, and in a week, they were gone. And all of a sudden, I thought, ‘Maybe I’m opening a barbecue store.’ ” In this episode of Promo Insiders, Bird discusses opening and marketing You Need a Barbecue, developing a line

Clothes are just pieces of fabric, right? Far from it. According to personal and corporate stylist Lani Inlander, clothes define not only how others see you, but how you see yourself. For 15 years, the founder of Washington, D.C.-based Real Life Style has been helping people dress for success so they can focus on what they do best. “What all of our clients have in common,” says Inlander, “is that they just want to look and feel put together every day and get on with their lives – and do what they need to do without having to worry about their clothes. They want to use clothes as a tool.” But what happens when people are working from home and social events are canceled indefinitely? How is that affecting the way we dress? Should it? Inlander joined Counselor’s Promo Insiders podcast to answer those questions. “Everybody is prioritizing comfort over style and, in my opinion, appropriateness,” says Inlander, who offers up clothing selections and other apparel ideas on her blog and on Instagram at lanireallifest

As we turn the page on 2020, ASI's Vinnie Driscoll and Melissa Newman take the lessons of the year and try to predict some of the hot trends we'll see on social media in 2021. In this informative Social Angle podcast, the duo also talk to three experts in the field about their opinions and open the question on Twitter to see what their audience thinks.

Filming of the fifth season of Small Business Revolution began in March… You know what happened next. Thus, the new season offers a real-time look at how seven small businesses in Fredonia, NY, handled the pandemic. In this episode of Promo Insiders, Senior Writer John Corrigan discusses the surreal situation with co-hosts Ty Pennington and Amanda Brinkman, chief marketing officer of Deluxe Corp., which is the parent company of Top 40 distributor Safeguard/Deluxe (asi/316203) as well as Deluxe Business Services (asi/178720).

In this episode of the Social Angle podcast, ASI's Melissa Newman chats with Theresa Hegel, executive editor of digital content, and Chris Ruvo, executive editor of Counselor magazine, about social media’s influence on journalism over the past 15 years.

Sarah Sumner, a digital media manager, discusses two trends that businesses who use social media should be mindful of in 2021.

ASI executive editors Christopher Ruvo and Theresa Hegel talk about some of the challenges the promo industry is facing right now, when it comes to shipping, and lay out several actionable strategies firms can take to deal with potential delays.

Taylor Gaines, a social media expert and CEO of Social Gaines, discusses two trends that businesses who use social media should be mindful of in 2021.

When it comes to promo sales (or really, sales in general), few methods are more successful than the classic Good/Better/Best method. To break down this “ole faithful” of sales strategies, today we’re speaking with Rande Marin, Inside Sales Manager at Next Level Apparel. We’ll hear her thoughts on why this method is so effective, which end-buyers fit into each category and which Next Level styles fit each group’s specific needs.

We’re eight months into ongoing COVID-19 shutdowns and remote work, with no end in sight. In fact, states across the country are now seeing huge surges in virus cases that dwarf the highs set in the summer months. Meanwhile, remote work has its benefits – comfy clothes, minimal (or no) makeup, no stressful commute – but there are downsides; it turns out, even for the most introverted among us, we miss the in-person interaction we once took for granted. We’re finding that valuable rapport among team members is built in the little side conversations during the day that we’re not having over video meetings. As a result, millions of people are feeling isolated. This is certainly a challenge for Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2012, many of whom have recently taken or are looking for their first jobs in the corporate world. They’re missing the in-person interaction that not only helps them build relationships with their colleagues, but also forms them into productive team players in a multigenerational work

In this episode of the Social Angle, ASI's Melissa Newman chats with Roger Burnett, founder of Social Good Promotions, about cause marketing and how your business can benefit from it.

ASI staffers tried a cornucopia of odd foods, from apple pie Kit Kats and bacon soda to brussels sprout puffs and a turkey gravy-infused cocktail.

2020 has been a beast. 2021, promo leaders believe, will be substantially better for the promotional products industry, with sales improving over the current year. That’s just one of the predictions for 2021 that ASI editors Christopher Ruvo and Theresa Hegel discuss in this podcast. All the predictions are based on extensive feedback from a cross-section of promo professionals, as well as ASI data about the ad specialty space. What emerges are insights into major opportunities, challenges, trends and developments – knowledge about which can help you run your business better and achieve sustainable success.

Raging pandemic. Hotly contested election. Divided nation. There's no doubt this year has been tumultuous. And in the middle of it all, ostensibly stoking the flames of bitter conspiracy theories and misinformation, is social media. In this episode of the Social Angle podcast, ASI's Melissa Newman and Vinnie Driscoll put aside the negativity of the past year and discuss the four reasons they are most thankful for social media.