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It's quite clear that if you have a business that specializes in golf products or golf services that you would expect it would be easy to target your fellow golfers (and potential future customers) is with a golf promotional item (or a golf-themed promotion) during peak golf season.

But I challenge you to think a little out of the box here. In this example, the match seems obvious, but consider, too, that your competitors are probably thinking the same "safe" thing. In this case, to stand out from the crowd you might want to do something a little different, so that your promotional golf ball does not become just another one of the many promotional golf balls that your potential customer is sure to receive from your competitors.

At the same time, if you do not own a golf-related business, that does not mean you should rule out using promotional golf items which can be equally effectively for promotional or marketing purposes across many industries.

If executed with careful thought and some creativity, there are some less obvious choices around golf-themed promotions to help you reach a broader audience by not only appealing to golf enthusiasts, but also those that might not be as knowledgeable, enthusiastic, or skilled in golf.

Consider the following when contemplating and/or choosing promotional golf items:

A golf promotion does not have to be a budget-breaker for your business. Golf is often considered to be one of the more expensive hobbies or sports for the average consumer to pursue. Even so, a golf-themed promotion can still be affordable for your business and appeal to a target audience of a wide income range. Keep in mind the wide range of types, varieties, brands, and prices of promotional golf items out there. With golf's upper-scale reputation, even a lower priced golf promotional item will have a high perceived value, will symbolize high quality, and will be reflective of an upscale company image for your business, product, or service.

The types of promotional golf items out there include: simple golf balls, golf tees, scoring pencils, gloves, gifts, golfing accessories, apparel, sport bottles, towels, bags etc. Golf promotional items can range from simple brand-name custom logo golf balls, to golf ball accessory bags or reasonably-priced golf tournament giveaway bags and golf event bags.

Choose a practical, re-usable product that can be used on or off the golf course. Even a really golf-specific promotion can benefit by having dual-use products (which can be used on or off the course), such as: golf shirts, caps, sunglasses, water bottles, can coolers, can cozies, towels, golf umbrellas, etc., which can be equally useful both to golf enthusiasts and to the general public whether they are on a golf course or not.

Any promotional golf item that can be worn or carried is a walking billboards which means free advertising. Golf shirts are not just for golf. Golf shirts, also known as tennis/polo/sport shirts, are always popular imprinted products that easily double as business casual wear, or a company-identifying sales team uniform. Depending on your budget and the quantity of items needed, you might also want to consider other universal, unisex types of apparel such as: T-shirts (note: which some non-golfers might even think the golf term "tees" refer to), sweatshirts, windbreakers, long-sleeved shirts, or any other apparel item.

Mixing golf and business dealings is a common practice. With golf and business dealings sharing a long history together, business and corporate workers remain a good target audience for a golf or golf-themed promotion. And, while this is true, do not forget to be aware of the fact that not every businessman or businesswoman may be good at or even like golf.

In some industries, golf is considered an important business skill and it is even taught at some colleges and graduate schools. Business deals often grow out of relationships developed at business golfing outings. There are many known benefits of combining golf with business deals as playing the game helps people learn each other's character and after game drinks often play an important part, too.

For golf enthusiasts there does not have to be an off-season period. The golf season generally runs from April to around October, so if you want to time your golf promotion to be during the season, you will want to keep that time frame in mind. But many businessmen or vacation travelers that consider a trip to a warm-weather locale (where weather is almost always play permitting) an opportunity to get in a game, for them there may never really be an off-season.

The peak golf season encompasses the four "Grand Slam" events in men's golf, which include: The Masters; The U.S. Open; The British Open; and the PGA Championships. Other ways to define the peak golf season in your area is the weather, e.g., some geographies do have different off-seasons when the weather may or not be appropriate to play the game, so be sure to also keep that in mind when planning your event.

Golf Etiquette is an important part of the game. Choose your golf promotional item accordingly. Be aware of the golf etiquette rules that are a big part of the game. Choose promotional products that complement this quality of the game that may be less obvious to the outsider.

Golf etiquette includes being nice, quiet, and polite and is meant to support the prestige, safety and pace of the game. Choose golf apparel and accessories that help encourage a clean appearance as well as good etiquette, consider: club brushes, shoe bags, caps, bag tags, divot fixer tools, ball markers, or a combo divot tool and ball marker. Some of these smaller items can be packaged as really inexpensive golf care kits, which include the tees, markers, and tools, but also antiseptic wipes, band-aids, and sunscreen.

Golf-themed quotes or humor, as in movies or jokes, have universal appeal. Keep in mind that not everyone loves golf. But that's okay. You won't alienate them if you combine golf-themed media with the universal appeal of stories with a common moral or punch line that everyone can relate to.

Draw your clients in with familiar golf-themed movies like "Caddyshack" or "Happy Gilmore", or humor and quotes that anyone can relate, too. Note: You might want to stay away from some golf humor that would include golf-specific references that non-golfers would not understand.

Other Tips & Tactics

• During the peak golf season, depending on how well certain celebrity golfers, such as Tiger Woods, are playing, you may want to have a golf-themed promotion handy in order to piggy-back on related media reports and use popular keyword search terms in your online sales copy. When doing so, remember to always have a promotional giveaway or prize be something that will appeal to all levels of golf enthusiasts, who are all regular people off the course, too.
• Take it one step further and put logos on any outdoor item such as hats, sunglasses, or even consumer outdoor products such as sunscreen or bug repellents, etc. In trying to appeal to that wider audience, both on and off the golf course, be sure to keep your choices classy or your promotion won't be consistent with the sport or the company image that you want it to be associated with.
• One tactic to use to relate to non-golfers is to use references to "miniature golf" which most people will usually have some sort of nostalgic memory of. That is also a way to avoid getting into a technical conversation around golf if that is something that you (or your potential customer) might not be familiar enough with to feel comfortable discussing.

To select from a variety of promotional golf items, go to: . Promotional Golf Items at ArtPromos.com.
To search the online catalogue of a reliable promotional product supplier, go to: ArtPromos.com.
To read more about the author of this article, go to: HMH-Designs-Online.com

# posted by qbnkinw : 2:23 AM  0 comments

If you own a business that frequently uses computers to store data, then you probably realize the importance of having a dependable online file backup system. Without sufficient methods of data storage, your files are vulnerable and can easily be erased by power failure, employee mishaps, hackers, natural disasters, or an isolated computer crash.

One solution is to backup your own data using methods such as buying an additional hard drive for backup, or using network or FTP backup. These have advantages and disadvantages, but can be viable solutions if you have the time and capability to do your own offsite data storage.

If you don't have time to do your own backup, however, there are online companies today that offer services to protect your data for you. These are called offsite backup services. Offsite backup services provide the tools and space to store your important business or personal data daily so you can worry about other vital functions of your business.

How Online Backup Services Work

Online backup services offer an easy solution for online file backup at a low cost. The company offering the services will usually charge a monthly fee based on the amount of data storage space you'll need and how often you'll need to transfer data to their system. They will provide a special server and use protocols of their own to transfer and encrypt (or secure) your data.

Why are Offsite Backup Services Safer than Other Forms of Backup?

Offsite backup services are not foolproof, but they do provide a safe way to store your important data. One reason is the company can specialize and keep up-to-date with the latest technologies to keep your data safe from hackers and computer bugs. As a busy business owner, you probably will not have time to worry with this and you might not have the funds to hire a full-time backup specialist.

Another reason it's safer than using your own backup system is your data will be stored in a completely different location. You will have the information on your own system as well as another backup system far away. If and when a computer crash or some other event causes you to lose your data, you will have it stored in a different location to retrieve when you need it.

Choose Offsite Backup Services Carefully

When choosing offsite backup services, be sure the company is dependable and trustworthy. Your stored data should never be compromised for any reason. The company should offer a strict confidentiality standard and enforce it. You can check with the Better Business Bureau (online or off-line) to see if the company has any complaints against it.

Also, be sure the company is dependable. Storing your data using online backup services does you no good if you are unable to access or retrieve your data when you need it. Ask for referral names of people that have used the service before. Test the company with a small amount of data first to see how they operate. Being cautious at the start might save you many headaches for the future.

Using an online file backup solution can save you time and money. You can enjoy freedom from backup nightmares while allowing data backup experts to do the work for you.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Offsite Backup Services Explained or Majon's Business and Entrepreneurs directory

# posted by qbnkinw : 12:25 AM  0 comments