PPB September 2016

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Julie Richie is associate
editor for PPB.
• Tim Ferriss Show. A great
show for any entrepreneur.
In this podcast, he
deconstructs world-class
performers from all manner
of industries to dig deep,
finding the tools, tactics and
tricks the listener can use.
Video/TED Talks
Any talk or video by Gary
Vaynerchuk. Awhirling dervish
of activity, if Gary can’t motivate
you then you can’t bemotivated.
BILL PETRIE
Founder and CEO
Brandivate
UPIC: BVATE
Do You
Have An
Answer ?
Eight Great Promo Industry
Blogs For Distributors
by Kate Masewich
Whether you are new to the promotional products industry or a veteran, it’s important to keep
up to date with the latest news, trends and resources available. If you do a quick Google search
of the “best promotional products blogs” however, you’ll notice most of the results are intended
for end clients, not the distributors themselves. So we’ve rounded up a list of eight great promo
industry blogs that will help keep distributors educated, inspired and sharp.
1 PromoKitchen
PromoKitchen is an
all-volunteer organization
led by suppliers, distributors
and service providers who
are creating a new voice
for the industry. The blog
includes helpful features,
interviews and episodes of
the PromoKitchen podcast.
Check out: “Your Vendors
as Partners” from March 22
at
2 Brandivate
Bill Petrie has
been in the promotional
products industry for
over 15 years helping
distributors and suppliers.
On his blog he shares his
knowledge and experience
through helpful posts.
Check out: “The Non-
Product Website”
from May 5 at
3 Connections
Observations from
Paul Bellantone, CAE,
president and CEO of PPAI,
as he shares his personal
insights and experiences,
and features guest posts
by industry professionals.
Check out: “Industry
Transformation & A Time to
Pivot” from January 20 at
4 Hasseman
Marketing Blog
Every week, Kirby
Hasseman and the team
update their stream of
content, which includes
promo ideas, Kirby’s personal
blog and the Delivering
Marketing Joy podcast
where Kirby interviews
someone in the promotional
products industry.
Check out: “Be a Connector”
from January 16 at
5 Brandextenders
Steve Woodburn shares
his thoughts on branding
and life in general from
his 25 years of experience
in the industry.
Check out: “Innovate or
Die” from January 5 at
6 Delta Marketing Group
DMG has been in the
business for over 30 years
and their blog shares weekly
insights on everything from
inbound marketing to sales to
promo trends.
Check out: “This is The
Biggest Piece Missing From
Your Sales Calls” from May
23 at
7 Your Brand Marketing
Ben Baker is all about
creating tangible evidence to
help companies communicate
effectively. His blog provides
insights into achieving results
through branding, trade shows
and more.
Check out: “Why Should You
Re-Brand?” from April 19 at
8 Quintain
Quintain’s blog posts
help you better understand
how social media, content
marketing and email
marketing fit into your
digital marketing strategy.
Check out: “Should I Use
Social Media Marketing
as Part of My Inbound
Strategy?” from May 16 at
Bonus: commonsku
The commonsku blog is
where you’ll find business
resources, insights on
promo industry trends,
sales and marketing
tips and episodes of its
podcast, skucast .
Check out: “Designing A
Sales Compensation Plan
That Works” from March 24 at
Kate Masewich is marketing manager at commonsku. This
article is adapted from a May 26 blog post on commonsku.
A Distributor Asks
Over the past 10 years I have
been faced with the same
problem over and over: how to
design the perfect “professional”
ad for the print media. I think we
all do a great job at interactive
and social media, but it is very
difficult to come up with a truly
classy magazine ad or flyer. How
have other small distributors
been able to create good-looking
and effective magazine or print
ads? Any tips are appreciated.
What’s Your Answer?
Email answers along with
your name, title and company
name to
by September 16 for possible
inclusion in an upcoming
issue of PPB magazine.
| SEPTEMBER 2016 | 23
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