Out of sight, out of mind — it’s an old saying, but it’s especially true about customer relations. We have all been given something with a logo on it, and we often use them every day. But how do you know that what you are doing with your marketing placement is working? How do you continue to ensure that your brand is at the forefront of a customer’s mind, and how do you stand out from the competition? Here we give you 10 good reasons why we believe that every marketing strategy can benefit from including promotional products as part of the overall campaign.

If you have read this blog for a while, you may have realised that I am a country girl. I grew up in rural North Queensland in a small township called Charters Towers, just over an hour west of Townsville. It seems like a million years ago now, as I have been living in big cities for the past 20 years or so. I currently reside mostly in Melbourne and from there I have built a multi million dollar international business. What I have realised about business is that the  more mature my business becomes, the more flexible I am with where I work from. It certainly has got me thinking about where in the world people can build successful businesses from and what are the hurdles that they must overcome if they are not located in a major city.

I've always been aware that I have all the things in life that are necessary to become successful; mentors, learning and development, financial stability, and a community... and the right mindset. But it wasn't always that way, and the first thing that you need to know about being successful is that you have to have the right mindset and belief that anything is possible. It takes so many parts to be successful, but I guess for most of us, it just starts with a dream.

I had a bit of a sleepless night last night and I am not quite sure. I don't have any real worries and life is treating me very well of late. They say if you rid yourself of negativity or people that don't fit your core values whether they are someone you are in a relationship with, friends with, or associates - life becomes a lot more authentic and clean.

I'm often asked what my management style is and it's a very hard question to answer. I am almost never "there" and we have had in place until two years ago a CEO, so there was never a reason for me to be actively involved in day-to-day management or leadership. In the past two years, we have focused on a flat management style where no-one really has a boss but they have a "coach" or person to go to with a title of State Manager whenever they feel the need to for normal administrative purposes or if they feel they are looking for leadership.

We are an odd company at times. While we are definitely a marketing company, we are also media, a tech company and a educator. With 15 new clients being on-boarded in Australia in October, we desperately need a journalist to take over our magazine, and write content across multiple disciplines.

We have been very privileged at Marketing Eye to keep our key team for almost the entire duration of the company. What that has done is establish a firm foundation of people who understand the business, it's vision and what expectations are key to ensuring its ultimate success.

Christina Kortesis who has run the Melbourne office without any interference since the company started has been the backbone of the business. She has continually shown what a good leader should do. Her nurturing skills and ultimate knowledge of marketing is second to none. She has empathy and understands the predicaments that our clients face, as well as that of her own staff.

On the weekend I went to dinner with a few girlfriends, then a couple of them went on to a nightclub. 

I personally couldn't think of anything worse. Why in your mid-forties would you want to go to a nightclub? To pick up? To get drunk? Really?

Then I thought a bit more; I know lots of old, rich men who go to nightclubs, particularly when they are in New York, London, Ibiza, Mykonos etc. There seems to be a growing trend. Perhaps I didn't notice it so much when I was younger at how many old men there are in nightclubs. I am talking 50's, 60's and god-forbid, 70 year old's hanging out with 20-somethings, trying to lure them through wing-men that are more connected usually due to their ability to source drugs or find rich people to pick up the tab.

The choice to do an internship or not is really up the to the individual in Australia. In Europe and most of the US, it is compulsory.

There have always been these war stories of how interns have had to do the lamest of tasks; dropping off drycleaning, cleaning the kitchen, filing for days on end. But it's not all war stories and I can assure you that our interns at Marketing Eye do not have to do that at all.

You are currently walking down the road and you come to a cross roads; if you go one way, you may be successful, if you go the other, you are not so sure. What do you do?

Of course, none of us can answer that question because "may be successful" is not a certainty and if you go the other road, you have no idea, but it could be good, or it may not be.

Life is a bit like that.