Change in the Days of Pandemic

By Shelley Allen, Owner, On Point Promotions & Embroidery | January 4, 2021

Happy New Year Everyone! This year I wanted to try something new with my blog. Me actually doing the blog. You see for the last few years, I have been paying someone to write my blog for me. They do a great job but it’s very formal, and if you’ve met me, I’m not very formal. I love to laugh and have fun while at the same time do business and help my clients along the way.

Staying on Brand

There’s another reason I thought I should start writing my blog. I preach to my clients all the time about staying on brand and making sure that whatever promos we do fits their brand. I have been the face of my brand since, well, the beginning and really felt like it was time to put my brand and myself into my blog. I know, and say, that whatever you put out in the world for others to see should represent your brand accurately. That includes all forms of social media, blogs, promos, advertising, printed materials, and apparel/uniforms.  I wasn’t following my own advice. I was doing this everywhere but online and knew I needed to make a change. In addition, I also enjoy stretching myself beyond my current comfort level. I see it as continually moving forward and becoming a better version of myself.

Keeping it real – and moving forward

We all keep saying that 2020 was a hard year. On Point Promotions and I are no exception. As many of you know, On Point is a very event-centric business.  When all the events were canceled or postponed and then canceled again, it was hard.  

At first, I threw myself in to my networking group, BNI. I was the president of the chapter at the time and it was important that everything was going to continue on but in an online format. We pulled together and I spent my time making PowerPoint presentations for the meetings. I met with members via zoom. Since I am also a director over two other chapters, I was checking on them in addition to one other chapter to make sure they were setting themselves up for success as well.

Sales for me during this time were not even close to the level that I usually see during that time of year. The orders that I did get for several months were all due to the relationships that I built in BNI. All of this helped me to get through the roughest spots of the year.

Second, now that I made it through last year, I’m looking forward to improvements this year. Although maintaining a positive outlook, I’m not kidding myself about where the pandemic will take us this year. Changing the calendar doesn’t change the pandemic. I’ve decided that I’m going to work on setting myself up for success and doing the most with what I have around me. That includes moving forward and setting goals for 2021. We must all change and adapt and rise to the circumstances. What are you doing to change and adapt with your goals?

Product and stocking unpredictability

Speaking of change, it was interesting to watch what was affected and how my product mix changed in light of the pandemic. Last year, hand sanitizer and masks were words I used a lot. Stock levels for those items were ever changing for a long time. They have now stabilized and are readily available. I am even starting to see sales on the items. Currently, there are widespread issues with all vendors and manufacturers of t-shirts and sweatshirts. I am seeing stock issues with t-shirts and sweatshirts because resources are being redirected to making masks. It will turn around, but I don’t see things improving until about April or later when manufacturing can get caught up and get products shipped to the US.

Marketing and promotion during a pandemic

Speaking of products, are you wondering how you should pivot your promotional buying during a pandemic? I would concentrate on items that are helpful during this time and like masks, and hand sanitizer. Then consider items we seldom think about that could be useful and helpful such as travel mugs and reusable water bottles. There are other promotional products that could be appreciated during these times like mints. Anyone who has ever smelled their own onion or garlic breath in a mask, knows - yuck! Or how about custom chocolates or other edible prepackaged food gift. Because we all love snacks! I have also seen a huge uptick in antimicrobial items such as pens, badge reels, lanyards, and even cups. If you’re looking to really step out and think differently, how about some lotion for the dry, over-washed hands we all have, or lip balm because it’s still winter and lips are still drying out.

Without a doubt, it is still easy to find items to promote your business, are useful during this time, and helps keep you top of mind! Except lipstick, I don’t think anyone is wearing that right now! And if you’re wondering, yes, I can put your logo on lipstick too!