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As 2015 comes to a close, SPPA would like to wish its members, partners and other industry professionals a safe and happy holiday season. As we reflect on the past year for the industry, we would like to provide the readers of the SPPA eNews a look at the most accessed articles from the year. Our regular publication will resume Friday, Jan. 8.
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Small Business Trends
From Nov. 2: Many small business owners have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. While the potential to reach and engage your prospects, leads and customers is huge, there are so many little things that can keep you from realizing that promise.
To help your business succeed on this challenging social media platform, here’s a list of things to stop doing on Facebook right now. In other words, if you want to market your business successfully there — cease making these Facebook mistakes.
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| 2. Vote now for your favorite SPPA suppliers, multi-line reps and distributors
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SPPA
From Jan. 16: Voting is now open for our annual member awards — and there are more awards than ever. Distributors can vote for their favorite supplier company, factory rep and multi-line rep. This year, for the first time, suppliers can vote for their favorite distributor company and distributor sales rep.
Voting ends at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, and the awards will be presented at the SPPA Membership & Awards Luncheon on Jan. 27 in Birmingham, Alabama. Tickets for the luncheon are available online at www.sunbeltppa.org.
DISTRIBUTORS — click here to vote.
SUPPLIERS and MULTI LINE REPS — click here to vote.
PPEF
From Feb. 13: Promotional Products Education Foundation is pleased to announce that the 2015 PPEF scholarship program is now taking applications for the 2015-2016 school year with $150,000 in scholarships available, the most ever awarded in a single year. Since its inception in 1989, PPEF has awarded approximately $1,267,000 in financial assistance.
Funded by Promotional Products Association International and donations from the promotional products industry, the scholarship program enables youth and professionals to continue their education on a collegiate level.
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Loyalty360
From Nov. 24: Showrooming has changed and as well, the responses to this behavior have changed accordingly. A mere three years ago the entire retail industry was in full panic mode because they had just begun to realize that shoppers were pulling out their smartphones in their store and, cue gasp, actually looking elsewhere to make the purchase.
Initial responses to this phenomenon ranged from doom to confusion and everywhere in between. But a few smart marketers started wondering how to leverage this change by consumers in order to turn it into retail gold. And some of them have succeeded.
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Entrepreneur
From June 26: There have been a number of times that we've walked into an organization looking for some marketing assistance, and we hear a familiar tune:
"Marketing doesn't work, it costs too much!"
"Sales aren't doing their job! I’m sending them leads!"
If you've grown up with siblings, this scenario can sound very familiar to quarreling brothers and sisters, but what is really going on here? Why do so many organizations seem to have problems when it comes to aligning their Sales and Marketing teams?
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By Jessica Taylor
From July 3: An important change in the American workplace is occurring — and it could affect you and your business. A proposed new rule regarding overtime pay would mean increased paychecks for up to 5 million workers, according to the Obama administration. A proposed adjustment to the Fair Labor Standards Act — establishing the 40-hour workweek and rules for working overtime — would raise the salary threshold for overtime for the first time since 1975.
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| 7. Registration open for SPPA Fall Showcase and End-Buyer Show
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SPPA
From July 17: Registration is now open for the SPPA Fall Showcase in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, and Birmingham, Alabama. Now in its third year, the show has quickly become the largest tabletop show in each of the states it visits. Distributors who register for the Alabama Fall Showcase will also be given the opportunity to invite their clients — instructions on inviting clients are on the website and a webinar will be held on Friday morning, July 24. Email mark@sunbeltppa.org if you would like to attend the webinar. For more information on the shows and to register, go to www.sunbeltppa.org and click on Trade Show.
Forbes
From Oct. 16: The last few years have seen great shifts in the retailers' business models, mainly brick-and-mortar retailers. In the wake of increasing dominance of e-commerce giants, big-box stores had to find ways to get back to winning customers. Price competition was almost a reflex reaction from retailers as they attempted to stem market share losses.
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Advertising Specialty Institute
From Nov. 6: The Advertising Specialty Institute® (ASI) named the most influential business leaders in the promotional products industry with the release of the 2015 Counselor® Power 50 list, topped this year by 4imprint CEO Kevin Lyons-Tarr.
A record 12 new people made this year's list, another sign of the growing influence of e-commerce on the $21.5 billion ad specialty industry, according to Counselor Editor Andy Cohen. "Many of the newcomers on this year's list are e-commerce players, and even the person at the top of the rankings heads a distributor firm that is the biggest pure digital and mobile player in the market today."
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SPPA
From Nov. 24: Dianne Watson, our #1 volunteer, past president, and greatest advocate passed away peacefully on Sunday morning. She was a member of SPPA for over 30 years — longer than any other current member. The SPPA Board of Directors honored her last year with the inaugural Volunteer of the Year Award, which is now named in her honor. Dianne served two terms on the SPPA Board of Directors. Her first term was as a Director, Vice President and RAC Delegate during the early 90's. She then led SPPA as President throughout 2011 and 2012, two of the association’s most difficult years. Her primary mission as President was the monumental task of reaching out to SPPA members in all parts of our region.
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