A number of years ago when I was in college, I worked at a student organization office for a major university. Since it was a work study job, I had the opportunity to work there for a few years while I pursued by degree. I was majoring in communications, and this job gave me the chance to put my skills to work right away. I found myself writing press releases, public service announcements, and an occasional newspaper article. But the one job that I had that gave me the most satisfaction, was putting together the annual daily planner that we gave to new and returning students when they came back to school for the fall quarter.

The planner was an instant hit and had become a tradition at the university. Inside, it contained valuable information for students – phone numbers and resources. Since our office coordinated the activities of many student organizations on campus, the planner served as a valuable organizational recruitment device. Equally important, it was an efficient planner that students could use to plan their days. It was a very powerful promotional tool for our office. And since I had the opportunity to work in the office for a few years, I was able to see the demand that a well designed promotional planner could create.

Many businesses as well have discovered the true power of promotional calendars and planners. Promotional planners offer excellent imprint opportunities, have staying power, will be used by recipients, and when properly planned and themed can become an annual tradition that will assure a business’ message remains top of mind.

Few items offer the imprint possibilities of a promotional planner. Where other types of calendars are limited in the message that they can carry, promotional planners are under no such restraint. Depending on the customization options, your message can be carried on every page of a promotional planner, which, depending on the type of planner chosen, could mean a unique imprint opportunity for every day of the year. Few advertising options can boast similar results and give companies and organizations the amount of impressions they will receive from a promotional planner.

Promotional planners are similar to daily devotionals in that recipients pick them up every day. As a result, they are around for the whole year. Day in and day out your clients will be picking up their planners, jotting notes, planning meetings, saving phone numbers and other pertinent information. Unlike newspapers and magazines, which are discarded on a frequent basis, daily planners have a life cycle that typically span the entire year, unless they are lost or damaged.

You get your greatest return from a promotional item when it is used by your recipient. One key quality of promotional planners is the high likelihood that they will be used by your client. Customers appreciate items that they can employ right away in their day to day activities. Successful business people are excellent planners. If your planner is interesting, timely, well themed, and properly laid out, then it is going to be used.

Finally, just as the planners that I put together in college became an annual tradition, an interesting, well themed planner by your organization or company can become an annual tradition as well. If customers begin to call you to request one of your planners, then you can be sure that your past efforts have been effective in making sure that your company, and your message, is top of mind. I’ve seen some planners and calendars that started out as simply a promotional advertising campaign to build awareness that have risen to astronomical heights. In some cases, all of the promotional planners are spoken for before they are even ordered.

Your organization can immediately begin to leverage the power of promotional planners. The coming year offers an excellent opportunity to jump in and get your feet wet with your first planner. Since we are nearing the end of the year, this is the perfect time to distribute your planner to customers. And don’t worry, you are not too late. While the earlier the better, I have still seen promotional planners being distributed well into February. If you want more information about promotional planners, visit our promotional calendar page (here) or order below: